car pulls from side to side
 

This is weired. my car pulls from side to side while I'm driving. I mean it's not like it pulls one way (so I don't think it's the balancing)...... sometimes it pulls to the right and sometimes to the left. It gets worse when the road is not smooth and l I don't have to tell you about the roads in NY. Sometimes it gets so bad that I have to drive with both hands otherwise the car will hit the guardrail or so.

I took it to the stealership to get it checked and as usual they said everything is fine and the 07 max's steering wheel is too sensitive to the road. I think that's a bowl of crap.

I tried playing with the tire pressure as well but no use. Does anyone know what could be the problem?

Thanks guys

To be honest, the maximas have extremely sensitive steering.. and depending on the lean of the road it's probably just throwing you off.

Try cruising down a 2 ln road in the middle (when it's empty, of course) and see if you still pull to the side

My 07 SL's steering is much more sensitive than my previous 97 Altima's steering. But my max doesn't pull to any side unless the road has some kind of ridges, grooves or crowns. I would suggest:

1. Make sure the tire pressure is right and equal in all the four tires
2. Check balancing
3. Check alignment

But I never drove any car including the other maximas I owned (95, 02,04) with this much pull. As a matter of fact, my 95max, i can drive it with my finger and stays straight as an arrow where as on the same road my 07max is all over the place. I doubt its the alignment or balancing coz if it was any of that, the car would pull only on one side.

Does it pull side to side when you accelerate or crusing? Could it be tramlining?

RHMax...... I think u got it right bro...... I have exactly the same symptoms as tramlining. And I am using performance enhancing directional tires. So that could definitely be the cause. Thanks for the link.

Is there anyway to fix this tramlining without changing my tires?

Is there anything I can do to fix the Tramlining without changing my tires?

Any advice would be helpful.

I've experienced tamlining with every set of tires I've bought (Yokohoma ES1000 and current Goodyear F1). Than again, when I've experienced this, there's usually a small inbalance in the road itself, so it's explainable. Maybe one of these guys who are much more knowledgeable can assists us if there's anyway to avoid tramlining.

nice to know that I'm not the only one with this problem.

I think I have extreme tramlining. I have to literally hold the steering wheel with 2 hands to stay in lane....... this is not safe at all.

There has to be a way to fix it otherwise all the guys with grippy tires would have a tough time driving on the road.

In my case I don't have that "extreme" case. It pulls to whatever side the surface of the road is uneven. I could still control it with the one hand I'm driving the car with, but than again the roads in Miami are nowhere near as bad as in New York.

I get the 'tramlining' around DC. When I first got the car, the steering almost sliped out of my hand the first time. An awfull feeling. I am wondering if the guys with wider rims are feeling less or more of the tramlining?

yeah....... as 2K4maxima mentioned........ NY roads are pretty bad and its definitely not safe to have a bad tramlining in these roads. Like last night, I almost hit another car as all on a sudden the car pulled out of the lane.

i have the same prob with my car but it didnt happen till i lowered it though. On H&Rs and illuminas it pulls really hard to as if someone is pulling the wheel.it is in the shop for rack and pinon and CV joint.I dont know it will help but well see PM if you want to know how it come out i should get back this friday.

Thanks bro... let us know how it turned out. A few of us are having the same problem. It would help us all.

maximas are very sensitive to the road crown. mine does is to. heh

I currently own another 95Maxima and b4 my 07, I had an 02 and 04 maxima. None of them had this kind of tramlining.

You are not alone with this problem. I have an '08 SL and it does the same thing. You can lessen the effect by tweaking the front end tie rods. But it will never drive normally IMO. Today, I was behind a 350Z on the highway and noticed that it drove the same way as my Maxima. Check out this discussion.
http://forums.freshalloy.com/showthread.php?t=180525

I just got my tires rotated and that made it much better. Later on I went to this wheel shop and the guy working there told me that he has the same tramlining problem with his performance tires. he suggested I do the alignment........ I'll try that also .......hopefully that'll fix it completely.

I have discovered a partial fix for this issue. It sure helped me out with my '08 SL. The Nissan engineers, in their cost cutting wisdom left unsecured thin plastic shrouds flanking the engine. Located opposite each tire directly over oil filter (right) and CVT area (left). They flap around in the wind and steer the car like an airplanes rutter. I suggest you duck tape them down as a temporary fix.

Good Luck

Thats pretty interesting, can anybody else vouch for something like this?

i own a 06 SE. Had it for abt 3 months. On highyway driving, i notice this light drifting sensation, having to adjust the steering lightly to stay straight. Is this the problem you guys are talking about, or is my problem a different one?

I too have experienced tramlining but I am having a different problem. This is when at higher speeds 75+mph over bumpy ground my car is kind of jolting from right to left and it seems that I don't have much control..

Any ideas on what this can be?

That's tramlining bro. I have the same problem.

thanks reb......i'll definitely try that.

I consider this a manditory modification. You should definitely notice an immediate improvement on the hwy. However, your tie rods still need to be adjusted to reduce torque steer. Please let me know your results.

Those plastic shrouds do not have any function? If they don't, why not remove them completely? How long can you go by ducktaping them?

The shrouds are there to prevent road debris from getting thrown up into the engine compartment and to aid in aerodynamic air flow.

I own a '97 Villager with the Nissan 3.0 v6 (a great engine- can't kill it) If you look underneath the vehicle, the shrouds are thick molded plastic and securely fastened in place.

I'm sure the '07 has the same issue as the '08. But wonder if the '04-
'06 Maxes have the same flimsy shrouds.


When I get around to it, I'll probably use velco to secure these shrouds. You have to be able to move the shroud covering the oil filter to change it. The velco will make for an easy access.

If you think this is all hokey about the shrouds. Take a leaf blower and direct air under the front of the car. You'll see the shrouds flap back and forth.......