Here’s what could be causing your car to shake

We’re heading into wheel vibration season (didn’t know there was such a thing?) and knowing some basics on what gives our rides the shakes can go a long way to smoothing things out. Some of the causes can even be fixed in our own driveways without costing a cent.

Tire or wheel vibrations are usually noticeable at speed (say anything over 60 km/h), will change in frequency with acceleration, and may even fade out at certain speeds.

If the cause is the front wheels, then steering-wheel shake will be the most noticeable symptom.

If it is from the rear, most drivers will report feeling it in their own rear end through the seat.

Wheel and tire assemblies, once properly balanced, won’t suddenly get out of balance and cause a vibration on their own.

They usually get out of kilter from a missing balance weight, or a curb or pothole hit, or from a problem with the rubber itself — often a shifted belt or belt separation.

What’s missing from this list is the most common reason — ice or snow buildup on the wheel cover or inside ledge of the rim.

On those days with wet slushy commutes followed by a sudden and drastic drop in temperatures overnight, the snowy muck that can build up on full-sized wheel covers or on the wide inner ledge of the rim can freeze and bind itself tight to the wheel with concrete consistency.

The same thing can happen when driving on unpaved roads, especially when it’s wet; muddy grit can cling to wheels just as tightly as frozen slush or ice.

Before making a shop appointment for a tire vibration, take a good look at your tires and rims.

Check the tread surface for any deformations such as raised bumps or S-shaped twists.

Move the vehicle forward or backward to get a complete view of the tires. If there’s no obvious buildup on the outer surface of the wheel or its cover, check the inside by looking through any decorative holes in the wheel or by peeking at the inner ledge of the rim with a smartphone camera.

If your wheels have an ice or snow buildup, you can melt most of it off by parking in an indoor heated garage or by going to a manual car wash bay to use a pressure wand to blast the rims clean. Most rims have decorative holes large enough to let you direct the water spray in from the outside.

Some mud and grit buildups can be hard to blast off with a pressure washer but instead may require a more handson approach with manual scraping. The wheels often need to be removed to get this job done.