Yesterday I brought my SB 05 in for its third oil change / scheduled maintenance (approx 11000 miles) and was alerted by one of the techs that my front tires were starting to show uneven inner wear and that I should think about purchasing new ones with the alignment being performed. I have not really noticed a louder road noise while driving ... but usually have the stereo loud enough to filter outside noise. This shocked me as I thought that the 05's had that problem conquered. I am now re-thinking my purchase. This could be just bad luck on my behalf and may not pertain to others cars as my alignment did slightly pull to the right while driving! I still enjoy my car ... just not sure that I need the added stress of paying for tires every 11000 miles. Has anyone else (05) experienced this?

 

Before everyone attacks you for not searching this topic i'll help you. It's called tire feathering and every 350z built before 2004.5 experiences this problem. I had it and I replaced the potenzas with BFGoodrich g-force kdw's and havent seen the problem since. To prevent it you must keep up with constant tire alignments but thats the cost of driving a sports car like the Z. This topic has been discussing soooooooo many times so just do a search and you'll find everything you need to know. Welcome to the forums

 

Thank you for your input on using the search feature = I am very aware of the term 'tire feathering' = just not in an 05 as I have clearly indicated! I am only asking if there are any other 05's experiencing this issue or could this just be an odd coincidence specifically dealing with my car only (sorry for any inconveniences this thread may cause).

 

What part of Texas?

Check your build date on your car. I have an 05 enthus w/ a build date of 09/04 and have had no problems, knock on wood. My car is even lowered. I just had the 7500 mile check and no uneven tire wear reported. Good luck.

 

I also have an 05 but with only 3k on the clock. How can I check the build date?

 

look at the sticker on the inside of the driver's side door frame. has all of that info.

kyle

 

open the door on the drivers side and start reading the labels inside the door.

 

I have the first 2004 model and I had alignment done at 1000 miles which was way off and changed to Pilot Sports A/S at 3000 miles. Now at 20k my front tires are still like new so better tires and alignment and proper tire pressure help alot.

 

regardless if its a 05 you shouldn pay for tires with the feathering problem, since its been known that 350z have this problem.

 

They are giving me the usual line of only free replacements for 03's and I am not one who likes to drive something that can be a road hazard to myself or others! Anybody have any suggestions ... I have heard of the good will free tires the dealer might allow for this one time ... but I don't like the idea of waiting while driving on unsafe tires (Nissan did not wait to take my money ) I appreciate all the suggestions so far as the alignment has been complete ... I may just purchase a new set of different tires and see where this goes in the future!

 

looked inside my car door and it said 09/04 and mines a 2005, am i safe from feathering or just a little safer?

 

Your tires are not "unsafe" unless they are worn below the replacement indicators.
Nissan covers alignments till 12,000 miles, I would drop the car off for uneven tire wear and noise. Stand up for your rights, complain enough and nissan will take care of the problem.

 

Read between the lines d00d..he knows about the feathering issue.




Get those tire replaced...u are under warranty for 12k miles for those tires.

 

I would sugest just going to another dealer. Thats the same thing they told me with my 04, so I went to another dealer just said feathering and they ordered the new tires. Just ask around in the region section (forum), and try to find out a good dealer in texas.

 

You might have had a crappy alignment right off the truck man. When I picked up my brand new 05, I took it back at 50 miles because it pulled to the right. They told me I was nuts. So I drive it some more, and at 150 miles I take it back and tell them they are nuts, and the car shouldn't pull like this so much on any road. I finally went for a ride along with the tech and showed him (Go with the guy and point it out) that it was rediculous, and not just road crowning.

To make a long story short, after I show him he agrees to put it up and take a look. He finds the rear was actually misaligned.. enough to cause the right pull. It tracks completely straight now.

Bottom line is, if your car is pulling to the right, the service advisors will tell you ANYTHING to make you think its normal. I assure you, it is not, and with the right tech it can be fixed. I hope it's not true feathering, and just a crappy alignment.

Good luck man, It's gonna work out. Get NEW tires for FREE! They owe it to you.

 

What is the UOTG rating on your tires? If it is a 140 treadware rating, 11K miles isn't bad for a front set of tires on a staggered suspension. I bet you have done some spirited driving as well.

Inspect your tires. If the tread depth remaining is uniform across the face of the tire, you aren't experiencing feathering, it's just a soft compound tire wearing out. If you have significantly less tread wear on the inside of the tire (- + 20%), or the outside, that's an alignment problem. If the tire is cupped, i.e., irregular wear around the circumference of the tire, you may have a balance problem. If both the inside and outside edges are worn, you have an under inflation problem. If the center is worn, you have an over inflation problem.

Let us know what you find. Check your build date, too. I've heard both sides of the '05 story, both folks that haven't had a problem and believe that Nissan has taken care of the problem and those that have '03's (like me - Track model) that had one alignment and have experienced no problems since.

 

First off...Is it tire feathering or uneven tread. Big difference between to two.

Any Pics?

I had my alignment checked by the dealership and set to new factory specs just to be sure. I was almost 100% right on before I took it in.

 

how bout just forking over money for a set of springs or camber arms/control arms. will pay less in the long run

 

I'm seriously considering this as my next plan of action if this will fix the problem for good ... I really enjoy the car, even after the fact, for what it's worth !