SL/R230: Tick tick tick
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 33
Likes: 3
2003 Mercedes sl500 & 2012 C300 4matic
Tick tick tick
Hey guys, anyone have this issue? 2003 sl500, have a ticking sound from BOTH rear wheels, every rotation of the wheels gives this tick tick tick sound that continues to build until you can't hear it because of road noise, etc. We played with the heat shields for the brakes but I see no contact anywhere. Annoying, been this way for 2 1/2 years. Once I had it up in the air at a Goodyear dealer and we played with the heat shields, bent them a little here, a little there. Seemed to help a little bit but again, none are bent or appear to be making contact???
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Joined: Jul 2014
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From: Tucson, AZ
'20 X5 M50i; '17 Ram 3500; Golf Cart; Bikes; Scooters
+1 on the wheel bolts being too long. Been there done that. They are hitting the ebrake components behind the disk.
Are they aftermarket wheels, or did someone add wheel spacers? If so, pull the bolts, get slightly shorter ones, or get a set of stock bolts.
Let us know if your annoying ticking stops ticking.
Are they aftermarket wheels, or did someone add wheel spacers? If so, pull the bolts, get slightly shorter ones, or get a set of stock bolts.
Let us know if your annoying ticking stops ticking.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 33
Likes: 3
2003 Mercedes sl500 & 2012 C300 4matic
Yep, thanks. That was the next step. Aftermarket wheels look great and had to order bolts a little longer, the stock weren't getting enough threads to be safe. I'll put the old ones on just for a spin around the block, if that takes care of it might have to look for a slightly shorter lug bolt
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 33
Likes: 3
2003 Mercedes sl500 & 2012 C300 4matic
Yep guys, got on my knees and looked inside the "hat" and rotated the wheel slowly while up in the air. Sure enough, you can see small, shiny marks where the lugs are hitting the spring coils for the E. Brake. Nothing solid, just the edge of the coils, but enough to drive me nuts. The stock lug bolts looked kind of crappy on new wheels so I put new lugs and wheel locks when I installed the new wheels. Was only getting 5 threads of rotation on the stock bolts so went to the next size up and obviously they where slightly too long. Was getting 10 1/2 rotations to "tight" on the new ones. Put the lug bolts in only 7 1/2 rotations and the noise went away. The new wheels are 35mm offset so am going to install a 5mm spacer made for this car to get it back to 30mm offset and take care of the bolt issue at the same time. Still will have 7 1/2 threads. Thanks for the reply guys.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2017
Posts: 33
Likes: 3
2003 Mercedes sl500 & 2012 C300 4matic
Ticking is gone....
Update if it helps anyone. No spacers and the tick...tick...tick... is gone. If it helps anyone I measured both the wheel (aftermarket, but pretty sure they are all similar) depth with a ball seat bolt installed, from the shank at the ball to the inside surface of the wheel. 6/16 of an inch or 9.5mm. Then measured the rotor "hat", from surface of the rotor to the inside lip of the "hat" 11/16 of an inch or 17.5mm. Total of 1 1/16 inch or 27mm. Only about 7/16 of the rotor's 11/16 total is "threads", the other 1/4 inch is the chamfered edge of the rotor's hat. Counted physically, there are only between 6 1/2 and 7 actual threads. They vary from hole to hole. So, there is a very good reason why the majority of the aftermarket (or stock) wheel bolts are 28mm, that is the size that FITS. My stock wheel bolts are only 27mm. A 28mm bolt will protrude into the rotor at most 2/3 of a thread. The spring for the emergency brake is only about maybe 4-5mm further in so any wheel bolts over appr. 31mm will contact the spring, hence the ...tick...tick...tick or worse. I ground all mine down from 35mm to 28mm. All the bolts when installed back on the car and torqued went on anywhere from 7 to 7 1/2 turns. If you're installing your bolts and you get more than 7- 7 1/2 turns you're just going further into the "hat" with bolts that are too long. Hope it helps someone.
