Ok so I just drove 1800 miles round trip (this is my 5th real road trip in this car). At interstate speeds the car is very unstable. The best way I can describe it is when you get 20-50 feet behind an 18 wheeler and the air bounces the car around... It's that same feeling only less extreme even when there are no other cars around. What do I need to look into to eliminate this??

2010 Premium - 23k miles - I am the original owner
Spoiler installed by dealer at time of purchase

 

the air bounces your car around? i have no idea what that is bro, my car glides silently on a cloud especially at highway speeds

 

mind does the same thing behind a tractor trailer. When just driving down the highway it is usually fine, but occasionally I will get a vibration. The dealer tells me it is the tires. I have the factory originals, I have thought about replacing them, but lately I have just been thinking of replacing the car. It seems like it constantly has problems with only 52K on it.

 

Due to the aerodynamics of this car's bodyshape the coefficient drag is something like 0.33 and normally cars especially sedans are around 30 and in some cases lower, so because of this coke body figure you will feel a little bit of waffling as the air goes around the curves but I've found that when you add in the Eibach Pro Kit that you tend to have less of this buffeting.

My car rides relatively smooth and stable due to its' low center of gravity, plus remember that these are FWD cars and have a very stiff front end with the kind of suspension we have they have the tendency to rock uptop (shake from side-to-side) especially when you ride over bumps.

When you add in an FSTB and an RSB along with lowering your ride height it helps to stiffen/stabilize the car, mine rides fine now but I know what you're feeling.

 

ah, i have sway/strut bars + lowering springs and am riding on Hankooks not stock tires. nevermind.

 

@bk2k3max:
What is an FSTB & RSB?

I do not want to lower the ride height. The car already has scrapped on speed bumps & our roads are terrible!

But if I could make a minimal investment to improve the stability @ speed I want to do it. Also I do not want to make any kind of changes to the car that would make routine maintenance difficult. As in, something that would throw off a shop when I go for an alignment or something...

 

not a lot of luck with this issue from my perspective. Been through three sets of tires in 31k miles. RSA's (replaced by dealer at 2k) Michelin MXM4's (better but still some issues) and at 30k Michelin MXV4's which are not as good as the MXM4's.

I also have had two alignments-the car just does not track as well or as stable as some other cars like the car my wife has (2011 Infiniti) or my previous Altima 3.5. I have the premium package so the suspension is a bit softer as compared to the sport model but I just think these cars as designed differently and with the V rated tires, stiffer suspension, etc its not one of those cars you can drive with a light touch.

 

FSTB: Front Strut Tower Brace.

I have the Racingline one, it is decent. Didn't do anything for following trucks, but it does track a little bit better in high cross winds.

RSB: Rear sway bar. This could actually do something. This keeps the car level in corners and such. I don't have one but you could ask around for people that have them. There are plenty. Again Racingline is the go to for this part.


EDIT: to my knowledge, all of the maximas "have a" FSTB. It is welded to the firewall and connects part of the inner strut towers on both side.

Also the rear sway bar in this car from the factory is a hollow and 20mm i think...not quite sure. But the racing line is much stiffer. It shouldn't make a negative impact on the ride quality. But noticeably make a difference in the handling.

 

also the sport models have a reinforced front sway bar which helped with handling a bit. and you're right the car basically has a fstb oem, i took mine off and haven't really noticed a difference in handling. my rear sway bar/eibachs really helped handling though.

with a well done 4 wheel alignment (like from a place that gives you the print out showing you your camber/toe-in everything), good tires that are balanced right, this car drives and handles great imo. handling/tracking can be anything from the tires to bushings to wind

 

well said danny..

 

I just want to add / clarify:

Tracking is fine, the car drives dead straight and does not wander... The steering is tight and true the slightest touch on the wheel affects the cars direction.

Even during the extremes of the car not feeling stable the car is still going straight/tracking true... It feels more as if the body is rocking side to side...

 

I notice this when I am driving along at higher speeds and there is a gusting cross wind. The car still continues straight, but I feel a distinct wobble of the whole body of the car.

The flat nose of this car meets European 'pedestrian-friendly' requirements, but doesn't cut through the air as cleanly as a car designed with aerodynamics in mind.

But I love this car. Over three years, and not a whisper of trouble. Even my goodyear RS-A tires have performed very well, and still have half their tread. I have not needed either tire re-balancing or chassi realignment since this car came off the production line in fall of 2008. And this car rides smoothly at speeds the mod doesn't want posted here.

 

Trust me when i say this, but the 7th gen is a very very stable car compared to other cars.... I drove a prius for most of the winter and the slightest bit of wind on the highway and ohhh boy you feel the car going everywhere its a very hard car to drive in high winds and i dont even want to talk about when your passing tractor trailers.....

 

LOL wow.. when you stick your hands outside the window, did you notice the car will start to turn?? Is that true cause I've heard it really does

 

I will give it a try when ill be driving home.... ill try to stick my head out too.....

 

the side to side rocking is addressed with lowering springs. i agree the car used to feel like a pickup around turns with how much the body rocked back and forth. not anymore though