Old_Punk
11-21-2004, 04:33 PM
Unless your moon disks are one piece, they probably creak and ping like mine. Well, I think I've pretty much solved the problem.
Here's what causes the noise. The steel wheels aren't perfectly rigid. They go slightly oval as the car rolls along. The flexing of the wheels is transferred to the stainless steel prongs that hold the cap on. The prongs transfer the flex to the lip of the hubcap (which in my case is aluminum) where it is crimped over the prongs, making it creak and ping as metal rubs against metal. Since the hubcap is shaped pretty much like a speaker cone, the noises are amplified and broadcast into the air. You can hear how all this happens by removing a hubcap and twisting it in your hands.
So I pulled the hubcaps and shot WD40 into the lip where it's crimped over the prongs. Some WD40 dribbled onto the tires after I reinstalled the hubcaps, but I had just ArmorAll-ed the tires so it was no big deal. I drove around a bit to spin the lube into the crevices and then gave it the Taco Bell drive-through test (I can hear the noise best when it bounces off a wall or another car). MUCH better. Almost no noise at all.
I don't know how long this solution will last, but it's simple to reapply. There might be a better lube for the job. I've also considered spraying foam sealer into the crevices as sound insulation. Even though the stuff is almost weightless, it could throw the wheels out of balance unless it's applied evenly. But I don't think it will come to that.
Here's what causes the noise. The steel wheels aren't perfectly rigid. They go slightly oval as the car rolls along. The flexing of the wheels is transferred to the stainless steel prongs that hold the cap on. The prongs transfer the flex to the lip of the hubcap (which in my case is aluminum) where it is crimped over the prongs, making it creak and ping as metal rubs against metal. Since the hubcap is shaped pretty much like a speaker cone, the noises are amplified and broadcast into the air. You can hear how all this happens by removing a hubcap and twisting it in your hands.
So I pulled the hubcaps and shot WD40 into the lip where it's crimped over the prongs. Some WD40 dribbled onto the tires after I reinstalled the hubcaps, but I had just ArmorAll-ed the tires so it was no big deal. I drove around a bit to spin the lube into the crevices and then gave it the Taco Bell drive-through test (I can hear the noise best when it bounces off a wall or another car). MUCH better. Almost no noise at all.
I don't know how long this solution will last, but it's simple to reapply. There might be a better lube for the job. I've also considered spraying foam sealer into the crevices as sound insulation. Even though the stuff is almost weightless, it could throw the wheels out of balance unless it's applied evenly. But I don't think it will come to that.