File in Section:
Bulletin No.:

Service Bulletin

Date:

03 - Suspension
12-03-10-001B
July, 2014

INFORMATION
Subject:

Vibration Shortly After Tires are Mounted/Preventing Vibration from Wheel Slip (Tire
Sliding on Wheel)

Models:

2015 and Prior GM Passenger Cars and Trucks
This bulletin has been revised to update the information under Preferred Lubricant
Recommendations. Please discard Corporate Bulletin Number 12-03-10-001A.

Information: Vibration Caused by
Wheel Slip
A customer concern of vibration shortly after having a
tire or tires mounted may be caused by slippage of the
tires on the wheels, placing the imbalance point of the
tire away from the weight location.
Wheel slip is a condition that occurs when the tire slips
and rotates on the wheel during acceleration or braking.
This can cause the assembly to become imbalanced
and result in the customer returning with a vibration
from the tire/wheel assembly. Wheel slip is most
common on clear coated or chrome wheels with very
smooth bead seat areas, but may also occur on other
alloy or steel wheels. Most slippage occurs immediately
after mounting.
Using preferred tire mounting lubricants and proper
lubricant application techniques can prevent wheel slip
from occurring.
Wheel slip normally occurs for the following reasons:
• Excessive amount of lubricant used or lubricant
applied in the wrong locations.
• Improper lubricants, non-preferred lubricants or
improperly diluted lubricants may contain
excessive moisture or components that do not dry
sufficiently, resulting in an interface between the
tire and rim that is excessively slippery.
Checking For Wheel Slip
Vehicles that return immediately with ride disturbances
and out of balance assemblies should be checked for
wheel slip. Wheel slip can be checked by placing a
temporary mark on the tire at the valve stem. After
driving the vehicle, if the wheel slip is less than one
inch, then wheel slip is probably not contributing to a
ride disturbance. When wheel slip is greater than one
inch, and you felt a ride disturbance on the test drive,
then wheel slip may be causing the vibration.
Note: This diagnostic test will only be effective if the
vehicle has been serviced within the last couple of
hours.
Copyright 2014 General Motors LLC. All Rights Reserved.

2755894

Best Practices to Eliminate Wheel Slip
Wheel slip can usually be prevented with the proper
application of tire mounting lubricants in a controlled
and consistent manner. The following are some
recommended best practices for eliminating wheel slip.
1. Prior to the tire installation, clean the tire changer’s
wheel-contact parts of any excess lubrication, dirt
or grime.
2. Clean the bead seat areas of the wheel of any
leftover lubricant used to demount the tire.
3. Inspect the tire to be installed and clean any
manufacturing related lubricants from the bead
area as necessary. Use an approved rubber
cleaning fluid that would commonly be used during
the tire repair process.
4. Do not use products containing silicone, alcohol,
petroleum based products, solvents or corrosives
for cleaning or lubrication.

Page 2

July, 2014

5. Lubricate the tire and wheel as shown in the
following illustrations. To eliminate wheel slip, the
tire beads should normally only be lubricated from
"heel to toe.” Lubricant applied outside the heel to
toe zone will cause the tire to have reduced grip on
the wheel and increase the likelihood of slippage.
When lubricating the wheel, lubricate the safety
humps, leave the rim flanges dry and lubricate the
drop center area only for difficult to mount tires.
6. When additional lubrication is required during
mounting to prevent tire damage, the excess
lubricant should be wiped or cleaned from the tire
bead area and the wheel bead seat area before
inflating to seat the beads.
7. The mounting process must be completed within
10 minutes of the application of the mounting
lubricant. Evaporation of the mounting lubricant
after 10 minutes may prevent proper bead seating.
8. Inflate the tires to 275 kPa (40 psi) when mounting,
then reduce the air pressure to the desired
operating pressure.
9. Place a temporary mark on the sidewall of the tire
at the valve stem.
10. Rebalance the tires and mount on the vehicle.
11. Park the vehicle for one hour to allow the lubricant
to evaporate.
Note: Technicians should not brake or accelerate
quickly when moving vehicles from the hoist to the
parking lot.
12. Test drive the vehicle to confirm the ride
disturbance has been corrected. Confirm that the
mark on the tire is still aligned with the valve stem
locations and remove the temporary mark. The
above photo shows the possible amount of slip.

Preferred Lubricant Recommendations
To minimize rim slip, always use commercially available
lubricants made for bead seating to assist in tire
mounting. Paste type lubes are recommended because
the application can be better controlled and paste type
lubes will not drip onto areas that should not be
lubricated. If lubricants that require dilution are used, be
sure to carefully follow the lubricant manufacturer’s
instructions. Under diluted mixtures will not dry soon
enough, which may cause wheel slip. Over diluted
mixtures will dry too fast and may hamper proper bead
seating. Lubricants must be properly stored. The
container must be kept covered to prevent the
evaporation of drying agents and lubricants are labeled
with an expiration date, once the expiration date is
reached, the remaining lubricant should be disposed of.
Suitable paste lubricants include Rema Tip-Top®
Tire Universal Mounting Paste if available in your
area, Kent Xtra-Seal™ Euro-Paste Mounting
Compound, Hunter Tire Mounting Paste or
equivalent. The Kent product is distributed
nationally. Contact 1–800–YES-KENT for additional
information on this product.
Important: When mounting the tires, rubber lubricant
must be used. Also, the vehicle should not be driven
aggressively (hard acceleration or braking) for up to 24
hours after tire mounting to allow the lubricant to dry.

Bulletin No.: 12-03-10-001B

Failure to do so may cause the tire to slip on the rim.
This condition will affect wheel balance, which could
result in a vibration.

Tire Lubrication
Lubricate the tire as shown in the following illustration.
To eliminate wheel slip, the tire beads should normally
only be lubricated from "heel to toe.” Lubricant applied
outside the heel to toe zone will cause the tire to have
reduced grip on the wheel and increase the likelihood
of slippage.

Tire Bead Lubrication

2755899

Wheel Lubrication
The following diagram illustrates the recommended
lubrication of the wheel to prevent wheel slip. Lubricate
the safety humps. Leave the rim flanges dry. Lubricate
the drop center area only for difficult to mount tires.

Wheel Lubrication Points

2755901

Bulletin No.: 12-03-10-001B

July, 2014

Customer Notice
It is advisable especially for customers who are waiting
for their vehicle during servicing be made aware that
recently mounted tires should not be driven on in an
aggressive manner. It may take up to 24 hours before
the lubricant is completely dry and tires achieve
maximum adherence to the rims. No matter the style of
driving exhibited during the drying period, no air loss, or
other detrimental attributes are possible from this
condition. Wheel slip relative to the rim is merely a
customer dissatisfier due to the potential to induce
undesired vibration.

Page 3

Parts Information
Part Number

Description

74

*Rema Tip-Top® Tire Universal
Mounting Paste 22 lb (10 kg)

KT14127

*Kent Xtra-Seal™ Euro-Paste
Mounting Compound 11 lb (5 kg)
Available from 1–800–YES-KENT

*We believe these sources and their products to be
reliable. There may be additional manufacturers of
such material. General Motors does not endorse,
indicate any preference for or assume any
responsibility for the products from these firms or for
any such items which may be available from other
sources.

GM bulletins are intended for use by professional technicians, NOT a "do-it-yourselfer". They are written to inform these
technicians of conditions that may occur on some vehicles, or to provide information that could assist in the proper
service of a vehicle. Properly trained technicians have the equipment, tools, safety instructions, and know-how to do a
job properly and safely. If a condition is described, DO NOT assume that the bulletin applies to your vehicle, or that your
vehicle will have that condition. See your GM dealer for information on whether your vehicle may benefit from the
information.

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