Tires have, MAYBE 5k miles on 'em. I just bought her a month ago from a dealer. I've just had my wheels balanced but she's still vibrating. Anyone have any ideas or could someone kindly send me to a link with info for other potential causes? THANKS!

 

Get them balanced with a Hunter GSP 9000. Then get the alignment checked.

 

Does it vibrate only at high speed (50-80mph)? Or does it vibrate even at low speed? If it only vibrates at high speed, check for the amount of toe in. If it's too much toe in your car will vibrate a lot on highway and will cause more tire wear. Even with a proper wheel balance the toe in will still make the steering wheel vibrate (even during braking at high speed).
Good luck pal and let me know wut happens.

 

I have that problem... at highway speeds my wheel and shift **** vibrate like HELL. What should i do exactly??

 

when you say get teh aligment checked, do shops charge for that? just wondering cuz i have a similar problem BUT it also depends on road conditions. dont wana spend 50 bucks if i dont have to.

 

If you know how to adjust the alignment then it's pretty simple. It's just a matter of adjusting one side of the car. I forgot the exact range of toe in that is allowed. Check your service manual for that. Once you have your hands on the correct toe in, just simply take a measuring tape and measure the front wheel's at 3 oclock and 9 oclock (from one side to another) and then take the differece. You should be having the 9oclock measurement a lil more than the 3oclock measurement. I'm not sure if im explaining this clear enough. Anyone who also knows please jump in.

 

oops, im thinking of it from the passenger side. wut i mean is that the 9oclock measurement should be larger than the 3oclock measurement on the passenger side.

 

Hi guys, thanks for the replies I've decided to get **** with this shake. SO, here's what i've found.

The intensity VARIES with speed So, the intensity is NOT linear with MPH. It seems the most noticeable at around 80 MPH.

The intensity increases with accelleration or engine load..

The intensity is greater while turning left, other than right.

So, IOWs, powering out of a left hand sweeper will produce a more noticable vibration.

It's really not that bad, yet. And, it's not just the wheel, but thruout the car.

Any more thoughts? Thanks

 

Yes.

 

This information is from the '99 Maxima factory service manual.
I believe it applies to all 4Gen cars.

FRONT WHEEL ALIGNMENT

Camber, in degrees.
-1.00 Minimum
-0.25 Nominal
+0.50 Maximum
+0.75 Maximum left and right difference

Caster, in degrees
+2.00 Minimum
+2.75 Nominal
+3.50 Maximum
+0.75 Maximum left and right difference

Kingpin inclination, in degrees
+13.50 Minimum
+14.25 Nominal
+15.00 Maximum

Total toe-in distance, in millimeters
+1 Minimum
+2 Nominal
+3 Maximum

Total toe-in angle (left plus right), in degrees
+0.09 Minimum
+0.18 Nominal
+0.27 Maximum


REAR WHEEL ALIGNMENT

Camber, in degrees
-1.75 Minimum
-1.00 Nominal
-0.25 Maximum

Total toe-in distance, in millimeters
-3 Minimum
+1 Nominal
+5 Maximum

Total toe-in angle (left plus right), in degrees
-0.27 Minimum
+0.09 Nominal
+0.43 Maximum

 

Go to http://www.babcox.com/editorial/cm/cm119744.htm to read a good article about Failing CV Joint Symptoms. Author Larry Carley provides a list of bad CV joint symptoms, including this one:

A shudder or vibration when accelerating. Excessive play in either the inboard or outboard joints can sometimes cause this, but the most likely cause is a worn inboard plunge joint.

 

How exactly do you get the 9:00 reading? How can you measure from tire to tire with any measuring device when you have all of the engine/transmission components in the way? Also, the tolerances are VERY small....how can you get an accurate reading with any household measuring tape? 1 to 3 mm is pretty tight! I've thought of using a carpenter's plumb bob to measure straight down from 9 and 3 o'clock to a metal pipe or something rigid, mark the spots then measure the difference. Will that work?

 

How exactly do you get the 9:00 reading? How can you measure from tire to tire with any measuring device when you have all of the engine/transmission components in the way? Also, the tolerances are VERY small....how can you get an accurate reading with any household measuring tape? 1 to 3 mm is pretty tight! I've thought of using a carpenter's plumb bob to measure straight down from 9 and 3 o'clock to a metal pipe or something rigid, mark the spots then measure the difference. Will that work?

 

Would Toe In be a part of the alignment service? I got the same problem.

 

The answer is yes. Moreover, adjusting Toe In is the entire alignment service on a 4Gen Maxima. That's because Caster and Camber are not adjustable without mods.

I'm all in favor of having correct alignment but don't want to raise false hopes. Wrong alignment is not a common cause of steering wheel vibration. The usual symptoms of wrong alignment are abnormal tire wear patterns and "drift" or "pull" to one side of the road.

 

Thank you for your inputs, my friend. I don't have a dealer nearby. Considering the situation: i've had the front tires balanced and it seems it may be worse, but, anyway, what are the likely causes for this vibration?

It occurs at all highway speeds. I've attempted to identify when it's most noticeable. I think it's more noticeable turning to the right.

Other than wheel balance, what steering or suspension components are the likely cause. Is there something specific on a 4th gen?

What would be a smart plan of attack?

 

Causes for steering wheel shake include ...
- unbalanced tire
- out of round tire
- tire with internal defect (such as tread ply separation)
- bent wheel
- bent hub
- worn ball joints
- worn tie rod end
- bad strut

Please rotate your tires, exchanging fronts with rears. A tire or wheel defect is more noticeable when it is mounted on the front. If the symtom doesn't change proceed to evaluate the vehicle parts.

 

That's EXACTLY what i was looking for....THANKS Daniel B.!