PC 6'' velcro plate

[JG_Detailing]

I have a PC that has a 6 counterweight on it. Does the velcro pads have to be a 6'' or can it be a 5''?

[fiberrich]

Chevyman 2001,

There’s a great post over on Autopia that will answer your question:

http://www.autopia.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=14421

Quick excerpt: While it has been recommended in the past to match the counterweight to the diameter of the backing pad, recent posts (deleted by the server outage) have shown users to be happier with using the heavier 6" counterweight with the 5" Meguiar's backing pad. They report less vibration and smoother running at higher speed settings with this combination than when they were using the 5" counterweight.

I purchased the 7336, which uses a 6" counterweight, at Lowe's and a Meguiar's 5" backing plate at a local pro paint supplier. The PC vibrates like crazy with just the backing plate on the PC. However, when you place one of Meguiar's 6.5" foam pads on it, the extra weight from the pad is just enough to smooth out the vibrations very nicely - even at the higher speeds.

As for using the 6" backing plate, the reference post states it would work as well; however, think about this:

Meguiar's makes a 5" plate and the pads are 6.5". This gives you 1.5" of foam around the perimeter of the backing plate that provide more insurance/protection of the backing plate rubbing through to the surface if you accidentally were not holding the pad flat against the surface. With a 6" pad, you only have .5" foam surrounding the perimeter of the backing plate. Too close to comfort for me. I like the 5" backing plate/6.5" foam pad combo.