Greetings to all Maxima riders!

I got a '95 Maxima GLE with SE spoiler @ 97K miles (the rest is OEM, no mods/enhancements yet) for about 8 months. Everything seems do be fine, except several things:

1)The ride seems to be bumpy although it has new tires (15") and there are no noises(that can come from shocks). I don't think original struts/shocks, or other parts, were replaced yet. Its not as smooth as another Maxima I drove, which was '98 SE. Since the car right now at around 102K, does it means its time to replace shocks? Or what are the parts that need to be checked to ensure smoother ride?

2) Several months ago, the leaking engine oil caused damage to rubber on front control arms, what caused the car to get misaligned within a few days after alignment. I replaced the control arms and fixed the leaking oil.
I think there is something wrong with the steering wheel, possibly steering column, because even after the car tires are aligned, the steering wheel still seems to slightly shift left, like 10 degrees, so I have to keep it slightly to the right, to keep going straight. Can it be the steering column?, or what else can affect the s.wheel, when tire alignment is fine but the s.wheel is still slightly "misaligned". I've tried three different shops since I had the car, and its always the samething. Whenever the tires get misaligned (like after a bad hole on the road) it shifts more to the left, like 20-30 degrees.

What would you reccomend to do? Any comments/ideas/links will be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

P.S. At this point I want to make sure that the basics of the car is functioning right and I'm not looking to improve the performance yet, so smooth ride, handling is more important at this point.

 

1) Find another shop to do your alignments. Your steering wheel should come back center after a thrust angle alignment.

2) Replace your old worn out sturts and your car will have that smooth new car ride back. If you don't plan on changing springs or lowering your car then you can throw in a set of Tokico Blue Performance sturts. They will give you a nice smooth ride with better handling.

Make sure you have your car aligned AFTER you have your struts installed. And as I mentioned before, have your car aligned by a shop that can perform a thrust angle alignment so your steering wheel is centered.

 

Thanks for the reply!

Doesn't thrust angle alignment is performed during four wheel alignment? I really think that there is something more going on than just alignment.

So its the struts! Can the old struts be related to the issue of steering wheel and tire getting misaligned? If I don't plan to lower my car, old springs will do fine, right? Also, in what cases will I need to replace shocks?

Both, front and end? They are better than Nissan made struts, right?
They seem to get low reviews here: http://www.carreview.com/Suspension/...6_2880crx.aspx , but maybe fine on Maxima. Where on the web its best to buy them?


I hope I did not overwhealm you with all these questions. Thanks.

 

Comments to any of the questions would be greatly aprecialted. Anybody?