"shuddering" at 37-42 mph

[gncndad]

Hello all,
New member, loving my 2015 Leaf, purchased used with 6700 miles. Now at 7400 miles, getting ready to take it in for 7500 service. I have a couple of questions (probably more in the next weeks!) :
1) I feel an irregular "shudder" between 37-42 mph, regardless of road surface/temp/throttle pressure. I sometimes feel it during on-off throttle during highway cruising, between 58-70mph. I feel it ONLY in the steering wheel, not the floor, or the seat. Is this normal? Might it simply be tire balance? It isn't a regular throb, like a warped rotor, or a clearly out of balance tire. (tires feel very well balanced, even during rare 75mph sprints)

2) Back-up camera: Am I stuck with the version that has straight lines projected on the screen, or is there a software upgrade to the "steerable" lines?

3) Lane-change "3-flash": Is it possible to change it to 4 flashes? I find 3 flashes not enough for lane-changing.

4) I'm coming from the world of VW "Clean Diesels" (BOO...HISS..."They said it couldn't be done, and they were right!!). There is a very useful software tool/cable available, (only $250 retail), for VW shops/owners (VAGCOM) that allows the user many different diagnostic capabilities, as well as some modifications to the car: enabling "all windows down" from the key fob, for instance, or changing the "3-flash" lane-change to 4 or 5. Is there a similar tool available for Nissan Leaf owners?

By the way, I have the perfect combination of vehicles: 2014 Passat TDI, gets 48-52 mpg at 70mph, 2009 VW Sportwagen TDI, gets 42mpg same, and now the Leaf, for amazing in-town, pollution-free (wind power!) short trips, getting 4-4.3 m/kwh (paying $.066 per kwh). Yes, I know about the nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide pollution issue, but it's still pretty amazing that, at 100k miles, my2009 Jetta Sportwagen tailpipe is "white-glove" clean...seriously!

Thanks for any advice on the above 4 questions. I'm enjoying reading here and learning about the Leaf.

Ed in Ft. Worth, TX
2015 Nissan Leaf

 

[DuncanCunningham]

i think you are right about the reasons in 1.

Number 2 you only get those steering lines on the higher models. I assume you have a model S.

3. The flashes are the law, min of 3 flashes, anyway. I'd just pull it all the way on and turn off when you are in the lane. I didn't even know about the 3 flasher auto thing. cool. drivers in Utah don't like to use signals anyway.

4. You need to look at 'Leaf Spy' it does all sorts of things for you. Get a wifi or bluetooth OSB dongle to use with it. some don't work and some do.

have fun! Looks like you have the perfect choice of cars. the Leaf is my only car(s), other than a old 79 Toyota truck for trips to the dump etc.

 

[gncndad]

Thanks for the quick reply: So, you think it's tire balance, even though the tires are perfectly smooth otherwise?

Another newbie question: How can I "subscribe" to particular posts, so my computer gets "pinged" every time someone posts?

Thanks.

 

[DuncanCunningham]

I've had tyres before with a slight lump in them and they do transmit through the car yet appeared smooth. Probably a balance issue though. Those do come and go depending on speed. A lumpy tyre will transmit constantly.

Are you equipped to rotate the wheels? Front to back and back to front?

It could also be out of alignment, really bad ones can feel like a shudder but usually your car is hard to keep in a straight line or its so slight you will not notice but have 1 tyre wearing faster than another.

Pretty sure it's a unbalanced wheel though and it's very annoying, especially in such a smooth car.

 

[LeftieBiker]

I had a 1986 Civic Si that shuddered at 55MPH, and it turned out to be broken belts in the tires. I'm sure that had nothing at all to do with me getting her up to 125MPH on a long downhill. ;-)

 

[Nubo]

Sometimes an out of balance tire will exhibit a resonance frequency at certain wheel rpm, and not others.

But I'm curious if you're going around turns when this shudder happens, or just cruising straight? If around curves, it could be traction control kicking in due to mismatched tires or some other reason.

 

[gncndad]

I'll have the tires rebalanced at the 7,500 miles service, as well as rotated. Might even have them check the alignment, as I don't know the history of the car.

I have lots of experience with tires and balance issues, so this makes sense. I was curious if there might be an issue with the electric drivetrain, as I don't know it's idiosyncrasies.

Thanks for the comments.

I've ordered the LeafSpy Pro. I look forward to trying to figure it all out!

Ed in Ft. Worth, TX

 

[garsh]

In the car I had before the Leaf, I had a similar "shuddering" issue. It was only at moderate speeds, but in my case it only happened while going around bends (and not very consistently). In my case, it turned out to be a completely shredded tie-rod bushing. When going straight, centripetal force kept everything in line. But a sideways force would start the awful side-to-side shuddering. I had the tires rebalanced twice before the problem was located.

But that was in a 10+ year old car. A Leaf shouldn't be developing that kind of a problem yet, but it's probably worth taking a look to rule it out. You can jack up the front of the car, grab a wheel, and try to shake it left & right. If it moves a bit without the other one moving with it, then that's your problem (or more generally, some part of the steering system is bad & needs to be fixed).

If the stability control is causing the shuddering, it feels abrupt & fairly high frequency (compared to a failed tie-rod bushing). You would also see a yellow warning light appear on the dash while it kicks in. I had this happen on my Leaf after putting larger-diameter tires on the car (235/50R17).

 

[powersurge]

1) I don't understand what you mean by getting the "7500 mile service" The leaf does not need any service.

2) You cannot look at a tire to see anything about them being balanced... Don't overthink this. Since you have a new car you do not know, Take it to have the wheels rotated and balanced, and have a 4 wheel alignment. Done...

 

[gncndad]

My curiosity was simply this: Could the shuddering/vibration/pulsing be related to the electric drive? I wasn't clear with my question #1! Next time I'll be more specific.

Dealer/owner's manual state 7500m service, tire rotation, battery check, brake fluid change? (IIRC?). I'm new to the Leaf world, they mumbled something about regenerative braking and heat, thus the brake fluid change. Is this really necessary? Sounds strange to me.

I've driven well over 1.5 million miles. I know all about tires, always get 50k+ miles out of them (of course you can't always SEE tire issues, especially balance, until it's too late!). I know about lower control arm bushings, tie-rod ends, struts/bushings, etc. etc. I'm a gearhead.

Thanks for all the feedback. It's nice to get to know some folk here. I'll take the car in at 7500m, balance/alignment, as I'd like to establish a relationship with the Leaf-only tech at the dealership.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

Hello all,
New member, loving my 2015 Leaf, purchased used with 6700 miles. Now at 7400 miles, getting ready to take it in for 7500 service. I have a couple of questions (probably more in the next weeks!) :
1) I feel an irregular "shudder" between 37-42 mph, regardless of road surface/temp/throttle pressure. I sometimes feel it during on-off throttle during highway cruising, between 58-70mph. I feel it ONLY in the steering wheel, not the floor, or the seat. Is this normal? Might it simply be tire balance? It isn't a regular throb, like a warped rotor, or a clearly out of balance tire. (tires feel very well balanced, even during rare 75mph sprints)

2) Back-up camera: Am I stuck with the version that has straight lines projected on the screen, or is there a software upgrade to the "steerable" lines?

3) Lane-change "3-flash": Is it possible to change it to 4 flashes? I find 3 flashes not enough for lane-changing.

4) I'm coming from the world of VW "Clean Diesels" (BOO...HISS..."They said it couldn't be done, and they were right!!). There is a very useful software tool/cable available, (only $250 retail), for VW shops/owners (VAGCOM) that allows the user many different diagnostic capabilities, as well as some modifications to the car: enabling "all windows down" from the key fob, for instance, or changing the "3-flash" lane-change to 4 or 5. Is there a similar tool available for Nissan Leaf owners?

By the way, I have the perfect combination of vehicles: 2014 Passat TDI, gets 48-52 mpg at 70mph, 2009 VW Sportwagen TDI, gets 42mpg same, and now the Leaf, for amazing in-town, pollution-free (wind power!) short trips, getting 4-4.3 m/kwh (paying $.066 per kwh). Yes, I know about the nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide pollution issue, but it's still pretty amazing that, at 100k miles, my2009 Jetta Sportwagen tailpipe is "white-glove" clean...seriously!

Thanks for any advice on the above 4 questions. I'm enjoying reading here and learning about the Leaf.

Ed in Ft. Worth, TX
2015 Nissan Leaf

1) do you also have a post in the "my tires are wearing out too fast" thread? bad balance happens at all speeds. bad bearings can tend to have that "come and go" feeling. If I had to guess, I would say the previous owner had some "curb appeal"

2) Sorry, wrong car...

3) I would do the "6 flash" version. FYI around here, 3 flashes (or even 6) does nothing. traffic is such that you must signal your intent far in advance of any lane movement. FYI; WA State started "left lane camper" watch yesterday to address the issues...

4)Like any car, there is a programming tool but this is something I found to be ridiculously cost ineffective. Buying the tool is one thing... sw is another.

BTW; I will ignore this part of your post.

 

[dhanson865]

My curiosity was simply this: Could the shuddering/vibration/pulsing be related to the electric drive?.

No, it's not the drive train unless you've had major accident and the car wasn't considered totaled when it should have been. Electric motors don't vibrate, if the electric motor had enough play in it to cause that sort of vibration the car would self destruct and wouldn't be drivable.

99% chance its a tire (out of round, out of balance, whatever).

 

[garsh]

Dealer/owner's manual state 7500m service, tire rotation, battery check, brake fluid change? (IIRC?). I'm new to the Leaf world, they mumbled something about regenerative braking and heat, thus the brake fluid change. Is this really necessary? Sounds strange to me.

It's B.S.

Nissan threw that in there because, otherwise, the dealers have no maintenance to perform. I've been testing my car's brake fluid with "strip dip" test strips, and it's been fine.

 

[gncndad]

Thanks, all, for verifying that the "shuddering" I was feeling was most likely NOT in the drivetrain.

Dealer road-force balanced all 4 tires, 3 were slightly out. Alignment was slightly out of spec, as well, so that was tweaked.

On the drive home, I couldn't feel the shuddering, so hopefully, problem solved, although with gusty 25-35mph headwinds, it was hard to tell!