shb

I have own this Maxima 2012 for 3 months now and every time I drive this car out of city for 2-3 hours I keep swearing and thinking of selling this car.... I guess I did not catch this when I test drove as I was only driving it on short period of time and was blown away by the power....

I feel that this car is highly unstable on highway speed... I am constantly moving my steering wheel left and right... and passenger in the car can feel it too... I used to own Scion TC and honda civic .. and they felt very stable in highway...

I checked the tire pressure and they all are ok....

Does anybody feel the same way ?
Is this just the personality of maxima or the stock tire just a bad tire ? ANybody know how to fix this ?
I love to drive out of city and this has made my driving experience very unenjoyable...

alexdi

I don't find my car unstable, but it's definitely not as relaxed as an Accord or the like. The Max doesn't have much of a centering reflex. It won't naturally default to straight ahead and tends to follow road crown in whichever direction. There isn't a fix I'm aware of, though some folks have seen improvements with better tires.

esco115

iTrader: (1)

When I first took mine out on the highway I also felt this and was wondering but after a day or two somehow either I learned how to control it or it just got better for me...

Maybe its the soft steering and you moving it so much that has the car moving side to side...?

GM_Traitor3.5VQ

I've never felt this car to be unstable at highway or even triple digit speeds (on the track). Even after a 540 mile drive to the Smokey Mountains last May, was more than relaxed during the entire trip.

These cars do have a wide footprint at all 4 corners, so they do tramline a bit if there are grooves in the road surface. The steering weight does load up as speeds increase, so little steering inputs go a long way.

Edit: the crappy RS-A tires don't help the high speed stability either... Which is why I'm buying a set of Michelin Pilot SuperSports in a few weeks lol

MaximaGuido09c

Yes, the Maxima is a Bit Shakey when your going passed 80 mph (on the track O ). My 08 Honda Accord Coupe v6 was veryyy veryyy stable when on the track at such speeds. The wind also plays a factor in the stability of the car as well. This is a car that needs both hands on the wheel.

Buzzooka Joe

I wouldn't say my Max is unstable at high speed.. However it does tend to pull to the right.. It did this before & after I put the 22's on it.. I'm going to get it aligned next week but not sure if that will help.

AlDente67

Please do post your alignment results. Mine also pulls to the right, even during the test drive. Salesman said it would be no problem to throw it on the lift and take care of it, and then he never did it.
If that helps the problem, I'll take mine in.

It is a bit tiresome to have to constantly adjust to the road, so I agree with the original poster. Long highway trips at speed wear out the arms.

zman764

I know exactly what the OP is talking about and I feel the exact same way. I'm actually bringing mine in in the a.m. If the dealer says its normal I'm going to some other local shops. I will post results.

Lovemycar

My M35 does the samething I found that putting good tires and alignment help but not completly I also have 20" rims

Mario66

Mine drives straight as an arrow at all speeds.

Richard66

I just got off a 700 mile road trip on I-90 with speeds mostly around 75. At times there was a good stiff cross wind blowing. I found this car to be the BEST road car I have ever owned, even on OEM tires. It drives straight and I never felt at all uncomfortable during the entire trip. It was a pleasure to drive.

Ghozt

i agree with what other people are saying in that road changes or even wind can make you have to do some course correction, but otherwise the car tracks straight for me and is enjoyable to drive during long trips. i had my 4 wheel alignment done by an excellent shop (Ptuning in VA - check em out if you're local) and the car rides gently on a cloud i love it. im also riding on Hankook Ventus V12 tires which are much better than the stock ones imo

zman764

Ok, just got home from the scumbag dealership... They wouldn't even check the car in and give me an invoice for this concern. The service manager just took it for a drive and put it on a rack. He said it felt fine to him on the interstate but he didn't go over 70mph. But he did say he felt like it needed an alignment and the tires were out of balance.
I call bull on the alignment, I have never felt any tug on the steering wheel what so ever and it tracks perfectly straight. I do agree the tires could be slightly out of balance but none of the above would contribute to what I or the OP feels.

bryansuavo

Ok to aid a bit. I had the aame problem.. I still have the same rims and tires.. But after racingline endlinks, sway bar, FSTB and BC coilvers.. The problem was resolved... Might be something with the suspension.. Which in my honest opinion, the front shocks are crap.. But im not encouraging to go out and buy all pf that. Just saying that it fixe my problem.. So rims and tires are not it, altho they might help like some members have pointed out.. And i do go 90 on interstate and zig zag alot so i can tell u it has minimized that problem.

LtLeary

I am a road warrior and w ith 160K have only experienced this a bit with my RSAs. Moved to Michelein MXV4s and even after 85K on these, no wonder, no wobble, no steering input.

bled01

I have noticed that my 2011 which has been on the road just over a month has a lot of vibration going on once you go past 70 especially if the asphalt is not in tip top condition.

I attribute this to a few things:

• Poor OEM tires
• Sport tuned suspension
• 19" low profile tires

The car drives straight as an arrow so I did not think an alignment was an issue. And I figured if the tires were out of balance that would show at slower speeds as well.

Maybe this is just the way the car drives. I noticed a few threads where the passenger seat shakes like crazy when nobody is sitting there and my Max does that as well.

bk2k3max

Ok, here it is in a nutshell; The Max has a 0.33 cd and the main reason is the shape of the car-most cars today have a cd of 0.31 or lower. Wind/Air doesn't flow over this car as aerodynamically efficiently as it does over cars without the coke bottle shaping, so what many of us have experienced is the wind from the front hitting the curve in the back which causes the car to feel somewhat unstable.

What I have noticed though is that once you install an RSB, FSTB combo with either an Eibach Pro Kit or some coilovers that it literally removes that unstable feeling and you do not have to place both hands on the steering wheel to feel that you absolutely have to control the car.

Another thing that makes the car feel unstable is all that wheel gap and the stiff roll bar in the rear which causes a rocking motion uptop whenever or especially when you hit a bump (like a speedbump) or a rut in the road-this too will make the car feel unstable at high speeds especially when you add in how the air is flowing around the curves in the car.

The lower center of gravity (if you add coilovers or Eibach Pro Kit along with the RSB and FSTB) helps keep the car planted, adding a rear hood spoiler and decklid spoiler won't hurt either.

Good luck

esco115

iTrader: (1)

^ head it on the head, that was going to be my next post, if you look at the car you can tell its not too aerodynamic friendly, and its not mainly the shape of the sides its due more to the front end on its design...

bk2k3max

From the numerous tests that were done on it none really mentioned the blunt front end as the reasoning for it's issues with being aerodynamic, in fact, the articles that I've read complimented the front end because they stated it reminded them of the GTR but I'm sure that something that flat on the front like the big old trucks (Chevy Silverado comes to mind) had issues with wind resistance.

MONTE 01&97 SE

iTrader: (1)

You are correct, if you look at it vs a 5.5 gen or 6th gen the nose is way more flat. Which is a big factor in what some 7th gen owners our experiences at higher speeds.

Jam_Roc

I am glad I don't have these issues. Are you sure the air doesnt get directed or redirected through the nose?

zman764

Essentially what you're saying is poor design.... As in, they did not design the suspension to handle the turbulence created by the body at speeds above 50mph

Ghozt

If it was poor design then everyone would be posting in this thread saying their Max handles terribly at high speeds. Looks like that isn't the case and it's just a handful. Diff cars have diff issues its why a factory recall would affect one production line but not another. Hell we even have a guy who got a 13.9 1/4 mile run in a stock 7th gen. My car drove very nicely at high speeds stock and has only gotten better as I made handling upgrades.

esco115

iTrader: (1)

Yeah I know, which let me to think the same thinh you posted about the GTR reminder which let them to maybe dismiss it? who knows, I mean looking at it in person you can clear tell how the hell is it wind resistant at highspeeds? lol

exl_ent_v6

I haven't noticed any issues with my car on highways. In fact I love driving it on highways. It's calm and stable. I drove from NY to Ohio, NY to FL, and NY to Canada all within 6 months and on the factory RS-As. Those tires were terrible but the car still drove well. I recently replaced the RSA's with Continental Extreme Contact's and drove from NY to FL and it drove a bit better and felt a little more stable.

shb

what brands did you guys use for RSB and FSTB ? How much they are and how much does it cost to install them ?

jkicak

if it was poor design or issues with the RSAs we ALL would have the issue... i can say that my 11 max is the BEST handling sedan i have ever driven (factory) and i am VERY happy with it.... this from a guy who owns a Trans AM WS6, owned a solstice GXP (best handling car i have ever driven) and have driven several other fbodies (camaro/firebird) and corvettes..

i don't know what is wrong with your cars but if mine were anything like that i would not have bought it that is for sure. did you replace the tires with a cheaper brand? i did this on one of my Trans AMs in the late 90s and those cheap tires made it feel like there was no swaybar at all on the car. i took it to the dealer and they of course found nothing wrong. i lived with the problem till i had enough cash to buy a set of BFG KDWS and then BAM! issues solved.

zman764

I still have the factory RS-A. I love how people always make the comment about how they wouldn't have bought it if it did this... Seriously... It was not like this when the odo was at 000000 and I bought it!

I have wanted to upgrade tires but I don't want to spend a grand on tires and that not fix the problem and just end up getting something else. Trying to find the most probable solution before sinking more money in this piece.

atlanta10

Here is the issue-during a new car test drive, even one with a 5 mile or so loop, your senses are overwhelmed by the new car features, etc. You dont catch anything unless its glaring. My car drove well even on the short highway loop but that was because the stretch I took near my dealership/home was fairly new and the one area I noticed a bit of wander/tramlining was during a stretch that was being worked on. Its easy to dismiss that since any car may show some tendency to wander on grooved roads, etc.

Once I drove the car full time, I had an issue with the stability and work it took to keep the car inline. I brought it back and the dealership was great-they replaced the RSA's with MXM4's. That helped quite a bit and since then I accumulated enough miles to replace those with MXV4's which are about the same although a bit smoother riding tires.

I have noticed over the miles, as the tires wear a bit, the car is easier to keep straight and seems more stable. I think the V Rated tires with the combination of front wheel drive make it more sensitive to steering inputs and road conditions.

My wife has an 11 Infiniti EX35 and I have noticed similar albeit less tendency to do the same. Her car is rear wheel drive so its easier drive but she has 19" tires and it takes a bit of work to maintain the straight line driving over certain roads. I am convinced that these cars with the sport rated tires are simply not made to drive like a Ford Taurus or even a Nissan Altima. Those cars and ones like it are more of a family sedan meant for comfort and easy driving. Our cars are sporty and require more driver involvement.

One last point, check the tire pressure...I have noticed a change as I played around with the range of 33-36 PSI. A bit on the lower end is best for me. I am currently running 34 PSI in all four.

2young2retire

Very good point. I have noticed that when I put new tires on a vehicle it is a little squirrely until there is several thousand miles on them. I have the RS-A'a on my '09 SV with 33k miles and it tracks straight and true. I would love to replace them the a smoother riding tire but they won't wear out, they still look almost new.

bk2k3max

Good call! There is a small pretense of sporting nature to these cars, afterall they did take it to the Nuburgring to work on the handling. The car does do well taking turns (just not at very high speeds) but with a different set of tires there is a huge improvement overall in handling especially coupled with the RSB/FTSB and Eibachs and like I said before the spoilers don't hurt either.

I have no problems with handling, I can control my car with one hand on the highway at 80 and it is stable, smooth and relatively quite. I'm not saying it is the best car but it gets the job done pleasantly.

zman764

My "test drive" lasted 250 miles, I kept the car over night. It was not like this when it was new.

Also, saying the car requires continuous corrections because it is sporty is a joke.
There is nothing sporty about the sensation that your steering wheel not being connected to anything. >:-(

It tracks just fine but it feels as if the body is being rocked around by the wind which in turn causes the driver to want to make corrections. Exacerbating the problem.

deepshah420

the car drives fine for me, i drove to detroit from chicago (~300 miles) and it was very comfortable. It was a bit wobbly when it got windy but nothing too annoying. I drove with one hand and didnt feel like I was going to lose control or anything. I had a 2010 civic before, and the Maxima felt so much smoother (took the Civic on the same trip before), even with the crappy RS-As that were bald.. but try the suspension set up bk2k3maxima said and itll probably drive way better

robtroxel

No problems here. My 2010 tracks very well. No alignment issues from day one
(2 years ago). Still running the RSAs and I have always rotated every 5 K to keep the tires from getting noisy. I'd have the front end checked.

Good luck

LSIII

I'm glad the Max doesn't have electric power steering. My last two cars did and they felt very unstable on the highway. Max feels soo much better. I have the Sport package.

lightonthehill

Have begun my fourth year with my '09, and am still perfectly happy with my OEM RS-As. I rotate only every 15K (I give the greasemonkeys as few chances to mess up as possible), and have never needed balancing or alignment.

The only handling problems I have had were either when I was on a road with a grooved or uneven surface, or when moving at speed with a gusting crosswind.

The grille area of the 7th gen is in keeping with Nissan's plans to eventually have all its vehicles meet European pedestrian-friendly rules. Of course that flat blunt front is not especially aerodynamic.

My car has never pulled right or left, but sometimes, when the road surface is not very smooth, I find I am making frequent small corrections with the steering. But as soon as the road surface smooths out, the steering is smooth and easy again.

Of course, after all these years, I am so used to driving this car that I may be subconsciously making steering corrections without being aware of it.

eepowers

I just got back from 2 back to back 4 hour road trips, and I had no issues with steering wheel play. The ride was super smooth except for when in a strong cross wind. I have noticed when driving aggressively and changing lanes quickly there is some body rocking, but this can probably be fixed by lowering the car with coilovers or springs??

bk2k3max

Who said that? If anything one should say then it definitely shouldn't be that, sports cars/sporty cars are supposed to be known for their handling, this car only has sporting pretensions because Nissan uses that 4DSC moniker to sell this car.

All of us who really know Maximas knows very well that this car isn't a sports car and neither is it truly designed to be sporting in nature, for God's sake the thing is a FWD 4 door car under 300HP with no turbo, sc or even a stick/manual shift, how could one believe that this car is built for sports spirited driving? (rhetorical)

I really love the fact that I had no pretentions when I bought this car, nor did I fall for the 4DSC sticker/commercials Nissan drums up when trying to sell this car.

It's too bad that some people have.

bk2k3max

Honestly the OEM tires are crap, regardless of how you played them up here. This was one of the first mods I made when i got my car, get rid of all stock Maxima tires whenever you get a Maxima (the first thing i do, they truly suck).

I don't know why anyone like these tires, they're especially crap in rain or wet pavement.

Jam_Roc

I have had no complaints with my stock tires so far.