Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting Wheel vibration when cold

As the weather in Illinois has recently turned colder I have noticed a vibration (I think from the front left wheel) in my '02 Taurus. It only happens after a reasonable cold soak, say several hours when the temp is below 30F. When driving at highway speeds (50 MPH and above) there is a large vibration. After driving 4 or 5 miles it goes away. The tire was recently balanced (w/in the last two months). Air pressure is approx. 32 PSI. Any suggestions as to a cause?

Increase the tire pressure to 34 or 35 and see if it goes away. If it does, it is probably the tire wearing unevenly on the sides.
If it doesn't, try jack up the car and see if there is play on the wheels. If not, rotate the tires (front to back) and see if it goes away.

Did you test the pressure when tire was "cold", ie. in morning? IIRC, a 10 degree drop in temp = 1 psi drop in pressure. Maybe they aren't getting enough pressure until they are warmed up a bit, like after driving a few miles.

My brother used to have a taurus that did the same thing and i think we came to the conclusion tha there was snow or ice frozen on the wheel which will make it vibrate.. just a thought

No snow when this started - good thought though.

Could be flat spot (some tires with nylon will do it) Goodyear Eagles for example. Usuaually it's not a severe vibration. Rebalance tire, check if disc brake drags.

I would think that what you describe would result in a condition that was observable all the time, not just cold and for a short distance.

water in the tire.