I took my maxima down to an alignment shop that my father has been going to for years and has been very satisfied with the work. The same mechanic has owned/worked there since the 70s!

Before he started to work on the car, I explained my problem, what I have done so far, and what you guys have experienced. He spent about an hour on the alignment and got it just right... within .05 degrees of factory spec. He test drove the car after and the vibration was still there. Then he balanced and rotated the wheels. Test drove the car and it was smooth as glass!

Being very satisfied, I paid him and drove home. Later that day I got on to a highway to see how smooth it was... and the vibration came back. I immediately pulled off the highway and looked at the wheels. Sure enough, as I expected, one weight fell off the right front wheel!

I went back to the mechanic the next day and he rebalanced that wheel. Again, later that day the weight fell off! I will be going back to him tomorrow!

I'm glad I found the source of the vibration problem, but I need to get the weights to stay on. The mechanic is using a generic "alloy wheel" weight as he stated. I think I might have to go to the Nissan dealer to get the wheels balanced with the right weights? What do you think.

 

You have reported repeated instances of clip-on wheel weights going AWOL. There is no need to go to the Nissan dealer. Please ask your trusted mechanic to use balancing weights which fasten to the wheel with an adhesive. One example is the Hennessy Tape-A-Weight. Go to http://www.hennessy-ind.com/weightchartsteel.html and scroll down to Tape-A-Weight.

 

I already asked him about tape-on weights. He didn't recommend them because they have to be mounted on the inner side of the rim. By doing this, you have to add more weight because the weight is less consentrated on the outside. He also said the adhesive can come loose over time. If you look at a Maxima with the original wheel weights, the clip fit perfectly around the rim lip. The weights my mechanic used, have a round clip and only touch the corners of the rim lip. Like is said before, I'm going down to his shop tomorrow and discuss this with him. The funny thing is the weights are falling off only one wheel, or at least for now.

 

Look at it this way, it's better to have the tape-on-weight coming off in many many years than having your clip-on-weight come off the very next day =) Also, many many people have the tape-on-weights on their rims and there are no problems with them.

 

First off, do you have stock rims or aftermarket? My Konigs have a machined lip, can't use clip on's. Only on the inside lip. So I have stick on weights. I keep my wheels VERY clean, use lots of soap and water, believe me, they don't fall off! My ride stays smooth as glass no vibs. Perhaps it's true some wheels spin weights off pretty easily and could be why so many on here have vibs. My suggestion, if you keep getting vibs that come back, try the stick on weights.

 

I have the stock 96 GLE rims. I really not hot on the stick on weight idea. It will take more weight to balance the wheel because the weight will be further away from the outside. I feel you will get a better balance with the weight in the lip. My problem stems from poorly designed wheel weights. DBM posted a link to a website that sells a variety of wheel weights. You can see just how many different sizes there are.

I had similiar problems a few years ago with an 86 Accord w/factory alloys. I went to 2 shops and had a total of 6 balances until they found a weight that stuck to the wheel! A friend has a MBenz and went through the same thing a year ago. I stopped by a Nissan dealer by my home and looked at some cars on the lot. The weights on these cars had a square shaped hook that fit the contour of the lip perfectly. This is why I might goto Nissan if my mechanic cannot get his weights to work.

 

I have a question while we are on this topic. I just had my wheels rotated/balanced and I can see on all 4 wheels where the old wieghts were and they are moved now. But on one wheel there is not a new weight. What are the chances of that wheel not needing one or did it fall off? I am wondering if I should go back to the shop and ask them. I have no vibrations or anything. Thanks.

 

This statement is ...
1) correct
2) irrelevant

Weight is unimportant in this instance. The important thing is to find a weight which will not fly off.

The contribution made by a wheel weight to the rotational inertia of the wheel and tire assembly is I = M x R**2. Using a 15-inch wheel, the radius R is 8.25 for a clip-on weight and 7.5 inches for a tape-on weight. If you need one ounce of clip-on weights to achieve perfect balance, how much would you need if you use tape-on weights? Let's do the math.

M1 x R1**2 = M2 x R2**2

M1 is 1 ounce and R1 = 8.25. M2 is the unknown and R2 = 7.5.

Solving for M2...

M2 = R1**2 / R2**2 = 68.0625 / 56.25 = 1.21


Conclusion: If it takes one ounce of clip-on weights to achieve perfect balance, it takes one and one-quarter ounces of tape-on weights to do the same job. This is no big deal!

 

I fear Daniel B. Martin.