Alignment and wheel shake at braking

[Metacom]

I have a 1996 NA Z that has some small alignment issues. All stock.

Years ago it was in small collision by the previous owner. Repair work was done by Nissan back in the day. I had the fascia off recently and could see the on the driver side, the very tip of the body was very lightly crinkled.

I had a pair of SPL adjustable tension rods on shortly after I got her because the OE tension rods were busted and the mounting holes on the tension rod brackets were torn, I dunno from what. Replaced the tension rod brackets. I switched back over to a pair of used, no apparent leaks, year 1991 75k miles OE tension rods because the ride on solid tension rods was too harsh.

Went to get an alignment.

Currently on the front, the caster is out on the driver side, by 0.3 degrees before coming into the minimum spec. Camber on the driver side out by 0.3 degrees before minimum spec as well. The passenger side is still all green according to the alignment done by my local Nissan dealer. Both rear wheels are all green.

I am experiencing horrible, almost death wobble level steering wheel shake very briefly when braking from around 70MPH, that was not apparent on my SPL tension rods. All the braking components check out. I am left to assume these used tension rods may be bad. I also feel a slightly wobble in the whole car when going over a deep dip at highway speeds now as well.

Could that misalignment in the caster cause such a heavy wheel shake? I would like to avoid using adjustable suspension parts but Im not sure which other components affect caster other than the tension rods.

[nissanfreak12]

No, shaking when you brake, especially when you changes to OEM tension rods, is the bushings in the rods. Another option if you didn't like the SPL rods, is poly bushings in the tension rods. Not as harsh as SPL, but not as soft as OEM bushings. Tension rods are the only thing that affects caster on these cars.

Rotors can cause shakes, but not so severe as bad bushings. They mood look good, but if they are leaking or show signs of leaking, they are bad.

[Metacom]

Tried a pair of new energy suspension bushings in the tension rods, problem remained.

Replaced all rotors, fixed the steering wheel shake on brake completely.

[nissanfreak12]

That is good to hear!