LOL!!! Some of us needed that humor.

I'm one of the members with an '04 with tire rumbling. My very mild rumbling has been constant from 5000 mile to my present 8000 miles. It's not as severe as my friend's '04 (we bought our cars on the same day at the same dealership). He has 12,000 miles on his car, and has the 18" performance wheels, whereas, I have the 17" wheels. He got his realignment done last week and the useless tire rotation.

Here's the difference between our cars though. His only wore out on the inside tread, and it progressed quickly at a much lower mileage, whereas mine is sort of wearing more on the outside tread block than the inside, and appears to be progressing much slower. So, I mostly hear rumbling when I take a sharp turn at lower speeds. On the freeway, it's barely noticeable. I don't want to take the car in for an alignment check yet because I don't want the dealership to potentially make it worse.

As for the member with the RX8 wanting to trade it in for a new Z, I recommend you wait it out until Nissan fixes the problem. As mild as my tire rumbling is now, I have personal experience with an '04 with higher mileage experiencing unacceptable noise levels. I wish I did the research you are doing now.

 

Well, my front tires was replaced 500 miles ago for the PULLING to the right. Guess what, they got so screwed up now. My car starts to pull left within the first 10 seconds then, it pulls to the right until it does a complete lane change. WTF!!!
To add to this, the tires are strting to rumble when I'm slowing down, the FEATHERING is back too.

 

If your tires are wearing on the outside, it means you have too much toein like mine. What are your alignment settings? If they are more than 0.04, I would set them to 0.03 or 0.02 I have had some outside wear starting at 1600 miles and mine were set at 0.0 I will probably set them at 0.01 when I change struts.

 

Boomer,
They are wearing on the outside slightly more than the inside (approx 30% diff), which makes me believe that I'm pretty close to specs. If I adjust it to toe out a bit, then I would assume my inside would start to feather faster or perhaps feather at a more even rate. I haven't had my alignment checked yet, but I think I might have the situation that most folks who claim to "not have the problem" has. The rumbling is slight enough to be unoticeable unless you get in a Z with brand new rubber right after a ride in my Z. It's feathering, no doubt about it, but not to the level that I've seen in other cars.

I have 4000 more miles to go hit 12,000 miles. Only mileage will tell if it worsens. From all the postings I've read, there's a point where the tire will suddenly make A LOT of noise. I must not have reached that point yet.

To make things more exhasperating is the fact that I have brand new set of 19" CE28N's sitting in my garage. Until I find out what remedies are required, if any, I will drive on these OEM's until I hit the magic 12000.

 

I see. Its just the OE tires, it seems. When you put on your 19s, make sure you get the latest alignment is my recommendation. If you can get 12,000 miles out of the OE tires w/o too much noise, they'll be worn out anyway. Good luck.

 

I have a 2004 Performance model which was purchased on 10/14/2003 and, according to the sticker inside the door jam on the driver's side, it was built on 8/03.

I have about 6500 miles and at my last oil change I mentioned to the service writer that I was experiencing a tire roar at low speeds.

After the oil change was complete he called me over and told me that they were going to change the front tires for free, only once, as a courtesy.

Nothing was mentioned about a TSB, alignment issue, etc. They agree that an alignment should be done after the new tires are mounted (I suggested it).

The tires have not arrived yet, but after they do the work, I will post the results.

This is really bumming me out. I like the car so much, but, to have such a BS problem right out of the box...crap.

Also, I am on my second set of floor mats because my right heel keeps digging into the mat and causing a wear "dip". Talk about poor material quality.

The other problem I have already had taken care of was the driver's seat. The crossmember which supports the front edge of the seat (right under your thighs) had the weld cap missing from the right end of the crossmember and when I would turn right aggressively (like on an off/on ramp), the crossmember would slip out of it's slot and the entire front edge of the seat would drop about 4 inches.

Take my word on this, that was a VERY STARTLING and UNEXPECTED movement to have while driving. They replaced the seat bottom (not the seat back) and now the seat squeaks when my weight shifts slightly. Annoying, but better than the 4 inch drop.

 

That is a very dangerous flaw, I would urge you to report it to Nissan, open a file. Take your car back for the squeaking, it may just need to be lubed, but they did the work, they should know where its coming from and be able to fix it.

 

Thanks for the suggestion, Boomer. I had not thought of that since it seemed to be a unique problem to me (I hadn't seen other threads on the seat problem). But, they should be made aware of it and I will call them. I am going to hold off until I see what the dealer is going to do about my tire feathering issue first.

 

I forgot to ask this in my earlier post, but, doe anyone have RELIABLE information as to the following:
1) What are the alignment specs Nissan recommends to cure the tire feathering?
2) What are the alignment specs for the so called "Euro Alignment?"
3) What is your source for each?

I did see a screen print of a manual (?) with the alignment specs in one of the original early posts, but, I am sure those have since changed.

Thanks again.

 

I know I said I was finished with this business but old habits die hard.

I can't speak for the specs of non-US cars, whether or not the specs have changed during the '04 model year, or even if the this so called "Euro Tuned" suspension has been implemented here or anywhere else but I can say that the specs for the '03 and early '04 models have NOT changed. My source is the original Factory service manual, The three TSB's that have been released on the tire feathering issue, and the 5 or 6 printouts from the "Hunter" alignment racks that my car has been on. I put Hunter in quotes just to further debunk the idea that Nissan Dealers can't do an alignment. I would further add that the last alignment, done as instructed by Nissan in 6b, is less acurate than the previous two that were not. They both showed my front wheels at or near 1mm per side. The last one showed the left front at .4mm so they added even more toe in and the outside feathering on that tire has accelerated way beyond what I currently have on the right. In any case all printouts, including the one from just a month or so ago show IDENTICAL alignment specs for all settings including the toe. And the last one was done under the direct supervision of Nissan Dealer Technical Support. All Nissan has recomended is that the nominal total toe in be set at the max toe in that was originally spec'd ( the recommended settings are 2mm, 08", .2 decimal degrees).

Something else you all may find interesting. While I was out and about shopping today I happened to come across a parked '03 Infiniti G35. Guess what? His, or her, as the case may be, front tires had heel and toe feathering on them. They were Goodyear Eagle RSA's. Same tires that are on my 2000 Eclipse with 45,000 miles on them with no problems. No jokes about the Eclipse please. That car has logged every one of those 45,000 miles without a single problem or trip to the service department. And that was the first year of a completely redesigned model too.

And finally, Nissan responded to my certified motor vehicle defect notification form only a couple of days after they recieved it. I explained that Nissan left me no choice as I had exhausted all options through the Dealer network and through Nissan Customer Service. The dispute resolution guy was a little antagonistic as we went through each item. I did include alot of items; transmission, feathering, bouncing, pulling to the right, grease streaks, bose radio, crackling in the rear end, etc. He also seemed to be interested in the fact that I took my car to tire shops after the last alignment when Nissan refused to replace the tires and got written opinions stating that they were feathered. Anyway he is going ahead and scheduling the final repair attempt and is supposed to call back next Monday or Tuesday. Based upon his questions regarding the feathering and pulling it sounds like he (Nissan) has nothing up their collective sleeve than more of this 2mm toe in garbage. Will report back again after the repairs are made.

 

I potsted earlier that they use a trial and error system that takes longer but will assure tire patch & toe is correct under street use. They use a scuff plate that you drive over to measure toe. Snap On used to make these. you can also adjust by heat signature on tire but really takes many adjustments to get it right However it will be correct to that car only and may not agree with Hunter alignment machines correct alignment. If Nissan can't correct mine soon I will pull the $ out of my pocket and have mine done...call it mental health investment.

 

Thanks for the reply, Overzealous and OZ-Z. Since I am just starting with this tire feathering issue and having read posts where the authors were completely disgusted, I have to tell you, I am a little more than mildly upset.

I can see a battle in my (near) future with the dealer AND Nissan.

I will keep posting any future developments, just as others have done. This site has been an invaluable source of information and I would like to thank everyone involved.

 

I asked Dr. Bonz over at 350 FrenZy to put up his last settings after he had the Tire Roar TSB done. The range is now 0.0 minimum, 0.04 nominal and 0.08 maximum. His settings were 0.02 on the left front and 0.0 on the right. He has 3000+ miles and no problems yet. He still has the OE tires, I forgot to ask, but I think so.

I have no idea what the settings are for the 04 euro-tuned suspension. Someone posted he just took delivery of a brand new 04 and a tech suggested the alignment be checked before he took possession, it was out, but he didn't say what the range of settings were now.

One other tidbit is contained in TSB NTB03-006b, the 3rd and most recent Tire Roar fix. They say not to have the alignment done on the lastest Hunter computerized machines because, for whatever reason, they can't get the settings right. Don't ask me why, I'm flying by the seat of my pants here.

I'll find out for sure for mine when my tech puts on my Konis, he'll check with Nissan and we'll discuss it. Since I'm still ok from a dealer alignment after 6600 miles and my front toe settings are both 0.0, I doubt he'll set mine at more than 0.2 or less and monitor at regular intervals.

IMO, if anyone is getting outside tire wear, its from too much toein, not too little. Unless you have a chronic underinflation problem, then both sides should be wearing down fast on the soft 040s. In cold weather, some tires can lose 5-6 lbs in a few hours after sitting still.

 

Not be intentionally combative but 6b says nothing of the sort. It says not to use the “Rolling Compensation” method if so equipped and that does not just apply to Hunter racks. It also says not to use the "idiot lights" on other racks so equipped. It says to use the actual numerical readouts instead. Read it for yourselves.



In my most humble opinion you guys are deluding yourselves with this whole toe in adjustment thing. First we had Nissan, and others, saying that the Dealers were not doing the alignment right. Right after they changed the recommended setting by the way. Which is fairly ironic in and of itself. If the problem was improper use of the equipment then why did they change the nominal setting. Many people agreed stating that Dealer's probably don't have state of the art equipment like Hunter racks. As it turns out many do. But now that is no longer an acceptable method. We now need to use a scuff plate. Come on guys, even the Factory manual gives the Dealers instructions on how to do it with no rack and no scuff plate. If the car is that sensative to a minor toe change, and I'm talking about fractions of degree, then it's got some other issues. So what do you do if your tires are feathering on the inside AND the outside? Mine are. They were on the G35 I looked at today. You can't fix that with a toe adjustment no matter how accurate it is. Look at the verbage in 6b. It looks to me that Nissan's goal was not neccessarily to run 2mm of toe in but rather to make sure that no cars were running with any toe out. They have one problem though. By increasing the toe in they involved the outside edge in the problem as well. It's about time for Nissan to move on to the next "solution".

 

Pardon my imprecision, OZ. I didn't remember the exact verbiage in 006b. However you slice it, it means they are experimenting with each car to find something that works. I'll stick with my suspension tech and suggest others may wish to find one of their own. Its for certain a regular alignment check interval will be necessary to catch continued problems if or when they emerge.

 

Well guys, i was putting on some NISMO brakes pads today and discovered that i am once again infected with front tire feathering. I'm at 17K miles right. I only put on about 5k miles on the replacement tires. Looks like i'm going to have to open a case file again.

dan

 

my rear left tire: no comments

 

You can now add me to the list of Z owner's experiencing tire feathering. I took the car in on Sat for an oil change and mentioned the exessive noise and the tire featehring issue. I am at 13,000 miles. The service rep looked at it and said that all they could do was switch the tires and check the alignment but that that warranty would not cover it and i would have to pay for all that. I am waiting for 9am and I am going to call NNA and hopefully get a better answer from them. I am hoping that they replace the tires...I've been reading through this thread and it seems some people have gotten new tires but since I'm over 12,500miles I'm not sure if I'll be so lucky...

 

I'm at 4000 miles and have light feathering on the inside fronts. Is it better to get it corrected now or should I wait another thousand miles and then have it addressed. Looks like I will only be driving between 10-12K miles a year, so to be covered on the 1 year 12,500 warranty I will need to stay on this.

 

I urge you correct it now, leaving it for longer just makes it harder to minimize the wear.