Wheel weights on 5th gen Camaro Calipers - NJFBOA - Home of New Jersey's Camaros and Firebirds

qwikz28 · 04-22-2009, 04:41 PM

What the heck is this for? I don't buy into the whole resonance thing, i think its insane. Check it out!

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showth...t=19161&page=1

BigAls87Z28 · 04-22-2009, 04:51 PM

Wow...thats really upsetting.

KirkEvil · 04-22-2009, 05:09 PM

Haha, engineers trying to fix their last minute mistakes

cdacda13 · 04-22-2009, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Gentlemen As far as the brake weights go I heard from a fellow in the GM plant, the brakes were squeeling and by weighting the calipers the squeel went away Brembo has, since then sent a new batch of calipers to correct this problem Hope this helps

I hope that GM really didn't ship out a known to be defective product.

enRo · 04-22-2009, 05:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cdacda13

I hope that GM really didn't ship out a known to be defective product.

Times are tough

I like the comment of "Done to add extra weight in order to give the Stang and Challenger a fighting chance"

Ian · 04-22-2009, 06:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cdacda13

I hope that GM really didn't ship out a known to be defective product.

its not defective, the 4oz. of wheel weights fixed the problem!

HeadlessNorseman · 04-22-2009, 10:45 PM

Im not so sure how adding stiky weights cuts down on vibration. Normally as far as instruments go, adding weight increases vibration. And the fact that there is glue inbetween the weight and the lead...wouldnt redue any kind of vibration. Oh well!

NastyEllEssWon · 04-22-2009, 10:48 PM

i dont think its for vibrations. i think its like they said, to weigh down the brakes so they dont squeal as much

Ian · 04-23-2009, 12:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by isphius

Im not so sure how adding stiky weights cuts down on vibration. Normally as far as instruments go, adding weight increases vibration. And the fact that there is glue inbetween the weight and the lead...wouldnt redue any kind of vibration. Oh well!

adding weight to a stringed instrument allows less of the vibration to be absorbed by the body of the instrument...at least I think thats how it works...

Blackbirdws6 · 04-23-2009, 07:04 AM

If you are getting a vibration (resonance) in the system, changing its weight can change the frequency at which is will vibrate. Seems like they may have been getting close to a harmonic freq. (think of that bridge that went all wavy and fell apart) and this solved the problem.

Just hope the weights don't fall off and they recall these calipers for the owners that have this on their cars.

Blackbirdws6 · 04-23-2009, 07:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by isphius

Im not so sure how adding stiky weights cuts down on vibration. Normally as far as instruments go, adding weight increases vibration. And the fact that there is glue inbetween the weight and the lead...wouldnt redue any kind of vibration. Oh well!

Really depends where it's added. However think of this. Take a metal ruler, put it on a table with a good deal hanging off this table and flick the end. It will flex back and forth at a certain height and speed. Put a weight on the end and do it again. The deflection may be greater but the frequency should be slower.

Tsar · 04-23-2009, 07:55 AM

Ahh, one of many reasons not to buy a first year production car...

qwikz28 · 04-23-2009, 08:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tsar

Ahh, one of many reasons not to buy a first year production car...

i agree with this statement. and I can only imagine those weights flying off during a track day. Not good

BonzoHansen · 04-23-2009, 08:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NastyEllEssWon

i dont think its for vibrations. i think its like they said, to weigh down the brakes so they dont squeal as much

"squeal" is often vibration/movement

maybe this is not real? A goof? a test car?

Tsar · 04-23-2009, 08:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BonzoHansen

"squeal" is often vibration/movement

maybe this is not real? A goof? a test car?

There were quite a few members in that thread who reported the same problem, including cars at the dealerships... Sad really.

sweetbmxrider · 04-23-2009, 09:39 AM

quality

Jensend · 04-23-2009, 12:47 PM

Even when taped with aluminized tape, adhesive weights have a tendency to come off when subjected to the heat generated during hard braking. This is just due to the heat transferred to the rim softening the glue. Imagine how much more heat is naturally in the body of a caliper. Can only hope that this is an assembly line gag.

Considering the cost of the new Camaro, I can't imagine anyone who'd knowingly accept delivery of a car that actually needed those weights to have the calipers function "normally". If this is true, it doesn't say much for either Brembo or GM. Would like to think it's a hoax.

sweetbmxrider · 04-23-2009, 01:51 PM

i was kinda thinking the same with the heat transfer....

HeadlessNorseman · 04-23-2009, 09:15 PM

Even if its not a hoax i was just thinking that whoever came up with it is probably a better engineer than any of us...unless we have any mechanical engineers here. Im leaning towards a hoax either by a worker or just on the internet.

NJSPEEDER · 04-23-2009, 10:37 PM

If anything I would say it is a much nicer solution than the dampers they put on 3rd gen rear calipers or the huge isolators that a lot of cars use.

Tsar · 04-23-2009, 10:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by isphius

Even if its not a hoax i was just thinking that whoever came up with it is probably a better engineer than any of us...unless we have any mechanical engineers here. Im leaning towards a hoax either by a worker or just on the internet.

I sure hope those were not the same guys who designed the opti and put it under the water pump... or designed those pesky 4th gen window motors!

LTb1ow · 04-23-2009, 11:39 PM

And hey now! Some of us are MechEs!

As for the opti, well, we all have bad days...

Tsar · 04-25-2009, 12:54 PM

Here's an official answer:

Quote:

Spokesman John Fitzpatrick said the weights were added as a damper to reduce noise and only early build cars would need them.

http://blogs.edmunds.com/straightlin...es-it-too.html

On a totally different note. BMWs solution looked much more pleasing to the eye than stick on weights.

Frosty · 04-25-2009, 01:03 PM

Beats me, I guess it's better than pushing back the release of them until Brembo fixes the problem? I guess....though with GM in the spotlight for various reasons that's not the message I'd want to sent taxpayers and potential customers...

Tsar · 04-25-2009, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frosty

Beats me, I guess it's better than pushing back the release of them until Brembo fixes the problem? I guess....though with GM in the spotlight for various reasons that's not the message I'd want to sent taxpayers and potential customers...

Oh no doubt that GM did it so the car is not delayed again. But they did not put the weights on the caliper to balance the wheel, as previously suggested.