1997 Pathfinder steering vibration at highway speeds

[A1218]

I'm having an issue with the steering wheel vibrating while driving over speeds of 60mph. Ive had the vehicle balanced and aligned, but still experiencing the problem. No vibration with the vehicle itself but only through the steering wheel. Its a classic symptom of balancing as it doest occur at lower speeds but rebalancing didn't help.

There is no worn or damaged suspension component. Absolutely everything has been changed last year from the rack and pinion, tie rod ends, rotors, wheel bearings, coils, struts, control arms, sway bar bushing and links, strut mounts and bearing. The ball joints are fine, no play, and were changed a few years back with the Sankei 555 brand.

[VStar650CL]

Could be an internal issue such as a bad belt in a tire or a hidden crack in a rim. You can verify or eliminate that with a front-back tire rotation, if the vibration moves from the steering wheel to the seat of your pants then a tire or wheel is causing it. If so, RFV balancing will reveal what the matter is. If you don't find anything there, your caster readings are out. They're both within limits but the difference between them isn't, which can cause a shimmy. See FA-28 here:
https://www.nicoclub.com/service-manual ... 7%2Ffa.pdf

[A1218]

I’ll try the front-back tire rotation to rule that out first. Do I have to bring the front to back and back to front then cross?

And according to the manual the caster readings cannot be adjusted. And do most shops do RFV balancing?

Thanks

[VStar650CL]

Some people disagree (including some OE's), but I'm old school about radial cross-rotation. It represents unnecessary stress on the tire's inner structure and I've seen it screw up too many belts on too many tires, so I simply don't believe in it. In your case, front to back is all you need. Cross if you want to, that's a matter of preference. Most good tire shops have balancers with RFV capability but not all, you have to ask. It stands for "Road Force Variation" and it's basically a system that loads the tire while spinning it to simulate actual road conditions, so it can detect problems that a simple dynamic balance can't see.

Camber wasn't factory-adjustable on your Pathy either, so you obviously already have a kit. I frankly don't know if anyone makes a caster kit, so if that turns out to be the issue, you'll need to look into it. One of the Pathy mavens in here may know already and can help you out.

[A1218]

I actually didn’t use a camber kit when did my suspension over.

I forgot to mention I have manual hubs on as well.

[A1218]

I was also unsatisfied with the alignment at the shop I did it at. Steering was crooked when driving straight, guess he didnt align the steering wheel properly before locking it down. Got my refund and went to another reputable shop.

here's new readings

[A1218]

Some people disagree (including some OE's), but I'm old school about radial cross-rotation. It represents unnecessary stress on the tire's inner structure and I've seen it screw up too many belts on too many tires, so I simply don't believe in it. In your case, front to back is all you need. Cross if you want to, that's a matter of preference. Most good tire shops have balancers with RFV capability but not all, you have to ask. It stands for "Road Force Variation" and it's basically a system that loads the tire while spinning it to simulate actual road conditions, so it can detect problems that a simple dynamic balance can't see.

Camber wasn't factory-adjustable on your Pathy either, so you obviously already have a kit. I frankly don't know if anyone makes a caster kit, so if that turns out to be the issue, you'll need to look into it. One of the Pathy mavens in here may know already and can help you out.

I was told by a shop that has a RFV machine that it is only done for high performance vehicles and it cannot be done on my truck. Is that true?

[VStar650CL]

I was told by a shop that has a RFV machine that it is only done for high performance vehicles and it cannot be done on my truck. Is that true?

Positively not. The required Hunter RFV that every Nissan dealer has will definitely handle an R50 wheel assembly. The Hunter gen4 (what we have) and gen5 will both handle assemblies up to 175 lbs.

[A1218]

Alright, I’m going to try another shop instead. Not sure why they are so hesitant about doing it, but I won’t waste my money on them. According to that shop, RFV is mainly for low profile tires and when they do it on my vehicle it will show an “error.”

[VStar650CL]

According to that shop, RFV is mainly for low profile tires and when they do it on my vehicle it will show an “error.”

Sounds to me like somebody doesn't know how to use it. Sadly, RTFM can apply even in the shop.

[A1218]

According to that shop, RFV is mainly for low profile tires and when they do it on my vehicle it will show an “error.”

Sounds to me like somebody doesn't know how to use it. Sadly, RTFM can apply even in the shop.

So I got the RFV done at a shop. According to the machine only one of the front needed the RF done as it had a reading of 26. The driver side front only had a RF reading of 8, but aside from the it needed balancing (maybe the other shop was not balancing properly?). The feel significantly improved on the highway and I did not really feel any shaking. I will do some more driving to confirm for sure.

But aside from that, the tech manage to strip a lug nut by over tightening with the gun. I got a replacement at AutoZone for now, but are aftermarket lug nuts a safe and good option? I got Dorman brand. I am thinking of replacing all lug nuts on the vehicle as I know they have been overtightened several times by shops, even by Nissan. I always torque it down to the specified 87-100 ft lbs, but I guess nowadays its hard to find people who dont take short cuts.

Do lug nuts ever need replacing due to age and over tightening on several occasions despite looking just fine?

[VStar650CL]

Yep, they can definitely destruct if you get carried away with a high-torque gun too often. Fortunately, Nissan does it right and the nuts are a teeny bit softer than the studs, so the nut is usually the lamb that gets sacrificed at the torque altar. Aftermarket nuts will be a crapshoot, alloys that are too hard could end up messing up the studs. That's a much bigger can of worms, so I think I'd stick with OEM even though they're probably overpriced.

FYI, that 26 is a damn big number, I'm not surprised it was causing problems. But I'm also not surprised it was just the one assembly causing the issue. If numbers that bad were common, the need for RFV would be common too. Fortunately for all of us, it isn't.

[A1218]

Haha, that was a good one.

But what is a reasonable number for this vehicle tire rim assembly? I saw on the computer screen that it was 19 when he finished. And yeah to avoid headaches I went with the OEMs instead like you recommended.

[VStar650CL]

For a tire that size you probably want it under 20. Relocating the tire on the rim can only buy you so much, you reach a point where the defect is too severe for balance to correct it. At 19 that assembly is still wobbling or precessing quite a bit, you're just not feeling it because it's well-compensated. It's possible the tire has an internal defect that will get worse over time, so if the issue returns, it's probably best to just replace it.