JohnDoe2

I noticed shallow puddles in my garage under the tires of my TL. This is from snow/ice/slush melting.

It looks like the water "wicks" up into the rubber of the tires about an inch. I think the moisture, in one side of the tire, may be causing vibration.

Does anyone know if this is a reasonable cause of tire vibration?

mickey3c

Sounds crazy to me I have never heard of this and I have had many types of tires on my cars over the years.

If you are talking about the EL42s then there has been reports of flat spotting, etc.

JDM5lugHatch

Vibration could be caused by flatspotting tires like mickey3c mentioned or it could be bent rims. The rims on the TL bend very easily. Find a performance oriented wheel shop and have them check the rims. They will be able to tell you if they are bent even the slightest.

ludachrisvt

iTrader: (2)

change tires I did ... and guess what ... no vibes just a pull to the right yay

JohnDoe2

Just because you have never heard of something doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

I can SEE where the water wicks up about an inch into the tire.
Do you dispute that this happens?

Water has mass.
Do you dispute this?

The tires are very wide so the amount of water absorbed will be greater than that of a narrower tire.
Right?

The water/mass is at the extreme outside edge of a large circle where it would have the maximum inpact on balance. It will have an exponentially larger effect than balancing weights placed on the inner rim.
Is this not logical?

The best way to test the theory would be to have a shop perfectly balance a dry tire. Then, set the tire, perfectly vertical, in a pool of water overnight. The next day test the tire's balance. I'm guessing it will be significantly off.

While I would bet money on it, I wouldn't bet a lot because I don't know for sure.

ludachrisvt

iTrader: (2)

you must be an engineer ... (so am i)

JohnDoe2

Guilty. My lack of social manners must have given me away.

Maybe we need a molecular engineer to tell us how much water can wick into a tire.

I've also been thinking this is a cold weather problem. Cold weather is often accompanied by snow. Snow builds up of those clumps of ice under cars which break off and melt in garages causing puddles.