Stability issue - 06 fx35

Mous

Member
Car
fx35
Hey all,

I'm new to this site.
i recently bought an 06 fx35 and the car has a sliding feel or not stable feeling when going over bumps or potholes.

it's very uncomfortable. Anyone have the same issue?
 
Pretty common, most people notice at first that the FX seems to follow grooves in the road more. We haven't all crashed and died so you should be okay, and might get used to it or learn to avoid the rough parts of roads.
 
Hey all,

I'm new to this site.
i recently bought an 06 fx35 and the car has a sliding feel or not stable feeling when going over bumps or potholes.

it's very uncomfortable. Anyone have the same issue?

Why would u buy a car that u feel uncomfortable driving?

Maybe the AWD system takes a little getting used to or you might have something wrong with ur suspension as well.
 
Maybe the AWD system takes a little getting used to or you might have something wrong with ur suspension as well.

I don't think so, what he is describing sounds like what some people complain about when they drive my car on very worn roads.

As Stu said the FX seems to track along the grooves in the pavement more than other cars I have had. It's a characteristic which can be bothersome for some people, and in my particular car it became even worse with the wide ass tires.

Once you get used to it, and you realize its normal, its no bid deal though, and you eventually realize how firm and planted the car is, then you start to love it.
 
If you have 18" wheels, they don't help. Since upgrading to 20s, I've noticed that issue nearly gone.
 
What u are all talking about is related to tires...width, tread depth etc. I dont have this issue but with smaller tires and less width u may notice this. U need to realize wat ur running on. a Wider rims and tires will give u more stability...plain and simple.

Sent from my C6606

---------- Post added at 03:32 AM ---------- Previous post was at 03:28 AM ----------

Fwiw...I run 22 by 10s on all 4 corners with 265x40 22s

Sent from my C6606
 
I do have 18" wheels. I was thinking about upgrading to 20" or 21" OEM wheels. I hope that'll helps.
I was just worried something was wrong with the car but I do love my ride. :)
Thank you everyone...
 
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Wider tires will not help, it will only amplify it! Again, as stated above, it is a characteristic of our cars, in the winter I run stock 18's with my snow tires and the car seems to drive much better. In the summer I run 20's with 285/50/20's and when driving on a road that has had heavy truck use with grooves the car seems to want to sway in the grooves. TRUST ME THOUGH, it's probably not your suspension. At least not on mine as I'm running an 08 Awd with factory sway bars, BC coilovers and every brace that GT Spec makes and mine still does it. I assure you though, the care is securely planted at all times!
 
Have you tried driving another FX of the same vintage to see if it has the same driving characteristics..
 
Hmm, OP said he felt that when go over bumps. How many miles on your ride OP? If anything near or over 60K, my guess mostly are your struts and shocks need to replaced.
 
Hey all,

I'm new to this site.
i recently bought an 06 fx35 and the car has a sliding feel or not stable feeling when going over bumps or potholes.

it's very uncomfortable. Anyone have the same issue?

Very normal feeling.. It kinds of hops to one side then comes back. Most 1st gen Fx owners know what im talking about
 
OP needs to describe the issue more. The FX is absolutely not sliding, it's a tank. I cannot get the tires to break free no matter what. If you push hard enough, the front end just starts pushing in a turn. Even if you try to do something dumb like take a 90 degree turn too fast while staying on the throttle, the FX won't slide. It will lose traction for a tiny second, then traction control kicks in and you start understeering again.

If the OP is referring to the way the rear end of the FX is very unstable when going over bumps, that's just the way it is. Underdamped rear shocks + heavy car = weird twisting/bouncing motion. If your FX has a few miles on it, the feeling will be worse since the shocks are more worn. But I had this problem when I bought mine at 12K. Short of coil overs, no real fix. Just get used to it, you won't crash.

And FWIW, I didn't notice this on the test drive either. You really don't go crashing through bumpy corners on a test drive. I found out after I purchased on a specific intersection by my loft. The issue isn't a big deal since it doesn't happen all the time.
 
I have the same 'issue' with my FX and the more I went up in wheel size (18" --> 20" --> 22"), the worse it got. I'm used to it now and I dont worry that the car is going to go sliding into the median. ;)
 
OP check alignment as well.. I had a problem when my alignment was off and my rear end kept fishtailing
 
Like with what everyone said here, the tendency to follow road imperfection is a characteristic of the FX. I find this concerning when I first got the car. I thought I have an alignment issue then because the car seems to be pulling to the side when I drive over bad roads. I have faith in this car and it is the only SUV / CUV type vehicle that I take on a sharp turns in excess of 60mph. I wouldn't do the same thing on my Pathfinder even on other previous cars.
 
I still remember what I think was the first time/location I felt it. I drive along that road at least once a week over the past 10 months and don't notice it at all. Granted my FX has changed since then, but either I got used to the issue or mitigated it.
 
It's much better with coilovers since the damping is higher. And maybe all the GT spec bracing helps since the car twists less. I can still replicate it anytime by going through a sharp turn (like an intersection) at speed and hitting a big dip or big bump. As soon as the outside rear tire hits it, the FX will do it. It's much less now after all the suspension work, but it's still there. Basically outside back corner is loaded in the turn, then you hit a bump or dip which causes the rebound. Shock can't control it and it gives you that twisting/sliding/wobbling feeling. It does almost feel like it's sliding (it's not) if you hit a bump hard enough. The first couple of times it happened to me were on fast lane changes over very old wavy asphalt. On OEM suspension, I was scared the first time.
 
Now that you mention that I think I've noticed it once or twice maybe in the front, where it felt like I was basically hydroplaning except I wasn't. I would describe that as a "sliding" feeling.
 
And FWIW, I didn't notice this on the test drive either. You really don't go crashing through bumpy corners on a test drive. I found out after I purchased on a specific intersection by my loft. The issue isn't a big deal since it doesn't happen all the time.

I do. On a test drive, I drive how I would on my daily trip and my weekend beating. You gotta know how the car is for the way you drive. If all u do is highway drive, taking it down a few city block is useless. Take it over bumps and dips and etc. If the dealership doesn't let u, go to another one. I don't mind having them in the car, I just tell them " I'm driving how I normally drive and a little more".

I know the fx drives different then say the Rx and MDX. Many people choose to got with the latter. The fx is mainly for sporty drivers.
 
I hate driving with a dealership employee in the car. They always end up getting freaked out too. I wouldn't buy one without borrowing it for a day/weekend. A test drive is good to see if you hate the car and can immediately say you don't want it. Driving it like it's your car for a day or two will tell you if you like the car and want it.
 
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