Yeah I'm on my 4th set of tires in 19K on my 03. Even switched to Goodyear F1 DS-G3s and a mechanical 4 wheel alignment. Got a little front end humming goin on after 6K. A real disappointment...

 

i believe, in california, that after 5 times for the same problem you have a case for the lemon law...not sure if this is nationwide

 

No chance for me...I bought my redline used with 6K on it... and it was growling then. I just didn't done my homework but I do love driving the the Z. I just had the front tires flipped but it only helped a little. Short of moding the front end I jsut shop eBay for tires. I saved half on my F1s last time.

 

it would be nice if someone could recap this thread and clarify what options are available to resolve this problem. seems like everyone is just accepting the fact that nissan is only going to replace tires at this time and not address a real solution to the problem.

even if i were experiencing these problems i would keep my car and look for an aftermarket solution. i love my z that much and have had two TSB's (rear axel clicking) done at this time with one other pending (fuel lines). nissan already replaced my front tires but as i said earlier I don't have any feathering...but they did it anyways when i had the car in for an oil change.

 

RoadWarrior: Do you have coilovers? a camber kit? what kind of ride height are you running? how many miles w/ no probs? Spring rates? (what are the stock rates?) What alignment settings are you using? Have you gotten rid of some camber? How much toe? Castor should affect this problem in any meaningful way, I'd think.

I have two (uninformed ) hypotheses:

1) Adding aftermarket suspension components tends to fix geometry problems, possibly lowering the car gets it to a happier part of it's camber curve, or throwing a cmaber kit lets you dial out some camber, cna't know more about this w/o more info.

2) Adding aftermarket springs/dampers is what helps. This theory is based on the fact that, in my mind, "feathering" or "cupping" is not an issue w/ toe or camber, but with damping. Essentially there's no enough damping, and the tire bounces on and off the road a very little bit, which causes the odd wear seen on the tires. Can anyone point me to some good feathered tire pics?
This is based on there not being enough damping; adding stiffer springs would make it worse. Now if there was too MUCH damping, and all the high speed bumps (think joints on the highway, or little cracks in the road) weren't being absorbed properly, this could cause the same problem.

Let me know what you've done road warrior.

 

OK...i will do my best to answer most of your questions:

yes, i do have coilovers...hks+ specifically for the 350z. these are not aggressive in nature as they are a softer setup...similar but stiffer springs than stock. they are 30 way adjustable and i am setup soft in front (19) and harder (28) in the rear. i am also lowered about 3/4 - 1 inches, or about a small one finger gap between the tire and fender both front and rear.

the only camber/toe mods i have are for the rear...the sbc kit (arms and adjustable bolts) to be exact.

i am running on stock 17's and i have about 11k right now. i had the coilovers put on after about 1k and never noticed any feathering. when i brought the car in for service i had about 9k with no signs of feathering at that point. i have 2k on the new tires and they look fine at the moment.

i really wish i could give you my alignment specs but i don't have them anymore so that is out unfortunately. here is what i remember though, i did have the car aligned shortly after the installation of the coilovers and they were within the stock specs.

after the dealer put on the new front tires i bought rear tires at about 9k. i had the rear tires replaced from a friend who owns a tire shop and he also did another alignment. he has been in business for several years and i have had other cars done there so i know he does good work. he stated that the alignment was within the stock specs for an 04 350z...i know because i gave him the latest alignment specs before he installed the rear tires.

hope this helps...

 

Yeah. It REALLY makes me thing it's a damping/springing issue, NOT a toe issue. What about people who've just thrown on a set of aftermarket spring, or struts, or both (ie not coilovers). an inch change in ride height should change the geometry fundamentally enough to go from completely ruining tires in a few thousand miles, to being fine. Anyone know of people with konis or whatever up front having issues, or not having issues?

 

I just received an email from the class action lawyers wanting to know what I thought of the new tires. I guess they are still working on the lawsuit.

 

My car is finally back in the hands of NNA after they were forced to buy it back..The 2 year battle is over..

FREE AT LAST, FREE AT LAST,THANK GOD THE ALMIGHTY, FREE AT LAST..

 

I also belive that it has to do with the shocks. The newer (04.5-06)shocks have different part numbers then the older (03-04)ones. I dont see alot of 04.5's having any feathering problems.

 

On my 2003 Enth I went Hotchkis Stage 2, April 04 TSB alignemt settings, and Eagle F1 GS-D3 tires, and no problem whatsoever with adverse tire wear after 14k miles.

The OEM RE-O40s and suspension setup feathered after 7 k miles and never really got better after 15k miles when I did the suspension/tire mod.

 

the newer tires suck imo compared to the stock tires that came on my z before they replaced them. they do not seem to grip as well nor do they "solve" the problem. what a joke

 

wow this is amazing. I once owned a 2003 350Z that exhibited tire feathering, as described in this thread. I followed this thread closely and eventually sued Nissan. It's been more than a year since I returned the car to Nissan for FULL purchase price.

I suggest you do the same. Stop wasting your precious times. My lawsuit took 6 months; my friend's took 1 month.

 

I did the same, took 15 months though. Everyone should do the same and use the Lemon Law to kick Nissa's ***

 

Unfortunatly some of us bought low mileage Zs thinking we were getting a quality car...lemon law doesn't work for us...

 

I have an '03 and have had it to the dealer 3 times for the feathering. They "fixed" it the first 2 times and gave me new tires for no charge. The third time, they will not do it for free. I have had many conversations with the dealer and Nissan NA, and they have told me that they will not pay any more to fix the problem. My third set of tires is worn after 10K miles. I do not drive the car like a maniac. I have now contacted a law firm and they will handle a Lemon Law lawsuit for me in PA. I do not want to pay $500 for a new pair of front tires every 10K miles.

 

I am wanting badly to buy a 350z and am frightened with this feathering issue.

Is there anyone that has a 05 or 06 that has experienced tire feathering, road noise that can report?

 

Be afraid, very afraid. I have an '04 though, so I don't know chit about your car. I'm talking to Nissan tomorrow and if my second set of tires do not get replaced, I'm gonna sue and get my Nissan tattoo removed from the left portion of my buttocks.

 

with the spc kit coming out i am hoping this will solve the issue...and the price is reasonable enough.

i know it sucks to have to go aftermarket but problem would not scare me away from buying a z....you are still getting a lot of car for the $