Bryan,
do a search here on tire feathering, and educate yourself. Nissan won't replace tires on aftermarket wheels. Everyone's onset of roar is different, depending upon lots of things; some get theirs at 3k, some later like me at 20k mi. Some turned their z in and got their money back via the lemon law after their third set of front tires; some just buy cheaper tires and live with it. Good luck.
Matt
ps: i don't think the feathering/roar is specific to any one model; rather, it seems to come in batches of cars from the factory. It is said to be a design flaw, and there is a class action lawsuit going on in texas over it, as i recall.

 

I'm convinced it is not a design flaw, but something that Nissan did not consider well enough when picking the alignment settings to set from the factory and making their tire selection. They also didn't account for owners not getting proper alignments by shops including Nissan service techs. The other issue is the Potenzas. I believe they are largely to blame for the issue as they seem to really not wear well at all when used with negative camber as evidenced by other cars having similar issues. Here is a quote from a Lexus SC430 owner:

The Bridgestone RE040 Runflats are the most abysmal tires I have ever owned. Period. Lexus should be horsewhipped for picking them as OEM equipment. With only 30% to 40% of the tread gone, two of four are failing. One whines so loudly (rur-rur-rur) that you cannot talk over it.

How about an RX-8 owner:

These tires are not aging gracefully. They are getting notacably more noisy as they wear. Im at the 50% mark. One more summer to go - so Ill grin and bear it. Im surprised Mazda chose these as the OEM tire for the RX8. They do handle well - but certainly short lived with a tread wear rating of 160.

I feel that with identical tires and identical alignment specs any make and model would have similar issues. I just wish more people would get this kind of information instead of people immediately saying: "thats tire feathering, go get free tires from Nissan".

 

ya, they're nice and sticky but wear faster. firestone is now making them with extra rubber on the inside of the tire.
people running other tire brands have also experienced feathering/roar.
some say the fixed nature of some aspect of the z's suspension is what's causing the problem (i know very little about suspensions).

 

Yeah well I guarantee that if you bought adjustable camber arms for the front and set it to 0 camber that the feathering would disappear along with your cornering ability.

 

i recommend that anyone who doesn't like to drive the shzit out of their car should not buy or own a z. period. problem solved.

 

It sound like RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

 

Haha. Best post evAr.

 

Nah... more like

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR R RRR RRR RRR RR RR RR RR R R R R rrr rrr rrr rrr rr rr rr r r r r r r r r r r r r r r r

 

Haha.... RRRRRR... and, when I'm driving regularly, there is a faint noise as well... *rrrhumm* *rrrhuum* every so-so.

I can attest to the difference. My new car had no noise till some insurance work was performed and few suspension parts (front) were replaced and wheels re-aligned. Now, its plenty louder from 30 to about 5, when braking. It also feels more jittery in regular driving, occasionally. I have 12000mile service coming up, so I'll investigate and re-align, if necessary.

 

OK well i looked at my front tires and they look exactly like this -------------------> http://www.waynewmedia.com/350Z/imag...hering_040.jpg

I found the Tire feathering FYI in the Repair part of the board and its 164 pages long!!!!! Does anyone have any good advice to maybe save me from reading through 164 odd pages or so?? Im feeling not sooo up to reading the whole thing as many people are giving info on suspension and ratios and "toe in" stuff that i really understand in the least. Man this sucks. I would really not want to give the car back to the dealership if i went through 3 sets of tires, but it would be about 3 years before that happens. Man, i want to get aftermarket 19s too, i have no idea how long those tires will last. Guess ill take it to the dealership and see what they have to say about it.

Bryan-