Michael_s

Hi guys,

I've had my 55 a little over a week and so far very happy. I replaced the star with a flat hood emblem and ordered a spoiler from formymercedes which is a b-day present from the misses.

One thing I need to resolve. I have a small wheel shake/wobble when braking from approx 30 mph down to 10mph. The car was traded in January and has been sitting since I purchased last week. I had the car inspected and the mechanic felt it was not an issue and would probably work itself out. The shake is much better than last week but not totally gone. The place I got the car from doesn't have mechanics but is willing to have a high-end place look at it for me on his dime. The question is, what do you think it is? Rotors? Brakes? Tires out of round/flat spots. Should I do some high speed runs and bed the brakes?

I did a search and found some stuff on wheels out of balance but I don't think that's it. At triple digit speeds the car is solid..... Any help is appreciated.

Michael

cls55

if the steering shimmy or shake when applying the brakes, check the rotors .
especialy if the car been sitting for a while.

Michael_s

Many thanks for the feedback. Could you please give me a little insight as to what happens to the rotors when sitting. Rust? Do they get deformed? Thanks.

Shake

Haha, I thought this thread was about me before I clicked it.

Are you on stock wheels or aftermarket wheels?

Musikmann

I agree with the rotor answer, but I don't know what happens to them if the car has been sitting for some time. Tires are not out of round if you only experience the shaking during slow speed braking. Are you positive that when braking at other speeds this does not happen because if the rotors are to blame, it should.

gonzjed

the rotors may have been warped from the previous owner. i'm guessing instead of the dealer spending manhours to go have it fixed, they sell the car first and have you take it to get fixed. then all they have to do is arrange payment.

Michael_s

Yes, I am positive the shake is only during slow speed braking.

Shake - I am in stock 18's with pos Conti's.

Thanks for the help so far. Assuming its the rotors, can they be shaved or are new ones in order? If so, where is the best place to order?

Yacht Master

Michael, I have yet to hear of any rotor problem on an E55. It would be hard to believe that warping an W211 AMG front rotor is even possible with all the warnings that go off in the MFD to prevent loss of braking. No Mercedes/AMG rotor can be machined/turned down. The first place to start is the tires. The reason you feel the shake during slow speed braking is the weight transfer makes the problem more evident. First the OEM Contis should be removed from service, I say this because I had a catastrophic failure in the side wall of mine, while parked in the garage! side wall just blew out car had been sitting over two weeks. The reason misaligned belts in the tire, Conti offered $35.00 toward a set of 4 new Contis. Don't rule out flat spots on the tires from being parked on dealers lot so long either, My car sits for months at a time and it takes 2-300 miles to work the flat spots out of the tires on days with 95+ degree temps . Your tires could have multiple flat spots if you have not done more than say a 30 mile work commute. Find a reputable tire store that offers a road force balance and get new tires you like.

Michael_s

Thanks for the insight Yacht Master. I think I am going to get some new tires... of course PS2's are my favorite..... I will report back.

cls55

flat spot=up and down feeling when driving slow.
shake while braking=rotor warped.a good brake shop can take out 1 mm.
when you park your car let it roll a bit before applying the foot brake (hand brake)w/o touching the brake.
do not wash the wheels when hot let cool at least 2 hours.
AMG brakes or non AMG they all warp.(steel)
hope that will help

bobgodd

When you are braking and you feel the wobble, can you also feel it in your foot at the brake pedal? If not then it's probably not the rotors.

Michael_s

Appreciate the feedback so far. A little update, my girlfriend drove the car 200 miles today to meet me at the track (homestead-miami speedway, there was a DE with Chin Motorsports, much fun) and I took a ride when I got home. The wheel shake/wobble seems to be better. Maybe because the tires had time to re-shape. I will drive it again in the AM.

cls55 - there is no up and down feeling in the car.

Bobgodd - when I am braking and the wobble is present the brake pedal is solid.

jangy

It will get better but never go away. Put them on the rears and smoke em off.

bobgodd

If the pedal feel is solid then it's definitely not the rotors.

Do what jangy said, roast em.

enzom

Curious - why would he ever feel it in the brake pedal? Unlike almost all other cars, our brakes pedal is an electronic sensor. I don't think it has the same traditional linkage as a pure power-assisted mechanical system. Am I wrong?

Michael_s

Just wanted to give you guys a little update. Wheel shake has been better since I have put some miles on the car, but not toally gone. I have ordered a new set of Toyo T1R's that will hopefully be installed by mid next week. I will get an alignment when mounting the tires. I am hoping that the tires are the source of the wheel shake. If not, I guess we move on to rotors and pads.

Yacht Master

Thats the way to do it, The tire holds a higher probability over rotor.
With the wheel off it takes 2 seconds to check the run-out of the rotors.
If you find that they are warped, I like Mercedes would recommend replacement. Be thankful you don't have a E63 rotors $900
You can have them turned down But after a few heat cycles the warp will be right back, turning Mercedes/AMG rotors is futile.

mkeeton

Hi,

I noticed an interesting/annoying feature on my car. In the rain, I always have a slight but noticeable shake which is gone in the dry.... feels just like a wheel out of balance.

Turns out the "brake drying" feature puts gentle application on the brakes in the rain to keep the rotors dry. If your rotors are slightly warped it will cause a shaking. I have no noticeable shaking in the dry in any braking conditions but when we checked the front rotors they are definitely slightly warped. First time I drove the car in the rain, I thought it had thrown off a wheel balancing weight and then it was back to normal the next day in the rain.

So, I would be interested to know if you notice any difference in the shaking in the wet. Also, there is no hydraulic connection between the brake pedal and the wheel in our cars, so rotor shake is not going to be transmitted to the pedal as in most cars.

Will you let me know what you think of the Toyo's? They are my first choice of replacement tire which I will need soon. I would be most interested how they compare in noise level to the Conti's you have been using.

Good luck in getting rid of the shake. Otherwise, enjoy and awesome car!

Michael_s

I will certainly report back for the benefit of others members once I get the new tires/alignment. I'm sure the Toyo's will be better than the Conti's. The Conti's are soooo loud now I can barely think..... Hopefully the the shake will be gone. I'm going to have the shop check the rotors/pads when the car is in for the tires as I want to know for sure what the cause is.

Taximan1

Ive owned 2 E55's... Both have the "shakes" just a tad, until the tires are fully warm. These cars have very tight tolerances. And with the low-pro tires, you feel everything.. Have all tires static balanced(or replaced if possible), and an alignment done.. Thats about all you can do..