Help! nearly got killed

[Wallythacker]

About 2 hours into my drive the front end started to behave odd.

First it felt like I was driving on grooved pavement. I wasn't.
Then the front end felt really "light". almost as if there was a wing lifting it.
Then there was a low toned hum and a very light feeling of out of balance
Then the front end just decided to go where it wanted, not where I was steering it.

I stopped to check, pressure was fine, lugs were tight. Things "looked" fine.

I made an executive decision to try to limp as far as I could. Actually I was trying to get within 200miles of home base as CAA will cover a tow that long. I limped at 50mph, the front end felt light, a slight hum. it felt like I could lose it at any moment. I stopped at a gas/food depot and things still looked fine. I slept for an hour and set out again. To my surprise, as my speed crept up everything seemed OK. It was a tiny bit light but that feeling left shortly.

I got up tp 70 mph and all seemed Ok. I drive the remaining 120 miles home without further incident.

The question is. WTF actually happened? What should I do/check/change/replace?

Here's something that might matter a lot. The tires, fronts, were in storage in my heated garage 3 years. They looked 100% fine and I looked closely before mounting them. what they were on previously IDK, I forget.

[Johnny Mullet]

You need to jack up one side at a time and do a side to side and 12 oclock and 6 oclock shake and see or feel if anything is loose.

[foama]

A worn out lower ball joint can make the car want to go off either to left or right, and that direction can instantly change after driving over a bump. But then, it doesn't wear out over night.

I would certainly have a very good look at everything of the front end until finding the cause, even if it takes an unexpectedly long time. A pry bar/breaker bar may be of help.

[bunio14]

Had a similar feeling in one of my cars, the front felt very light and was going a bit to the right when accelerating and the opposite when braking. Turned out one of the wishbone bolts was loose. Check everything step by step until you find the cause.

[Fummins]

I'd start with "what did you do to car last before this happened".

IIRC, your car has low miles and shouldn't have anything worn out on it suspension or steering-wise. It might but that's highly doubtful. I recall seeing pics of some tires you posted quite a while back that looked sketchy to me and I have a plug in my sidewall...

[7milesout]

First it felt like I was driving on grooved pavement. I wasn't.
Then the front end felt really "light". almost as if there was a wing lifting it.
Then there was a low toned hum and a very light feeling of out of balance
Then the front end just decided to go where it wanted, not where I was steering it.

You didn't happen to be leaving a visit with Dirk Diggler, did you?

[Wallythacker]

You didn't happen to be leaving a visit with Dirk Diggler, did you?

Lol. No. Dirk is a tad to far away to drop in for a casual visit.

This set of tires has never been posted before as they were behind other stuff in storage. The only thing that comes to mind is belts shifting around but can they/do they shift around to cause problems then shift back in place as if nothing is wrong?

What if someone other than I has driven these tires in reversed rotation? Would that cause what I described?

Is there any chance that having these summer tires on the front and snows on the back could cause issues? That makes no sense though,

Oh, when I did my front brakes I never bothered to use the new anti rattle clips. Is there a chance leaving thise out could cause this?

[Tommyptr]

I'm all for saving money, but if your life depends on it, its worth it to take it to a shop, tell them what you experienced and have them poke around under there... something may pop out as obvious once its lifted off the ground...

[7milesout]

The only thing that comes to mind is belts shifting around but can they/do they shift around to cause problems then shift back in place as if nothing is wrong?

Only if they're Korean built tires...

[Basic]

This set of tires has never been posted before as they were behind other stuff in storage. The only thing that comes to mind is belts shifting around but can they/do they shift around to cause problems then shift back in place as if nothing is wrong?

What if someone other than I has driven these tires in reversed rotation? Would that cause what I described?

Is there any chance that having these summer tires on the front and snows on the back could cause issues? That makes no sense though

1. No
B. No
III. Maybe. Did anything outside change at that 2 hour mark? Did the temp drop? Did a mist or dew set in? Those summer tires could have wax bloom on them from sitting for 3 years and act like roller skates in the right (or rather wrong) conditions. This is what killed Paul Walker.