summer to snow tire problem
 

I swapped my 19" rays summer setup to my 18" winter set up over this weekend. I drove on it on sunday seems fine. This morning on my way to work, I felt my steering wheel shake more than usually and it felt and sounded like i had a flat tire. I pulled over and checked the tire pressure and it was around 33 lbs for each tire. Im not a car mechanic or tire guru, but what are some possibilities of the issue? This is the 3rd winter ive used these with no issues.

I'd greatly appreciate your input. Please let me know if you need additional info.

did you properly torque them down ?

Wheel weights fall off? Inside of the wheel packed with snow?

sounds like a balance issue on the front wheels. or you have a screw in a tire and it just isn't leaking air...yet.

Steering wheel shaking usually means something is going on with the front tires, if you feel it in your behind its the rear tires. typically.

I'd say take the wheels off and properly torque them all down -

This was happening to me and I believe it was partially my alignment which was cupping my tires and causing a shake, but I also think it was me not tightening the wheels down properly and using the wheel removal tools that the car gives you.

I had something happen on mine a couple of years ago where the hub centric ring clip came loose and got between the rim and the hub. Caused a lot of wheel wobble.

wat do you mean "shake more than usually"? there should be absolutely no shaking at speed. :ugh:

you need to get those re-balanced at another tire shop with a roadforce. :)

ok so i dropped my car off at the mechanic....
The wheel definitely wobbles. It can definitely be any of the possibilities you guys have mentioned above. To add even more aggrovation to this, I misplaced my key lock for the lug nuts , so now Im hoping that they can remove it.... I HATE MYSELF TODAY :(

I'll keep you guys posted once i hear from the mechanic.
I appreciate your input on this.

It happens bro I lost my lug key and had to buy a new set of locks.

They should be able to get them off. Just watch them do it, because it takes a hammer slamming a remover over the locks. If you are not there to watch, then just be glad they are your winter wheels.

he did mention that they have a removal tool but he is not sure if it would work. And the alternative takes longer and may scratch the wheel. I dont mind that they scratch them, I was thinking of plastidipping all 4 anyway to cover even some other curb scuffs....

Im just hoping that its nothing too expensive to fix

no issue. those are easy to remove without keys. :tup:

:gtfo2:


:rofl2:

hahaha relax. They aren't my show wheels, and I will try as hard as possible to make them not look ricer.

Anyway GOOD NEWS :)

the mechanic called and said the front wheel just got loose, and he recommended to not change the lug nuts until the spring in case the lug key turns up. :)

hummmm... i hope that fixes it for you. skeptical yes.

Sounds like time to invest in a good socket and torque wrench. Oh yeah, and put the key for the locks in the armrest.

i put spacers on my rear wheels last winter, and didn't retorque them after 100miles. of course they started coming loose and the rear end was shaking and making terrible noises until i took the wheels off and retorqued the spacers.

glad you got it figured out zoro :tup:

Related question: there's no need to jack the car up to retorque lug nuts right? I have a torque wrench and sockets but just have never used them.

Assuming you put the wheel on correctly the first time and it was sitting flush, then no, you do not need to jack the car up.

Remember to always tighten and loosen your lug nuts in a star pattern to avoid op's issue!

And get a real torque wrench!!! The equipment in the trunk is truly only meant for emergency on the side of the road use!

:iagree: and not the $20 beam type from Advance Auto... get a good 'click' type from Sears. Keep it in it's case when not in use. I'd also invest in a good 24" to 36" half inch drive breaker bar to keep in the car to break lug nuts loose.

this is good advise. i have a breaker bar with the deep socket attached in each of my cars. the beauty of these breaker bars is that you can loosen the nut, then straighten the handle and just twist the bar in your hands to unscrew the nuts out of the wheel bores.

makes for a much safer nut removal vs using the trunk jack which will damage your wheel's bores (and spokes/rim) if not careful.

tape up the sockets where it contacts the wheel bores too. :tup: just a few layers of masking tape is all that it takes.

You know, when I come across a good idea that's so stupid simple and obvious I can't help but be a little mad at myself for not thinking of it to begin with on my own. But I'll just give you some rep instead and hopefully remember this when I do the next wheel swap. :rolleyes:

:tup: i also have those fancy sockets with plastic protector sleeves, but sometimes they are just too thick to fit in some wheels. the masking tape works great. easy to replace too... and you can write on them with a big 21 or 19 or 17 watever sizes they are. :icon17:

yah, there's these easy-out like impact sockets dedicated for removing stripped lugs. it works on most keys if you have an impact gun.

something like this. the lock will need to be replaced as they eat into the metal. usually most tire shops have this.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/oe...FcdAMgodAk8AeA

a more barbaric way to remove is to hammer in a socket over the lock and remove it using hand tools. but this usually costs your socket. :icon17: