Heavy steering wheel?

Nissan Rogue forum - Includes Nissan Qashqai and Nissan Dualis as well.
slimsol
Posts: 62
Joined: Mon Jan 20, 2014 8:32 pm
Car: 2014 rogue

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After driving my 2014 rogue for 6k miles I drove an older generation rogue and I found that there is a huge difference in steering feel. In 2014 it feels like it has no power steering. its way to heavy compared to older rogue. Is there a way to fix this issue?? I drove other newer generation rogue and they all had same heavy steering.
Last edited by Rogue One on Sun Sep 13, 2015 7:47 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Typo


phjake
Posts: 99
Joined: Wed Sep 02, 2015 2:27 pm
Car: 2015 Murano SL
Location: Phoenix, AZ

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The 2014 has electric power steering which many, if not most, new vehicles today have. There is no power steering pump, but instead an electric motor. One big advantage of electric PS is fuel economy. I assume the older Rogue is hydraulic and has a power steering pump. I'm not sure what you mean by "heavy" power steering, but my 2015 Rogue's steering is very responsive and compared to older hydraulic steering vehicles I've owned, I like the Rogue's steering better. So unless Nissan made major changes in steering between the 2014 and 2015 models, which I doubt, I'm not sure why you feel your 2014 steering is heavy.

However I understand steering feel and response is very subjective to the driver and what you may feel is heavy, some one else considers responsive. I guess the question to ask is have you had the dealer's service dept check out the steering on your Rogue?

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darylzero
Posts: 1245
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Car: Nissan Rogue 2009 SL AWD Premium Pkg.

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phjake wrote:The 2014 has electric power steering which many, if not most, new vehicles today have. There is no power steering pump, but instead an electric motor. One big advantage of electric PS is fuel economy. I assume the older Rogue is hydraulic and has a power steering pump. I'm not sure what you mean by "heavy" power steering, but my 2015 Rogue's steering is very responsive and compared to older hydraulic steering vehicles I've owned, I like the Rogue's steering better. So unless Nissan made major changes in steering between the 2014 and 2015 models, which I doubt, I'm not sure why you feel your 2014 steering is heavy.

However I understand steering feel and response is very subjective to the driver and what you may feel is heavy, some one else considers responsive. I guess the question to ask is have you had the dealer's service dept check out the steering on your Rogue?
1st gen Rogue has electric power steering as well.

phjake
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Car: 2015 Murano SL
Location: Phoenix, AZ

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darylzero wrote:
phjake wrote:The 2014 has electric power steering which many, if not most, new vehicles today have. There is no power steering pump, but instead an electric motor. One big advantage of electric PS is fuel economy. I assume the older Rogue is hydraulic and has a power steering pump. I'm not sure what you mean by "heavy" power steering, but my 2015 Rogue's steering is very responsive and compared to older hydraulic steering vehicles I've owned, I like the Rogue's steering better. So unless Nissan made major changes in steering between the 2014 and 2015 models, which I doubt, I'm not sure why you feel your 2014 steering is heavy.

However I understand steering feel and response is very subjective to the driver and what you may feel is heavy, some one else considers responsive. I guess the question to ask is have you had the dealer's service dept check out the steering on your Rogue?
1st gen Rogue has electric power steering as well.
Sorry about that, my bad. I owned an 08 Mitsubishi Outlander before I traded it for the Rogue, so I assumed (wrongly) that the 1st gen Rogue's were hydraulic steering.

slimsol
Posts: 62
Joined: Mon Jan 20, 2014 8:32 pm
Car: 2014 rogue

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phjake wrote:The 2014 has electric power steering which many, if not most, new vehicles today have. There is no power steering pump, but instead an electric motor. One big advantage of electric PS is fuel economy. I assume the older Rogue is hydraulic and has a power steering pump. I'm not sure what you mean by "heavy" power steering, but my 2015 Rogue's steering is very responsive and compared to older hydraulic steering vehicles I've owned, I like the Rogue's steering better. So unless Nissan made major changes in steering between the 2014 and 2015 models, which I doubt, I'm not sure why you feel your 2014 steering is heavy.

However I understand steering feel and response is very subjective to the driver and what you may feel is heavy, some one else considers responsive. I guess the question to ask is have you had the dealer's service dept check out the steering on your Rogue?
I will take it to dealer. I have driven several cars in my life including trucks but this rogue is just hard to keep in lane. i have slided off on right side of road 2 times.

slimsol
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Car: 2014 rogue

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phjake
Posts: 99
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Car: 2015 Murano SL
Location: Phoenix, AZ

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slimsol wrote:
phjake wrote:The 2014 has electric power steering which many, if not most, new vehicles today have. There is no power steering pump, but instead an electric motor. One big advantage of electric PS is fuel economy. I assume the older Rogue is hydraulic and has a power steering pump. I'm not sure what you mean by "heavy" power steering, but my 2015 Rogue's steering is very responsive and compared to older hydraulic steering vehicles I've owned, I like the Rogue's steering better. So unless Nissan made major changes in steering between the 2014 and 2015 models, which I doubt, I'm not sure why you feel your 2014 steering is heavy.

However I understand steering feel and response is very subjective to the driver and what you may feel is heavy, some one else considers responsive. I guess the question to ask is have you had the dealer's service dept check out the steering on your Rogue?
I will take it to dealer. I have driven several cars in my life including trucks but this rogue is just hard to keep in lane. i have slided off on right side of road 2 times.
Are you saying it's pulling to the right? If so, that could be an alignment issue.

slimsol
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Car: 2014 rogue

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it doesnt pull on either side. its just hard to keep it on center of road without constantly holding steering wheel using 2 hands. My hands start to hurt on long highway trips

phjake
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slimsol wrote:it doesnt pull on either side. its just hard to keep it on center of road without constantly holding steering wheel using 2 hands. My hands start to hurt on long highway trips
Understand what you're saying. Take it to the dealer to have it checked out, and the one suggestion I would make is have either the service adviser or a tech go with you on a test drive so you can show them what you mean.

followingnfront
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Car: 2017 Maxima S

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As someone who came from a 1st gen (2012) Rogue SL AWD to now having a 2nd gen (2015) SL Premium AWD, I can comment on this...

They both have electric steering systems, but feel very different from each other...

The 1st gen had a more sporty feel to the whole driving experience. It was also rougher on bumps... However, the steering feel was relatively light which does not exactly make it FEEL as precise as a sporty vehicle should FEEL, although the response was there.

The 2nd gen is more comfortable, and less agile... And I think Nissan wanted to make it feel more sporty (drive a 2014 Maxima) by giving it an artificially heavier steering feel to give the impression that it holds the road better.

However, I, like you find that although it responds to small inputs very well, my 2nd gen's steering seems to have a mind of its own. During a trip from NY to FL (straight through) my wrist got tired to the point that it started to ache because at higher speeds I had to fight the car from dancing around in the lane. Its not an alignment thing... Its almost like the car is giving itself minute steering inputs in each direction. Ive never experienced anything like it before, and while I do like a heavier steering feel, in this case, it takes more of a toll on you if you have to fight it.

Its weird and I hate having too much technology for this very reason...

phjake
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followingnfront wrote:As someone who came from a 1st gen (2012) Rogue SL AWD to now having a 2nd gen (2015) SL Premium AWD, I can comment on this...

They both have electric steering systems, but feel very different from each other...

The 1st gen had a more sporty feel to the whole driving experience. It was also rougher on bumps... However, the steering feel was relatively light which does not exactly make it FEEL as precise as a sporty vehicle should FEEL, although the response was there.

The 2nd gen is more comfortable, and less agile... And I think Nissan wanted to make it feel more sporty (drive a 2014 Maxima) by giving it an artificially heavier steering feel to give the impression that it holds the road better.

However, I, like you find that although it responds to small inputs very well, my 2nd gen's steering seems to have a mind of its own. During a trip from NY to FL (straight through) my wrist got tired to the point that it started to ache because at higher speeds I had to fight the car from dancing around in the lane. Its not an alignment thing... Its almost like the car is giving itself minute steering inputs in each direction. Ive never experienced anything like it before, and while I do like a heavier steering feel, in this case, it takes more of a toll on you if you have to fight it.

Its weird and I hate having too much technology for this very reason...
Interesting. As I said in an earlier post steering feel is subjective, and what one driver considers heavy another may feel is responsive.

followingnfront
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Car: 2017 Maxima S

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Well there is a difference between "heavy" and "slow". Steering can be heavy and responsive, and it can also be heavy and slow... The same goes for light steering.

The 2nd gen Rogue has a clearly heavier (albeit arificial) feel than the 1st gen. Its can probably even be scientifically measured by the amount of resistance/input that has to be placed on the steering wheel to get it to move the same as the 1st gen.

Heavy steering in and of itself is not inherently bad. But the steering in this vehicle is funky... At higher speeds on open roads, mine feels like slight inputs are being placed on the steering making it feel like its slightly "dancing" back and forth. Its pretty minute and maybe some people wont notice it, but its still there. Its almost a feeling of "induced" wandering. The sensation is similar to being caught in crosswinds.

Granted that really doesnt have a direct correlation to the steering being heavy (unless it is because of whatever programming used in the new electronic steering system), but because the steering is heavier, fighting the steering wheel makes it worse on you.

As a side note, Heavier steering is generally better for on center stability, or at least percieved on center stability, since there is more resistance to either side, so in theory you should have to play with the wheel less...

phjake
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Car: 2015 Murano SL
Location: Phoenix, AZ

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followingnfront wrote:Well there is a difference between "heavy" and "slow". Steering can be heavy and responsive, and it can also be heavy and slow... The same goes for light steering.

As a side note, Heavier steering is generally better for on center stability, or at least percieved on center stability, since there is more resistance to either side, so in theory you should have to play with the wheel less...
Understand what you're saying. So far have not noticed anything like this. You're right, crosswinds can make almost any CUV/SUV seem un-stable at highway speeds. I've had my Rogue up to speeds of 75 mph on highways in the short time I've owned it, and haven't noticed any problems of "dancing". To me the steering feels stable, and as long as the road doesn't have any pitch to one side or the other, little effort is needed on the steering wheel to keep the vehicle traveling straight

followingnfront
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Ive had mine up to 120 lol (once just to see how the top end compared to the 2012). As a whole, it is a stable vehicle, but sometimes mine feels like there are crosswinds when there are not. Im guessing not everyone has experienced that.

phjake
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120 MPH! You are braver than I am.....

dustysaddle
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I know this is an old post but I recently bought a 2015 Rogue and noticed this same thing. Where we purchased the car was 1.5 hour drive home and by the time I got home my fingers hurt from gripping the steering wheel so much trying to keep it in my lane. It wandered and seemed like I had to over correct to keep it in a straight line. Also noticed at highway speeds the steering wheel was very hard to turn. I had to have 2 hands on the steering wheel at all times. I did not notice this on the test drive as we only drove it for 10-20 minutes (I drove when we left the dealership and my husband drove back to the dealership), but within a half hour into my drive home from the dealership my hands and wrists hurt. While driving it around town it seemed to be fine and yes I did take it on the highway but didn't notice it much as it was only for a few miles. I also have a 2015 Equinox and I can drive that comfortably with one hand When I brought this up to my husband he informed that both have electronic power steering. There is a huge difference between the two.

I do have an appointment for this Friday to take it in and have them reprogram the door locks and was wondering if anyone had any luck with finding a resolution for this that I can let them know about?

slimsol
Posts: 62
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Car: 2014 rogue

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dustysaddle wrote:
Mon Feb 19, 2018 8:34 am
I know this is an old post but I recently bought a 2015 Rogue and noticed this same thing. Where we purchased the car was 1.5 hour drive home and by the time I got home my fingers hurt from gripping the steering wheel so much trying to keep it in my lane. It wandered and seemed like I had to over correct to keep it in a straight line. Also noticed at highway speeds the steering wheel was very hard to turn. I had to have 2 hands on the steering wheel at all times. I did not notice this on the test drive as we only drove it for 10-20 minutes (I drove when we left the dealership and my husband drove back to the dealership), but within a half hour into my drive home from the dealership my hands and wrists hurt. While driving it around town it seemed to be fine and yes I did take it on the highway but didn't notice it much as it was only for a few miles. I also have a 2015 Equinox and I can drive that comfortably with one hand When I brought this up to my husband he informed that both have electronic power steering. There is a huge difference between the two.

I do have an appointment for this Friday to take it in and have them reprogram the door locks and was wondering if anyone had any luck with finding a resolution for this that I can let them know about?
Nissan tried to make this suv feel heavier by artificially setting up steering wheel that way. I have 40k miles on my rogue and I am used to this steering now. One advantage of this steering is that you dont feel road imperfections in rogue like you do in other cars. Also crosswinds dont affect rogue while driving on highway.

Rogue Jarhead
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Car: 2011 Nissan Rogue Krom

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After reading this, I'm not sure what slimsol found out from the dealer, I'm assuming he did ask about the feel of the "heavy" wheel. I'm thinking that the dealer should be able to adjust the steering since after all it is electronically controlled. You could at least ask.

slimsol
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Car: 2014 rogue

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Rogue Jarhead wrote:
Mon Feb 19, 2018 9:59 am
After reading this, I'm not sure what slimsol found out from the dealer, I'm assuming he did ask about the feel of the "heavy" wheel. I'm thinking that the dealer should be able to adjust the steering since after all it is electronically controlled. You could at least ask.
Dealership told me there is no way to adjust steering

Rogue Jarhead
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slimsol wrote:
Mon Feb 19, 2018 10:35 am
Rogue Jarhead wrote:
Mon Feb 19, 2018 9:59 am
After reading this, I'm not sure what slimsol found out from the dealer, I'm assuming he did ask about the feel of the "heavy" wheel. I'm thinking that the dealer should be able to adjust the steering since after all it is electronically controlled. You could at least ask.
Dealership told me there is no way to adjust steering
Yeah I figured it would be something like that. They’ll also tell us there is no way to disable certain airbags but with the right computer you most certainly could. Maybe a different dealer would have a different answer. It’s sometimes just a matter of what they are willing or legally able to do.

macgiver
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mac here, your heavy steering feel is as one member says "subjective" , you all are pursuing that end - one TIP for you
guys on the wander , all-over-the-road , quick-jittery turn in's - is minute TOE-IN adjustments greatly affect these aspects ,epecially FWD .FWD supposed to be towed OUT - opposed to typical RWD's toe-IN .Too much toe - OUT many times causes increased erratic action even with "micromovements" of the wheel ,that constant attention & Ccontinuously re-correcting .I have had to tweak this on my FWD OLDS (tires too played a role Dunlop SP5000 totally sucked :lolling: ) : I gave it MINIMAL to-out
and FWD the tighter the tie rods etc. the closer to paralell your able to go to see if it reduces the erratic / instability!(toe-out onFWD is really for SLOP as engine pulls you :yesnod )
Now , for how anybody can adjust to find out (later tell your alignment guy??) : Note first how centered steering wheel is ,do like NASCAR use piece o' tape @ 12oclock etc., now you'll pick a side to loosen and tweak outer tie-rod (may come down to the side you CAN LOOSEN :rotfl ) You MUST mark the rack extesnion-arm & ball joint knucle side x side EXACT , before you loosen . Now you may try 1/2 to full turns initially - see how it handles !! ( I don't suggest smaller , 1/4 turns -they aren't significant enough to judge ,you waste time & they're not "easy-to work-with" ). Go try both longer & shorter ,now if you've improved ? Tighten , tape "new" position of wheel if you want to now correct that. It will probably be a small change and if you could be able to loosen both sides YOU SHOULD PICK SIDE THAT CORRECTS WHL CENTER. I use those junkyard paint crayons. You should jot on paper your subsequent adjustments so, by your marks you may go BACK to the EXACT starting point . :gapteeth: Good luck G 2/19/2018

dustysaddle
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Joined: Mon Feb 19, 2018 8:24 am

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Mine is going in on Friday to have this looked at. I understand that the "heavy" steering and wandering is subjective and maybe I will get use to it, but wow it is almost like driving an old 70's truck with little to no power steering. After looking at the tires I'm on the fence if they are new or factory. They are Hancock Continental tires and after close inspection they don't look new but would be close to having 10,000 mile wear on them. I don't like how the tires handle in snow and want to swap them with the tires I have on my Equinox. I am hoping to see if there is any difference after that. One part of me has to wonder they they needed to do an alignment with only 10,000 miles on it. I have close to 45,000 miles on my equinox and it has not needed one done yet. The carfax says that it was never in an accident but that doesn't say that someone didn't get in a mild fender bender and do the repairs themselves and not report to insurance company. I have talked to several others who have the 2nd gen Rogue and they say they don't have any issues with the steering and are saying it's very light and responsive with no wander. I am also looking into getting extended bumper to bumper warranty added on as I'm hoping I didn't buy a bad car.

I just have never driven a vehicle like this before and I've owned everything from very small cars to very large trucks and just about anything else in between.

slimsol
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Car: 2014 rogue

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dustysaddle wrote:
Tue Feb 20, 2018 2:46 pm
Mine is going in on Friday to have this looked at. I understand that the "heavy" steering and wandering is subjective and maybe I will get use to it, but wow it is almost like driving an old 70's truck with little to no power steering. After looking at the tires I'm on the fence if they are new or factory. They are Hancock Continental tires and after close inspection they don't look new but would be close to having 10,000 mile wear on them. I don't like how the tires handle in snow and want to swap them with the tires I have on my Equinox. I am hoping to see if there is any difference after that. One part of me has to wonder they they needed to do an alignment with only 10,000 miles on it. I have close to 45,000 miles on my equinox and it has not needed one done yet. The carfax says that it was never in an accident but that doesn't say that someone didn't get in a mild fender bender and do the repairs themselves and not report to insurance company. I have talked to several others who have the 2nd gen Rogue and they say they don't have any issues with the steering and are saying it's very light and responsive with no wander. I am also looking into getting extended bumper to bumper warranty added on as I'm hoping I didn't buy a bad car.

I just have never driven a vehicle like this before and I've owned everything from very small cars to very large trucks and just about anything else in between.
I have driven other cars with electric steering but none of them felt so heavy on center. It requires constant correction. Dealer made me drive other rogues in his lot and all of them had same hard steering wheel

amc49
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'17 Nissan Altima

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Macgiver is close to it but needs more said. TOE affects stability as far as flightiness and ALL vehicles end up as zero toe or better slightly toed in when under power. Both front AND back. RWD need toe in as the wheels move apart to add roe out and you compensate for that. FWD needs more toe out as under power the wheels move toward each other due to powered axles and you slightly toe out to make it even or slightly in under power. ALL rubber damped suspensions move under power as the rubber part deflect under load, they are not the same at rest on alignment machine as they are under power.

Slight toe in gives max self centering to the front action but only slight as more wears tires too much. Zero is fine but with any wear will likely go to toe out and then the stability issues begin. Worse on the front as the rear tends to try to follow the front like a trailer. Rear toe out shows worse say on ice when even the slightest bit then shows up to make car wander in the back. More rear toe in makes the back fall in quicker in line with the front.

That issue has nothing to do with 'heavy' steering which is simply steering hard to turn even if vehicle is sitting still.

I use no alignment machines, I do all my cars by hand and have forever. The cars drive and steer perfectly. And I don't align them every five minutes either, if right it lasts literally forever, haven't done one of the 3 I have running at all times in 3 years or so.

macgiver
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amc49 , excellent in depth detail on less known aspects of alignment to the avg. and even veteran driver/owners! I agree that IF you can understand this stuff and do it yourself (really not "Rocket Science) a
little repeat tweaks usually gets it. And I'm running flat, N. x S. streets here and done once usually lasts 8+ yrs. Waiting for my dog at the Vet ,was next to a shop - mechanic asks me for a smoke , he heard I use torpedo level ,2x4's,string, protractor (round-360) level ,tapemeasure "I just did an aiglment " I say - we bet the pack if 'n it would be close as they do .He puts it on the Baer- All within specs ( I maxxed camber Limit on purpose ). Ya gotta feel for everybody getting those " Lifetime Alignment " Deals , I hear from most , virtually every time they go in for a "CHECK" :rotfl They get charged for new parts :tisk: Looks like modern Mcpherson Strut /lower arms attached to heavy tension rods to the frame - Lighter & stronger alloys mtls and rubbers - they are "making 'em better than they used to"in more respects than not ! :chuckle: These cars just don't need the periodic alignment checks - which is GOLD for "shops" , like the old 2 1/2 + ton American cars in 60's -70's up ,heavy fr ends ,potholes,Double A-arms :rotflmao Respectfully G.T. 2/20/2018

relho
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Car: 2016 Nissan Rogue SV

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I have a "wandering " 2016 rogue. On two lane roads it is really bad. On 4 lane divided not so bad. I worry the a cop following me on a two lane will think I have been drinking.

relho
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Car: 2016 Nissan Rogue SV

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I have a "wandering " 2016 rogue. On two lane roads it is really bad. On 4 lane divided not so bad. I worry the a cop following me on a two lane will think I have been drinking.

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casperfun
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I have the old Rogue and it feels light and responsive when turning. No problem making u turns either.

A couple of years ago I added a lift kit, but I never got it aligned since it drives drop-dead center and tracks perfectly straight as if it was on rails. I probably could let go of the steering wheel and drive like that for a mile, it's that awesome!

Will it wear my tires in a funky way? I don't really care since I prefer the dead center tracking instead of it wandering off and making my ocd overload.

Straight is great, drifting is a pet peeve, I hate a bad alignment that causes the car to not stay in its lane. :bigthumb:

relho
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Car: 2016 Nissan Rogue SV

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Are there computer adjustments for steering sensitivity?

CarsRHell64
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Car: 2011 Nissan Rogue

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Any advice is appreciated. I am having something weird happening with my 2011 Rogue. It was my son's and he drove it into the ground. I have possession of it and I am trying to bring it back to life.

I changed both lower control arms and the passenger's side axle.

The steering is stiff in the middle. The steering wheel will stick where ever you point it within around 10 degrees of center. In that range the wheel will not self center.

I made a video trying to explain what is going on - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrPqEl8ryLs&t=13s - watch it and let me know what you think. Do I need a rack or a column or something else? Thanks in advance.


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