jgcable

1997. Bone stock except for 16" wheels and tires. On the highway the car is very twitchy. When it hits bumps or dips in the road or turns it doesn't feel very stable to me. Its really the first time I have driven the car because its my daughters car. The suspension seems tight. The tires are wearing evenly, the tire pressure is good. It does shake at 60 and again at 85. Under or over those speeds it doesn't shake at all but its still twitchy.
Could a needed wheel balance cause this? Maybe an alignment? It was aligned and balanced about 5000 miles ago when the new wheels and tires were put on. Also.... I notice when I make a turn I hear a slight scraping. Sounds to me like a brake rotor. I am thinking it could be one of the brake rotor shields possible scraping against the back side of one of the rotors?

DennisMik

iTrader: (2)

If the brakes make a scraping when you make a turn, you would have some serious loose parts. I would have the ball joints, the inner and outer tie rod ends and the lower control arm bushings checked.

Another thing is the struts (shocks), when were they replaced? They are good for maybe 80 to 100,000 miles. If the car seems like a roller coaster ride when going through an intersection, you need new struts BAD.

jgcable

Car does not feel like a roller coaster. Its tight. It doesn't wallow. It doesn't bounce when I push down the front or back. I had the struts checked last year when we did the wheels and tires and they told me they were fine.
I think it might have something to do with the 16" wheels and tires we put on it. It came stock with 15" steel wheels and hubcaps and it tracked and rode beautiful with those stock wheels on it. It seemed to get "twitchy" and unstable when the new wheels and wider tires were installed.

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

What pressure are you running in the tires?
What is the brand/make of tire?
What exactly do you mean by twitchy? Does it wonder, jump around or follow the ruts in the road more? Is the steering tight or do you thing there's excessive play?

jgcable

The tires are a no name brand. I got them at TownFair Tire. They are wearing perfectly but it certainly could be a tire issue.
It doesn't wonder, the steering is EXTREMELY reactive. There is no play in the wheel at all.
What it does is follow the ruts in the road more and when it does hit ruts or dips or uneven spots in the road it jumps around a lot. I feel like I am doing way too many steering corrections when driving on the highway. Tire pressure is correct. I think it has something to do with the wheel and tires.

cashoit

Cooper tires FTW!!!

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

I would verify that the front end is tight. Check the tie rods, both inner and outer for play. Check the ball joint on the control arms, jack the car up to test for play. By any chance, do you have an oil leak on the right side of the engine, soaking the right control arm bushing with oil? If so, and it's common, then that bushing is toast and probably causing the issue.

Other then that, your tires may be to agressive for your driving style. The stiffer the sidewall, the more there going to pick up road irregularities, especially wondering or following the ruts.

Tire pressure should be set cold, as per the vehicle, not the max on the tires sidewall. You should be around 35 front and 30-32 rear, depending on load.

The Wizard

iTrader: (43)

Are all 4 tires the same? Are any directional tires?...and perhaps installed incorrectly?

I agree with DennisMik's and njmaxseltd's suggestions and would probably start there.

jgcable

These are the tires that Town Fair put on.


http://wanlitires.com/tire/s-1063/


They are all put on correctly. They are all matching and the tire pressure is perfect on all of them. They are also wearing evenly.


I never heard of this brand but I have had no-name tires in the past and never had a problem. The tires on the car are definitely wider and lower profile than the stock 15's that were on it. They are 16" because of the new wheels.

jgcable

Yea, we aren't driving the car aggressively. I am tempted to throw the stock 15" wheels and tires on the car and see how it handles. I still have the full set.

Nopike

iTrader: (2)

Worth trying the 15" wheels. 4th gen SE's all came with 16" wheels. FWIW My 98 SE drove solid for all 16 years that I owned it. My 7th Gen with 19" wheels, now that is another story.

dwapenyi

iTrader: (3)

Tie rods.

In the rain the car feels scary like you will lose control?

Tie rods, especially the outter tie rods.

Also, upgrading to bigger rims will make the worn out tie rods even more noticeable.

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

Well it looks like you've got a Z rated tire on now. They will give you more feedback and follow road irregularities much more then your average H or R rated all season tire.
Do make sure all your front end components are tight and the alignment is set correctly.

96i30azn

Might be that beam at work - especially when you're not used to it. 80mph bumpy sweepers feel very twitchy in my car too - 99 i30t.

jgcable

Yea, it doesn't seem to bother my daughter at all. She has been driving the car for a few years. The first time I drove it I was surprised.

dwapenyi

iTrader: (3)

I umm, strongly disagree with this statement. The multi-link beam is awesome and extremely low maintenance. It is not a live axle with heavy drivetrain components inside it (therefore high unsprung mass and clumsy handling), like older mustangs.

What kind of suspension setup do you have? if you have a twitchy feel from the back end, something is worn out. Struts, tires....something.

sbcoachnick

I agree with DennisMik.
My 96 Maxima drove great, felt tight and tires were wearing evenly. Get it on the freeway and I would notice the same thing you did. Small bumps would cause the vehicle to jump and I would get vibration from 60 to 65 then it would settle down. I tried balancing, rotating and checked front end. Ended up being the struts.

max ride 41

iTrader: (4)

almost always when your feeling like your maxima is swimming down the highway after hitting a bump its the struts. i know my rear suspension has been replaced twice already and it feels like it ready to be replaced again. 80,000 miles later and the front is still tight cause i replaced alot of components.

jgcable

That's exactly what mine does. Last year I had Town Fair Tire check the struts and they said they were fine. I know that the car is tight and it doesn't bounce around at all.


Did you replace the rear or front struts?

sbcoachnick

I replaced all 4 with ebay oem preassembled strut/springs. About $75 each. Took about 3 hours and noticed the difference right away. That was about 70k miles ago and still ok.

CS_AR

Are you looking to do your own repair or to outsource it to a local shop?

asand1

iTrader: (1)

I have the same tires in 235/45ZR17.
https://maxima.org/forums/4th-genera...s-mounted.html

Steering components are all good and tight. As soon as they were installed it got twitchy to, darting and following every toad imperfection. It's not random, it's in direct relation to road imperfections. I thought it was the offset or added rolling resistance, but it could be the tread pattern ir something specific to the tire.

electr0lyte

I am having a similar issue where it feels like my car follows the irregularities in the road.

Current Suspension Mods:
Tein S-Techs with KYB GR-2s
TDMI Tie rods
Stillen FSTB

I am currently on anniversary Z wheels but I have the same issue with my stockers.
This Saturday I will replace my struts (2 years old). If that doesn't fix the issue then I researched bushings may be bad so that'll be the next thing I replace since mine are ~4-5 years old.

Fakie J Farkerton

iTrader: (51)

Check out your steering rack.
More your tie rods than anything.

electr0lyte

How would I go about checking my steering rack?

I have had an alignment done, so wouldn't that have corrected any issues with the tie rods? I went right after installing the TDMI bump steer kit. When I got them, they were brand new.

Fakie J Farkerton

iTrader: (51)

My money is on that bump steer kit causing you issues.

electr0lyte

Today I didnt go to class because I was so fed up with the handling of my Maxima. Installed new Moog Tie Rods and BAM handling issued solved. I will be selling the TDMI, PM if interested.

Fakie you are a God to me! Night and day difference! Holy moly, I couldn't be happier!

Fakie J Farkerton

iTrader: (51)