# Questions on tires and frozen radio



## Gollum (Dec 8, 2002)

I'm new to this forum and from what I can see, a lot of you know a lot about our new Altima. 
I have a 3.5 SE standard. It's fully loaded except for ABS and heated seats. I have the BOSE stereo and I love it. 

question #1 - No one else seems to know about this one. I've talked to 2 different NIssan dealers and it's still not solved. Here it is - If it's cold out, less than about 25 degrees, the radio does not work. All the buttons and knobs do what they shoud, but no sound until the car warms up. Sometimes it takes as long as 25 minutes. I've talked about it extensively to my dealer and they have even replaced the radio. They have not "heard" the problem b/c the car is warm when I get there, but they replaced the head unit anyway. It can't be the amps, b/c there is only one for the rear deck speakers, the other speakers have built in amps. My dealer called Nissan in CA and they said it is SUPPOSED to do that to protect the unit. I said that's nice, turn it off. They do not know how. Another dealer had never heard of the issue at all and told me that there was no way it was designed that way. Any help greatly appreciated - I'm really sick of a silent drive to work. 

Question #2 - I need new tires. I want to keep the stock 17" rims, but go a little wider than 215. What tires can I put on the stock rims, how wide can I go, etc. What tires do you recommend?
How will wider and a little less sidewall affect handling, for those of you who have already done it.


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## Ruben (Oct 15, 2002)

Gollum said:


> I'm new to this forum and from what I can see, a lot of you know a lot about our new Altima.


Welcome, and don't be fooled... we're learning daily. 



> question #1 - No one else seems to know about this one. I've talked to 2 different NIssan dealers and it's still not solved. Here it is - If it's cold out, less than about 25 degrees, the radio does not work. All the buttons and knobs do what they shoud, but no sound until the car warms up. Sometimes it takes as long as 25 minutes. I've talked about it extensively to my dealer and they have even replaced the radio.


Strange... I had a 2001 Frontier with a stereo that would adjust the volume up and down, when humid outside.... There must be a loose connection that when cold the connection is broken, and the connection expands and closes when warm (?)



> Question #2 - I need new tires. I want to keep the stock 17" rims, but go a little wider than 215. What tires can I put on the stock rims, how wide can I go, etc. What tires do you recommend?
> How will wider and a little less sidewall affect handling, for those of you who have already done it.


You shouldn't go wider than 235 on a 7 inch wheel. Try to keep the tire close to stock diameter for speedometer accuracy.

Click here for a calculator


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## Gollum (Dec 8, 2002)

Based on that calculator, it looks like 235's might work better than 225, though it obviously does not tell me if they'll fit on the stock rims.


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## Ruben (Oct 15, 2002)

They will.


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## Slurppie (Oct 15, 2002)

sounds like the radio might have a bad solder connection since its due to temperature changes. Either way, the dealer should swap it out since its defective.


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## Gollum (Dec 8, 2002)

Due to my long post, you may have missed it when I mentioned that my head unit has been replaced and that it did not fix my problem. I guess it could still be a cennection somewhere else, especially since no one else seems to have encountered this problem. When I had the problem last winter, I assumed that I was the first to encounter it, since there were very few 3.5 SE manuals on the road.


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## Slurppie (Oct 15, 2002)

they might have replaced the head unit but the problem could also be in the amplifier under the rear deck.


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## wild willy (Oct 16, 2002)

That is not right, it has been between 0 and 25 degrees here for weeks and no problem with the bose


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## Gollum (Dec 8, 2002)

I asked about the amp under the rear deck - it's only for the rear deck speakers. The other speakers have built in amps. I get no sound at all. 

Willy - Do you have a manual or automatic?


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## wild willy (Oct 16, 2002)

Gollum...I have the auto


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## PhilGood (Dec 1, 2002)

Let's trace it step by step: the radio has been replaced, all knob and swtich work... how about reception? The atenna is located on the rear window, if there is a bad contact and the cold shrink the rear window a bit then you'll lost all signal... it's jusy my thought.

Does the CD work? Do you hear static from the radio?


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## Gollum (Dec 8, 2002)

The radio looks like it works fine - I can change to CD, switch stations, control from the steering wheel, etc. I hear nothing, except a metronomic clicking noise which is at a constant, quiet, volume. It has nothing to do with the antenna, which is in the front window by the way. The antenna is the shading in the front around the rearview mirror. 
Tuning works fine when the radio actually works.

For some reason, I'm guessing it may have some odd relation to my car being a manual. This may be simply because I've had several other issues go wrong with the car, and they all turned out to be manufacturing or design related, not specific to my exact car. Example - some of you may have had the problem of the bad coils, which caused both engine trouble and radio interference.


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## Gollum (Dec 8, 2002)

The radio looks like it works fine - I can change to CD, switch stations, control from the steering wheel, etc. I hear nothing, except a metronomic clicking noise which is at a constant, quiet, volume. It has nothing to do with the antenna, which is in the front window by the way. The antenna is the shading in the front around the rearview mirror. 
Tuning works fine when the radio actually works.


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## Buddy02 (Oct 16, 2002)

225/50/17 Nitto 450's


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