My old suspension was shot so any little bump in the road I would get a thumping sensation through the steering wheel. I recently changed the suspension to Tokico springs w/ Illuminas which makes the handling 10x better than before, its great, however when hitting reasonable cracks in the road or "sharp" bumps, I can still feel it through the steering, same sensation as before. The susp. seems to be doing a great job for overall driving but when hitting potholes or even little cracks, I feel it thumping. What else could be looked at and replaced to make the ride as smooth as possible?

Note: it seems to be even harsher when hitting cracks or bumps while turning, if that helps.

 

Try playing with the settings.

Lower the number the softer the suspension.

 

same problem here... mechanic is not even sure what else to check out anymore. oem springs, GR2's all around, new strut bearings.

BUMP BUMP

 

Ya I already tried this, no difference.

Anyone?

 

Worn out lower control arm bushings might cause that.
Also, what were the upper mounts like?
Did you check the sway bar end links when you put your new suspension in?
Retorque the subframe bolts & check the rack & pinion mounts.

 

The upper mounts looked good. I did notice one of my bushings on the control arm seemed a little out of place compared to the other side. Correct me if I'm wrong but the whole control arm needs to be replaced right? No way of changing just the bushing(s)?

I'll double-check my sway bar end links tonight, I didn't really notice anything out of the ordinary when we installed it.

 

welcome to the maxima's suspension

 

Welcome to worthlesspostville

My Max did not ride like this when I bought it, so obviously somthing can be repaired.

 

you dont have to replace the whole sway bar, just the bushings.. if you're gonna replace the sway bar, look for an aftermarket (thicker mm)

 

re-read my post. Not sway bar, control arm

 

well only if the control arm is damaged/rusted then you should, but you dont have to fix something that doesn't need fixing. So just replace the bushings.

 

That bushing out of place is probably the cause of your noise. They can be replaced seperately but sometimes it's not worth the effort. See if you can find a source online for a new control arm. It should come with a new ball joint as well. That would be the easiest way out.

 

not to be negative or anything, but i'll bet that you never get your max riding the same as when you just bought it

 

Ahhh, the dreaded topic of too much "road feel" I have the same problem ,my wheels are balanced and the steering wheel does not vibrate at any speeds , but there is so much unwanted road feel - every little crack or bump in the road is felt through the steering wheel , which throws out the whole driving experience of the car.

I have been trying to correct this problem for over 1.5 year now, with no luck
I have all thge suspension parts replaced : new struts, bearings , mounts, end link and sway bar bushings , like 6 alignment in past year, even riding on stock Se springs didn't help.

next think on my agenda in replacing stering rack bushings, repalcing the entire steering rack along with new inner tie rods and i might have to replace one control arm

if all this doesn't help - he is going to chop shop on the south side of Chicago.

Nick.

 

lol to be honest I wouldn't even bother with all that... by the time you're done spending all that money you could have purchased/leased a used G35

 

very well said , thank you, I just wish it would be that easy - i'm very nit picky with my car - everything has to work and function just right ,
but with car that is almost 9 years old with 145k it is quite a challenge

she is still fighting though....

Nick.