Im not sure if this has been talked about, but did they change the stock OEM tire design for the 350z? Reason I ask is because my brother had a blow out on the right rear tire, he took it into the shop and they replaced it with a new OEM tire.. The brand and model number were the exact same, with the exception that the speed rating on the new tire was "Y" and the old tire was "W"...

What got my attention was the tred pattern was the same, but the blocks of tread were wider in some areas and more narrow in other areas compared with the orginal tire that came with the car.. I was just curious if they changed the tire design because of feathering issues...

 

Yes you are correct, I've read varies thread that the OEM tire pattern was changed.

 

really? didn't know this....

 

Yeah I don't know if per say the OEM tire pattern has changed, but that Bridgestone decided to redesign the tread pattern on that perticular Potenza model because many cars have been having noise issues with them including the 350Z, IS300, and RX-8 which all use them as OEM tires.

 

The solid outer block is supposedly the solution to the feathering problem.