Just got off the phone with Nissan USA Customer Care (Tire Feathering)
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From: Plano, Texas
I have an '03 performance (18 inch wheels), and am going back to the stealership tomorrow to replace and fix the tire feathering.
I am currently at 19,200 miles and had my first set replaced at 11K miles.
How is the tire defective? My rears are not getting tire feathering, while my fronts have actually gotten worse since the last fix/replacement. Surely not every other car on the road that drives with REO40s has a tire feathering problem like we do.
Isn't there a suspension change (toe in or toe out) that if adjusted fixes this whole nightmare?
I am currently at 19,200 miles and had my first set replaced at 11K miles.
How is the tire defective? My rears are not getting tire feathering, while my fronts have actually gotten worse since the last fix/replacement. Surely not every other car on the road that drives with REO40s has a tire feathering problem like we do.
Isn't there a suspension change (toe in or toe out) that if adjusted fixes this whole nightmare?
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From: LV
Originally posted by King Tut
So what should they have done to properly engineer the car?
So what should they have done to properly engineer the car?
NzZ
I'm no expert either but if it was a simple as changing out a piece in the suspension don't you think Nissan would have gladly put out a TSB to fix it rather than blow $400 a pop on expensive OEM rubber? I still feel that Nissan engineered the car properly and the way they intended to. They did, however, obviously underestimate the amount that 350Z owners would care about tire wear and noise.
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From: Tempe, AZ
Originally posted by King Tut
I'm no expert either but if it was a simple as changing out a piece in the suspension don't you think Nissan would have gladly put out a TSB to fix it rather than blow $400 a pop on expensive OEM rubber? I still feel that Nissan engineered the car properly and the way they intended to. They did, however, obviously underestimate the amount that 350Z owners would care about tire wear and noise.
I'm no expert either but if it was a simple as changing out a piece in the suspension don't you think Nissan would have gladly put out a TSB to fix it rather than blow $400 a pop on expensive OEM rubber? I still feel that Nissan engineered the car properly and the way they intended to. They did, however, obviously underestimate the amount that 350Z owners would care about tire wear and noise.
Why do you want to lower your standards like that?
Expecting 20K Miles on a set of tires is not a lot to ask for.
Tire noise? That shouldn't even be a thought in a Z owners mind.
IMHO Nissan might have engineered the Z to run from 0 - 1000 miles flawlessly, but I don't think they gave it much thought after that.
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From: .
Originally posted by King Tut
Problems, yes. You gotta remember though that all the chips are stacked against any tire we put on our cars:
1) Directional tires
2) Different rims and tire sizes for the front and the rear
3) No way to perform a proper rotate and balance
4) Aggressive alignment specs from factory including -1 degree camber at all 4 corners
This is where you just have to decide what you want to do. You have a few options the way I see it:
1) Accept it and be willing to buy tires often
2) Fix it by using a combination of the following things:
Buy the same size wheels and tires for all 4 corners
Buy alignment kits to set the alignment less aggressive
Get alignments often
Have a proper rotate and balance done often
3) Decide that this is not the car for you and sell it (I would prefer no one pick this route)
I guess I can just see where Nissan is caught between a rock and a hard place. They have decided they aren't willing to compromise the sports car part of the 350Z to appease some of its owners. I have actually had my car for about 9 months and 10,000 miles. I obviously didn't stay with the stock wheels for very long so I can't personally speak to the "feathering issue". I do expect my $1000 set of 19" tires to wear out quickly as I have done nothing to stop them from wearing out quickly. I picked option 1 above. I may later change to more of an option 2 person, but never will I choose option 3.
Problems, yes. You gotta remember though that all the chips are stacked against any tire we put on our cars:
1) Directional tires
2) Different rims and tire sizes for the front and the rear
3) No way to perform a proper rotate and balance
4) Aggressive alignment specs from factory including -1 degree camber at all 4 corners
This is where you just have to decide what you want to do. You have a few options the way I see it:
1) Accept it and be willing to buy tires often
2) Fix it by using a combination of the following things:
Buy the same size wheels and tires for all 4 corners
Buy alignment kits to set the alignment less aggressive
Get alignments often
Have a proper rotate and balance done often
3) Decide that this is not the car for you and sell it (I would prefer no one pick this route)
I guess I can just see where Nissan is caught between a rock and a hard place. They have decided they aren't willing to compromise the sports car part of the 350Z to appease some of its owners. I have actually had my car for about 9 months and 10,000 miles. I obviously didn't stay with the stock wheels for very long so I can't personally speak to the "feathering issue". I do expect my $1000 set of 19" tires to wear out quickly as I have done nothing to stop them from wearing out quickly. I picked option 1 above. I may later change to more of an option 2 person, but never will I choose option 3.
Sue Nissan for not honoring their warrenty. I am suing and soon Nissan will have back their POS car and 'Warrenty'.
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From: .
Originally posted by sentry65
i'm actually really tired of people bitching about issues with the Z that have obvious solutions
tire feathering and the bouncy suspension:
yeah ok, so get a new suspension and different tires and STFU
If you bought the Z and didn't know about the tire feathering and are just NOW finding out about it after driving awhile, then it sucks to be you.
Do your homework next time you buy a car. Chances are if you can afford a Z, you can afford a new suspension and some tires or at least some Front A arms and rear traction rods.
...and welcome to the world of performance sports cars
i'm actually really tired of people bitching about issues with the Z that have obvious solutions
tire feathering and the bouncy suspension:
yeah ok, so get a new suspension and different tires and STFU
If you bought the Z and didn't know about the tire feathering and are just NOW finding out about it after driving awhile, then it sucks to be you.
Do your homework next time you buy a car. Chances are if you can afford a Z, you can afford a new suspension and some tires or at least some Front A arms and rear traction rods.
...and welcome to the world of performance sports cars
Furthermore why would you even bother reading a thread titled ' Just got off the phone with Nissan USA Customer Care (Tire Feathering)' if you are crying about people talking about the feathering issue??? JUST DONT CLICK ON THE THREAD MORON!
People use this message board in order to share information. I find it a valuable resource. How can you tell people to stop talking about it, and then in the same post tell people they better do their research! If no one is talking about it how is one to discover it? You are not very bright!
Originally posted by mxpx_8
You forgot option #4:
Sue Nissan for not honoring their warrenty. I am suing and soon Nissan will have back their POS car and 'Warrenty'.
You forgot option #4:
Sue Nissan for not honoring their warrenty. I am suing and soon Nissan will have back their POS car and 'Warrenty'.
http://www.nissanusa.com/m/cma/i/200/2004_Wrnty.pdf
Page number please and situation.
Last edited by King Tut; Feb 9, 2005 at 09:21 AM.
Originally posted by mxpx_8
What your fail to understand is that people who buy this car are expecting Nissan to honor their warranty, and they are not. Who the heck wants to pay for new tires every 5,000 miles??? I for one do not. It is a sad thing to see that you bowed down like many other people in this word and did not stick up for your rights. People like you make it easy for large corporations to walk all over everyone at their whim. They just love people like you because you would rather accept their lies, and warranties they are not going to back up, rather than to make a stand for yourself. To top it off you berate other people who do what’s right....you are a very sorry individual.
Furthermore why would you even bother reading a thread titled ' Just got off the phone with Nissan USA Customer Care (Tire Feathering)' if you are crying about people talking about the feathering issue??? JUST DONT CLICK ON THE THREAD MORON!
People use this message board in order to share information. I find it a valuable resource. How can you tell people to stop talking about it, and then in the same post tell people they better do their research! If no one is talking about it how is one to discover it? You are not very bright!
What your fail to understand is that people who buy this car are expecting Nissan to honor their warranty, and they are not. Who the heck wants to pay for new tires every 5,000 miles??? I for one do not. It is a sad thing to see that you bowed down like many other people in this word and did not stick up for your rights. People like you make it easy for large corporations to walk all over everyone at their whim. They just love people like you because you would rather accept their lies, and warranties they are not going to back up, rather than to make a stand for yourself. To top it off you berate other people who do what’s right....you are a very sorry individual.
Furthermore why would you even bother reading a thread titled ' Just got off the phone with Nissan USA Customer Care (Tire Feathering)' if you are crying about people talking about the feathering issue??? JUST DONT CLICK ON THE THREAD MORON!
People use this message board in order to share information. I find it a valuable resource. How can you tell people to stop talking about it, and then in the same post tell people they better do their research! If no one is talking about it how is one to discover it? You are not very bright!
I'll admit me saying that was a little aggressive. It's frusturating to see so many threads on tire feathering day after day - as if anything has changed since the Z was introduced.
as I stated earlier:
with replacing your suspension and tires with aftermarket ones you get:
-better traction
-better braking
-better cornering
-less body roll
-no more suspension bounce
-nicer, smoother ride
-longer lasting tires
-no tire feathering
-option to lower the car - lower center of gravity, improves cornering even more
-aftermarket suspensions are usually tougher than the stock one so it'll last longer and take more abuse
or
complain to nissan so that they
-replace tires with same crappy stock tires
-get alignment TSB which does little. (It helped my rears from feathering as much, fronts were still feathering though)
-complain enough that after awhile they might possibly (not likely) add some cheap fix to the stock suspension to prevent feathering.
Everyone has choices to make
I want better performance so I'm opting for the first choice
Last edited by sentry65; Feb 9, 2005 at 09:45 AM.
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From: Pluto
Originally posted by sentry65
what is it that car companies see in those stock RE40 tires?
what is it that car companies see in those stock RE40 tires?
Originally posted by sentry65
It's frusturating to see so many threads on tire feathering day after day - as if anything has changed since the Z was introduced.
It's frusturating to see so many threads on tire feathering day after day - as if anything has changed since the Z was introduced.
Originally posted by DBZ
It is a cheap tire (for the manufacturer) with average grip. It's all about the price-point for most manufacturers.
It is a cheap tire (for the manufacturer) with average grip. It's all about the price-point for most manufacturers.
I can't comment on how much Nissan can buy the RE40's in bulk compared to other tires, but to the consumer are just as expensive as other brand tires and yet don't perform as well.
Many brands actually cost less in the stock sizes and offer dramatically better performance in every catagory sans snow
Last edited by sentry65; Feb 9, 2005 at 09:47 AM.
all this talk about Nissan failing to honor their warrenty
What are they failing to warrenty?
They replace the tires if you get tire feathering.
There's obviously a flaw in the suspension design, but it does still work. It doesn't break. It doesn't put the driver in harm's way. It holds the tires to the ground. What is broken about it?
I don't think it's a warrenty issue at all, I think it's a faulty design issue.
I'm not sure how Nissan's warrenty will be able to cover your tires wearing out when the suspension is working within the limits of how it was designed (which wasn't that great)
my point is, if the feathering is pissing people off to the point of lawsuit, why not use that money to fix the problem yourself?
I mean, yeah sure I guess for every other Z owner we hope the suit is won in the people's favor so we can get better designed suspensions for free...
Just how good can a stock nissan suspension be to where it's worth fighting for?
What are they failing to warrenty?
They replace the tires if you get tire feathering.
There's obviously a flaw in the suspension design, but it does still work. It doesn't break. It doesn't put the driver in harm's way. It holds the tires to the ground. What is broken about it?
I don't think it's a warrenty issue at all, I think it's a faulty design issue.
I'm not sure how Nissan's warrenty will be able to cover your tires wearing out when the suspension is working within the limits of how it was designed (which wasn't that great)
my point is, if the feathering is pissing people off to the point of lawsuit, why not use that money to fix the problem yourself?
I mean, yeah sure I guess for every other Z owner we hope the suit is won in the people's favor so we can get better designed suspensions for free...
Just how good can a stock nissan suspension be to where it's worth fighting for?
Last edited by sentry65; Feb 9, 2005 at 09:59 AM.
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From: Pluto
Well, it basically comes down to this. Can you live with this design flaw?
It is one part quality/design of tire but more so an issue with the suspension on the vehicle. I don't know how many of you have owned the previous generation Pathfinder/QX4 but similar issues of abnormal tire wear were around. In that case, it was tires cupping. Apparantly, it had something to do with the suspension being designed for 4wd but not ALL QX4's and Pathfinders are 4wd models. In fact more 2wd than 4wd. So they had a silent TSB, like they all are until someone gets a hold of a copy, where they would replace up to 2 complete sets of tires for owners. 8 tires total. The replacement tire for the OEM Bridgestone tires that the Pathfinders and QX$'s came with? Michelin. This calmed the abnormal wear issue somewhat, however never completely got rid of the issue. Nissan was just hoping that owners would go away after 2 sets of tires or they would use some lame excuse like: "well, we already offered you 2 sets of tires, and they are a wear item, there's nothing more we can do for you." Usually by this time most owners were far beyond the 36,000 mile portion of their warranty so it didn't make sense for them or the BBB to pursue lemon law. Especially in the state of CA, because beyond the first 18 months and 18,000 miles your vehicle is out of jurisdiction for the BBB to help you.
This is not a new issue for Nissan products. So given their track record, it then becomes an issue of whether you the consumer wants to live with this issue. Frankly, I don't keep my vehicles beyond 2-3 years so it is not something that I will be dealing with on a long term basis. The only vehicle I have had beyond the 2-3 years has been my IS300 going on it's 4th year of ownership. I hate to say it but nothing like Toyota quality.
Ironically, the IS300 came from the factory with a set of RE040's too. Lexus offered a voluntary service campaign, which is different from a TSB. They mailed a letter to all owners with RE040's and offerred to replace them free of charge. The problem with the RE040's on the IS300, though was an issue of a weak sidewall that would bubble at the slightest impact, i.e. speed bump, pothole, neighbor's cat.
What Nissan needs to do is fess up and offer a free tire replacement, for '03 and '04 owners, not a TSB which involves the dealers saying that they will handle it on a "case by case basis"
I have an 05 with 9500 miles and no abnormal wear issues, however the tread design is also different from the '03, '04's to the '05 models. The outer tread blocks are not blocks at all they are just one continuous band of tread. So no trapezodial tread blocks to show tire wear. I am sure it is going to do wonders for hydroplaning though.
It is one part quality/design of tire but more so an issue with the suspension on the vehicle. I don't know how many of you have owned the previous generation Pathfinder/QX4 but similar issues of abnormal tire wear were around. In that case, it was tires cupping. Apparantly, it had something to do with the suspension being designed for 4wd but not ALL QX4's and Pathfinders are 4wd models. In fact more 2wd than 4wd. So they had a silent TSB, like they all are until someone gets a hold of a copy, where they would replace up to 2 complete sets of tires for owners. 8 tires total. The replacement tire for the OEM Bridgestone tires that the Pathfinders and QX$'s came with? Michelin. This calmed the abnormal wear issue somewhat, however never completely got rid of the issue. Nissan was just hoping that owners would go away after 2 sets of tires or they would use some lame excuse like: "well, we already offered you 2 sets of tires, and they are a wear item, there's nothing more we can do for you." Usually by this time most owners were far beyond the 36,000 mile portion of their warranty so it didn't make sense for them or the BBB to pursue lemon law. Especially in the state of CA, because beyond the first 18 months and 18,000 miles your vehicle is out of jurisdiction for the BBB to help you.
This is not a new issue for Nissan products. So given their track record, it then becomes an issue of whether you the consumer wants to live with this issue. Frankly, I don't keep my vehicles beyond 2-3 years so it is not something that I will be dealing with on a long term basis. The only vehicle I have had beyond the 2-3 years has been my IS300 going on it's 4th year of ownership. I hate to say it but nothing like Toyota quality.
Ironically, the IS300 came from the factory with a set of RE040's too. Lexus offered a voluntary service campaign, which is different from a TSB. They mailed a letter to all owners with RE040's and offerred to replace them free of charge. The problem with the RE040's on the IS300, though was an issue of a weak sidewall that would bubble at the slightest impact, i.e. speed bump, pothole, neighbor's cat.
What Nissan needs to do is fess up and offer a free tire replacement, for '03 and '04 owners, not a TSB which involves the dealers saying that they will handle it on a "case by case basis"
I have an 05 with 9500 miles and no abnormal wear issues, however the tread design is also different from the '03, '04's to the '05 models. The outer tread blocks are not blocks at all they are just one continuous band of tread. So no trapezodial tread blocks to show tire wear. I am sure it is going to do wonders for hydroplaning though.
Very informative post. I agree that if Nissan is going to replace tires on the 2003s that it should also replace tires on the 2004s that show the same signs. I also do not like the idea of case by case. It tool until April 12th, 2004 for the TSB to replace tires on the 2003 to be issued (NTB04-043), so we may see a similar one for the 2004s soon.
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From: San Diego
While I agree that Toyota has good quality, they are far from problem free. My '98 Camry with 51,000 miles on it has had three "check engine light" repairs totalling $1200 in the last 18,000 miles, one recall and eats front brake pads every 15,000 miles like clockwork.
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From: atlanta
Warning, when buying Pilot A/S's tech told me the fronts he had in stock turned out to be roll flat tires. He said they cost more but would let me have them for the same price so I wouldn't have to come back. Went to Nissan to get free alignment and they couldn't do it because their alignment sensor would fit due to the large roll flat lip. Fortunately the tire dealer understood and is swapping them out free even though I've put about 500 mi on them.
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From: Plano, Texas
Well, I just got off the phone with my Nissan dealership and they are replacing the two fronts without arguing. The service guy told me that they put on two brand new different type tires on there. I asked him which type they decided to go with, and after searching around in his paperwork for five minutes he replied" Potenzas REO40s". 
. I don't expect them to put on wonderful tires, but it seems lying and viewing the customer as an idiot is standard procedure.
He mentioned them balancing the tires, but isn't there a different procedure that has been known to erase or calm down tire feathering???
. I don't expect them to put on wonderful tires, but it seems lying and viewing the customer as an idiot is standard procedure. He mentioned them balancing the tires, but isn't there a different procedure that has been known to erase or calm down tire feathering???
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From: Midland, TX
Somebody had stated that other brands of tires will feather. I have had Nitto NT555 tires on my car for 11,000 miles after an alignment and they show no signs of feathering. The stock Bridgestones feathered after 6-7,000.
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From: Plano, Texas
Originally posted by BluZee
Somebody had stated that other brands of tires will feather. I have had Nitto NT555 tires on my car for 11,000 miles after an alignment and they show no signs of feathering. The stock Bridgestones feathered after 6-7,000.
Somebody had stated that other brands of tires will feather. I have had Nitto NT555 tires on my car for 11,000 miles after an alignment and they show no signs of feathering. The stock Bridgestones feathered after 6-7,000.
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From: montana
He mentioned them balancing the tires, but isn't there a different procedure that has been known to erase or calm down tire feathering???
From what i've learned in school. Feathering is a toe in toe out issue. anyone looked into bumping up or down the stock toe settings I havent put mine up on a rack nor do i have this problem yet. Just a thought
From what i've learned in school. Feathering is a toe in toe out issue. anyone looked into bumping up or down the stock toe settings I havent put mine up on a rack nor do i have this problem yet. Just a thought