7th Generation Maxima (2009-2015) Come in and talk about the 7th generation Maxima

Steering Sux

Old Jul 29, 2010 | 07:17 PM
  #41  
smarty666's Avatar
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Originally Posted by atlanta10
I notice the change in driving (stability wise) as compared to my 07 Altima 3.5. However, checked tire pressure and lowered it to 35 PSI (cold) in all 4 and it seems a bit better. It does still tramline a bit and it requires more work that my Alti to keep straight going down the road but its better than it was with 38 psi.
I thought about going back to the dealer but not sure I want to fight to get another tire that may have other issues like my Bridgestone Serenity's that could never be balanced 100% right and wore out in 45k miles.
I guess I expected more from the Max as it relates to driving stability but overall its a much better car
You do know that the Serenity's come with a 45k mile treadwear warranty right? So if you got 40-45k out of them, that is about right. I should know, I just had them on my TL. I personally thought they were a great tire, super quiet, handled well, and excellent ride quality. Did you make sure you had them balanced on a Hunter machine? That can make all the difference.
Old Jul 29, 2010 | 07:22 PM
  #42  
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Originally Posted by fastone
I also see the difference compaired to 08 TL, love the maxima, but dont like the feel of the steering
Wow, isn't that funny, I have a 08 TL along with my 10 Maxima as well! I feel differently then you though, I like the steering feel and response on the Maxima. The steering wheel on the TL is rock solid hard and a real pain to turn at times. The Maxima's wheel is much lighter and easier to make sharp turns and handling changes. Also, the turning radius on the Maxima is way better than the 3G TL.

I guess its all on personal preference though. There are things about the TL that is does I like better than the Maxima though so its a give and take relationship.
Old Jul 30, 2010 | 12:55 AM
  #43  
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agreed. its all on personal preference
Old Jul 30, 2010 | 01:56 AM
  #44  
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Originally Posted by smarty666
You do know that the Serenity's come with a 45k mile treadwear warranty right? So if you got 40-45k out of them, that is about right. I should know, I just had them on my TL. I personally thought they were a great tire, super quiet, handled well, and excellent ride quality. Did you make sure you had them balanced on a Hunter machine? That can make all the difference.
Good point-I thought it was a 50k warranty but I guess what I got out of them is probably not bad. I did have them balanced on a shop with a hunter machine and the balance issue was not terrible but for someone who drives it everyday it became a nusiance.
I agree that the tires had great traction/grip --much better grip that the stock Conti's but they became loud (like the RSA's) quickly
Old Jul 30, 2010 | 12:49 PM
  #45  
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Originally Posted by decarlnick
Well, I gave this a lot of thought, and yesterday I spent an hour discussing the problem with my local tire dealer who I've purchased from for 20 years. He wasn't surprised about my comments on the RSAs and knew exactly the feeling I was describing. Today we looked at a bunch of options, and I ended up ordering a set of Bridgestone RE760s. These cost about $45 more each than the RSA's. I considered Michelins, but those were going to be around $55 each more than the Bridgestones. I've had Bridgestones on my G35 in the past and do now, and been very happy. Tomorrow morning the tires will be in, so I hope to get back with a report later in the day. I promise to tell the truth, haha. Either I'm going to be a lot happier, or I'll feel stupid for having spent all this money for nothing. But at least I'll know.
OK, I'm sure you're all dying to hear the results of my expensive experiment. The Bridgestone Potenza RE760s came in first thing this morning and I as over there like a shot.

My first impressions were positive, but I wanted to really check them out before reporting. I had an early day at the office, so took the opportunity to make a 30 mile circuit out to the country -- winding road out, and 65mph highway coming back. I think there's a definite improvement. Tracking is very nice now, just a bit of drift to the right due to road crowning -- but I didn't feel like I wascontinuously "nudging" the car to keep a straight track. Turn performance is notably better, even turns at average speeds. These are 100W (instead of 93V), so I was told that while the handling would be better, the ride would be a bit more harsh. I think both proved to be true (but the ride is still quite acceptable). So all in all, I'm relieved. I'm hoping I'll still feel the same a few days from now. My brother (who participated in my G35 vs. Maxima tire-feel road test) is going to drive the Max again this weekend and I'll see if he agrees. Finally, my tire guy offered to hold onto the RSAs for a week or so to see if I could sell them, since they only have 1400 miles, which was really nice of him. There must be somebody less picky than me out there who would be glad to get a bargain on them. Craig's List, here I come!
Old Jul 30, 2010 | 01:47 PM
  #46  
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Originally Posted by decarlnick
OK, I'm sure you're all dying to hear the results of my expensive experiment. The Bridgestone Potenza RE760s came in first thing this morning and I as over there like a shot.

My first impressions were positive, but I wanted to really check them out before reporting. I had an early day at the office, so took the opportunity to make a 30 mile circuit out to the country -- winding road out, and 65mph highway coming back. I think there's a definite improvement. Tracking is very nice now, just a bit of drift to the right due to road crowning -- but I didn't feel like I wascontinuously "nudging" the car to keep a straight track. Turn performance is notably better, even turns at average speeds. These are 100W (instead of 93V), so I was told that while the handling would be better, the ride would be a bit more harsh. I think both proved to be true (but the ride is still quite acceptable). So all in all, I'm relieved. I'm hoping I'll still feel the same a few days from now. My brother (who participated in my G35 vs. Maxima tire-feel road test) is going to drive the Max again this weekend and I'll see if he agrees. Finally, my tire guy offered to hold onto the RSAs for a week or so to see if I could sell them, since they only have 1400 miles, which was really nice of him. There must be somebody less picky than me out there who would be glad to get a bargain on them. Craig's List, here I come!
Glad to hear everything worked out for you.

Trammling can definitely be a pain in the butt. I just got brand new Kumho's put on my TL and as soon as they went on I had a severe pull to the right. Thankfully it was not the tires but most of it was due to an alignment issue. Trammling can be a pain in the but b/c you can't really know if your going to have a problem with it until after you buy the tires and travel over different roads with them for awhile. I think it just really comes down to tread design and placement, some are more prone to trammling based on how the tread is set up. I guess the RS-As have a tread pattern that is more pre-disposed to this. A great lesson from all this, is in the future, when considering getting any kind of tire, take a look at the tread on the RS-A and compare it to the tread design/pattern on the tires your considering and make sure it doesn't match or look awfully close to one another.

Enjoy your Potenza's!!!
Old Jul 31, 2010 | 03:34 PM
  #47  
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I have no gripes with the steering - in fact, I'd be willing to call it fantastic and one of the car's strengths. It certainly rivals the steering that you find in luxury brand vehicles such as Infinity, Acura, BMW, Mercedes
Old Jul 31, 2010 | 07:19 PM
  #48  
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Originally Posted by wrzt
I have no gripes with the steering - in fact, I'd be willing to call it fantastic and one of the car's strengths. It certainly rivals the steering that you find in luxury brand vehicles such as Infinity, Acura, BMW, Mercedes

Like you, I love the steering on the 7th gen, especially the smaller steering wheel (size taken from the Z), faster steering (lock-to-lock in just over one turn of the steering wheel; also taken from the Z) and, most important, the much tighter turning radius of the 7th gen. I loved my 6th gen, but its large turning radius left me sitting sideways in heavy traffic several times.
Old Jul 31, 2010 | 07:26 PM
  #49  
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The steering on my sv sport is so amazing! Those sway bars really come in handy bc I was taking exits today that were so damn curvy and not an inch of bodyroll, I knew i couldve taken the curves faster but I didnt want to go overboard. All in all, I think the steering in Sport equipped Maxima's is amazing!
Old Jul 31, 2010 | 10:17 PM
  #50  
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Originally Posted by decarlnick
"turning was not a problem really nice actually..it was just the feel while driving and holding it...felt like i was fighting just to keep it straight.."

It looks like I'm the first poster to this thread in a long time. Seems like I'm experiencing the same thing. I've had my 2010 Maxima SV for a month now, and I'm having this problem. It seems to want to head to the right too quickly if you let go of the wheel at highway speeds, and seems to need constant tiny "left-hand" tugs on the wheel to go straight. As a result, I can feel myself giving almost constant, very small, left or right inputs while driving. I couldn't possible let go of the wheel for a few seconds. I had the tires rotated last week in hopes that the it might go away (due to some tire defect). It may have lessened a bit, but still there. My 2003 Infiniti G35 tracks straight like it's on train tracks (when the tires are relatively new) -- I just tested it again to make sure I wasn't imagining things -- if the road is straight, it will drive itself without input (no, I'm not recommending that, haha).

I'm hoping that it's an alignment issue -- but as many of us know, convincing a dealer of a small, yet irritating problem that they have to fix under warranty is often a real pain. I'd almost rather go to a shop that will say "yeah, I see what I'm you're taling about" and charge me to fix it.

Now that I'm finally getting used to the fact that the CVT is going to rumble/vibrate at 30-40mph/1300rpm (as stated in other threads), this turning "feel" thing is what's bothering me the most. We just took a mini-vacation with a 2+ hour drive going and coming. Just terrific cruising except for the steering thing bugging me. A real thrill was the ability of the car to pass on two lane roads in a virtual flash (as mentioned in other threads).
same here, '09

an alignment, wheel balance, and tire rotation was done on it (free of charge) and no change

at higher speeds it seems more noticeable

can't plant my elbow into the console and underhand it without a fight when i'm doing 70 on the freeway

a hand on top of the wheel makes the problem relatively unnoticeable

oh well i guess

Last edited by magicaljerry; Jul 31, 2010 at 10:22 PM.
Old Aug 1, 2010 | 08:21 AM
  #51  
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To echo the last few entries, I too have to agree that I like a lot about the steering on the Maxima, now that I have the tracking issue solved (by changing tires). It's very interesting to compare to the G35, which has an overall stiffer feel to the steering, compared to the variable assist feeling in the Maxima.
Old Aug 18, 2010 | 07:39 PM
  #52  
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The steering in the 09-10 max is great not a complaint about it.you talking about not making a u turn???you drive on a goat path???cause this car has a short turning radius unlike my 2000 se where a 4 lane highway would be cutting it close!!!!
Old Aug 18, 2010 | 10:40 PM
  #53  
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Originally Posted by Mick7
I took a trip down jersey turnpike and it seems the steering is very light, it was a little windy and it seemed like i had to fight to keep the car going straight.

I have also noticed more wind wander than would be expected. Nothing bad but a little more than my other cars.
I think I remember reading something about drag efficiency of our cars, they said the Max was 0.33 which isn't great but not too bad but they said it has the tendency to pick up a lot of wind (even in the wind tunnel testing) due to the wide shoulders.

Still I think that has nothing to do with the steering, just the way the car is shaped.
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