2004 FX35 steering wheel vibration issue

[mjfx35]

I have a 2004 FX35 with 14K miles on it.I am getting some minor vibration on the steering wheel between 70-80 MPH.Vibration started after rotating/balancing the wheels at 7500K. This was minor so I thought I would have it checked at the next service.

Some time later I had one tire damaged and replaced after hitting some debris while going 80 MPH. Car was inspected by dealer and no damage was found. The new tire is in the front left.

I have balanced the tires several times. Dealer also told me the rotors were resurfaced. Problem still persists. Any suggestions as to how to proceed in resolving the issue?

Can the wheel that hit the debris be out of round and still not be detactable by the balancing equipment?

Any help will be greatly appreciated.Thx.-MJ

[DAEDALUS]

Good question. The balancer itself doesn't measure profile, but it should be easy to detect on the machine with the tire spinning. You could raise the tires on the vehicle and spin them at home with some kind of marker. No mention of having an alignment done? Have you tried rotating the tires again? Put the fronts on the rears and see if the problem goes away. If not, then it's probably not the tires/wheels.

[Q45tech]

Very common for wheels to become out of spec when you hit something or just miles of use.

Nissan uses 14 pounds radial force as an acceptable test limit.......this is feelable to the sensitive. 5 pounds is oem as new factory spec.

Wheels are not a warranty item so up to you to get repaired/replaced.

Dealers are not ULTRA precision tire shops [with expensive experts and rare to find in a state] and average is usually good enough for the masses.

[mjfx35]

The tires were aligned that last time they were balanced.I have noticed that the wheel that hit the debris (which now has a new tire on it) has weights in 2 different locations. Is this normal or is it a sign of a bad wheel/tire? From what I see on my other wheels (and other cars) all weights are concetrated in one location.Thx.-MJ

[DAEDALUS]

Maybe they forgot to take off all the weights the last time it was balanced. I'm pretty sure they should only be in one spot.

[Q45tech]

Impossible [95% of time] to precision balance [when you try to get below 5 grams] with single weight location.......as the smallest clip on weight is 5 grams..............I cut them to 2-3 grams.

Total weight in grams is the key. A decent in spec wheel and Michelin premium tire should need less than 15 grams per side!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! to get to 1-2 gram residual error.

If you have 20 grams [3/4 ounce] or more something is wrong.

[STECH]

how is the vibration felt?Is the steering wheel shake from side to side or is it like a up and down vibration (mostly felt though out vech.)?Most cases side to side vibration is out of balance and up and down to a road force issue.thats when the high spot of tire is not matched with high spot on rim.If dealership has a hunter roadforce balancer ask them to roadforce the tires.

[mjfx35]

The dealer roadforced the tires and told me that one of the wheels is slightly bent. The wheel is now in the rear driver side. I am still getting some vibration on the steering wheel which will vary while I am driving (go on and off). Can the bad wheel in the rear cause that?I've found a take off wheel to replace the bad wheel with the hope that the problem will go away.Is it too much to except the car to run like new?The dealer says that some vibration is normal as the tires wear.I have balanced the tires 6 times (4 times at a tire shop, 2 at the dealer) and it still does not seem right.

Are FX models (big wheels) prone to such issues or am I just getting poor service?

Thx for your help.-MJ

[gniknave]

Question: Did you have the work done at the Infiniti dealer?

If so, most dealers will actually handle this problem as a warranty (though generally this isn't covered). Just talk to the salesperson you bought the car from first and if they're a good salesperson, they'll make sure the service dept. takes care of it at no cost to you.

Before I became a salesperson with Infiniti I bought a 99 I30 from them with similar issuses (used), and they replaced all 4 tires for me at no cost to me. Just took a conversation with the salesperson to make it happen.

[mjfx35]

The dealer now tells me that my tires are cupped and that is causing the vibration. I had the tires rotated at 7500K and aligned at 14000K.I did some research on the web and found out that the 2003/2004 350Z is suffering from cupping issues. If I am not mistaken then FX is based on the 350Z platform. Can the FX be suffering from the same issue?

[Q45tech]

I rotate and rebalance my non directional Michelin tires every oil change [~~4,000 miles] 6-7-8 weeks. Every third 10-12,000 miles I demount and flip the tires on the wheels........checking the bare wheels for out of spec conditions wile they are apart.

This time and EXPENSE is not usually done by most owners. Good tire maintenace usually cost more than tires themselves.

Depends on your tolerance of vibration.

None of this would be covered by Infiniti as tires/wheels are wear items subject to road conditions damage.

I expect larger than 15" would be subjected to more and quicker damage.

[JedCoop]

I expect larger than 15" would be subjected to more and quicker damage.

I remember when the volvo V70 came out with ultra-low profile tires, before the aother marques did... They had lots of problems with more typical drivers hitting potholes and ruining wheels and tires.

In the '70's typical suspension design include the spring/damping associated with the tire itself, and it was significant. I think running 16" wheels are fine for real world driving when combined with Z rated tires to keep the tire sway under control. As Q45tech says, I'd expect more tire and wheel damage as the profile of the tire gets lower.