Yes there was. A TSB was issued which, I believe called for an alignment and rotation of the front tires. All it did was force the roatation to go against the grain and put the inside of the tire (which was feathering) on the outside of the tire. it did not fix anything. I am on my second set of free tires and still in my LL case with Nissan. The dealership has been great and still insists there is not a fix for the feathering issue. I believe the 21 page 4/12 TSB incorporated all of the other "tire feathering advisories" within its contents.

 

I am experiencing an intereting development with the replacement tires I was given in December '03 after my Z was realigned.

After aproximately 2500 miles I now have outer tread bar feathering. Following the advised procedure found on the TSB, I am inbetween the two levels of wear.

Has anyone else experienced this?

It apears if you trade the toe out for the toe in it simply moves the issue to the opposit treab bar.

 

Do you have your alignment data? Also, do you know what type of machine was used? With nissan claiming that tire wear will be very sensitive to the alignment it is very important that it be done correctly. Otherwise, it will be difficult to determine if the feathering is caused by poor alignment or something else.

Someone speculated a few pages back that this may be a problem.

 

Someone speculated a few pages back that this may be a problem. [/B][/QUOTE]

The 'What tire wear issue' touring engineering team verified the alingment was correct when they authorized the replacement of the front tires in December.

With their credentials, I assume it was done as good as it is able to be done............I hope.

I put this out to allert all of us to the posibility of more fun to come regarding this issue.

 

Is there absolutely no fix for ths dreaded problem. The adjustable upper A arms from performance or Stillen? I really don't want to let go of this car, if it can be corrected. Is it really true that there still is no fix?

 

This thread has such a depth of information, I forget if the following info is here or not.

Has snyone with solid suspension experience and / or first hand experience with the Z found a definitive fix for this issue?

Has the fix worked for a number of vehicles?

If yes, what and where?

 

I am going to the dealer Tuesday (5/11) and I would appreciate any ammo I could have before I go. My car has a tremendous roar and have a little less than 17000 miles. Any info would be appreicated.

 

I had my tires swapped to put the feathering on outside instead of inside and it was aligned just before new TSB was released. I told my dealer I would like new tires since they were still noisy. Dealer said it was done to spec...the alignment on new TSB didn't change. Is that true? I am not knowledgeable in this area. Only way they can justify new tires is if I bring car in and tires pass/fail that tire test mentioned in new TSB. How did you guys get your tires changed so many times. I cannot even get them changed once. Also is there a dealer in ATL area that would just do the right thing and make the change? Thanks

 

Like I said and I ditto the last post- give me ammo to get some new tires. Hopefully that will work. I love my Z but hate the noise.

 

Basically, have them measure the tread - if it fails then you get new tires. I would insist on being present when they do measure the tread so you know first hand exactly the condtion of your current tires. Also, don't trust that the alignment is correct. Request the alignment spec sheet and verify that the toe is correct. FInd out if the dealer performed the alignment or if they sent it to someone else.

Also make sure they do use a properly calibrated Hunter series alignment machine. The information (as far as alignment setting and feathering wear) is included in the most recent TSB. It is imporant to hold the service advisors accountable for the work being done.

 

I have seen their measuring tools. The Nissan Tech brought them to the hearing although they were not employed. It is nothing more than a small metal ruler and some standard feeler gauges. Measure them yourself before hand and you'll know.

 

I had the same experience; had the tires swapped and alignment re-done. Just brought the car in and had the measurement done - and guess what? Yep, the tires are fine. Although they are still noisy, they aren't as noisy as before. I wonder if the tire swap and alignment are causing the high spots on the tread block to be worn down?

 

I recently recieved a notice from NNA regarding the tire feathering issue. I posted it on a new thread:

https://my350z.com/forum/showthr...=&postid=829989

 

Good news! took my car to the dealer wanting to get new front tires but not expecting it. They told me on phone after research they could not do it based on everything that had been done so far. There was on chance, I could bring it in and they could check the tires using the criteria from the new TSB. So I brought it in thinking that I was just documenting the problem. Pleasant surprise that by the criteria of the new TSB, did I pass or fail, I was get new tires. So at 18, 271 miles and 5/32 of thread left my original tires were replaced by the new Bridgestone 040. At least they have the new and hopefully improved tread. Tires are quieter now.

 

The swap just puts the uneven wear on the outsides where it does wear faster, depending on your driving habits, it won't take long. They'll get smoother for awhile until you start the same wear pattern again with fresh rubber on the insides. The rubber wears a little more slowly after the first few mm's, so it may take longer for the pattern to show the second time.

Mine very quickly took the high spots down after the swap TSB (around 6k miles) but by 10k the pattern had returned on the inside despite alignment, rod replacement TSB, swapped tires - and the fronts were pretty spent at 11k.

I'm driving my G35 now, haven't seen the tire problem yet, but I've only put 4k on it, and the Michelin Pilot Sports are such a superior tire to the RE040's, no comparison.

If I do run into the problem I'll post. Good luck!

 

You got a lousy alignment. Either wrong equipment or operator error. See other posts in this thread on various types of alignment equipment - don't believe the numbers from your most recent.

 

The 'What tire wear issue' touring engineering team verified the alingment was correct when they authorized the replacement of the front tires in December.

With their credentials, I assume it was done as good as it is able to be done............I hope.

I put this out to allert all of us to the posibility of more fun to come regarding this issue.

I am experiencing an intereting development with the replacement tires I was given in December '03 after my Z was realigned.
----------------------------------------------
After aproximately 2500 miles I now have outer tread bar feathering. Following the advised procedure found on the TSB, I am inbetween the two levels of wear.

Has anyone else experienced this?

It apears if you trade the toe out for the toe in it simply moves the issue to the opposit treab bar.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thaddeus: SteveZ is correct. He wrote:

You got a lousy alignment. Either wrong equipment or operator error. See other posts in this thread on various types of alignment equipment - don't believe the numbers from your most recent.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Thad:

Your milage and noticing the Feathering on the outside. This is indicative of a 1/8" .125 or more front total tow in.

With 3000 miles on a new set of RE040's fronts. I was showing outer tire feathering.. ( light )

With manual alignment the tire front to back was measured at 1/8" total tow in. That is .125" total Tow in. This is what Nissan set.
a 1/16" is = .0666 MM - Spec is .08mm per side.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
We set manually to 5/64" ( between 1/16 and 3/32 inch ) A fat 1/16th inch
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Caster is 10+ front - Camber is -1.5 front/

Rear Tow In .08mm Camber -2.0 rear.

Cheers Amy -

 

Not necessarily. What if Thaddeus has shoulder cupping on both sides of both front wheels? What toe setting will fix that? Obviously there isn't one. That's because it is not a feathering problem normally associated with an improper toe adjustment. It is a shoulder cupping problem. Want to see feathering. Adjust your total toe to +or- 3mm. In less than 100 miles you will see the tire start to feather across, not around, all tread blocks including the middle ones. I have had three alignments since the 2mm spec came out and the last one was done by a Nissan Factory Tech on a new certified Hunter machine and I have shoulder cupping on both sides. Nissan's answer? It's normal and every car, including the '04's rolling off the production line right now will do it. Finding some "perfect" toe adjustment that minimizes the problem is a band-aid approach at best and a toe adjustment that incorporates zero margin of error is an unreasonable expectation. Nissan can't even get it right on the assembly floor. How can any owner be expected to maintain this standard?

 

The only way to hold NNA accountable for what is happening is to make sure the alignments are being done properly. Right now their scapegoat is that the TSB alignments are not being done properly at the dealer etc. If the TSB is performed as NNA has specified and the feathering persists then the result is the owner has sufficient evidence for lemon law/class action law suit and/or NNA finally has to admit their is a more fundamental problem with the front end and a real fix follows.

Unfortunately we, as first/second/potentially third year owners, are a part of the design process for the new Z. Nissan has proposed a fix (the current TSB) and are looking at the resulting data. Only time will convince them that the proposed fix does not work. I cannot imagine that this vehicle will have a 5-10+ year production cycle with this problem. Eventually a good fix will be determined and/or redesign will occur. We just have to be patient, show NNA that this TSB is bunk, and demand a real fix (hopefully it does not come along too late). Unfortunately this includes doing just as NNA states in the TSB.

Keep in mind NNA and the Nissan dealership are two different agents. The dealer is effectively a third party who really doesn’t give a sh*t beyond the results for the customer satisfaction surveys we all gladly fill out. It must be assumed that they really don’t give a crap about making sure the problem is fixed. They just care if we are “satisfied”. ASSUMING they are professionals and know wtf they are doing and assuming the alignment is correct only complicates the situation. ALL Z OWNERS have to know what the alignment is, how it should be done, and MAKE SURE the dealer is doing it correctly – this includes knowing what machine is used, who is doing it (maybe dealer is sending it to another shop), and getting the actual print out of the alignment specs as a documented record of what is actually being done to the car.

I for one love my Z and cant afford to sell it at a loss just so I don’t have to deal with this problem anymore. If NNA ultimately screws me then this will be the last (and only) car I buy from them and I will then find a fix on my own. Until then I will continue to play by their rules and make sure the repairs are performed exactly as they state.

 

Just found this on their site - it's the last review of the long term 350z. Funny - it's dated 5/17/04..... Scroll down a bit to see the paragraph on the 350Z's 30 TSB's!!!!

http://www.autoweek.com/search/searc...19646&record=1


Enjoy - I'm still waiting for NNA to set up my turn in date. I've been driving on NNA's miles since 4/16.....