antmorano:
snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com wrote: > I just purchased a 2002 Maxima SE with 45,000 miles on it. It had new > brakes, rotors, and pads at the time. I thought that the tires were > mis-balanced so I had them re-balanced but I still have a slight > shimmy in the steering above 50 mph but below 70 mph. [...]
There may be more than one cause for the vibrations, and the causes may function simultaneously.
A faulty shock absorber could cause wheel hop vibrations.
Vibrations may be caused by a rippled road surface that had been distorted by the periodic vibrations of vehicular traffic. The car's wheels will bounce according to the waviness of the road surface if the vertical wheel motions are not damped by shock absorbers. The dampers of most cars would damp the oscillations, and the vibrations wouldn't be visible. Bad dampers may permit the increase of amplitude of the oscillations, and the vibrations would build to noticeable levels. That cause for vibrations may be specific to some roads and not others. Harmonic oscillations of the vehicle structures and suspensions are also the cause, and they also result in the vibrations of the structures and suspensions of the cars that follow on the same stretch of road.
Wheel mis-alignment, for example toe-out/in, might also contribute to the problem. Especially on undulating road surfaces. If so, unequal tire wear may be one result. Nissan could check that on the chassis machine. Inspection and measurement may show suspension or frame damage. On the other hand, a simple steering tie rod adjustment may solve the problem.
Ralph Hertle