Car Squeaking when coming to complete stop (only with 21" Performance Wheels)

[Destiny1701]

Take a video of it while making noise and play it for them.

 

[Litigate28]

So last week I washed my car myself and spent some time on my rims, on the inside too including the brake pad. Sound is now almost all gone, no more high pitched squeak, just a small dull sound now. So perhaps it was some brake dust? Not sure but gone now.

 

[ShibbyRomes]

This is exactly what's happening to me.

2013 Model S on springs, no air suspension. I've used 19in since new and NEVER got this noise. Got Arachnids from Tesla and the noise came on. Thought it was brakes or maybe wasnt torqued correctly. This is my second season with the wheels. I just put them on for the summer and the noise returned.

Again, this does not appear to be the brakes. Only happens with my 21in Arachnids, never my original 19s. Hope someone figures it out.

 

[P100D_Me]

Hope someone figures it out.

20+ posts of happens to me too, I guess nobody has figured out the problem.
I suspect a lack of brake use contributes, but I also wonder if there is too much drive force when creep mode is active putting too much strain on the rarely used brakes.

 

[ShibbyRomes]

It's not the brakes.

Never happens with my 19s. I'm going to see if Service gives me the same explanation. However, the creep setting sounds interesting. I'll try messing around with that later.

 

[kholy]

Ha, so this is originally my thread and i still have not resolved! two mobile visits with the first visit we couldn't reproduce... the 1 time it didnt happen... then the second time he heard it but was unable to resolve or figure out and pointed me to service center. Car is in center TODAY and i was able to show them this morning when i dropped it off. I was supposed to pick up today at 5 but they called and extended it until tomorrow at noon. Hopefully by then i will have some sort of answer. I don't know why but this makes me so angry every time it happens. Between this and my music skipping my frustration gets me when i drive.

 

[AAARSINIC]

Same thing here. As soon as I put 21” arachnids on replacing my 19” wheels I get a squeak from 5-0 mph. I tried the hard braking trick with no results. Please report back with what the service center says.

 

[ShibbyRomes]

Tried disabling Creep and messing around with regen. Trying to get a different result/sound. No change. The suggestion about possibly lowering the air pressure is interesting but I dont want to trade that for the sound, in the event that it does work. I'm bummed about this. Will report back after the service visit.

 

[BrokerDon]

Strange. I have Arachnids on our 2015 P85DL with the noise you're reporting ONLY when it rains, very foggy, or car washed and then parked (not driven). Rust builds up on the rotors which "squeals" like yours until the pads remove the rust... Then it's gone until the rotors get wet & rust again. Literally "rinse and repeat". Since we live in moderate temperature typically sunny and dry SoCal I rarely hear any "squeal".

However, this brake "squeal" is NOT a Tesla issue. I had the same problem on my Corvette Z06 which had monster racing brakes. Same "squealing" if the rotors got wet which put a fine rust on the rotors. Took a couple of stops to get them quiet again. Same "squeal" after the rotors get wet on our 2003 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, 2011 Mercedes Sprinter and 2012 Toyota Prius... and previous cars too. Definitely worse if road salt & sand gets on the rotors.

My theory is it is the "brake squeal: is much more noticeable on our Teslas, especially with Arachnids since:

1. Teslas are SO quiet, especially at low speed vs. ICE cars which have motors that mask most moderate noises anyway
2. our super light forged 21" Arachnid wheels have very little material to block / reflect any brake noise, especially vs. 19" Tesla wheels
3. Arachnid wheel owners are more particular / aware of their Tesla's noises & performance (not a bad thing)
4. Arachnid wheels are primarily on Performance Teslas which have larger rear motors and more aggressive regenerative braking. This means our brake pads get used less than ICE cars... and even other non-Performance Teslas... so our rotors rust more

Again, these are just my opinions which may help others. I don't want to "debate" my opinions. Please respect that.

 

[ShibbyRomes]

@BrokerDon

I have a non performance and usually run 19s. Never get it with my 19s. The mystery appears to be with those that usually run 19s and occasionally install their 21s.

 

[ahkahn]

Happens on my 19's all the time. It's definitely when they get wet and then sit in the garage overnight. They also stick when first releasing to drive.

 

[ShibbyRomes]

@ahkahn

It's not the brake "sticking" to rotors when wet.

It's a different sound (like an old piece of furniture or door hinge). Watch the video of the sound recording.

 

[kholy]

I struggle with accepting it is a brake issue and to slam on my brakes... few reasons, 1) when i do it, it doesn't help or change anything. 2) I do agree that its worse when it rains or foggy ect but it'll still happen 5-6 days after rain. 3) While the issue was happening i switched to the 19's, it never happened once, same day i switched back to 21's happened on first 3mph-0mph.

hopefully Tesla can tell me something because i honestly cant stand it, its so loud and i feel so stupid when all these old cars dont make any noise then an tesla comes rolling up squeaking like its 20 years old

 

[BrokerDon]

@ahkahn

It's not the brake "sticking" to rotors when wet.

It's a different sound (like an old piece of furniture or door hinge). Watch the video of the sound recording.

I did listen to the sound in the video... and was not referring to the initial "sticking" (same cause, different effect). The sound in your video is exactly what dry brake pads on rusty (oxidized) disc brake rotors have sounded like on the disc brake cars I've driven for 39 years. First one was an Audi 5000 diesel. Slowest car sold in the U.S. in 1980: (0 to 60 in 19 seconds) but 30 mpg city / 40 mpg highway in 1980 when CAFE was probably 12 mpg. Brakes squealed just like your video after brake rotors dried with light rust ("oxidation") on them. Drove it for 170,000 miles... and a 1985 Mercedes 300SD for 190,000 miles after that which also sounded like the video after the brake rotors got wet then dried out.

Wagner brakes even has "brake squeal" right on their website:

A buildup of rust on your brake rotors can cause your brakes to make a squealing or squeaking noise. If your vehicle sits outside overnight, moisture from rain, snow or dew can collect on the surface of the brake rotors. This moisture causes a layer of rust to develop on the rotor.

As you drive and use your brakes, the surface rust will get scrubbed off. The best way to avoid this is to park your car overnight in a garage or other dry environment when possible.

Can Winter Weather Cause Brake Noise?​

 

[P100D_Me]

The best way to avoid this is to park your car overnight in a garage or other dry environment when possible.

I do, always have and over summer here it rarely rains and we have a dry heat. Guess what I get that hideous sound no matter what.

 

[ElectricTravel]

To add another data point, early cars (before ~2013/2014-ish) could have a brake noise that only affects 21" wheels due to resonances between the brake rotor and the wheel that don't exist with the 19" wheels. The noise lasted for around 1/2 second when coming to a stop, just before the wheels completely stopped turning. Off the top of my head from several years ago, the frequency was in the 600 Hz range.

There was a Service Bulletin for this, and the fix was to install revised rotors (I seem to remember that only front rotors needed to be replaced, but might be wrong there). The old rotors were machined in the "hat" area, presumably for weight reduction. The revised rotors were "as-cast" (no machining in the hat area). The extra weight in that area eliminated the resonance.

It was not the same sound we hear in the video in post #13, which sounds really typical (for many cars). I'm surprised that turning off creep didn't eliminate that noise.

 

[Ole Capt]

Here's a video of mine the day after deliver. '15 P90DL

 

[Don85D]

This is a known problem with many brake pad manufacturers and the solution is the add a stainless shim between the pads and the caliper. The frequency of the squeal is moved higher to beyond the hearing range of humans. High temp silicone sealant applied to the back of the pads does the same thing.

Mercedes cars were notorious for brake squeal because they used harder pads for longer life. Soft pads and lots of brake pad dust was the North American fix so perhaps changing to a different brand of pad will solve the issue.

I can disable my hearing aids when there are annoying sounds. Age has its benefits.

 

[kholy]

Well, i am let down. After having my car for two days they called me and said its due to the brakes needing to be cleaned and lubed. I gave them the go ahead. Today i picked up the car, paid for the clean and lube drove him to park in my garage and hear the damn sound already again. so that worked for 20 minutes? This does not feel normal as much as people want to say it is. I am sorry but its super frustrating my girlfriends Honda CRV makes no sounds but my Tesla S squeaks like shes 90 years old

 

[Ole Capt]

The brakes on these cars are clearly trash. Mine are embarrassing honestly. I try to manipulate them when stopping to try and avoid that noise.