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Tire feathering is stopping me from getting a Z

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Old 08-29-2004, 11:50 AM
  #61  
tivaj
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I had an XR7 couger back in 1988. Tire started feathering after just 500Miles.

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Old 08-29-2004, 11:53 AM
  #62  
my2ndz
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Originally posted by tivaj
I had an XR7 couger back in 1988. Tire started feathering after just 500Miles.

Regds
I have started a Lemon Law suit
Old 08-29-2004, 03:01 PM
  #63  
MikeNT256
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The idea of having toe-in on a RWD car would actually be alot more comforting. Toe-in makes the car alot more stable in straight line speeds.

To the person with the worn out center tires..it almost sounds like they're under inflated?
Old 08-30-2004, 06:04 PM
  #64  
dam294
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Originally posted by MikeNT256
The idea of having toe-in on a RWD car would actually be alot more comforting. Toe-in makes the car alot more stable in straight line speeds.

To the person with the worn out center tires..it almost sounds like they're under inflated?
Comforting!!! Third set of front tires with less than 25k miles.

Even though they've been free up untill now, I don't find anything about waiting for tires to be changed conforting.

This is not normal. Even for a sports car. And there is NOT a fix.

And let's see.......

Grease streaks on window.

Uhm, noise in rear end. Fixed..

No wait, noise in rear end is back.

Now clutch making squeky noises.

Oh, drivers seat moving/clicking....

But, it's comforting to know that none of these happen. Unless you accelerate, change gears, decelerate or roll down your windows.
Old 08-31-2004, 05:53 AM
  #65  
MikeNT256
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See, this is ridiculous. I really don't want to be on this board one day, with my own Z, bitching and moaning about the car and it's problems, and WISHING I would have just kept my GM "tsb-basket case" car
Old 09-01-2004, 03:08 PM
  #66  
tivaj
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u mean ur not having problems with ur z? we would like 2 hear from those who are having no problems with their zs.

regards
Old 09-02-2004, 05:31 AM
  #67  
MikeNT256
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I don't have a Z yet, if you were referring to me..
Old 09-02-2004, 08:30 AM
  #68  
The Brickyard Rat
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My only issue was abit of feathering at 10,000 miles. Dealer did the adjustment & feathering has not returned.

No rattles, no tranny issues, no nothin' except I enjoy the heck out of my Brick.
Old 09-03-2004, 09:45 PM
  #69  
ktm
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I own a 2003 Lemans Sunset Enthusiast. Its build date was May 2003. I have YET to see any feathering, no have I had the window streaking. I am now pushing 14,000 miles.

Too many people listen to the vocal minority. Do not let it predujice you. I read these forums and for a period of 6 months I was a auto hypochrondriac. I was afraid of tranny grind, drifting, tire feathering, etc. As it turns out, I had nothing to worry about.
Old 09-05-2004, 02:12 AM
  #70  
ml2316
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every auto mag that has conducted long term tests has reported feathering. every feathering poll on this site shows a majority of z owners with feathering. virtually every member of this board with significant mileage has reported feathering. the only minority is the very small number of owners who have high mileage and no feathering.
Old 09-05-2004, 09:28 AM
  #71  
ktm
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Show links and documentation instead of talking out of your a$$.

The "virtually every member" comment is bull****. Do you know how many people are on these forums?

I will say again, you only hear about the bad things. You never see a post that says "Look, no tire feather!!!"
Old 09-05-2004, 11:45 AM
  #72  
Chicken
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When threads were posted and I was at 8,500 miles, my response was that I did not have feathering. Since then (at about 9,500 miles) the feathering developed. At 9,500 miles, I just heard a low grumble at 30 mph (honestly not enough to really care) and just mentioned it to the service manager. They checked it out, did all the tread measurements, and they told me the measurements of the tire qualified for two new front tires and an alignment.

You can't use a forum poll or posts to judge the number of members who do or don't have feathering. A thread asking if people have or don't have feathering (yes/no) only shows the percentage of members who responded that do or don't have feathering at the time they responded. That's assuming everyone who posted knows what feathering is, which probably isn't the case.

Now, just because a forum poll doesn't show that the majority of members have feathering, that doesn't mean that the majority of the forum members don't have feathering. What it means is that this one poll doesn't support that conclusion. Nothing more, nothing less.
Old 09-06-2004, 04:50 AM
  #73  
earlfargis
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Originally posted by kcobean
[B]Unless you're buying a used Z, don't worry about the feathering. Wait for an '05 and ****** one up. It's not logical to assume that Nissan would build the 3rd MY car with the same problems as the 1st MY, so you can safely assume that it's a non-issue, probably even for the 04.5's as well.
I faced the exact same decision. The Z was my top choice for well over a year but the quality control issues -- most of which are typical early production woes and are fixed -- kept me on the sidelines. The most serious problem, tire feathering, finally turned me off to the Z. Like you, I assumed the '05 would fix the problem with all the talk of its new Euro-tuned suspension. A code word for a fix? Maybe. But Nissan isn't saying (I've emailed them) and I didn't feel like waiting 6-8 months to hear from owners of '05s.

So, I bit the bullet and bought a used '02 S2000 instead (yeah, all the Z enthusiasts go "boo hiss" ). If the Z cleans up its act, I'm in a position to do a trade-in sometime down the road. In the meantime, I'm having a blast. Not twiddling my thumbs waiting for Nissan to do the right thing by its owners and customers.
Old 09-06-2004, 08:54 PM
  #74  
ktm
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Originally posted by Chicken
When threads were posted and I was at 8,500 miles, my response was that I did not have feathering. Since then (at about 9,500 miles) the feathering developed. At 9,500 miles, I just heard a low grumble at 30 mph (honestly not enough to really care) and just mentioned it to the service manager. They checked it out, did all the tread measurements, and they told me the measurements of the tire qualified for two new front tires and an alignment.

You can't use a forum poll or posts to judge the number of members who do or don't have feathering. A thread asking if people have or don't have feathering (yes/no) only shows the percentage of members who responded that do or don't have feathering at the time they responded. That's assuming everyone who posted knows what feathering is, which probably isn't the case.

Now, just because a forum poll doesn't show that the majority of members have feathering, that doesn't mean that the majority of the forum members don't have feathering. What it means is that this one poll doesn't support that conclusion. Nothing more, nothing less.
That is exactly my opinion. However, people who have problems tend to complain, while those who do not say nothing. It is no wonder we see thread after thread of people complaining.....any many of these threads contain the same posters.

It goes both ways.
Old 09-06-2004, 10:30 PM
  #75  
Chicken
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Originally posted by ktm
However, people who have problems tend to complain, while those who do not say nothing.
This is true, and somewhat the nature of discussion forums. I run a web hosting forum and you get the same thing. Your web site might have been up for two years without a glitch, but if it goes down for 30 minutes, there'll be a post about it.

A big factor is that cars are one of those things people expect to work (seeing as how they've paid $30K for it). When your toaster dies, you go without toast that day and next time you're at Target, you pick up a new one. You don't seach google for toaster discussion forums and start a thread about it (well, most of us don't).

The issue is real however. Multiple users have reported the problem and Nissan has issued multiple TSBs concerning the feathering (front tire noise), the last one being 21 pages. Without having to convince anyone, I got a free alignment and a new set of front tires at 9,500 miles. Although the warranty has been extended to 24 months (from original in-service date, which I'm not 100% sure what that means as I bought the car used and don't know what in-service they might be referring to), I have aftermarket tires and will not be thrilled if I have to replace them in ~10K miles.
Old 09-07-2004, 01:03 AM
  #76  
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Originally posted by dam294
And there is NOT a fix.
Yes there is... got my alignment done and the problem is gone.

Originally posted by dam294
Grease streaks on window.
TSB out... fix available.

Originally posted by dam294
Uhm, noise in rear end. Fixed..
No wait, noise in rear end is back.
Can you be more vague...?

Originally posted by dam294
Now clutch making squeky noises.
Have it adjusted.

Originally posted by dam294
Oh, drivers seat moving/clicking....
TSB out... fix available.

These things are all fixable, and minor. Find a good dealer and stop b*tching.

This is a $30K budget-sports-car, ladies and gents, not a $60K Porsche.
Old 09-07-2004, 07:13 AM
  #77  
jj4ever
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'04 model, 5 months, 6700 miles, Auto trans, daily drive, no tracks, high way twice/month, NO feathering, actully i just took my car from nissan workshop (for service).
Old 09-07-2004, 11:24 AM
  #78  
tivaj
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Originally posted by jj4ever
'04 model, 5 months, 6700 miles, Auto trans, daily drive, no tracks, high way twice/month, NO feathering, actully i just took my car from nissan workshop (for service).
well, the zs in UAE and Saudi are different.....they are 294hp and not 287hp.

I am getting one on Saturday....can't wait....have been reading and thinking about it for about 5 months now....i sold my lexue yesterday and I ready to z .

Regads

Last edited by tivaj; 09-07-2004 at 11:27 AM.
Old 09-07-2004, 11:56 AM
  #79  
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Originally posted by tivaj
well, the zs in UAE and Saudi are different.....they are 294hp and not 287hp.

I am getting one on Saturday....can't wait....have been reading and thinking about it for about 5 months now....i sold my lexue yesterday and I ready to z .

Regads
Wait.... So is that the new 2005 one? Does that mean it has an UPPED hp?
Old 09-07-2004, 02:19 PM
  #80  
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To the topic in question : Yes on the feather, at 8.5K, then rears all worn out at 12.5, now feathered again on front at 20K...

It gets VERY VERY VERY annoying. The noise creeps up and up until one day you realize how absurd it is. Then you go spend a morning and a few $$$ at the tire place and you buy happiness again for 8K miles or so.

Since we are all entitled to opinions : I also believe it is a suspension design flaw because it is not a normal wear pattern. How lobes on the edge of the tire get eaten up and down? It would seem to my simple mind that something that bounces might be involved. Remember also the "bunny hop" thing??

I think the alignment changes so far just loosen up the car and hide the problem a little longer so they can then say "well it is a sport tire and you won't get much out of them anyway". Still, on the next align I plan to go 0 Toe and minimal camber.

Somebody said something that caught my eye. It was something like "it is a BUDGET 30K sports car"... humm. Points of view. Your "budget" car is the most expensive car I have ever owned. So yeah, coming from 12K and 15K cars, I DO expect a lot more from a 30K car, sorry to say.

And fixes? Well...

- I have Eibach springs so can't do anything with the dealer re the feathering, even do we all know this isn't the reason for the problem.

- Window streaks : I don't trust the dealer with the doors, so I rather keep the streaks.

- The BOSE sucks even for me who own a stock Ford OEM radio on my expedition.

- The rear hatch doesn't pop up all the way. There is a TSB out for that also.

All that said, I adore my little Z and enjoy driving it every time. It has now been seating for a week or so waiting on the trip to the tire place, on my dime.


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