i am having a real problem keeping nissan murano sl awd wheels balanced. this is 4th set of tires and have not had problem before. some times no vibration, other times whimmy.
Model year?
Odometer mileage?
Is it still under warranty?
2004
107000
no
I think we need more detail. Do you rotate the tires regularly? Does the vibration come back gradually, or is it sudden?
For example: If you get a new set of tires, and they are fine for about 10K, then they gradually get worse - it might be that you have an alignment problem that is causing irregular wear.
The more detail you can add, they better answer we can give you.
With over 100k on the odometer, I am going to guess that there is some significant front-end wear (tie rod ends? ball joints?) at this point–particularly if the roads in your area are not in good condition. If the Murano has a steering damper, it is possible that this component is just worn out. An inspection of the front end by a competent mechanic should determine whether this is the case.
DO NOT take the car to Midas, Meineke, Monro, Sears, Pep Boys, Aamco, or any other chain operation unless you are eager for a mis-diagnosis and an overcharge. Find an independent mechanic with a good reputation, and he should be able to figure out the source of the problem.
Incidentally, I am not sure if you have a “shimmy” in the front wheels, or some shaking, or…
I don’t know what a “whimmy” is.
OK, here’s the deal. At 106,000 we had no shimmey but needed to put on the fourth set of tires (General) ahd the dealer could not balance the wheels and after three tries they replaced with new set of Cooper tires. These balanced ok but after driving for 1100 miles the shimmey started again. Had tires rebalanced in another state but turned out to be worse and had rebalanced again the next day which is the best so far. However, at about 70 mph the car either runs smoothly or may have a shimmey. Same road surface, same speed. For the first 106,000 no shimmey just plain lousy tire useage.
I have to agree with VDCDriver. This doesn’t sound like a tire problem. Have someone check the steering and driveline.