"Scuffing" noise coming from left wheel

[BioAbyssal]

Hey,
I'm a new owner, and my left wheel keeps making a "scuffing" noise when rotating between 12-21 mph. Anything slower it's barely noticeable and same for anything faster. I don't know if I have break rub or not. I do not see any shiny spots or gouges on the disc. I have less than 1k on the Spyder. The mechs say there is a break in period...I don't think so...at least not with breaks. Any advice would be appreciated. TIA

 

[Chupaca]

Welcome, welcome

Frist off Welcome to the site...:clap: next, your profile says nothing of the model we are talking about but would be helpful to know.n Nevertheless... if you can raise the wheels and spin them to find which one it is then tap on the caliper to see if the pads are sticking. You can also check the runout on the disc to see if it is warped. Now if you are still in the break-in period take it to them and have them check it. :thumbup:

 

[ARtraveler]

:welcome: Post #2 has some good advice. :yes:

 

[BioAbyssal]

I have 2018 RT Spyder Ltd. and sorry for that oversight; I'm still trying figure this site out. I'll see if I can do that and post my findings here. It wasn't that noticeable until I got passed 250 miles or so. So I have no idea...

 

[GaryinWI]

Now that you mention it, the left wheel on my ‘17 F3 Limited makes the same sound. I spun wheel by hand when I had it raised to replace Sway Bar. Same sound but not a grinding feeling. Wrote it off as a slightly warped rotor but now that you have it too, not so sure. I did not mention at first service. Pls let us know if you learn anything and i’ll do the same. Btw I now has 4500 miles on it.

 

[youngers]

is there any rub markers on the tire itself ? I wonder if the clearance of the fender might be the cause ? ( if tires are a little over pressure ? )

 

[youngers]

I am thinking the tire is fatter when slower motion , as the spin rolls on the tire will go a little slimmer

 

[UtahPete]

Frist off Welcome to the site...:clap: next, your profile says nothing of the model we are talking about but would be helpful to know.n Nevertheless... if you can raise the wheels and spin them to find which one it is then tap on the caliper to see if the pads are sticking. You can also check the runout on the disc to see if it is warped. Now if you are still in the break-in period take it to them and have them check it. :thumbup:

Good idea. Try that and let us know.

 

[Navydad]

Brake pads slightly rubbing the disc would be my bet. Every vehicle I own does it and some are more noticeable than others. Unlike my truck and my other bikes the Spyders front wheels are right out at an angle where you can see and hear everything. I can't hear it on my two wheeled bikes when riding, but when I spin the wheel while parked I hear it. If worried have the dealer check it out (I would) but I'm betting they will say normal.

 

[KX5062]

Sticking pads is also my suggestion. It's very common and nothing to worry about other than annoying. Most likely once fully bedded in, it'll go away.

If it bothers you it's never a bad idea to carefully apply some caliper grease to the pads. Making ABSOLUTELY certain no grease gets on the pads themselves. There's plenty of info on the web about how to do it.

Even though it's a new bike I would seriously doubt you could make a warranty claim on this, since technically it would not be defective if it's just a sticking pad.

 

[Little Blue]

Wheel Noise

All very helpful Options/Tips. What have you decided to do? :thumbup:

 

[JayBros]

Take it to the dealership and let them figure it out. It's a warranty issue. Tell them you want to know exactly what they did to fix the problem.

 

[UtahPete]

If it bothers you it's never a bad idea to carefully apply some caliper grease to the pads. Making ABSOLUTELY certain no grease gets on the pads themselves.

Could you clarify what you mean by this. Seems self-contradictory.

 

[JayBros]

I believe he means carefully apply a very thin coat of brake pad grease to the backs of the pads between the pad and shim, or between pad and caliper piston(s) if there are no shims, being extremely careful to get NO grease on the pads themselves.

 

[Navydad]

Thin coating of brake grease ON THE REAR of the pads will help eliminate brake squeal, but does nothing for the pads rubbing the disc. The rubbing is caused when the pad is not backing away from the disc completely. This is not really a defect as long as it is slight contact and not actually impeding the wheels operation. When you release the brake the sealing o-rings in the caliper will pull the brake piston back slightly which allows the pad to release it's grip on the disc. As you know the pads sit in the calipers loosely and sometimes they don't contact the disc and sometimes they do. When they do you may hear the slight rubbing noise that many of us hear. Once again, not really a defect, but if the pads are getting hot or if the noise concerns you get it checked out. The braking system on our Spyders really is a very simple system even with the ABS tossed into the mix.

 

[UtahPete]

Thin coating of brake grease ON THE REAR of the pads will help eliminate brake squeal, but does nothing for the pads rubbing the disc. The rubbing is caused when the pad is not backing away from the disc completely. This is not really a defect as long as it is slight contact and not actually impeding the wheels operation. When you release the brake the sealing o-rings in the caliper will pull the brake piston back slightly which allows the pad to release it's grip on the disc. As you know the pads sit in the calipers loosely and sometimes they don't contact the disc and sometimes they do. When they do you may hear the slight rubbing noise that many of us hear. Once again, not really a defect, but if the pads are getting hot or if the noise concerns you get it checked out. The braking system on our Spyders really is a very simple system even with the ABS tossed into the mix.

My understanding is that disc brake pads are supposed to be slightly rubbing the disc, to both keep the assembly clean and to keep it warmed up ready to engage. But, that might be just old school nonsense, I don't know.

 

[ES44AC]

I've had this same issue since mine was new in 2015(RTS). I've got about 24k on it now and hasn't caused any problems, its just annoying.

 

[BioAbyssal]

I’m taking it in today to see what they can do or what they say. It seems under cold weather I get a “squeak” I guess it’s from cold discs. This is all new to me so I’m taking everything in stride and with a open mind. Luckily, in about a week they will be replacing the whole left wheel. It had a chip on it upon delivery and BRP said they will take care of it. So perhaps when the wheel is off they will tinker with the breaks. I sincerely hope it doesn’t lead to premature break wear. Thanks again everybody for all the friendly insight and tips.

 

[Little Blue]

Wheel Noise

Thanks for the Update. I hope that you can get this fixed but as others have mentioned this may be normal. :thumbup:

 

[Navydad]

My understanding is that disc brake pads are supposed to be slightly rubbing the disc, to both keep the assembly clean and to keep it warmed up ready to engage. But, that might be just old school nonsense, I don't know.

:thumbup: The "clean" part is true. Rubbing should be light enough not to be causing heat to build in the disc.