The Brickyard Rat

iTrader: (1)

My 03 Brick developed minor tire feathering at around 10000 miles. The local dealer did the adjustments.

just got my Zzz back from local shop that services all our cars.
No additional feathering has occured. (16000 miles).

hansel

I'm also debating whether I should buy a 350z in a couple of months. This tire feathering issue is the only thing holding me back. Call me crazy, but if I'm going to spend $30,000 on a brand new car I don't want to EXPECT problems.

This has probably been asked before but...

if you decide to install aftermarket springs and shocks and then get an alignment... will this fix the feathering problem?

tivaj

I don’t know, but it just seems hard to believe that every Z around the world has feathering. I wish that people with high mileage on their Zs would comment on their feathering and their driving habits.


Rgds

MyZ4U2C

I have 16K miles on my Z and no tire feathering. I brought my car in to be serviced and was notified that they had ordered me two front tires. I really dont need 'em, but if they're free, i'll take it!! I think the dealerships are so paranoid over the feathering issue they are practically giving away tires now.

What i really wanted was to have my 3rd gear tranny grind fixed...to no avail.

ml2316

why? it's a design problem.

Silver03SpecV

I've checked a Z off my list for next summers purchase also, because of the tire feathering. And even if Nissan does fix it in the 05's they won't tell you about it because they would have to admit there was a problem in the first place. Doing that would mean they would have to fix all the cars prior to the 05's.

The feathering's bad enough. Nissan's horrible "fix" for it is even worse. The fact that some have had the "fix" multiple times and it's still happening is what bothers me even more.

If they just came out and said "ya, it's a problem, here's the MAJOR changes we've made to get rid of it" then I'd put it back on the list. Short of that, I'm not even interested in test driving one.

Such a beautiful car, why did they have to go and screw it up for me?

NzZ

Silver03SpecV - that is EXACTLY the attitude to have. People shouldn't even consider Nissan products after this debacle. Sure tons of other automakers make engineering mistakes..but they turn around and fix them.

NzZ

tacomaboy

Does the G35 Coupse suffer from feathering as well?

Z-Stalker

Someone correct me please if I'm wrong.

I thought the G35 suffered from the problem a lot less because it has a suspension component that's adjustable on the G35 but is not adjustable on the Z (don't remember what part).

I figured that Nissan would simply change to the adjustable piece and then be able to align the tires to prevent the problem. Why would they not tell people they are going to fix the problem by changing a suspension piece (if that's what they are doing)? It seems simple enough for an expert to determine if they attempted to do anything by comparing a '04 to an '05.

To me it seems like a bad idea to silently fix the issue on the '05 in an attempt to avoid doing a recall. I would expect the '03 and '04 owners to **** a brick if they did that.

It seems to be more and more difficult to decide to buy the '05. I'd like to pre order rather then wait until it's been out for 4 months to see if people are still having feathering. It's going to hurt resale values for the '03 and '04 as well if they correct the problem in '05 and don't do a recall.

Z-Stalker

DeZigner

I have a 2004 Roadster (1/04 build date), and after 6 months and 7000 miles...no problems at all. FWIW.

tivaj

Some Z owners are reporting no feathering even after 16K (one oft them on this thread), while others report feathering. I wonder if driving habit is responsible for tire feathering.
Maybe we need to create a poll that covers mileage, driving habits, car year, tire brand, etc

Regards

Z-Stalker

Ok, I'll correct myself here. G35 and Z have same suspension.

Suspension changes were done for the '04 but nothing that would affect the wear (from what I've read).

Z-Stalker

Tweety-nator

It seems that not all Zs have the tire feathering problem. My car is what others would term a "2004.5" model, built in 10/2003.

I checked my front tires this morning and everything seems to be wearing normally. No tire growl/roaring at all.

Other 2004 owners have reported tire feathering beween 4k-8k miles. I had my alignment checked at my first oil change. Some people recommend that you have the alignment checked regularly. I will personally do this, as it is cheaper to have the alignment checked then to have to prematurely replace the tires.

I plan to replace the tires with Michelin Pilot Sport A/S (All-Seasons) when the OEM tires wear out. I have read that typically the OEM tires last on average about 15k miles.

By the way, I have 9000+ miles on my car. My car is an Enthusiast model with the 17" wheels.

Michael-Dallas

Owners have a lynch mob mentality here when it comes to the tire feathering. And with this mentality, everybody is convinced it's a suspension design flaw and the only answer they want from Nissan is, "Yes, it's a suspension design flaw and we'll replace your suspension."

So why do people think the 350's suspension is flawed? Any suspension designer/engineers care to give some real tech?

Michael.

MikeNT256

THANK YOU! A point that I've been trying to make. Maybe i'm just "pinching the penny" but I don't have the kind of income that can afford to blow an extra thousand here or there on repairs and whatnot after i'm already spending thousands more on the car itself compared to what my Grand Am cost me. If i'm spending the money on a $30k car, i'm expecting service. It doesn't take spending $40+k on a car to expect or demand superb quality and service. My Grand Am is a mere $24k car, and I have NEVER had a single problem taking it to my dealership with a problem. They never give me one single problem with my modifications, and the only time they gave me a hard time was they couldn't figure out my brake situation with it squeaking. Otherwise, they have fully completed every TSB I bring in and I see them every 3k miles for an oil change.

I don't have very many reputable Nissan dealerships in my area, and if I cannot expect service that every customer deserves (regardless of price or amount spent on the vehicle), I won't even bother. The entire point of me going to a Foreign vehicle is i'm hoping it will be more efficient. I've had some inconsistent issues like my engine's lower intake manifold gasket leaking, some window issues/window track/window motor and a few brake issues. Issues that are common with the Grand Am because A) It's 2 door coupe windows are gigantic, and tend to put extreme amounts of wear and tear on the window assemblies. B) The Dexcool coolant used in the LA1 engine dry-rots the gaskets in the manifolds, allowing leaking (I don't want that). C) The brakes are notoriously undersized for the weight of the car, thus allowing them to warp very very easily. By ditching the car before I hit the 50k milestone mark, i'm hoping to escape the expensive repair costs I might endure after I exceed my warranty. And if I have to worry about with the Z, then this might not be worth it. I'd rather take a tire feathering issue as opposed to my leaky V6 issues on the Grand Am, but then again I commute 30 miles every day 5 days a week to work and am always on the go. Since my local Nissan dealership's a bunch of morons, i'm going to have to drive far out to receive mediocre service or nonchalant excuses/the run around, then I don't need to buy a $30k problem child.

zectasy

iTrader: (2)

can the feathering still happen with aftermarket wheels and springs? cause thats what im riding on and my rear tires are gone from the middle of the tire in....duno if that would be considered feathering but i wonder if i can get new wheels out of it?

SlamMan

Sounds like you just have too much negative camber.

Z-Stalker

Hey I'm no suspension expert but it appears Nissan isn't either. After all what have they said about the problem. Doh! It appears some left the factory with a improperly setup suspension. All we have to do is change it so it's proper. However, this doesn't appear to be fixing the problem and after the adjustment the car does not handle as well.

This car is approaching 3 years old and it appears the problem may never be corrected. All facts indicate to me that they don't know how to fix the issue. Seems a suspension expert is needed, but not here.

Z-Stalker

Michael-Dallas

When I replaced my tires, I had my alignment checked and had the alignment guy put in a little toe-in on the fronts. Since then, I have not had feathering or the tire roar that accompanies it. Maybe it's because the 350 isn't my first sports car so I'm very understanding and patient. The last 3 300ZX's I owned were subject to similar front wear and I've been accustomed to playing w/ the alignment w/ every new set of tires.

As far as the car not handling as well, that's the trade-off w/ going w/ a different alignment setup. More toe-in will increase understeer while more toe-out will increase oversteer.

Here's something to ponder about: RWD cars will have a tendency to toe-out the front wheels at speed (this excludes the additional changes in toe due to suspension travel). And most auto manufacturers will specify a little toe-in on RWD vehicles to compensate. If you note, the 350's toe spec (prior to the last TSB) was for 0 toe. Therefore, could it be possible that Nissan, much like Acura and the NSX, tuned the handling dynamics of the 350 w/ alignment settings?

Michael.

superstuddc27

iTrader: (1)

So to sum everything up, this is what im getting :

* Tire feathering in MOST 2003, Some 2004, and still waiting
* MINOR tire feathering at about 10k + miles can be fixed cause they're not BIG flaws.. I mean brickyard rat got 6000 miles on it n still tire feathering free...

Now questions:
- WITH aftermarket suspensions, such as coilovers, i.e. TEIN, EIBACH or whatever, does tire feathering still occur? I mean they're totally different suspensions with adjustable features, so i was just wondering...

- About how many percentage of all Z's would you say have tire feathering. (all 03s and 04s).... maybe 50%? 60%? 90%??! hehe