My car has 11,500 miles. I first noticed the issue at 4,000 miles.

My lawyer simply asked me to fax him all of my paperwork, and to describe what my issue was. The law firm I selected has already prosecuted at least two other Z issues for the same thing that I am aware of. Probably many others.

 

I agree 100%

 

Thanks for the reply. I need to send out my BBB claim by today. I've already added two service records and a description of my problem and how frustrated I've been. However, I'd like to add some newspaper and magazine clippings to my dispute. Where did you go about finding these resources? I haven't been able to find anything concrete online that the 2003 and 2004 Zs have this problem.

 

You must not be looking very hard!!!

Do a google search on 350z tire problems or similar searches. I know all of the major car mags have made mention of the issue!

Here is a link to get you started!

http://www.nissantireproblems.com/media.html

http://jacksonville.com/getjaxwheels...09000774.shtml

http://autos.msn.com/research/userre...=10337&src=vip

http://www.sheller.com/Practice.asp?PracticeID=157

http://calemons.com/nissan.htm

Good Luck!

 

I just got off the phone with 1-800-NISSAN1. I’ve called them 11 times since Nov 9th and today was the first time someone called me back. For those of you who have not read my past posts, I took my car every 3750 miles to my Nissan dealership and at 14729 miles they told me that my front tires were worn to the belt and that I needed an alignment which is 2229 miles past the point were the warranty would cover my issue.

So in the phone call from the supervisor at Nissan North America they accept no responsibility for my tires and feel that the dealership should cover the issue. Well at 14729 when the dealership discovered the issue they would not even give me a free alignment (yes I asked for one) so why now would they agree to give me a free set of tires and an alignment??? The person from 1-800-NISSAN1 said that my dealership checked my alignment each time from 3780 miles on and each time it was in alignment. So how did my tires wear down to the belt in only 14729 miles??? I’ve been told by a Firestone dealer that people get 30-60,000 miles from the Bridgestone Potenza REO40’s yet at 9000 miles mine started the road roar and at 14729 I was told not to exceed speeds of 60 MPH until I could get new tires. The person from 1-800-NISSAN1 also told me that there is nothing different from a ‘03 and ‘04 350Z except the way they were tied down on the boat when they were shipped over here to the US.

My question to people who have unloaded their Z’s, do I have enough info to move forward with the BBB or a lawyer and make Nissan North America buy back my Z???? I live in North Carolina and under my states section of the 2004 warranty book it says that I am not entitled to repurchase until my Nissan dealer has had a ‘reasonable number of repair attempts’. I’m really confused and need someone who went through the process to give me some guidance/advice because after 71 days of dealing with this issue I feel that I haven’t moved forward.

My email is kirkmountain@yahoo.com. Thanks for any help/stories/advice in advance.

 

I don't have an answer for you, but I bet you notice the feathering much sooner next time. I noticed it aboutthe same as you on the first go around, but now I notice it at about 4k miles.

I ****ing hate this car.

 

I hope you don't believe that??? OEM high performance tire that is not rotated, you will be real lucky to get 20K miles from the fronts and you will get around 25K miles from the rears. Feel good about the 15K miles, get it aligned, buy some better tires and enjoy the ride. The Z is a great car that is hard on tires. Had a 1991 Acura NSX that needed rear tires every 8-10K miles, great car, fun to drive and worth every rear tire I bought for it. These are performance cars not Honda Accords. If you really have to get 30-60K miles out of your tires get a family car. JMHO and experience.

 

Did you miss the part where it started feathering at 9k miles? and that is only when he noticed it.

Maybe you do not care that you spent 30k plus on a car that is going to vibrate all the time, but please quit trying to act like no one else should.

 

My front tires were replaced at 5K miles for feathering with the old style OEM thread (think I was the last one to get the old style) they also realigned it. I now have 12K miles on it and no feathering/vibration. I will have around 19K miles when the extended tire warranty expires and I am sure I will get another set of fronts since they will have 14K miles on them at that point. I will then run them for another 15-20K miles and upgrade all of the tires. I don't see this as a real big deal since the 350Z is such a sweet good looking ride for only $36K. I guess you could buy a Porsche for $50K+ and get a couple of more miles out of your front tires but not many more out of the rears (I use to own a 911, they ate rear tires, 15K mile interval) But you can buy a lot of tires for $14K. Get some perspective it will help you in all aspects of your life and you will be a happier person.

 

I can't afford a Porshe. Perhaps you should get some prespective that not everyone can afford the things you can. They stopped replacing my tires and now I have to replace them myself every 5k miles or live with that annoying vibration.

Now I ask you why should this be my problem and not Nissans?

 

Please advertise your lawyers!!! I'm sick of Nissan's crap, and I want this problem fixed, or I want my money back!

 

Satchel,

Welcome to sportscar ownership. The Z is not the first car to eat tires and it wont be the last.

Btw, do you have the data sheet from the alignements? If so will you post the before and after settings?

 

So which sportscar in American history has feathered tires within six to nine thousand miles consistently? For that matter, which sportscar in American history has ever required tire replacement within 20% of the tires rated tread wear? And why should uneven wear in a stock sportscar acceptable? And if this was expected behavior from the car, why is it not clearly stataed in the owners manual, and disclosed to the buyer at the time of purchase?

 

NSX - 8-10K miles out of rear tires. I don't remember the miles but I was alway buying tires for my 911,928S4, and other high performance sports cars. Also the OEM tires they put on the 350Z are some of the worst for wear, add that to the fact that you don't rotate them because the fronts and rears are different sizes and you have high wear and low mileage out of your tires. Now add in the fact that Nissan screwed up on the shipping of the Z's in the beginning causing alignment problems and increased tire wear, until corrected and you have owners that are already thinking they have a problem. Add to that the fact that the new Z is cheap to buy so you get "new to sports car owners" that think normal tire wear should be 30-60K miles and you have a formula for upset owners. I also think there is some front suspension problems that need to be addressed that could increase tire wear for the fronts by 5-10K miles and help correct this problem. But it still won't apease the owners that think they should be getting 25-35K miles out of the front tires

 

I had a 93 Probe GT (if you want to call it a sportscar) . Goodyear GT2s feathered.

I dont think Americans are known for building sportscars anyhow. Just the vett, oh and the Fiero. haha.


Seriously, Pit Bull is right on. Accura had a class action law suit filed against them for tire wear on the NSX. What did they do? They changed the alignment and problems went away. The S2000 eats tires as well. Bottom line is, sports cars are NOT normal cars.

I didn't buy the Z until I knew I could afford another vehicle as the everyday driver. I went into the purchase expecting to buy expensive tires every year and half and not just using the car as an everyday commuter (which aggravates the feathering).

 

Do you have your alignment data sheets? If so can you post the data?


I understand your fustration about the problem but at the same time when you own a car like this (or any for that matter) you have to take ownership inthe problems. Don't accept some service puke saying "Its all fixed sir!" and believe it.

 

I have a 2003 Brickyard Touring Automatic with 21000 miles on the car. My original rear tires were shot at 15000 miles. There was no abnormal wear on them, just worn down to the wear bars. Kept 40 lbs of air in them as per advice of Firestone tire tech. Original front tires lasted 9500 miles before being replaced by Nissan. New front tires now have 11500 miles on them. Kept 40 lbs of air in them also. Tire wear was ok tilll I got lazy and quit checking air pressure. At last oil change air pressurewas found to be about 34 lbs and tire wear had started again. It looks like if you keep a good alignment on the car and bump up the air pressure to 40 the tires will last longer. These REO 040's dont come with any tread wear waranty. They are rated below 200 for tread wear by the government. What this means to you is this. They stick like hell in the summer but leave a lot of rubber behind. Theay also need you to check the air pressure very regulary and make sure you keep your car in alignment. Add to this the Nissan factor of the car being very alignment sensitive at the least and you have a reciepe for early tire wear in some peoples mind. I for one feel very fortate to get 15000 miles out of the 040's. I believe Nissan could and should do something to make the alingment bettor but barring that if you love your car pay attention to it and dont just drive it. I wonder how many of these complainers even check the air in there tires once a month. That said I love my Z and I am willing to deal with the problem, even though I think Nissan is not doing this right. There, I've said my piece and stirred up the water so now I'LL sit back and be prepared to be called all kinds of names. Thanks, Navybulldog

 

Amen to that Navybulldog. I too "wish" that I could get longer tire wear. I understand the dymnamics, the shortcomings and I still love the car.

 

I've had several sports cars and never had this problem or anything equivocal. Good for you if you can afford to have this as a second car. I can't.

I do not have the settings as I work about 70 hours a week and don't really have the time for all of that. I HAVE to trust Nissan to treat me fairly and they haven't.

So anyway, you guys can take it in the *** from Nissan and like it all you want. I'm not going to stand for it. Luckily the lawyers agree

 

What sportscars did you have in the past?

Experience #1: Tire Roar observed at ~6700 mi. Alignment outsourced by dealer to Firestone because the dealer did not have the appropriate machine. Firestone did. I requested data sheet upon completion of alignment and tire swap. The alignment felt “funny” so I investigated further. After reading the data sheet and the latest TSB I realized my alignment was WAY off. Returned to dealership and asked service rep what happened? I got a “dunno, but we will redo it” answer. The alignment was done properly the second time. I know this because I verified it first hand. If I had not paid attention the first time it is very likely my tires would have been destroyed in a very short time due to the misalignment.

Lesson #1: Don’t trust that the job was done right even if the proper equipment was used. Verify the alignment first hand by requesting data sheet.

Experience #2: Even after alignment changes from negative toe to positive toe (this is what the latest tsb calls for) I am still experiencing some feathering. Prolonged driving on CURVY roads tends to reduce the “tire roar” whereas prolong STRAIGHT highway driving tends to promote the “tire roar”. I know this first hand from my own experience. Others have observed this as well.

Lesson #2: Degree of tire feathering depends on driving style.

Experience #3: Nissan claims tire wear is very sensitive to alignment on the Z. And some dealers are not making sure it is done right.

Lesson #3: Take ownership in fixing the alignment (Lesson #1).

I now have 15k miles on the original tires with about 8-10k left. I will be getting another alignment soon. I’m thinking about 0.1 degrees total toe instead on 0.2 degrees total toe because too much toe-in will cause feathering on outside tread blocks whereas too much toe-out will cause feathering on inside tread blocks.