Bad Vibes

[LarryIII]

After having a little fun in the snow with my 92 SVX this past weekend, I finally went to work yesterday morning. Everything was fine untill I took the car up to speed on I-95 N. Approaching 50 mph, the car started to vibrate. At 60 mph, I felt like I was sitting in a massaging chair. At 70 mph, the vibration was so bad that I thought that the fillings would fall out of my teeth.
I slowed down to 55 mph and that seemed tolerable. So I drove to work.
At first, I thought that I had thrown a wheel weight and that one wheel was badly unbalanced; since the shaking increased with speed.
Then I remembered that I had had the same experience a couple of weeks before while driving our 97 Outback wagon home from work. That morning I had taken the Outback and driven through a snow storm to get to work. Coming home the Outback shook badly at speed. However as I kept driving the OB, the speed at which the shaking started seemed to increase. Finally I took the OB up to 85 mph and it was as smooth as always.
Last night when I drove the SVX home, it was also smooth at speed.

I can only surmise that snow and/or ice builds up on underside of the the car and unbalances some component of the Subaru AWD system. Eventually the snow/ice melts and evrything is in balance again.

Do any of you techies have any better explanations?

PS: It's nice to be able to post again.

[svxistentialist]

Larry

I reckon your explanation was exactly right.

Further, I would expect what you had was packed snow inside one or more wheel rims. If you have a wheel off you will agree that from the inside they resemble a bucket.

What you were spinning was probably four half buckets of snow.

When you stop, the heat from the brakes would melt it all off.

Joe

[Phast SVX]

Probably jsut ice and snow built up in the rims. It dosnt take much to unbalance the tires at 70mph. Especially more likely if you were out having some fun
phil

[Aredubjay]

Larry, I described this very thing in another thread, after I had done some "spirited" driving in some deep snow. I'd almost (notice, I said "almost") gurantee it's some snow/ice build-up on the inside of the rim. No worries.

[Earthworm]

I've never had as bad a case of vibration as that! I've had snow/ice on my wheels before but if it was enough to cause vibration the vibration (or centrifical force) itself was enough to dislodge the snow/ice and stop the shaking.

[Aredubjay]

Originally posted by Earthworm
I've never had as bad a case of vibration as that! I've had snow/ice on my wheels before but if it was enough to cause vibration the vibration (or centrifical force) itself was enough to dislodge the snow/ice and stop the shaking.

You probably have a very dry snow up north. The nasty, slushy, wet snow (especially mixed with sleet) will cling to your rims like stink to sh!t. It's really disconcerting. I certainly thought I was going to find components hanging from my car, when it happened to me. I cleared the stuff from the rims and it was smooth sailin'.

[Ron Mummert]

Originally posted by Aredubjay


You probably have a very dry snow up north. The nasty, slushy, wet snow (especially mixed with sleet) will cling to your rims like stink to sh!t. It's really disconcerting. I certainly thought I was going to find components hanging from my car, when it happened to me. I cleared the stuff from the rims and it was smooth sailin'.

Larry: "Officer, I was doin' 110 because I was tryin' to clear the slush out from inside the rims". "If it sticks there, the car shimmys at 85".

Trooper: "Oh". "Then you're free to go Mr. Singer, & please try not to run into any other cars when you're forced into performing this obviously beneficial manuever".

Alarm clock: RRRIIIIINNNNGGG!!!!


Ron(Zzzzzzz).

[CigarJohnny]

Just throwing my agreement in with the others. Definitely snow packed into the rims. Happened to me all the time with my Trooper after some spirited winter 4-wheeling.