steering wheel shaking

[thebutch]

Hi -

Got four new tires 1 year ago. Also replaced front brakes (pads & rotors) the same month. No issues.

A few days ago, I checked the tire pressure & put air in all four tires. I did not use the vehicle for 2 days due to a blizzard. When I took the vehicle out after the storm, the steering wheel was shaking at higher speeds (about 50/55mph & above). Checked all four tires; pressure was good & tires seem to be wearing evenly. CV boots all look fine. Struts do not seem to be leaking oil.

Based on research, it looks like the first thing to check is to ensure that the tires are balanced. I was concerned, because the vehicle was driving fine Thursday & by Sunday (3 days later) the steering wheel was shaking quite a bit at higher speeds. I also thought that it is possible that a wheel weight (or loose wheel weight) was knocked off while clearing snow from the vehicle after the storm & now a tire is not balanced.

Wanted to post to see if anyone had any other suggestions. Any help is definitely appreciated! Thanks.

[thebutch]

I should have mentioned the Vibe is an 05 with 170,000 miles.

[kumquat]

A little bit of packed snow or ice inside the wheel is often the cause of that.

[thebutch]

Thanks alot.

Would you recommend that I take the wheels off to thoroughly clear out the ice & snow?

[Mark]

Shouldn't need to take them off, I can usually use a long screwdriver to get most of it out. I've had a chunk of ice on the inside of the wheel make the car virtually undriveable over 40 mph.

[thebutch]

Thanks; I will try this. I think this may be the issue, because three of the four plastic hub caps were not on so, more ice/snow probably got in around the wheels during the storm.

Thanks.

[kumquat]

It can sometimes be hidden, especially on steel wheels, on the inside. Taking it off to clean it should be unnecessary unless you can't seem to get it otherwise and it's bothering you. I typically just wait til it warms up, or give the front wheels a few good kicks or something. Sometimes I'll have to get on the ground and reach inside to brush them out with my hand. It's especially bad with ice, which can happen if the temperatures are warm enough.

[jolt]

Heated garage overnight will melt it out or go to a manual car wash. The water will melt it out too. You will need to spray each wheel good with the wand to warm the wheel up to melt the ice and snow out.

[thebutch]

Just wanted to say thanks! You all were spot on. Drove my Vibe today (temps were in the low 40s) & had no further issues.

Thanks again!

[MrManager]

I had the same issue over the weekend! after the big storm and the roads were cleared I went driving. Started shaking around 40+ mph. Worried about what it would be I got to my destination. Few hours later I drove back and all was well.

[kumquat]

I love happy endings.