tecciball

so any suggestion on what they are doing wrong on the balancing. or how to determine if a tire is out of round?

yuck. i was afraid of that! i definitely still get shaking of the steering wheel between 55 and 65. then it stops. by the way, the guy at firestone said that if the tire was out of round, i would notice the vibration at much lower speeds. the said further that it is common for misbalanced tires to only noticeable vibrate at highway speeds because the harmonics are amplified enough to notice at the higher speed. does this hold water? sounded reasonable to me, but i an no engi-nerd. just a lowly scientist.

i took the pathy back to firestone to get it rebalanced, which they said they did. the road vibration is definitely not as bad, but still more than my previous tires which had about 20k mi on them. those were highway tires though. should i expect some vibration from the at style i have now. the new ones are also 1" larger. the vibration seems to be almost nothing at 70+, which would be my normal highway cruising speed. so maybe i should just ignore it. i just dont want to ignore something that might indicate a problem...

the shaking is not so bad that it effects my control over the vehicle. i assume that is what you mean by REAL bad. i was able to quickly feel a weight on the inside of one rim, so that must have been there approach. i didnt check them all because it doesnt really matter if they are all there or not. something is not right, and i will not be the one to fix it. back it goes to firestone. maybe tonight. might have to wait until the weekend.

thanks for the responses everyone. i didnt think of inside weights, but i will check for that. i called nissan service this morning and was told that only the 04+ wheels need the hub-centric balancing. i will definitely be taking it back to Firestone asap. in the meantime, is it damaging to wheels/tires/suspension or dangerous to drive at higher speeds with unbalanced wheels? if possible, please weigh in on that issue in the next few hours. i have some field work to do, but i can get someone else to drive if needed. thanks again.

i just went out to check on the weights. there were none on the vehicle. none whatsoever! i am missing something, because i was thinking there should be one on each wheel. also, the rim edges are REALLY f-ed. i know that i had some curb rash before this install, but nothing like this. i will inspect in the morning and take some pics. needless to say, i am pissed. please not too many i told you so's......

would it be unsafe or damaging to the tires or vehicle to drive it like this? i have some more highway miles tomorrow - 50 or so. as for the shop quality, i have gone there for oil for a while with no issues. but that is such a basic service that it probably doesnt say much. i was most interested in the lifetime alignment service, which i got for 120 (40 off). can anyone else confirm the hub centric wheel balancing issue? as 88 clearly noticed, this is an 01 with the stock SE wheels. i guess i could call the dealer tomorrow.

Hey Pathians. So I just got my new Dunlops Rover ATs installed on Sunday at a Firestone/Bridgestone by my house. I also go the lifetime alignment service. Today was the first time I had the vehicle up to highway speeds. Once I hit about 50 or 55, I got quite a bit of vibration in the wheel and a generally rough ride. I have noticed no issues when driving at local speeds. Thoughts? I am gonna go make sure that I have weights on all my wheels. Maybe one came off...

Hey Pathians. I just got new tires for my Pathy - 255/70/16 Dunlop Rover A/T. I will be getting them installed next week. Does anyone have a suggestion on ideal air pressure for max tire life and fuel economy. Just wondering what the common experience might be.

That is what I was gonna ask 4x4. My 01 does the same. I rarely open the glass though. I just always open the gate. Maybe it is because my 96 Grand Cherokee (Pathy predecessor) didnt have an opening rear window... This is a bit off topic, but why didnt those engi-nerds put a key lock on the passenger side door. I get so annoyed when I dont have my fob to unlock and want into the passenger side. I usually just use the key lock on the rear gate to unlock all the doors (which opens the hatch).

dean - do you have the standard or ultimate sliders? they dont look terribly wide, so i assume you have the narrow. i also assume that is the grey rubber grip tape and air storage options shown in your pics. is that right? what is the air storage for? sorry if that is a lame question. i am not much of an offroader or auto mechanic...

In case anyone was wondering, I got the set for $434 with free shipping. I plan on having Walmart install them at $12.75 per corner (lifetime balance, mount, valve stem). Dunlop also currently has a $50 rebate on a set of these tires, amongst others. Just FYI.

Hey Pathians. I got some new shoes on the way for my 01 Pathy from DiscountTireDirect.com - Dunlop Rover AT size 255/70/16 - and I have some install questions for the group. I have heard of filling tires with Helium. Any known benefits to this, or is it a myth? Also, how critical is getting the alignment redone when installing new tires? In my current situation, I am moving up slightly in size by one inch form the stock 29" to these 30" tires. I have it in my head that I need to get my ride realigned, but that is from being told so by mechanics in the past that I dont necessarily trust. Thanks in advance for everyone's responses. I can offer a review of these tires if anyone is interested.

the truck has done this since i bought it, but i will check the sensor for damage. after that???

hey pathians. my auto headlight sensor has not worked since the day i bought my pathy. if i set the dial to auto, the lights just some on no matter what the ambient light. i would like this feature to work properly if it isnt too expensive or difficult for me to fix myself. so first question is where is the sensor on an 01. i have something on my dash infront of the passenger seat. is that it? anyone know the part number? the remote entry works fine, but that might use another sensor. thanks in advance.

CVERL - IF YOU TEST DROVE BOTH A 2000 AND 2002 PATHY, YOU WOULD HAVE NOTICED THE DIFFERENCE IN POWER. I DROVE BOTH 2000 AND 2001, AND BOUGHT THE VQ.

i remember reading in a tire upgrade thread about a tire/wheel upgrade for a vq r50 that we have to stick with 16" rims because of the caliper size. no clue on tire size. i am gonna get 255/70 for my 01, but i run a stock suspension.

sorry for the delay. i had this ready this morning, but my corporate anti-goof-off doesnt let me post pics from work. i can browse this site, but not post pics. weird. anyway, the top circle is the shiftlock override. pop that little plastic piece out and jam a screwdriver in there. you already knew that though. so did the dealer give you a price quote?

can anyone get me a part number for my master window switch please? 01 pathy.

sorry for the delay. i was out of town for a few days. anyone been to st joseph, michigan? beautiful place. anyway, i will take a pic tonight csm. steve - this fix took me no more than 5 minutes total. you could always do it until you had the opportunity to take it in for the official fix. that screwdriver got annoying and embarassing...

the only switch that works consistently is the passenger front. not sure why. each of the others has partial or intermittent function: master switch (driver) - front window switches - fine. rear driver - up is intermittent, down is fine. rear passenger - nothing. rear driver - up busted, down fine rear passenger - used to work fine. now both intermittent.

I posted this in the parts needed section, so sorry for the duplicate. But can someone suggest where I can find the switch I need? Other than dealer of course. I havent checked their price, but I can only imagine. My wife keeps 'accidentally' putting the window down and then it is a pain to get it back up! pssd

cinci and steve - this is exactly what happened with my 01. i drove it for at least two months with it getting worse and worse, then another month with a screwdriver in the ashtray. i only dealt with it after having to give my truck to a parking valet and being thoroughly embarassed of my beloved pathy. sssh read the fix i posted above. let me know if you want a pic. be aware of the possible safety risk involved though since you will be able to shift out of park without hitting the brake. MUST USE YOUR PARKING BRAKE!

mine was doing this too. it actually got worse and worse over about 3 months until you pretty much had to use a screwdriver to shift from park. like navy said, the shift lock solenoid - which moves a small lever allowing you to move the shifter - is not receiving the signal when you press the brake pedal. if you take the boot around the shifter off and press the brake, you can listen for the click and watch to see where the solenoid is. the click is the solenoid moving in and out. it is on the right side of the shifter. i think the part is maybe $90 or so. i used a plastic zip tie to hold the lever in the open position. this means that you can shift out of park without hitting the brake. i just make sure to use the parking brake. maybe i will buy the part one day and fix it properly. i take take a pic if you need. let me know.

if they suggested a warrantee period and are now not honoring it, you should send them a letter from an attorney's office. that will likely change their tune. or you could call the local tv station and tell them your story. i am sure they will listen!