[FastCarFan]

Over the weekend I reinstalled the winter tires/wheels on my 2004 VW R32. When I drove the car after installing the snow tires I noticed a rather severe vibration coming from the front (I think) when turning right (above 20 mph or so).

The facts:

- The tires are 17" Michelin Pilot Alpins (215-50-17s, I think) mounted on dedicated wheels (i.e., not the wheels used for my summer tires) -- the tires have been on the wheels since new.

- The tires have been used for 2 winters (approx. 20,000 miles) with no problems before.

- Tires/wheels were stored stacked (with cardboard between each tire) in my garage since I took them off the car in April 2007

- I rotated the tires (from their previous location last winter) with this installation (LF to LR; LR to LF; RF to RR; RR to RF), as I have each year.

After I felt the vibration, I removed both front tires/wheels & reinstalled them to make sure that I hadn't installed them poorly. The vibration continued. And today, I noticed a minor vibration above 60 mph or so even when not turning.

The problem seems to be coming from the left front. I thought I might try to rotate the left side tires (F to R & R to F) tonight to see if the problem goes away.

Could something have happened to the tire while it was off the car? Or maybe there is a problem with 1 tire that only occurs when it is on the front?

Can anyone think of anything else I can try? If I can't figure the problem out by myself I will take it to a tire store, but I would like to avoid that hassle if I can.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions you may have.