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Old 01-07-2018, 05:33 AM
 
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Without exception all my cars trucks and SUVs have always vibrated in the winter but they stop in the summer so why do vehicles vibrate in winter
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Old 01-07-2018, 05:35 AM
 
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They're shivering. It's cold out there.
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Old 01-07-2018, 05:44 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Qwh View Post
Without exception all my cars trucks and SUVs have always vibrated in the winter but they stop in the summer so why do vehicles vibrate in winter
Probably snow stuck in the wheels.
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Old 01-07-2018, 08:12 AM
 
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When the engine is cold the idle speed is boosted. On some vehicles this will aggravate vibration. Also, particularly if they have hydraulics integrated, the motor mounts are likely to be a little stiffer, Are you referring to a vibration with the engine at idle in drive? If so, I would expect not a huge, but a noticeable difference.

Don in Austin
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Old 01-07-2018, 08:40 AM
 
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snow and ice build up on wheels unbalances them. ice builds up inside the rims, you can't even see it.
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Old 01-07-2018, 08:58 AM
 
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Cars are equipped with rubber bushings and mounts to minimize vibrations. They are literally all over the car, front suspension mounts, sway bar bushings, rear suspension, etc. Then you've got transmission mounts, motor mounts... even some interior pieces are equipped with rubber bushings as well. Usually the center console and dash have some sort of padding to keep from vibrating. Shifter linkages also usually have some form of cushioning, rather than just being metal bolted to metal.

All of those things are pliable to some degree when warm, so they do a good job in minimizing vibration. When cold, they get harder, and have less damping ability. It's basically like bouncing a rubber ball, and then trying to bounce a hockey puck and expecting the same rebounding ability.
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Old 01-07-2018, 09:39 AM
 
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Cold motor mounts?
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Old 01-07-2018, 10:42 AM
 
Location: Not far from Fairbanks, AK
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As some others have mentioned, snow packs on the wheels and affect the balance. Parking in a warm garage overnight melts the snow that has accumulated on the wheels, or taking the car through a car wash. Also, the vibrations occur when snow is packed on any of the wheels, front or back. But even if you park your car in the garage, every now and then get under it and clean the wheels.

If the vibrations are so extreme that you can't drive the car past 30-50 MPH, you may have to stop, get under the car, and scrape the ice (packed snow) with a screwdriver blade from each wheel. I have used putty knives, screwdrivers, a wood stick, and so on to scrape the ice from the wheels. This happens where it snows a lot in places where it gets very cold like on my side of the pond.
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Old 01-07-2018, 11:18 AM
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Qwh View Post
Without exception all my cars trucks and SUVs have always vibrated in the winter but they stop in the summer so why do vehicles vibrate in winter
Vibrate how?? Explain.......
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Old 01-07-2018, 12:33 PM
 
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Not sure if OP is talking about idle or moving vibration. My newer cars have a pretty smooth idle during winter cold starts. My old Accord with almost 205k miles vibrates a bit initially but smooths out after a few miles as the aged rubber parts warm up. Moving vibration can be from flat spots on the tires and slush stuck on the rims, like others mentioned.
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