Do any of you notice the car getting light at around 80 MPH? If so, is there any way to correct this? I have a 99 SE 5Spd with stock everything except for a pop charger. I wanted to know if different shocks or tires on the stock rims would help. I would appreciate any input. Thanks in advance.

 

the car does seeem to become light and for me kinda unstable.....i think lowering helps this.......ppl correct me if im wrong...better tires that grip the road better may help too.

 

Plain Jane (my '99 GXE 5-speed) is smooth and stable at 80 mph.

Please elaborate on what you mean by "getting light". Are you complaining about the over-boosted power steering, or the tire grip felt in turns, or something else?

 

I believe it is the distinct lack of feedback as the high speeds approach. Changing the suspension does little for this.

BTW, Daniel, you speed?

 

Well, it seems the front end is lighter and less stable steering wise in the 80 to 90 MPH range. I just had the tires rotated and balanced too. It is more noticeable when a gust of wind or an Eighteen wheeler is ahead of me. I might just be used to the way my last car, which was a CRX Si, handled on the highway. Anyway, let me know what you think. Thanks.

 

I allow myself 5 miles per hour over the posted limit. I drive 80 on Interstate highways which are posted at 75. This makes me one of the slowest vehicles on the road.

Plain Jane has never gone faster than 80, nor has the tach ever gone near the red line. Some day (not soon) I will sell her, and the buyer will be getting a meticulously maintained cream puff. If I knew someone who cared for a car as I do, I would buy his used cars instead of new ones!

 

hmmm DBM let me know when you're selling then!

yes the max with stock everything handles like a boat on the freeway at highspeeds... lowering and stiffer suspension is the way to go... and the steering on the GXE is really light... so it makes it feel worse

 

New struts helped me a lot in this area.

However, yours are probably not worn enough to warrant replacement. Alignment can also affect this as well.

And Daniel, your car may be in great peril. Don't you remember that discussion a while back about how you are supposed to go WOT on a regular basis to clear out the injectors?

 

Hmmmm, when my car was stock everything, it never seemed to float on the highway (well, compared to now...). My mom owns a Toyota Avalon and my dad a Lincoln Town Car (the old, huge ones, ~'94), and they float. Around 80mph and up (to 120, the fastest I had it when it was stock), my car seemed to squat a little more the faster I went, and the steering seemed a little heavier, though I wasn't turning the wheel all too much. Travelling behind an 18 wheeler or into a headwind will always make a car feel like it's floating b/c the air gets up underneath the car...

 

well with my GXE it used to do that... well it might be my previous cars... haha the Grand Prix GTP doesnt do it though... and before that it was an M3... the max didnt feel planted at highspeeds that all i have to say.... with brand new tires and everything...

 

Yup I do also feel that my car becomes light and has a floaty feel to it at that speed and up. Probably has to do with the soft springs and dampening rate of the struts/shocks not able to keep up with the additional tossing of the car's weight around. This weight movement is associated with going over small dips and humps which magnify as speed increases.

 

I think that it is your boosted power steering that creates that lightened sensation. If you are speeding around 90, you can barely adjust the steering wheel back and forth, you will not even swerve. I don't think that you need new struts or springs. this is just part of the max.
my $.02

 

I hear what your saying about your max feelin light at high speeds. When I get to that speed I also get a shimmy in the wheel and have know idea why this is. Today, I brought the car the a shop that has a gsp9700 balancer and had two tires put on and balanced. I even watched the guy do it. This didn't help a bit, I still have the exact same shimmy in the steering wheel. The weird thing about this shimmy is that it comes and goes, it's not constant. It will be real bad for a minute than all of a sudden it will disappear for a minute. Then it will come back. I have know clue of what this could be. Any ideas??

 

I tend to drive like Daniel Martin myself, but come on surely you've stretched "plain jane's" legs out at least once?? how could you resist?

 

Speed doesn't thrill me. The automotive hobby has many aspects... my principal interests are technology, mechanical design, trouble diagnosis, and repair.

 

isnt it good to run the car almost to redline once inawhile...??? haha i have NO techical training but streching your car's legs does help from my experience atleast it feels good... not abusing it though

 

No.

 

Plain Jane has a FSTB I recall. How do you like it, did you feel a difference?

I know someone in CT who cares for his cars like you do, he only buys automagics though, so you're probably not interested.

But I do call first dibs on Plain Jane though.

 

I'm not much interested in mods, and installed a Courtesy FSTB only because it was a gift from a friend. I notice some improvement in steering feel but not the "night and day" difference reported by some Maxima owners. That's because the benefit is prominent for the agressive driver and I drive like a wuss.

 

hey dan b. martin what dealership do you work at. I want to bring my car into a dealership where there's a trained tech working. I've brought my car to many nissan dealership and have been very unhappy with the service!!

 

I am a D-I-Y mechanic. D-I-Y stands for Do It Yourself. In other words I am a hobbyist, an amateur, a shadetree mechanic. I do not work at a dealership. I have never been employed in any aspect of the automotive industry.

 

i think it has to do with the weight of the car as well as the shocks. I doubt its the tires since all it really does is gives the car better ride and handling on different surface. correct me if im wrong.

 

Doesn't the max have some ho-hum speed-sensitive steering too?

 

I think you guys might have problems, my 98SE with OEM shocks, Yokahama 225/50/vr16's FTSB and RSB drives like a dream at 80, the unposted minimum for the Dallas metroplex. It is perfectly stable and smooth taking freeway interchanges at 80-90 and can cruise at 100 while feeling like most cars do at 80. Maybe it's just the SE, I know some of you have GXE's and such. I have no fear driving this car in traffic at 80-90, I love it.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by JP73
Do any of you notice the car getting light at around 80 MPH? If so, is there any way to correct this? I have a 99 SE 5Spd with stock everything except for a pop charger. I wanted to know if different shocks or tires on the stock rims would help. I would appreciate any input. Thanks in advance. [/QUOTE
]

First ask yourself if your suspension is stock. Second, is your car a GXE, SE OR GLE? Se is best for being stable (my opinion. If you want to be stable, change your springs and struts, drop the car down and tighten it up! My max is stable at 140mph. My first impression of the 2000 maxima, when i was thinking about getting one for my wife, was ooooohhhhhhhh! sh*t as we hit some bumps in the road and crested several small hills. Tires...think of them like this...you do not see world class sprinters, runners of any type wearing K-mart special shoes. DO NOT put K-mart style tires on your car. K-mart style, being cheap tires. Spend some money here, on your tires that is. Get a good tire with a good tread. You will feel the difference. I suggest Yokohama Avid H-4. good stiff sidewall, wet-weather, and good all-weather tire.

 

I suggest Yokohama Avid H-4. good stiff sidewall, wet-weather, and good all-weather tire. [/B][/QUOTE]

The Avids are good tires for comfort but only ok for performance since its a harder compound. I've been satisfied with my V4s which are way better than the stock "Good-for-one-year" RSAs on SEs. Yet, I wouldn't advise going to 140 in H-rated tires.

 

The Avids are good tires for comfort but only ok for performance since its a harder compound. I've been satisfied with my V4s which are way better than the stock "Good-for-one-year" RSAs on SEs. Yet, I wouldn't advise going to 140 in H-rated tires. [/B][/QUOTE]

You're right lax99max. I shouldn't go that fast with H-rated tires.Are you aware how tires are given their speed rating? I should be able to go 130mph, i believe, for 2 hours before i would have to worry the tire shredding. isn't it 140mph for v-rated tires? because of this, i haven't really worried about going 140mph for 2-3 minutes. Even so, you are totally right. and for this reason, I am interested in buying the 5-spoke rims that came on the 97-99 SEs. I believe that is the year and model. Do you know of anyone who has gone to an aftermarket rims, and would be willing to sell their stock rims? thanks.

 

yea better tires low profile... they would help... yea maybe we do have problems haha... on a smooth highway its all gravy but the car floats at hitting anything bigger than a small dip... i mean its not crazy.. i drove my max to 100 and above... but its not the most confidence inspriring...

 

Have you ever posted anything that resembles a complete sentence?

 

I agree, I have a 98SE too, and I think the car is solid. Granted, I only have 40K on the car. ....and as the song goes, "I can't drive 55!"

 

sorry dude...
I do not usually post in complete sentences because I find phrases come out easier and carry the same amount of information as does a sentence. However, please do not assault my competence in written English as I am very qualified in the use of the language both spoken and written.
haha...
i dunno i just dont like writing in complete grammatically correct English when i'm posting... I do it enough in my resume, my job at a TV station, and my schooling.........satisfied? if it really bothers you... avoid my posts or let me know... but please keep a civil toungue in your head when you remind me
thanks

 

I respectfully request that you use your best language skills when posting. You have the ability. Please help to set a good example for everyone.

Many people equate sloppy language with sloppy thinking. If you want people to believe you and respect your opinions strive to present your ideas in clear and well-written standard English.

 

Now there is a nice request! I suppose I'll have to try to do that from now on!
-oh, sorry for going OT, please don't comment on this anymore, stick to 'Highway Driving'