slaponte

iTrader: (2)

Pardon me guys, but that is normal behaviour. Nobody comes here to post a thread that reads "everything is ok I just posted to let you know". Most of the time people speak up or complain when there is an issue. AN issue is big enough and pervasive enough when Nissan reacts to it via TSB, not because a lot of people mention it here on the forums. So since by now we see people using lemmon law, people using class action suit, Nissan releasing TSBs and magazines and TV doing articles, I would call the issue pervasive enough, and not just whinning.

super10251023

now I can say less in mine. Yes, when I spoke to nissan one they said it would be a different thread design but I couldn't remember if it was the whole tire or just that inner edge. I thought he spoke of just the edge but wasn't sure and didn't want to misinform anyone. Also, I do remember him saying this tire was desinged to decrease the time frame in which you acrue the inner tire wear. He didn't mention this as a solution only for feathering noise, but common sense told me less inner tire wear, the longer it will take for me to hear the noise.

super10251023

they will provide you with the production dates of the 350z's that were produce during a certain time period and may be defective (not all were) some z's may qual. for the tsb and some may not, unfortunately I did!

King Tut

iTrader: (1)

There is a different tread design. This has been confirmed. Like I have stated before the Bridgestone Potenza RE040 has been redesigned and it has been known to cause "feathering" noises on others cars that come with them as OEM tires including the IS300 and RX-8. I guess those cars have a serious suspension design flaw as well.

Chicken

iTrader: (3)

Improving tire life... isn't... the... issue. It's abnormal wear, experienced by many people, including at least one major automotive magazine. You'd think they've driven a few cars and would know the difference between tire wear and this issue, wouldn't you? Or are they not willing to "admit it's a wear item?" They weren't willing to just rotate the tires or get an alignment? That's preposterous!
If a factory made 10,000 vacuums and somewhere during the production, something happened that caused 5,000 of them to be faulty, would all 10,000 vacuums have to exhibit the issue for it to be a problem?

My driver's side window often won't go up or down. Sometimes it goes up, gets to the top of the door, then goes half way down again (repeat over and over and it eventually works). Does your car have this problem? If not, am I just unwilling to admit that window motors break every 8,000 miles? Is Nissan going to replace the motor and/or switch? Damn right, whether you have the same problem or not.

I can't understand why, "Fix the problem!" isn't a viable answer. It's all people want, plain and simple.

King Tut

iTrader: (1)

If you don't know what the actual problem piece is, and Nissan obviously has not found a problem piece, then how do you want them to "Fix the problem"? What do you ACTUALLY want them to do? Do you want them to completely redesign the front suspension? Maybe go with a double wishbone setup this time with 0 camber and 0 toe?

BigMike

Sure, some people get 20k plus miles from their tires and some get less than 10k miles. You're trying to say that every car setup by Nissan is exactly the same. Why the difference in tire wear on these cars? Who knows but I'd venture to guess the following:

• Different assembly lines
• Different order in the way the suspension is torqued down by different assembly line workers
• Different manufacturers of suspension components (bushings, balljoints, etc) A likely scenario!
• Misaligned drill or punch machine that puts holes in the frame and body that the suspension components mount to. Hell, they might check the specs on the machine once a week. If you car is made right after an adjustment, its correct and if your car is made when its out of alignment, you get the car that feathers.

I could go on and on with scenarios. But something is definitely wrong with the geometry of the suspension on some cars. I have an '05 and I hope I don't have to go down the path of the feathering problem. But if I do, I certainly won't take your approach, bend over and accept it.

I'm an engineer and understand something about specifications and tolerances. There are components for manufactured parts that the tolerance has to be within a gnat's eyelash. Maybe the tolerances on the Z are just too close and don't allow any room for error. But when Mr. Sumdumguy on the assembly line in Japan notices one of the assembly or manufacturing machines is not within spec, he certain isn't going to go to his boss and say "oy, we have make all des caws over again cuz machine *** up".

My $.02

King Tut

iTrader: (1)

So again I ask you what is the fix? What would YOU like to see Nissan do? Should they ask all of us to bring in our cars so they can see what model ball joint we have or see if the distance between mounting holes is 10.56mm or 10.57mm? I still see alot of people saying it is Nissan's fault and there is something wrong, but obviously Nissan says there isn't, so instead of accepting that why hasn't anyone proven them wrong by actually finding the problem.

BigMike

Because it is NOT the consumer's responsibility to prove them wrong. When a car company has this many "same type" problems, they should stand behind their product. If they built X amount of defective cars, they should fix the problem as long as the customer has it or buy the car back. Instead they deny warranty claims for a problem they know they have.

BMW went through a VERY expensive issue with the E46 M3. They replaced the entire bottom end of the engines because they found out the rod bearings supplied to them buy a certain manufacturer was not within specifications or was an inferior material. My friend has had his M3 done twice as a PREVENTATIVE measure and BMW extended the engine warranty to 100,000 miles. That is an example of a car company standing behind its product.

uplz4588

king tut whats wrong w/ you... have u never ridden in an 03 w/ feathering? its nuts and obviously there is a problem if there have been TSB's and thousands of people complaining, various automotive magazines complaining, televised news shows complaining about it ect... there IS a problem w/ the Z's suspension and obviously nissan said they have fixed the problem w/ the 05's. and when you keep asking what do YOU want nissan to do about it.. ill tell you! when someone complains of the feather and obviously has it either once or reocccuringly slap on some 05 components and call it a day! thats my solution. one of the problems is that you cannot adjust camber on stock suspension can you? either that or the toe. but i belive its that you cannot adjust camber and caster.

BigMike

Exactly. If Nissan didn't have a problem, why the front suspension redesign on the '05?

harrieyu

iTrader: (4)

nissan one denied my car to get an alignment and free tires becasue i was outside of the extended 2 year? i dont understand what an in-service date is but they basically said that im sol. i only have 16000 miles on the car and obviously have uneven tire wear which teh dealer confirmed but nissan one wont' do anything for me..

King Tut

iTrader: (1)

As is the case with most cars produced these days which is unfortunate. With that being said uneven tire wear IS TO BE EXPECTED ON THIS CAR. With the way the suspension and alignment setting are setup you can't get away from it, not even on the 2005s. Now I hope that some of you can at least realize that. How are you possibly going to get even wear with the alignment settings the car comes with? It isn't possible. So people upset because the inside of the tire wears quicker have no leg to stand on. Now "feathering" is another issue. As I have stated I think that comes down to the Potenza RE040 tire being the main cause for the excessive tire noise. I have shown that the IS-300 and RX-8 that also come with them as OEM tires have experienced similar issues.

Z-Stalker

Actually I am a member of Rx8-club.com and have never seen a thread about feathering on an 8. I just tried searching and any reference to feathering is about the 350Z.

The 8's do have the same tire, which should tell you something. The only wear problem they have in common with the Z is that the tires are soft and therefore will wear quickly.

If you have any actual info (rather than pure speculation) on 8's feathering I would love to read it.

Z-Stalker

King Tut

iTrader: (1)

I didn't say you guys experience "feathering", that is a Nissan word. I said excesive tire noise. Ask and you shall recieve (more on www.tirerack.com ):

2004 Mazda RX8 6-speed
Miles driven on tires: 17,000
Reviewer's Overall Rating:
4.625
Location: Gainesville, VA
Driving Condition:
Combined Highway/City
Driving Style: Spirited

These tires came with my RX-8 and I made the mistake of driving in snow with them the first week I had the car. Snow isnt just an inconvenience with these tires, its outright dangerous. Their performance in dry weather is relatively good, but I have seen much better in summer tires, especially for the cost. I have been lucky to get this many miles on these tires, but after about 50% of treadlife the road noise was terrible. If you are thinking about purchasing this tire you should consider something else. If you were unlucky enough to buy a car that came with these, sell them as soon as you can while they still have value, and get something better for the money. -- Review Submitted 2005-03-06

2004 Mazda RX8 6-speed
Miles driven on tires: 16,000
Reviewer's Overall Rating:
5.625
Location: Independence, KS
Driving Condition:
Combined Highway/City
Driving Style: Spirited

My experience is nearly identical to the review from the RX-8 from Carson City, NV. Wet traction has been unremarkable since new. Forget driving on snow. I should have rotated more often, but at 16K and a relatively light-weight car Im down to 3/32 on one axle. The noise is horrible and getting worse. Its so loud that I now dread driving a machine that is otherwise pure joy. -- Review Submitted 2005-01-25

2004 Mazda RX8 6-speed
Miles driven on tires: 18,000
Reviewer's Overall Rating:
5.375
Location: Carson City, NV
Driving Condition:
Combined Highway/City
Driving Style: Average

18,000 miles and looking for new tires. Noisy on smooth roads. Ride is OK and handling is good but would like a tire that lasts longer. Kinda pricey to replace every 14 months. I know my car is not the best for snow and ice but these tires really SUCK on slippery surfaces, really stick on dry roads though! My Miata was 1000% better and that is not saying much. -- Review Submitted 2004-12-18

2004 Mazda RX8 6-speed
Miles driven on tires: 10,000
Reviewer's Overall Rating:
6.750
Location: Thornhill, ON
Driving Condition:
Combined Highway/City
Driving Style: Average

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. -- Review Submitted 2004-11-14

How about a Lexus SC430:

2002 Lexus SC430
Miles driven on tires: 6,000
Reviewer's Overall Rating:

4.750
Location: Garland, TX

Driving Condition:
Mostly City
Driving Style: Spirited

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. -- Review Submitted 2004-12-10

dlmkr1

iTrader: (12)

We could argue all day about what the problem is. The one thing that should be agreeable to all of us is that NISSAN just isn't steping up. I have an 03 with feathering. I just want to know what to do...even if I have to pay for it. I really like my Z and would like to keep it. NISSAN says it's any early 03 problem, an alignment and tires is the fix. Not so. My second set started roaring at 4500 miles. And I'm a 98% intown under 50mph driver. I am past the 24 months inservice and they told me to take a hike. I argued that they did not fix it under the TSB or my tires would not have the exact same problem. Therfore they need to do it again under the warranty and/or TSB. TOO BAD!!! That where I am at and so are many others. This is terrible factory suport for a high performance car. Me I ma going to keep after NISSAN until they fix my car as the TSB says to fix. If the dealer did not align properly or the tires are crap, then NISSAN needs to do it again until they get it right.

slaponte

iTrader: (2)

And, if it IS the tires (a la Ford/Firestone), then give me new tires and goodbye. They are giving new tires under the TSB (to the lucky ones that qualify), why make it more RE040s??? Now I would think that to be a cheap way out for Nissan, no?

If this was really the tires, they would have changed them by now.

King Tut

iTrader: (1)

Doubt it is that simple. I am sure that Nissan and Bridgestone signed a huge contract stating that the OEM tires would be RE040 for the 350Z. This means that Bridgestone produces them and that Nissan gets them cheap. I doubt Nissan could even legally put a different tire on as OEM without fighting with Bridgestone.

Beaker02

I went over to Pilot Sports 15K mi. ago. Just now starting to notice uneven wear. No or very little noise yet. I expect them to go at least 30K niles at his rate, about twice the mi. of the OEM. FYI.

Tackett

King Tut,

so nice to meet yet another person who is incapable of arguing a point without becoming belligerent.

You say "you know cars", and you probably do. But come on man, you can't honestly say that this is not a problem and is perfectly O.K. I have NEVER seen any other vehicle go through front tires like this car. Ruining one set of tires in under 10K miles is rediculous. I don't care, however, to pay for tires, because I knew of this problem BEFORE I bought the car. What really makes me mad is nissan's apparent "f*** off" attitude about it. If they would take an iota of responsibilty for it then it wouldnt be an issue for me. Did it stop me from buying the car? no. Will it make me get rid of the car? no. DO I EVER COMPLAIN? no.

You should really practice your matra, take an valium, and stop being a jerkwad to people that you dont know.

thanks.