Does your steering wheel shake or vibrate over all terrains, at all speeds? This is the problem I have been encountering with my car. I thought I had worn or bad struts and had them replaced. However, it did not make a difference. What is it with these Maximas that make them so unpleasureable to drive (suspension-wise). I have a minivan that has a more solid suspension than my car. I currently have about 64,000 miles on my car and do a lot of highway driving. Has my suspension, at this mileage, taken such a beating that it is beyond repair? At this rate, what will the steering be like when it starts to reach the higher mileages?

Is anyone else having this problem and if so, what have you done to improve it.

 

Get your tires balanced at a shop that uses the Hunter 9700. Why would you replace your struts at such a low mileage without checking the balance of your tires?
Sorry if I sound a little irritated, but you condemn the car without doing even any basic troubleshooting, what's up with that???

 

I had my tires balanced using the Hunter 9700. It improved the vibration slightly. The replacement of the struts was justified as they were worn based on examination after removing them. I was also told that the rear struts are leaking. I will have to remove these soon as well. OEM struts are only good for 60-65,000 miles before they start to exhibit problems. Any mechanic will attest to this.

 

Completely stable steering wheel, no shake, not to much feedback over rough roads either.

What tires/size are you running?

What tire pressure are you running? - Always run the car manufactures recomended pressures. You can add a few pounds if you like, not more then ~5 psi cold. If your tires are to hard, you will lose the foot print and transmit more of the road irregularities into your suspension system, causing premature failure.

More is not better, and what's printed on the tire is for the MAXIMUM LOAD CAPACITY of the tire. I just did a brake job for a orgy member last weekend. Upon an inspection of his car I found 50PSI in all 4 tires. After he explained to me, thats what was on the tire, I told him how that relates and what he should be running. We then lowered the tire pressure to the correct settings.

I got a note back from him telling me his car hasn't drove that good since the day he baught it. Such a simple thing as tire pressure is actually very important.

 

I am running 30 psi on all tires.

 

How fast are you going over speed bumps? I see that a lot of people don't even slow down...

 

Ok..gotcha, you didn't mention that you went through the tire balance scenario. Sorry!
However, it's common knowledge that domestic shocks/struts wear out faster than those from Japan (I have 335,000km's or 200,000 miles on mine). Hence your mechanic's diagnosis. I'm not sure why all of your struts are blown. Has the car being lowered/abused/involved in an accident?

 

If your getting vibrations on completely smooth roads, I'd be looking at your tires very carfeully.

Even on worn out struts, your car should not shake on smooth roadsways. It will float quite a bit, but not shake.

Have a good tire shop check out our tires.

 

Your first problem - The Maxima is not an all terrain vehicle, and therefore should not be driven on all terrains. It's designed for a smooth paved road. I would think that if you drove it on other terrains it might not ride as well. Sadly enough, I know a guy who took a '93 Altima off roading.

Seriously though, my car has 162,000 miles on it now and rides beautifully - I even get compliments on how smooth my car rides. It has always been, and still is, an absolute pleasure to drive - and has out-handled and out-rode every minivan I've ever driven. Many criticize the solid rear beam, but even that isn't too bad. If she can hold a New Jersey traffic circle at 55 MPH after 160,000 miles you can bet she's got a good suspension. I also have 15" stock steelie rims.

If it really rides bad, have your struts replaced. KYB makes an excellent product. Have you had your rims checked to see if they are badly bent? That can cause some nasty vibration...

Best of luck with your car, I hope your probem is easily resolved.