Steering starting to get a little floaty

Forum for Infiniti M37, M56 M35h Hybrid and Q70 owners.
ArmedAviator
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Joined: Tue Mar 22, 2016 5:28 pm
Car: 2012 M37x
Location: SW Ohio

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I've noticed over the past year that my 2012 M37 has started to get a little more floaty/loose in terms of steering. I had an all-4 wheel alignment done at the dealer and it did not improve anything, but they also didn't say anything about any play in components. With 113k miles and 7 years on the clock, should I start budgeting for some new suspension parts? Is there a recommendation for any particular suspension/steering components to replace preventatively? I don't want to lower - mostly just get it as close to factory-fit feel. Finally, with the cost of replacement, perhaps a newer model might be in order, although I hate to give up on this car - it's really been trouble-free for me for over 3 years now and shows little signs of stopping.


Frog
Posts: 200
Joined: Fri Feb 21, 2014 11:59 pm
Car: 2011 M56s

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Just live with it as long as you can then trade the car in most suspension parts start to get soft after 100,000 miles and it’s way too costly to start replacing it all

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Ilya
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Car: 2011 M56x but I spend a lot of time on my 2015 Kawasaki Vulcan S. Former owner of a 2007 M35x. Also take care of my wife's 2016 QX60.
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It shouldn't be too expensive to do the basics like bushings and tie rods/sway bar links. I'd start there. IMO, and I used to be the opposite, I'd rather spend $3k/yr to maintain a solid car that is paid off than pay $7k year for a car payment. I'll be keeping my '11 M56x as long as it's cheaper to have it than a car payment.

macgiver
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I betcha set of Y rated michy summer radials - put a LOT of the fun back into it ?? :yesnod
Cause your told "nothing really loose" , and well known fact - tires can make HUGE performance road feel especially going straight to Top of The Line.

ArmedAviator
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Car: 2012 M37x
Location: SW Ohio

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Ilya wrote:
Tue May 07, 2019 9:10 pm
It shouldn't be too expensive to do the basics like bushings and tie rods/sway bar links. I'd start there. IMO, and I used to be the opposite, I'd rather spend $3k/yr to maintain a solid car that is paid off than pay $7k year for a car payment. I'll be keeping my '11 M56x as long as it's cheaper to have it than a car payment.
I feel the same way. I prefer to keep this working, paid off car than deal with new potential problems and more money lost. Which bushings should be replaced? Is there a kit one can find? How difficult is it? The extent of my work on suspension is replacing shocks, never dealt with struts or coil-overs. I don't have any air tools, either, only a breaker bar and some PB Blaster.

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Ilya
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Car: 2011 M56x but I spend a lot of time on my 2015 Kawasaki Vulcan S. Former owner of a 2007 M35x. Also take care of my wife's 2016 QX60.
Location: Charlotte, NC
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You can do sway bar links and tie roads with basic tools that you've used for shocks. Nothing advanced here. Not sure about the ball joints but if I recall from the Y50, for the ball joint, they are part of the arm? I may be wrong.

My car is at 120kmi. I might have to start doing this soon too.

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reggiebrown40
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Car: 2018 Infiniti Q60 Red Sport
2011 Infiniti M56x - Dead

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A write-up with pictures would be great if you (OP) decide to do this. I'll need to do this soon myself.

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cliffyk
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ArmedAviator wrote:
Wed May 08, 2019 8:16 am
Ilya wrote:
Tue May 07, 2019 9:10 pm
It shouldn't be too expensive to do the basics like bushings and tie rods/sway bar links. I'd start there. IMO, and I used to be the opposite, I'd rather spend $3k/yr to maintain a solid car that is paid off than pay $7k year for a car payment. I'll be keeping my '11 M56x as long as it's cheaper to have it than a car payment.
I feel the same way. I prefer to keep this working, paid off car than deal with new potential problems and more money lost. Which bushings should be replaced? Is there a kit one can find? How difficult is it? The extent of my work on suspension is replacing shocks, never dealt with struts or coil-overs. I don't have any air tools, either, only a breaker bar and some PB Blaster.
^This is good advice--what tires do you have now, how many miles on them, how old?

Tires harden with age and as the typical modern "Super High Mileage" passenger car tires start out quite hard, by the time they have 30k+ and/or 3 to 4 years on them anything resembling "performance" is gone.

My 2012 M37 came to me wearing a set of low-end Goodyear Eagles that were 2 or 3 years old and hard as rocks--I put on a set of Hankook Ventus S1 Noble² + (same tire I run on my SL500) and the difference in handling was almost startling. In fact I find the big sedan to be a surprisingly well handling vehicle, better in many respects than the than the 4500 lb."sports car", aka Panzer Wagon ...

ArmedAviator
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Car: 2012 M37x
Location: SW Ohio

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The tires were brand new when I bought the car 3 years ago with 83k miles. So yeah, they have 30k miles and 3 years of time on them. Tread is good, still. I have them filled a little on the high side around 37psi. This has made for slightly better handling for me over the years. I forget the tire brand off hand, but I'll go check later.

I did just remember that I have replaced the swaybar end-links about 2 years ago. One original was very loose in the joint, so I replaced both. I'll look into the tierod end-links.

Replacing the whole lower control arm, complete with new bushings seems alot easier than pressing out the ball joints. I'm going to do a brake fluid flush on my car this month to DOT 5.1 and I'll inspect everything closely then. Maybe something will be obvious.....or maybe not.

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k67p67
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2017 Nissan 370Z Nismo Tech
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I'd look at the struts first. Do you see any signs of leakage? Does the car bounce excessively when traversing uneven surfaces like railroad tracks?

macgiver
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Joined: Wed Jul 04, 2007 10:21 am

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Keep in mind "Dealer" services , as mentioned , virtually ALWAYS try to sell everything including the kitch'n sink, they didn't - and is all / only why I mentioned tires , whereas I have had unbelievably improved gains in handling & stopping, performance in 60 years - from top of the line "Rubber".
Ya wanna really be riding on rails??
Ya nevah really fully feel upgraded suspension either on SH&%$TT Tires :rotfl

Key - Ya gotta really know what top-notch tires are out there , recomendations ,whatever :gapteeth:

ArmedAviator
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Joined: Tue Mar 22, 2016 5:28 pm
Car: 2012 M37x
Location: SW Ohio

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I have Michelin Primacy MXM4 tires installed which are factory spec. The manufacture date on them are from mid-2014. Tread life is good. Only about 30,000 miles on them and mostly kept in a garage out of the sun.

I suspect it's mostly down to the bushings starting to go and maybe the struts getting worn, but there is no fluid leaking from the shocks.


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