[aBee150]

I had this clicking on my wheels when I turned. I didn't add anything, just torqued them to Spec (140) and it went away. They were torqued at 120 from dealer.

[Boost Creep]

Originally Posted by aBee150

I had this clicking on my wheels when I turned. I didn't add anything, just torqued them to Spec (140) and it went away. They were torqued at 120 from dealer.

Mine were no where near 140 when I took them off for the first time, applied the grease and torqued them when I rotated. Haven't had a nice enough day to see if the noise is gone.

[Whitespeed]

Applying more grease to the mating surface seems like an odd solution to me. That's not to say it won't work. IMO, sufficient grease encourages the mating surfaces to slide against each other, so it gets rid of the noise because there's less of an abrupt stick-slip action happening. However, I'd rather not have that movement happening in the first place. My lugs were loose from the factory, and torquing them to spec helped somewhat. I had to corner harder to hear the clicking. However, to fully eliminate the clicking, I found that the mating surfaces have to be spotlessly clean with these wheels. I initially tried just hosing down the surfaces with brake cleaner and wiping it off with a rag. That got rid of the sound on right hand turns, and temporarily eliminated it on left hand turns, but it soon came back on left turns. I finally used some lacquer thinner on a rag and kept wiping down the mating faces thoroughly with clean sections of the rag until the rag was no longer picking up grease. 5000+ miles later, and the clicking has not returned.

Nigel

[mjk3888]

Originally Posted by Whitespeed

Applying more grease to the mating surface seems like an odd solution to me. That's not to say it won't work. IMO, sufficient grease encourages the mating surfaces to slide against each other, so it gets rid of the noise because there's less of an abrupt stick-slip action happening. However, I'd rather not have that movement happening in the first place. My lugs were loose from the factory, and torquing them to spec helped somewhat. I had to corner harder to hear the clicking. However, to fully eliminate the clicking, I found that the mating surfaces have to be spotlessly clean with these wheels. I initially tried just hosing down the surfaces with brake cleaner and wiping it off with a rag. That got rid of the sound on right hand turns, and temporarily eliminated it on left hand turns, but it soon came back on left turns. I finally used some lacquer thinner on a rag and kept wiping down the mating faces thoroughly with clean sections of the rag until the rag was no longer picking up grease. 5000+ miles later, and the clicking has not returned.

Nigel

Its not about applying grease to cause movement. Its about cleaning the corrosion off and a LIGHT coat of something to prevent the return of the corrosion.

[Whitespeed]

Originally Posted by mjk3888

Its not about applying grease to cause movement. Its about cleaning the corrosion off and a LIGHT coat of something to prevent the return of the corrosion.

Corrosion does not explain my observations with respect to the clicking noise. To reiterate...

• Received the car from the factory with pronounced repeated clicking noise with moderate loading in turns in both directions
• Torqued lugs to spec (140ftlbs). They were noticeably loose. Pronounced clicking noise still present, but at higher loads in turns in both directions.
• Removed wheels, and found a light film of grease and no signs of corrosion on the wheel to brake hat mating surfaces (some surface rust on hub pilot that centers the wheel, but the hub pilot doesn't support the wheel load). Sprayed with brake cleaner and wiped mating surfaces down (quick clean-up). Pronounced clicking noise still present, but only in left turns now.
• Thorough clean-up of mating surfaces of all 4 wheels with lacquer thinner (multiple wipe-downs) until zero signs of grease on clean rag. Clicking noise completely gone under all cornering loads in both directions
• 5000+ miles later and zero clicking noise

I also noticed wear marks on the hub pilot. It appears to me that grease on the mating surfaces that GM applies reduces the friction to the point that it allows the wheel to shift around on the hub under load, and the clicking noise is likely coming from the wheel striking the hub pilot. I have a hard time believing the corrosion hypothesis because it seems unlikely that corrosion would result in a lower coefficient of friction than grease. It seems more likely that application of anti-seize eliminates the noise either because it reduces the friction to the point that the impacts on the hub pilot are less severe, or the anti-seize used happens to have a higher coefficient of friction than whatever grease GM applies. Regardless, the mating surfaces on my car have had zero grease for an extended period of time now, and if corrosion were indeed the cause of the clicking noise, it's had plenty of time to form and the clicking noise should have returned and be even worse now. But it has not returned.

It's possible that there are two causes leading to a similar phenomenon. I'd have to see a more detailed explanation of the mechanisms of the corrosion hypothesis to be convinced, which I've not found in this thread so far. Certainly open to the idea though. But based on current information, I feel confident in concluding that the clicking noise is, in most if not all cases, due to grease on the mating surfaces reducing friction in the clamped joint of the wheel to the hub to the point that a stick-slip action occurs. I suspect that those who still experience the clicking noise after cleaning did not have the mating surfaces cleaned thoroughly enough.

Nigel

[Coded4SS]

Originally Posted by Whitespeed

Corrosion does not explain my observations with respect to the clicking noise. To reiterate...

• Received the car from the factory with pronounced repeated clicking noise with moderate loading in turns in both directions
• Torqued lugs to spec (140ftlbs). They were noticeably loose. Pronounced clicking noise still present, but at higher loads in turns in both directions.
• Removed wheels, and found a light film of grease and no signs of corrosion on the wheel to brake hat mating surfaces (some surface rust on hub pilot that centers the wheel, but the hub pilot doesn't support the wheel load). Sprayed with brake cleaner and wiped mating surfaces down (quick clean-up). Pronounced clicking noise still present, but only in left turns now.
• Thorough clean-up of mating surfaces of all 4 wheels with lacquer thinner (multiple wipe-downs) until zero signs of grease on clean rag. Clicking noise completely gone under all cornering loads in both directions
• 5000+ miles later and zero clicking noise

I also noticed wear marks on the hub pilot. It appears to me that grease on the mating surfaces that GM applies reduces the friction to the point that it allows the wheel to shift around on the hub under load, and the clicking noise is likely coming from the wheel striking the hub pilot. I have a hard time believing the corrosion hypothesis because it seems unlikely that corrosion would result in a lower coefficient of friction than grease. It seems more likely that application of anti-seize eliminates the noise either because it reduces the friction to the point that the impacts on the hub pilot are less severe, or the anti-seize used happens to have a higher coefficient of friction than whatever grease GM applies. Regardless, the mating surfaces on my car have had zero grease for an extended period of time now, and if corrosion were indeed the cause of the clicking noise, it's had plenty of time to form and the clicking noise should have returned and be even worse now. But it has not returned.

It's possible that there are two causes leading to a similar phenomenon. I'd have to see a more detailed explanation of the mechanisms of the corrosion hypothesis to be convinced, which I've not found in this thread so far. Certainly open to the idea though. But based on current information, I feel confident in concluding that the clicking noise is, in most if not all cases, due to grease on the mating surfaces reducing friction in the clamped joint of the wheel to the hub to the point that a stick-slip action occurs. I suspect that those who still experience the clicking noise after cleaning did not have the mating surfaces cleaned thoroughly enough.

Nigel

I cleaned the corrosion off the mating surface and put a very small dab of grease. 6k miles of hard driving it didint come back. Had my wheels off the other day and the corrosion was back on the non greased one and sure enough the clicking was as well. The greased side was free of corrosion and the ticking. I'm confident the tick is due to the corrosion build up.

[Whitespeed]

Originally Posted by Coded4SS

I cleaned the corrosion off the mating surface and put a very small dab of grease. 6k miles of hard driving it didint come back. Had my wheels off the other day and the corrosion was back on the non greased one and sure enough the clicking was as well. The greased side was free of corrosion and the ticking. I'm confident the tick is due to the corrosion build up.

Still doesn't add up. Where are you seeing corrosion? The 1LE has aluminum brake hats on the front that are anodized and the wheels are aluminum. There should be no corrosion between the mating surfaces. Mating surfaces (front and rear) have to be spotless of grease and lug nuts torqued to 140lbft. As mentioned, a quick clean up on mine did not eliminate the clicking. I've advised others to do the same and it's eliminated the clicking for them. I'm now at 12,000+ miles and over 2 years since doing this myself, with zero clicking.


Nigel

[Msquared]

Guys, I have to agree with Whitespeed. There are multiple problems with the theory that corrosion is the cause and a coating of goop is the solution:

1. I don't see how aluminum wheels can develop galvanic corrosion with aluminum brake rotor hats.
2. It seems entirely possible that the grease some have noticed on some part of the hub (was it on the hubcentric raised portion, aka the "wheel pilot"?) is actually the cause of the clicking. The TSB 17-NA-271 infers this if you read it carefully and between the lines.
3. It is actually pretty crucial to have a clean, no-slip surface between the wheel and its mounting surface, because the integrity of the wheel's mounting relies entirely on the friction developed between the two surfaces. If you put anti-seize or any form of goop on the mating surfaces, you will severely lower the coefficient of friction and the wheel is much more likely to move on the hub face, even if the lug nuts are properly tightened. Again, if you read between the lines of the TSB, that is what GM believes caused the problem in the first place: grease on the "wheel pilot" area.

[VinnAY]

Good points...I wondered if anyone tried 145 or even 150ft lbs...I'm unsure the size of the lugs and what they can handle. Just a thought since my previous Mustang spec'd 150 but had the lugs to dictate that setting.

[Boost Creep]

The corrosion is between the aluminum wheel and the steel hub centric "pilot" as you call it that centers the rotor and wheel.

My car had the clicking until I rotated the tires and lubed the hub, haven't heard it since.
Just something I noticed was the wheels weren't torqued properly when new and making the noise. Ever since they have been torqued to 140ftlb each rotation/wheel swap. I have a set of factory ZL1 wheels and the stock 1LE's.

[Vtor_ZL1]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upJQGhnOQEE

I think that is what I am hearing, tick tick tick noise under load.


Wheel torqued to 140 ft-lbs ( calibrated digital torque wrench ).


Aluminum rotor hat, aluminum wheels. Fairly clean.


Ideas ?


I'll pull wheel off to make sure wheel bearing is good and no crunchy noises. 22,000 miles on the car. ZLE.

[VinnAY]

I heard it I think today when turning the wheel to lock while stationary. I haven't heard any tick tick tick under load or while driving. Was kind of a clunk sound vs tick.

[Boost Creep]

The noise happens while moving, making a turn. Mine seemed to be at about 30mph during a sharp turn.
Click, click, click, click. rapidly like three to four clicks per second depending on speed.

[SloCal]

Had this on my 16. You just have to keep going back to dealer and eventually they either apply enough grease or do something else to fix it