2003 Altima 3.5SE MT Tires Slipping on Rim

I just bought a 2003 Nissan Altima 3.5SE w/ a manual transmission. I've started having problems with the wheels/tires (Bridgestone EL42 Turanza P215/55R17 93V M+S) - going out of balance due to tires slipping on the alloy rims. Has anyone else had this problem? I'm working with the dealer and they said they have been talking w/ Nissan about the tire slip problem. They are supposed to be finding some sort of adhesive/chemical to fix the problem, as the one that they have at the dealership (and on my car) now isn't working.

The car is amazing - I suspect (though I'm not an expert by any stretch) that the high torque as well as the low profile tires and manual transmission have something to do with this. Does anyone have any information or similar experiences? I first started noticing the problem indirectly - as I was going around curves at about 48-52 MPH and the steering wheel would vibrate. I brought the car in after about 500 miles and they took the wheels off the rims, cleaned off the old "fixative" (I don't know what was originally on the bead) and applied new, then rebalanced the tires. All was fine for about a week, but now am experiencing the same problem. The dealer, like I said, is working with Nissan to try to find a solution to this. I'll try to post more info for interested parties.

-Bryan

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Bryan T. Vold
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HAVE YOU EVER REVVED YOUR ENGINE TO ABOUT 6500RPM AND RELEASED THE CLUTCH ON FIRST GEAR JUST THINK OF THE POSSIBILITIES ESPECIALLY IF YOU PULL UP THE HANDBRAKE :)

THIS CAR COULD SMOKE TIRES LIKE CRAZY IT IS A BADASS CAR HERE ARE THE SPECS FOR THE INLINE FOUR OR V6

Specifications and capacities for the 2002-2003 Altima 2.5 liter (QR25 - 4 cylinder) and 3.5 liter (VQ35 - V-6).

Engine 2.5 / 2.5 S / 2.5 SL 3.5 SE

Name QR25 2.5 liter 4 cylinder VQ35 3.5 liter V-6

Cam Design DOHC

Orientation Transverse

Configuration / Cylinders I4 V6 w/Molybdenum coated pistons

Block / Head Composition Aluminum/aluminum

Displacement (liters) 2.5L 3.5L

Engine Oil Capacity Drain and Refill - With oil filter change 4-1/2 quarts 4-1/4 quarts

Engine Oil Capacity Drain and Refill - Without oil filter change 4-1/4 quarts 4-7/8 quarts

Cooling System With reservoir 8 quarts 8-5/8 quarts

Manual transmission gear oil 4-7/8 pints 4-7/8 pints

All other fluids refill to proper level according to the instructions in the "Maintenance and do-it-yourself" section in the Owner's Manual. Horsepower 175 @ 6,000 RPM 245 @ 5,800 RPM

Torque (lbs/ft) 180 @ 4,000 RPM 246 @ 4,400 RPM

Bore & Stroke (mm) 89.0 x 100.0 95.5 x 81.4

Compression Ratio (:1) 9.5 10.3

Maximum Engine Speed 6,200 RPM 6,600 RPM

Induction System Sequential multi-point electronic fuel injection

Valvetrain 4-valves-per-cylinder; w/CVTC

Engine Cover Standard

Engine Mounts (4 mounts per vehicle) Automatic

Manual 4 fluid filled

4 fluid filled 2 electronically controlled, fluid filled, 1 rubber 3 fluid filled, 1 rubber

Recommended Fuel Regular unleaded Premium unleaded

Fuel Tank Capacity (gal.) 20.0

Emissions System Closed Loop Alpha Control, ECCS

Emission Certification Level LEV

Exhaust Variable capacity muffler Dual exhaust

Electrical

Ignition System Electronic, Nissan Direct Ignition System (NDIS)

Starter 1.4 kW

Alternator 110 Amp.

Battery 12V-55Ah (5HR)

Transmission and Drive System

Drive configuration Front-engine / front-wheel drive

Transmission Type 5-speed manual

4-speed auto w/ overdrive Standard on 2.5 / 2.5 S / 3.5 SE

Standard on 2.5 SL

Gear Ratio

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th

Reverse M/T 4-cyl. M/T V6 A/T 4-cyl. A/T V6

3.416 3.153 2.785 2.785 1.944 1.842 1.545 1.545 1.258 1.258 1.000 1.000 0.947 0.947 0.694 0.694 0.772 - - 2.272 2.272 3.252 3.002

Final Drive Ratio (:1) 4.133 3.812 4.087

3.789

Drive Shaft Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic (CFRP)

Helical Limited-Slip Differential Optional on SE

Brakes

Standard

Front Type

Rotor size diameter and thickness (in.) Vented Disc

11.7" x .94t"

Rear Type

Rotor size diameter and thickness (in.) Self-adjusting, Solid Disc

11.5" x .35t"

Brake Assist Standard

Brake Control w/ABS

w/o ABS Power-assisted with Brake Assist and Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD)

Power-assisted

Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD) Standard

ABS

Number of Wheels

Number of Channels

Number of Sensors N/A on 2.5; Optional on 2.5 S, 2.5 SL and 3.5 SE

4 4 4

Parking Brake Hand operated along left side of center console

Steering 2.5 / 2.5 S / 2.5 SL 3.5 SE

Type Power rack-and-pinion

Power Assisted Standard

Overall Ratio (:1) 16.1

Turns (lock to lock) 2.8 2.6

Turning Diameter (curb to curb, in feet) 37.4 38.7

Suspension

Front

Stabilizer Bar Independent strut w/ coil springs

Standard

Rear

Stabilizer Bar Multi-Link independent suspension

Standard

Exterior Wheels & Tires 2.5 2.5 S 2.5 SL 3.5 SE

Wheels

Steel with bolt-on cover S S - -

Aluminum-alloy - O S S

6.5JJ x 16 S S S - 7.0JJ x 17 - - - S

Tires

P205/65R16 T-rated all-season tires S S S -

P215/55R17 H-rated (V6 A/T) or V-rated (V6 M/T) all-season tires - - - S

Temporary spare tire S

Dimensions Exterior (inches)

Wheelbase 110.2

Overall length 191.5

Overall width 70.4

Overall height 57.9

Tread width

Front

Rear 61.0

61.2

Coefficient of drag (Cd) 0.32

Trunk liftover height 27.6

Interior (inches) Front Back

Head room (w/o sunroof) 40.8 37.6

Leg room 43.9 36.4

Hip room 53.0 52.7

Shoulder room 56.7 56.1

Weights 2.5 2.5 S 2.5 SL 3.5 SE

Curb (pounds) Front Manual Transmission

Automatic Transmission

Rear Manual Transmission

Automatic Transmission

Total Manual Transmission

Automatic Transmission

1,810 1,858

1,191

1,191

3,001

3,049

1,844

1,893

1,195

1,195

3,039

3,088

-

1,896

-

1,210

-

3,106

1,974

2,023

1,223

1,223

3,197

3,246

Weight distribution (%) Front/Rear Manual Transmission

Automatic Transmission 60/40

61/39 61/39 61/39 - 61/39 62/38 62/38

GVWR (pounds)

QR25

VQ35 4,202

4,374

Volume (cubic feet)

Passenger compartment 103.2

Cargo 15.6

Total 118.8

Fuel Economy (estimates)

City (A/T / M/T) QR25

VQ35 23 / 23

19 / 21

Highway (A/T / M/T) QR25

VQ35 29 / 29

26 / 26

Classification Mid-size

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EPSYCHOBOB

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