brewboy13

It only took 9,000 miles but I am glad it did not wait until 36k. Mine is not too bad but it is getting noticeably worse each day. Which also will help because I want it to be obvious to the dealer. It seems to happen at highway speeds of around 50-60 mph. Time to make an appointment.

04BlackMaxx

shimmy shimmy cocoa puff

lightonthehill

Ugh! Hate to hear this. I had my '04 in for the 7500 mile maintenance program and an oil change this morning. I specifically insisted the service guys NOT rotate the tires (which is part of the 7500 mile maintenance schedule).

I told them several folks here picked up the shimmy for the first time when they rotated their tires last year, and I wanted to keep my smooth ride as long as possible.

I suppose I am hoping that, by the time I rotate (probably at 15K), Nissan will have a firm grip on this problem and I won't have to waste half a dozen trips while they try various 'fixes'.

Keeping my fingers crossed.

Jayzmax04

Thats funny.

Let me ask you guys, how bad is the shimmy? I have a slight one, but not sure if its what you all are talking about.

Put it this way, if your holding the top of the wheel doing about 60mph, does your hand shake pretty badly? just a little?

Im approaching 36k miles, so I want to be sure if I have this to get it fixed.

Any sure fire way of telling?

04BlackMaxx

I dont know if Ive felt it or not, but I know all car's steering wheels feel different as the MPH increase. It has aloyt to do with the road surface too. Sometimes I feel some vibration and sometimes i dont, I think it has more to do with road surfaces, and reading the stuff on the org that has me notice it. Honestly, It was not something i would have noticed if it hadnt been discussed here, its THAT minor. I dont frequently drive 60 anyway, but when im on very smooth concrete at 60 theres usually no shimmy whatsoever. I thinkthis is becasue the front end is so sensitive, and people get obsessed and fixated on something and it drives them nuts nomatter what.

brewboy13

A $30k plus car should not shimmy at all except maybe very high speeds (my opinion only). Of course it would depend on if the tires were in great shape or perhaps worn out. Mine shakes my watch on my wrist enough to see it vividly at 40-60 mph it just varies with the speed. I would'nt say that it is bad but it still should not do it. I am starting to feel the shimmy on the floorboard slightly. I hit 250k miles on my 95 Max SE and never had a shimmy period.

NashMax

The metal banded watch is a great way of knowing, but when you feel the vibration, take your hand off the wheel and look at it. You will see it going back and forth for no reason.

From all of the research I have done, it seems to be a tire issue. I have been wrong before though. So waiting for Nissan to get a grip on it is only going to make your situation worse in terms of potential compensation. (ALSO...Nissan doesn't warranty the tires, GY and Conti do) With this being a newer body style, not many people have replaced their tires yet. When they do, I think we will start seeing this problem go away. Clipper821 had everything short of the floormats replaced trying to fix it. He got nissan to agree to put Michlins on his car for him and now he seems to have disappeared from the forum. Point taken. I don't want to go through what Clipper went through just to get tires. I have 4400 miles on my car and have been through 10 RSAs and shimmy is still there. Many will say that it isn't a tire problem if I have been through 10 tires and still have it. Goodyear doesn't just give tires away...there have been issues (flat spots, heavy spots) with the RSAs pulled off my car. Each time the tires were replaced or rebalanced, the speed at which the shimmy was evident changed as did the intensity. Now, GY customer service is telling me that they will not put anymore new RSAs on my car. OK by me. Old Eagle LS on my Audi A4 wouldn't hold a balance, Forteras on my wifes Xterra with 7k on them are dry rotting, and a Max having seen 10 of them... I'll never buy another GY product again. I just want tires that will balance.

I have 4 Avon Tech M550s on the way from tirerack.com. Reviews were great and highly recommended by tirerack advisors. As a matter of fact, there is not one bad review of Avon tyres on tirerack. Avon makes tires for Bentley and Rolls, so I thought I'd give them a chance on their 30 day test drive program. (cheaper, too) If those don't fix it, then I'll pull them off, send them back and off to Costco for Pilot Sport A/S and a "lifetime satisfaction guarantee". If those don't fix it, I'll concede that it is not a tire problem.

My advice.. read the reviews on tirerack.com and consider new tires. You can also scan through the G35 reviews on there. They had GY RSA as OEM for some trim levels.

lightonthehill

Those with the shimmy should also read Nissan's TSB on this (amongst the stickies at the top of this site). In some cases, the problem was not enough tension on the steering rack. There has even been some discussion on this site that the steering rack on the 6th gen may possibly have been 'under engineered'.

I test drove an '04 with the shimmies almost two years ago. That car rode very smoothly, so the tires could not have been out of balance to any great degree. The ONLY symptom was that, if I took my hands off the steering wheel (or held the wheel loosely with my fingertips at 3:00 and 9:00 oclock positions), the steering wheel very visibly vibrated from side to side. This motion almost reached a half inch of travel, which is a lot.

The steering system of the 6th gen is very sensitive to any variance from perfection at any point. This manifests itself through the steering wheel. I would expect to feel some slight steering wheel movement or slight vibration in any 6th gen Maxima as it keeps the driver informed of the nature of the road surface. But when the vibration reaches 'shimmy level', it is time to begin reading the TSB and talking to the dealer or tire shop.

04BlackMaxx

based on light's comment, my car's wheel never shakes like that. But all this talk about it makes me look for it more, but it isnt anything that bothers me. If the wheel was visably shaking than thats one thing. I have newly balanced F1's on the car, and when the tires are cold there is a very slight vibration in the wheel, then it dissapears. Its the cold tires, and this car is sensitive enough to pick up on things like that.

BLUE04MAXSE

Whether it's a tire issue or a steering rack issue, clearly, there's a problem. Nissan has neglected to effectively correct the problem in the 04. I had four new Goodyear Eagle RSAs put on the 04, but that did not help. I never tried a different brand considering all new 04 SE's have Goodyear Eagle RSAs.

The TSB is worthless. Two Nissan dealerships performed TSB NTB04-085 to correct the shimmy problem and the problem was never corrected. My 05 does not have a shimmy, however. The 05's still have Goodyear Eagle RSAs. So, it's my opinion that the steering rack has been strengthened for the 05 model.

04BlackMaxx

ya know what would be nice? An actual Nissan engineer in this forum..dont everyone get upset, I know its unlikely, and would be tough to verify.

NashMax

New tires. Much better, but still there. I think my problems were 60% tires, 30% rims and 10% "engineering". I have two rims that have no signs of impact that "hop". They are on the back and seem to be contributing a bit to the feel of the car, but the tires/rims on the front are perfectly balanced and still a bit of vibration. Let me say though, MUCH better. I put the Avon tyres on and it was pouring rain when I left the tire shop and it was night and day difference between these and the RSAs. I think I saw this on a post in here, but has anyone tried adjusting the telescope settings on the steering wheel and the effect that it has on the feel? I tried this and when the wheel is out all the way, it seems to amplify the imperfections. I like what light says, ANY variances from perfection are going to show up in the steering. I now believe that there are problems that are deeper than the tires.

bluemaxx

Me too. I had a set of Michelin Pilot Sport A/S installed and shimmy disappeared instantly. I haven't rotated them yet so we'll see. I never rotated the Goodyear's.

TheOne01

Man, I don't know, but mine is real bad..........it's kind of embarassing.........it is really visable......shakes like hell........I had my RSA's replaced by GY, as the original ones had the dreaded "side wall cracking" syndrome.........and the shimmy got worst......it's really bad now and neither the dealer nor GY want to do anything about it..........FY rebalanced the tires and said that two of the rims were slightly bent.......and so they placed those on the back........but the shimmy is horrible.......I really wish there was some sure fire solution to this..........as at this point I don't care what it cost, as long as I can drive my car with people in it and not be embarassed by the shake in the steering wheel.........as everyone notices it...!!!!!!!

patang

Since I purchased the car, the OEM tires were never removed from the rims and never rotated. I did not feel the shimmy.

During the winter, I had installed Michelin Pilot A/S on the 18" rims. During this period, I experienced no shimmy. This week, I had the Goodyears re-installed, balanced with the road force, etc. etc.- Result---- shimmy at 60 mph. The shimmy is not noticible at speeds over 70 mph. The shimmy tends to reduce once the tires are warm.

TheOne01

by the way could someone please explain to my stup*d a*s what TSB means/stands for.............oh by the way, I'm in Miami, so it's always warm around here..............

bluemaxx

There is this TSB for shimmy: http://www.infinitihelp.com/Ownershi.../NTB04-084.htm

I believe there is a newer one too.

MObruin

Is anyone that was experiencing the "shimmy" have the problem start with the initial tire rotations?? If so, should I not have it done??

I have an 05 and so far nothing, but I am curious if this is something I should def avoid.

BTW, does lowering the car have anything to do with it?

-MO-

msoemax

NTB04-084 has been updated to
NTB04-085
http://www.nissan-techinfo.com/nissan/TSB/Apr/54573.asp

msoemax

Technical service bulletins (TSBs) are issued by NISSAN to assist technicians with diagnosis and repair. TSBs address specific concerns or conditions such as rough idles, noises and rattles. These specific concerns can be the result of customer or repair shop feedback. The TSB for a specific concern or condition will provide an up-to-date engineering-approved vehicle modification, repair procedure or service part.

Rathmax

I've had my Continentals rotated once (7500 miles) and have not experience the shimmy (knock on wood). Coming up on the second rotation in a month or so.

NismoMax80

iTrader: (6)

see, lightonthehill. not rotating doesn't seem to prevent it. I've rotated along w/ others and never experienced it. seems shimmy is mostly the RSA's fault. of course i thankfully got rid of the ReallyShttiAs tires at 10k miles. Do we have any SL owners on record with the Shimmies?

i think light has it closest that our steering is so sensitive. would you rather have a less sensitive steering that didn't shimmy, but you unknowingly still had the problem?

the TSB covers so many possibilities b/c different Maxes had different sources.

msoemax

I am a firm believer that this problem has three main issues.
1-the steering rack
2-the tires
3-the rims

I think that there is something wrong with the steering rack in early production maximas I know my car has a build of 03/04 yet my car cannot hold an alignment for the life of Nissan. I don't have the shimmy but I made sure that they balanced the tires. So there is a problem with the steering rack

The RSA's have various problems with them from flat spots to cracking. I think GY was rushed to make the RSA's for Nissan and hence Nissan got a bad batch of tires. What pisses me off is how Nissan denies everything having to do with the tires. Can't blame them though after the ford/firestone scandall. But to deny knowing anything is a law suit waiting to happen. So tires can be a larger cause of the problem.

Last, the rims on our cars take a beating because of the low profile tires. Not to mention that OEM rims suck as far as quality. Nissan is not going to spend the $$$ on top notch rims. Those two factors just add to the shimmy equation.

I think that if you get all three areas that are bad then you have a really bad case of the shimmies. It appears that part of the problem relates to the newness of the whole assembly process. I think from what I have seen on the ORG that anything after 7/04 build is rather trouble free. Can anyone else confirm this fact?

Any way....for those with the shimmies make sure to get all paper work. Check out
http://forums.maxima.org/showpost.ph...37&postcount=1
to see what you should do if things get bad.

95Max

I had my tires rotated and balanced at 15K. Got a slight case. Took the car back to the dealer they rebalanced the tires and gone.

NashMax

msoe: I am a 11/04 build date.

I came from Audi with 15" rims and touring tires so I have been super smooth prior to the Max. Maybe my expectations are too high. I will give 2 new rims a chance and hopefully I can live with the results. Surely there will be some sort of fix so that those of us who bought an SE for the looks can actually have some ride quality to go with it. Maybe an improved steering damper or a new "luxury model" steering rack? Thank goodness this car looks good!!!!

shatelb

iTrader: (5)

My 05 started with the shimmy off the lot at 70+mph. Stealership has tried to fix it and is in the shop for the 3rd time. Supposedly a bad Tire - Continental this time - we shall see - supposed to pick it up tomorrow (we'll see about that).

I tend to agree with the others in that its the steering/driveshafts, rims and tires that cuase this problem. If you've changed the tires and/or the rims and you still have this shimmy then its your driveshafts or steering that need adjustments.

Maxium

Did I miss it in all these threads, but has anyone kept a close eye on their tire pressure? I check mine almost on a weekly basis, virtue of having a air compressor - makes it convenient to do. No signs of shimmys "yet". Seems the TSB addresses improper pressure as the number one cause, then there is the balancing issue, and then I was too tired to read the rest.

Can anyone confirm if this is just a SE, SL, or both issue?

brewboy13

Mine is an SL and I have a digital gauge that I use constantly also have an air compressor (33psi on SL). So that can not be the reason for the "shakes". Who knows everyone seems to have a different take.

pae1215

iTrader: (3)

I have an 05 Max SE with a 08/04 build. I replaced my wheels with aftermarket ones but kept the RSAs tires. No shimmys what so ever. At 7500 miles, I went in for the mantainence service. For some reason, my dealership couldnt balance my wheels, so they sent them to a speed shop. The car now has 10K miles on it and still no shimmy.

Have your wheels balanced by someone other than the nissan dealership, & the shimmy might then go away!

Clipper821

You like the Pilot Sport A/S's? I love them. A great tire. Nissan wanted to go with a different tire, but when I pointed out the reviews and ratings on Tire Rack they were sold on getting me the Michelin's.

I still think though that there may be some other issues with the car. I have no steering wheel vibration, but there is still some shuddering at higher speeds, which usually indicates a problem in the rear of the car. It's usually only at speeds above 80, which I know is not the most responsible thing, but every now and then you have to have a little fun. Nothing better than hitting about 110 to 120 on this one stretch on my way home from work. It about a 1 mile stretch just before crossing the river from KY back in to OH.

Getting a new digital camera this weekend. Once I clean my baby up I'll post some pics.

Agree with Pal379, too. I question the ability of at least my dealer to be able to balance tires. In my area Tire Discounters seems to have all the expert tire guys.

MaxFan

My SE -built in 04/04- had no shimmy when new. After a few months, I looked for and found a very light shimmy @60MPH when cold. At 7500miles, I rotated twice and still got strong shimmy @60MPH. It helped if I adjusted the telescope all the way down. I only felt some vibration accelerating to 80MPH later on, but I think it's an out-of-balance issue. At 15000miles, I balanced/rotated and got the original front wheels back to front. It's two weeks now and I've not able to find the shimmy at all, anywhere from 0-80MPH. I don't know if I will ever want to rotate again. But I may, just to prove a point. I got life-time balance/rotation package. The Max is very smooth now and I'm happy. But the RSAs are making so much tire noise at this age.

MaxFan

Opps. I should say balanced (not rotated) twice @7500miles. It was due to the first balance caused a very strong shimmy down @45MPH.

04BlackMaxx

I need an alignment...dealer wants like $90...Midas, $50 with an oil change too...does anyone know about the specific equipment used? Or is it all basically the same and I should go for the cheaper.

NismoMax80

iTrader: (6)

why do u need an alignment? didn't u get one w/ your tires?
IIRC firestone offer lifetime alignment for not much more.
http://forums.slickdeals.net/t86992.html
and as to info:
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/
and

04BlackMaxx

No, GY also charges upwards of $90 for an alignment, and if I had to choose Id go to the dealer. Ive never had an alignment done when I changed tires, it never really was a problem. The wheel is slightly off center, and for some reason I notice it more now. The car dosent pull to the side too much at all, it is just the fact that I im steering slighty left to go straight, ya know what i mean, just one of those annoying little things. Lifetime alignment sounds great, I know it will need it again someday, thanks for the link. So this isnt a service only nissan should do?

MEXIDEV

My 04 only has 6000 and I just had my shimmy fixed, the dealer said that it was just tire balance. I took a copy of a tsb and showed him that there was a shimmy problem and they fixed it.

shatelb

iTrader: (5)

Yeah, they just replaced my 2 rear tires and had all four road force balanced by Vogue Tires down here (aftermarket). It definitely shakes less - not sure if it is completely gone though (or is this just a mental thing?).

Also, I check my tire pressure every 2 weeks as well. It actually seems to be worse when I get them up to 33 psi (SL). Is the stealership trying to get me to go home without a fight by making my shimmy go away by deflating my tires just a bit ... ?

Anyways, I'll see how it works. The shimmy seems to come back after about 200 - 600 miles of driving.

Is it the driveshaft? The lack of weight loading on the rear struts that is warping the tires? Is it (forgive me for saying this) bad engineering?

04BlackMaxx

Yeah it shouldnt be this touchy but I believe the slight vibration at 60 ( only noticed when brought to my attention and new tires and balance done) is caused by a few different things on my car atleast. #1 when the F1's are cold, the car tents to vibrate more as the tires warm up and smooth out. #2 the road surface i am on, because there is a new stretch of pavement near me with a 55MPH limit- I notice that perhaps becasue this surface is not complately (broken in?) Or..because it is soft and wearing unevenly, it is bumpy at speed. So tonight i purposley drive the car straight down the center turning lane for awhile and noticed the wheel felt completely still...then i veered back onto the uneven surface of the road and felt a faint vibration again, I did this a few times. It definately has something to do with the speed+surface conditions. Not that this is right, because its not, but I think the reason people go nuts over this and say its gone, and back, and gone etc...is because they are not realizing where they are driving, and the feeling of it being gone after going to the dealer for a balance or an alignment is a placebo effect that something has been fixed, when in actuality its the road beneth the car. The feeling nothings been fixed and whats causing the multiple visits to the dealer is when the car is taken to a road that causes the car to shimmy, right after its been looked at. I wouldnt be suprised if Goodyear finds my tires to be in perfect balance tommarow when I go, I need a slight adjustment to the alignment too, I will post how the car feels after this.

04BlackMaxx

What about lugnut torque? I know theres a sticky on the importance of this, but it dosent have anything to do with the shimmy, ya think? Anyone with aftermarket rims and shimmy?

Tvetti

To balance the tire with 100% perfection, it looks like "sticky weights" are to be added inside and "clip weights" are to be added outside.

As Maxima wheels dont have lips, either clip weights are added inside or "sticky weights" are adjusted to make "ZERO" appear on the balancing machine. This does not guarantee 100% perfect balance. Maxima wheels needs 99.9% perfection owing to size and width.

So, Shimmy will be there at various speeds. For some it will be 40-45, others 55-60. since 55-60 is the normal driving speed, people having shimmies at that speed tend to notice it more.......

Anyone here experience shimmy with aftermarket wheels ?