Steering issue

[FDSpirit]

Those are my snow tires. Weirdest stuff has been happening, and hopefully some of you guys can help me out. Recently, as many of the Noreasters have noticed, the weather has been pretty nice in terms of temperature. Now, I posted in the Misc Thread about my tire having a slow leak. Well, I'm trying rule out other stuff. Now, my car had an alignment not too long ago. It seems during certain parts of the day, my wheel starts doing this rocking motion. I keep the wheel straight and then it has a mind of its own. But it doesn't do it all the time. I know the Blizzaks have this special type of compound which works well in colder climates. Could this strange handling issue that arises be a downside to having these tires in this warmer weather? Im gonna call Bridgestone today, but I wanna know if anybody else has heard of this. I saw a few threads online, but no clear answer to it.

[FDSpirit]

Now, I'm reading a few topics online which don't match up with what this tire guy told me. He says the warm weather just affects wear. Others are saying the warm weather affects handling, wear, and braking. I checked the pressure this morning and everything was within spec. It didn't act up on my way to the gas station. After about 10 minutes of driving though, the steering wheel started acting up. This might not even be a tire issue, but I'm hoping it is. The weather looks promising for the weekend. Maybe I'll throw my regular tires on and see what happens.

[watkins]

Warm weather will have an impact on wear, handling, and traction as the relatively soft rubber compound designed for the cold gets even softer in warm weather.

Id recommended the Nexen Winguard tires if you dont want this to happen. Miraculously they are just as amazing in horrible winter weather as they are in moderate spring weather.

[FDSpirit]

Warm weather will have an impact on wear, handling, and traction as the relatively soft rubber compound designed for the cold gets even softer in warm weather.

Id recommended the Nexen Winguard tires if you dont want this to happen. Miraculously they are just as amazing in horrible winter weather as they are in moderate spring weather.

Thanks, Watkins. I remember my boss at work telling me they act a little flaky in warmer weather. I'll keep that brand in mind next time I purchase winter tires.

[watkins]

I have a review on them somewhere around here. I was quite impressed when I bought them since they were on the cheap end of the tire spectrum, but I still havent found any real flaws

[AHTOXA]

Winter tire is a softer compound and like watkins said handling, traction and braking will be affected. However, there should be no issues of shimmer like you describe. Look for balancing issues or maybe internal tire structural issues. Then I would look at tie rods.

[FDSpirit]

Its the strangest thing. It comes and goes. But it didn't start happening until after the weather got warm. I checked my Alldata account which has a few troubleshooting guides for my issue. The tires were balanced before they were shipped to me and didn't have any of these problems up until 2 days ago. But why would this symptom just appear and then just disappear? I had double checked the tires and they're all just about level with each other and the pressure is good. I'll keep you guys posted.

[theholycow]

Sounds like a mechanical malfunction or broken suspension/steering part to me. It does not sound like a tire issue.

[FDSpirit]

I took my car out for a drive for lunch. Drove for 15 minutes, which is about the amount of time it takes me to get to and from work. Nothing happened . Car drove completely fine!
I thought it may have been a tire issue at first because of people saying these tires have different behavior in warmer weather. I'll be in the garage all day tomorrow trying to figure this out.

[theholycow]

Did your test drive include the same roads as your commute?

[FDSpirit]

This road was worse. Potholes and all types of crap. So no. Not the same road. I did however, drive on the highway to work. No problems on the highway. It first happened on the highway going home. And it occured in the same exact spot both times. I'm jacking the car up tonight and im gonna take a look. Thanks for the help guys.

[FDSpirit]

I checked AutoZones prices for tie rod ends. Very reasonable, and the actual process of replacing them, if this is the problem(which from reading stuff and being told by my grandfather, seems to be where its leading), replacing them doesn't seem too hard. Just a few tools and patience as always. I'll edit this post once I check the Si tonight or tomorrow morning.*UPDATE*: Okay. Think I've found the issue. Checked the tie rods and and they seem to be shot. I checked Honda-Tech for the troubleshooting and it seems to fit with the testing.

[FDSpirit]

Tie rods were switched and brought the car into the shop to be aligned. Seemed to have worked. But today my wheel acted up . But its always on the same part of the highway! I'm starting to think its the wind because this part of the highway is completely empty in terms of man-made walls which block the wind on other areas of the highway. Like the minute I go to a part of the highway where there isn't wind, no issues. Either way, it only presented itself on windy portions of road. I drove around 80mph with no issues on most of the highway. So I'm guessing the weight might have to do with it. I still needed new TREs and an alignment though.

[LHOswald]

Warm weather will have an impact on wear, handling, and traction as the relatively soft rubber compound designed for the cold gets even softer in warm weather.

+1

remember the two things you want in snow tires is a softer compound so that it keeps heat in colder weather (warmer tires, more grip) and good amount of tread to divert snow\water. too much or not enough tread though and you won't get anywhere.

[FDSpirit]

Oh, the Blizzaks worked great when we finally got hit with a storm. I think we singled out the problem though. I thought it was the tires, but after checking the steering and suspension stuff, looked like my tie rod ends were pretty fubar.