Tire vibration - Help!!

[liquidbid]

I am new to the forum so please don't throw anything at me since this question has probably been posted before in some fashion. I have a 2003 Altima. Went to the dealership multiple times (like four) due to front end vibration (sterring wheel, pedals, and seat). Today I went back again and took a test drive with a technician who admitted to feeling something shaking. Long story short after eight hours in the shop the third Nissan dealership in a row said that it is the composition of the stock tires and there is nothing they can do about it. Each time the service person has carefully stated that there are no "structural" problems with the tires and therefore it is not covered by any warranty. Has anyone had a similar experience? More importantly has anyone actually had the same problem and figured out a way to get the dealership to replace the tires? I understand the point of the service guy, but I didn't drop $20,000 on a car to drive a washing machine either.

Thanks.

[jayson716]

the only thing i can think of is maybe you need to have the wheels balanced and also check tire pressures other than that i an not to sure hope it is a help...

[throwbacksnapper]

Usually an out of balance tire will cause some vibration between speeds (between 55-65). You can visually tell if the tire has gone bad by visual inspection, and rubbing your hand over the tire. If there is uneven wear - such as feathering or cupping (ie. the edges being raised, or one tread block having wear and the next one having much less, then there is a problem. If there is cupping on the rear tires it is usually due to lack of rotations, or poor balance. If cupping is not to severe, a balance and cross rotation can remedy this situation for the most part in a few miles by changing the frequency wear of the tire.
If the inner edge of the tire, or the outer edge of the tire has more wear than the other side, then this is definately an alignment issue - which will cause the tires to be out of balance. A couple more things. If you feel a bubble or lifting in the tread, this probably is a belt going bad. If this is the case replace the tire immediately. In any case take your car to a reputible shop and have a tire tec. spin your wheels for roundness. other things could be - If the vibration occurs only when accelerating, then this may be a motor mount or something more serious. If the vibration only occurs when stopping then there is a brake issue. good luck!

[jkall192]

I also have a 2003 Altima. I did notice the same type of issue. When I brought it back to the dealer I asked them to rebalance the front tires. The service tech did find that the right front was off a 1/4 of an ounce. That help a little but not all of the vibration went away. I tried messing with the tire pressures. (The factory tires on my car are the Bridgestones not the Continentals). I found that if you set the fronts at 32lbs and the rears at 33 lbs the vibration is much less. The more miles I put on the car the better the ride gets. I cant wait to get these tires off the car though. No one should have to go thru this just to get a smooth ride.

[SteVB]

I Had The Same Problem With An Olds Aurora I Have. I Bought It With The Original Michelins With 42k Miles On Em & I Decided To Put A Fresh Set Of Tires On For The Hell Of It, Assuming That The Slight Vibration Was From Out Of Balance, Half Worn Tires That Are 4 Yrs Old.(turned Out Those Tires Were Starting To Deteriorate.)
A Buddy Of Mine Is Mgr. Of The Local Goodyear & Said He`d Give Me A Deal On Thier "best' Tire.
$680.00 Later I Had A New Set Of Goodyear Eagle Ls On The Car & For The Next 3 Years That Car Shook & Vibrated So Bad ,it Spent More Time At Goodyear Than In My Driveway Getting Rebalanced Over & Over & Over. I Didnt Know What To Do. Surely Goodyear`s Best Tires Weren`t Bad.
When They Wore Out 3 Years Later(yeah!), I Decided To Go With Michelin Pilots. Poof!!! New Car! Smooth As Glass!
The Brand New Eagle Ls` Were Trash From Day One.
So...... It Could Be The Tires.....

[x1gary]

Just got to Wal-Mart, in the automotive section. Ask for a Rotation and Balance... It should be about $7.50 each tire, for lifetime Balance. Ask them to check for roundness, and see how much they're off. Ask to put the best 2 up front (looking at Tread and How much weight is attached during balancing). MMm... If Your car is still shaking ... Check out a good alignment shop ... try not to pay more than $60 for an alignment

-G-