Thanks for the info. I usually run around 35 I think. I haven't paid close attention to the tire pressure. I will bump it up to 40 because I still have slight feathering on both the inside and outside tread blocks. I wont know if it helps until later this spring because the Z is in the garage unit winter breaks.

 

82 Z28, 89 Supra, 91 Talon

I put 110k on the Talon and only had 3 sets of tires. Never had a problem

I drive this car on the interstates and highways mostly and hardly EVER go over 80. I drive it as if it were an accord and that is what really makes me mad.

I also had to replace both the pads and the rotors on this car at 20k on the front and 25k on the rear. Again I drive almost like a grandma and that is completely unacceptable. Nissan tells me that is normal.

The car rides like a stagecoach. Again, normal.

Just about every latch on the interior is broken.

 

Rotors at 20K? That doesn't seem right. On my previous car I replaced the front rotors at 120,000 and never replaced the rears (sold it not much further after). Take into mind that it wasn't a true sportcar, but I was a teen when I got it.

I have the original rear tires at 18,2XX miles and probably can get 5000-6000 more miles out of the rears. I don't really do burn outs, but I have fun driving. The front tires were replaced at 12,000. I haven't heard the growl yet, but it'll probably come back.

 

Hit the track or some back road twisties. Freeway commuting is thought to aggravate the problem. Feathering occurs as a result of the toe angle with the forward path of the car. If the front tires are both slightly pointing outward as the car rolls straight forward the instead edge tread blocks are preferentially worn. If straight line driving is the only type of wear the tires are subjected to, and the alignemt is not right, they will feather rapidly.

However, the wear is entirely different under hard cornering. I can tell from my personal experience that the feathering subsides substantially after I drive aggressively on curvy roads.

 

Do you think any of these cars compare to the performance of the 350Z? Think about the handling characteristics and also the type of tires on each car. Not to mention the Talon was fwd.

 

I don't really care about the perfomance of the Z and I'm not going to take it to the track and run it just so it wil work like it is supposed to.

 

Why the h@ll did you buy the car then???

 

I liked the way it looked, and last time I checked that was my choice to do so. I understood it wasn't going to be economical, but this is ridiculous.

 

I owed a 1994 RX7 that I qualify as more of a race car than our plushy Z's... It NEVER had feathering problems like the Z has. Honestly don't get me wrong I like the Z for all around use, however the RX-7 was an unrefined beast in comparision.
Matt

 

I had a 93' rx7 and agree with you. I aligned the car when I bought Tires and that was it. New tires every couple of years.

I laugh when someone talks about how harsh the ride is in thier Z.

 

I had a 1993 RX7TT and you guys are right it was a go-kart. That sucker would fly. I didn't like the fact that some of the coating chipped off of some of the trim on the inside, kind of cheap, but that was my only complaint. It is also a real good looking car. I had one of the first ones in Atlanta and I took the Mazda emblems off and people would ask me at gas stations if it was the new Ferarri I alway said yes if she was good looking

 

Nissan said they aligned it to the new specs, and the feathering problem did not go away. I asked for a copy of the specs, and they said (since they outsourced the alignments at that time, but since got an alignment machine in their shop) that they didn't have the specs to show me.

Has anyone been able to actually correct this problem through alignment alone? If so, how do I take care of this? I don't want a refund on my Z, I just want a solution that works.

I wouldn't even mind replacing the tires every 10 to 15 thou, but the feathering is really upsetting, because it sounds really really bad, and makes my brakes feel like they are grinding all the time.

 

Question on the 40 lbs? Are you talking 40 lbs "COLD"? I'm going to up my air pressure to 40 lbs. I had them at 36 lbs and just notice the other day with the cold weather they are 32 lbs first thing in the morning, but after a couple of miles they are up to 35 lbs and after 10 miles on the freeway they are up to 36 lbs.

 

has anyone heard what caused tire feathering in the first place?

 

Do you want tire problems or turbo problems???

 

You are being too cooperative. It’s a problem. They should be willing to give you the data sheet. If they told me I couldn’t have it I would come unglued. Its your car, its your alignment, own it. And own anybody that touches your car. It’s your ****in Z. If some punk tells you that you don’t have the right to know what’s happened to your car while they serviced it then you better have real problem with it. Bottom line is, you worked hard to make that car yours, and they better work hard to make it right. And it’s your job to make sure that happens. Know what is supposed to happen, and know what does happen. Get the data, know what it is supposed to be, and don’t accept anything less.

 

Incorrect alignment
Unaggressive driving(hit the twisties!)
Low tire pressure
Tires with outside tread blocks that wear poorly


And some are suggesting that the caster angle is too great. But no one has come back with any definitive data on this. Nismo suspension supposedly gets rid of it altogether.

 

oh ok. I just heard today from a fleet manager that the reason it was started in the first place was due to the way they were shipped. But yeah since they were in the big crates and when they lowered them, it caused the front frame to bend itself, which caused the feathering. but yeah anyone else hear this from any dealer or anyone?

-Mark

 

What about JDM/ Is this just an international problem?

 

And if that is true. The lawyers have the case locked up.