I have a 2007 Honda Accord V6. Generally awesome on the highway. Unfortunately it is not garaged, and we gave had bitter cold and lots of snow. Got on the highway yesterday for the first time since the weather hit and the car vibrated like crazy at speeds above 60. I stopped to make sure I didn’t have a visibly low tire or Ice chunks i’n the wheel wells. There was some ice which I knocked off but the issue continued when I got back on the highway. I stopped again to check air pressure in the tires and added air. Problem was somewhat improved but still present. When I reached my destination ( total 45 minutes drive time ) I put it in a heated garage for 3 hours, and on my return trip, there was NO vibration at all. None, even at 75 mph. Is it possible my tires were too cold or somehow had ice inside them? I know that sounds crazy but still… This is the first winter I’ve had the car so there is no history to compare against. Any thoughts would be much appreciated!
There may have been ice/snow packed into the backside of one of the wheels. If there was, this would knock the balance off on that wheel and cause a vibration.
Tester
Small amounts of ice stuck the the wheel rims would account for the vibration. The ice melted in the warm garage and the wheel balance returned to normal.
Now recheck the tire pressures (when cold) and make sure you haven’t added too much air.
The folks above almost certainly nailed it. Was the snow drifting? This happens more often under those conditions.
If the vibration is bad, you can go to a high-pressure car wash and clean out the wheels.
You can count this as one more vote for snow/ice build-up in the wheels as being the cause of this situation. Even if you carefully clear the snow from the sides of the tires that face you, it is very difficult to clear snow build-up from the inner surfaces of the wheels that face away from you.
As lion9car pointed out, the quick fix is to take the car to a car wash with high-pressure spraying equipment.
Thanks to all for the responses. Snow/ice males a lot of sense, especially since it resolved after some thaw time. The snow was deep and drifted, followed by sub-zero temps, so there was no chance for it to thaw. Warmer temps are predicted in the next couple of days, so I will go to the carwash for a “bottom blast”! Thanks again!
Skip that “bottom blast.” It might cause problems with some of the engine’s sensors.
The problem has already resolved itself. Stop trying to fix it.
Really? I didn’t know that (“bottom blast”) could cause problems. I’ve been doing it for months. How do you get the STUFF out from the underside of the car? And is there anything I can do to prevent this ice/snow build-up in the future? I’ve never had anything like this happen before. I guess it’s not unsafe, now that I know what it was…or is it? I really don’t have anyplace handy to take my car to thaw it out when it snows!
I have the same problem. When I notice it I will pull in a parking lot and drive slow while turning the wheel all the way to right then all the way to the left. This knocks off most of it. Then I kick the snow and ice off right behind the tire. Works for me.