keys6505

I bought an '03 Z in October of '08 and the guy who sold me the car had the class action lawsuit paperwork for the tire feathering, but the deadline was the end of September (he never sent it in). So I don't think you can do anything about it anymore. If you hear otherwise though, let us know!

seal_guyz

I have had the car for almost 6yrs now with 73k miles. The class action suit is a wash. I have to prove you spent money on tires at least 3 times over the years to get anything. Mine was rejected- Nissan dealers replaced my tires 4 times without charge- and there was no waiting for tires ever... I got them replaced even when I was just starting to feel the rumble at 20mph (not sure who got taken for what on here - read almost all the posts)

I bought www.350EVO.com camber arms for the car now. Decided to keep the bugger; bought a 4Runner as my more practical vehicle of choice. just couldn't get over the fun of driving the z and couldn't justify spending $$ on a porsche or other sports car. Rumor is that Stillen and 350EVO arms are the only ones that will keep the alignment in check. OEM parts blew and other camber kits will hit the fender when the car is in actual spec. I have only heard dismal results with the rear but was able to reduce my camber and toe - I really didn't have an issue in the back.

I don't buy that the entire suspension is bad. Every car is different - I heard that the lower arm is good but the bushing is worth replacing because of the material that was used in development.

Rickter111

I've been reading this post til my eyes are bloody and now I'm just more confused.
I bought a used 2005 roadster all stock with 225/45/18's on the front and 245/45/18's on the rear.

The front has feathering issues. The outside thread was 50% but the inside was down to nothing.

So my question is, If i take it in for an alignment to a non-nissan shop, does the alignment machine have the 350Z specs or where does the shop get the current spec info to help stop the feathering problem.

Can I give him the specs I want. If so, where do I get them?

Thanks. I just couldn't find it spelled out for enough for my feeble mind to grasp it.

Entaille

iTrader: (16)

camber wear and feathering are different

cheshirecat79

iTrader: (9)

Anywhere with a decent alignment machine will have a database with the OEM specs for many different cars, ours included. Most performance-oriented shops will adjust the alignment to whatever custom numbers you want as long as they make sense.

If your car is lowered, some alignment places will refuse to work on it. Otherwise they should be able to get it into spec just fine.

If you run into anything and need help, feel free to PM me, Rickter.

davidv

iTrader: (2)

Excellent idea. A knowledgeable tuner can look at the tires, check the alignment, and tweak the suspension as necessary.

Beaker02

Hello all, it's been a while sence I've posted here with good reason. I am the Paul Doty of Paul Doty vs Nissan North America. Obviousy I could not comment on the class action suit until now as it is over. Any information I'll give in this forum is already a matter of public record in my depositions, etc. So, nothing new from me, Nissan.

In the end, Nissan settled the suit without admitting any problem with the car. I myself am not a mechanic or expert, and still do not fully understand where the design flaw lies. To this day i do still believe there is a design flaw.

In the end, and in my opinion, I feel it is a combination of the suspention setup and the OEM tire compound used that is to blaim and it is greatly sped up if the car is the least bit out of alignment.

I have obtained satisfactory results over the years with my Z by changing the tires. I have got good results buy useing Michelin Pilot Sports on the expensive side, and Dunlaps on the cheap side. (that is to say i've gone through a set of both)

I also changed my suspention by installing Eibach springs that effectivly dropped the car 1". This alone is not a cure as I had to borrow some original OEM tires for a few months as I waited for new tires and rims, and they feathered in a couple thousand miles.

In the end, this is my formula for getting satisfactory treadlife (30-40K miles) out of a Z tire.

1. Ditch OEM ASAP
2. Pilot Sports if you can afford them. (Amazing performance as well). Dunlap if you cant (Degraded performance)
3. Suspention may help, but not confirmed.
4. Align once a year at least. Also align after rotating tires (L-R only, not F-B) or after you curb it or major pothole it.
5. Rotate it L-R, R-L between every 15-20K miles.

I am at 30K with the Dunlaps and havent rotated yet. It will give me another 5-10k when I do.

Hope the info can help someone.

davidv

iTrader: (2)

Above: Tires after swap. You can clearly see the high low pattern now on the outside of tire. In fact the pattern continues to the center of tire. Horrendous noise is the same as before the swap. Tires have 21,340 miles.





Above: Saw tooth wear is now on the outside of tire.

ladyzed

iTrader: (4)

Holy mother David. That is bad dude!

davidv

iTrader: (2)

I think I can get a safe 30,000 miles out of these tires. Next new front tires I will go 15,000 miles before the swap.

03aeroZ

iTrader: (11)

Do not like .....Damn Dave!

All I did with my 03 was the new alignment and different Potenza's (not the OEM ones, can't remember what they are). I have been running them for 3 years, 40k miles with no abnormal wear. Dropping less than an inch this spring, so we will see what that does.

cheshirecat79

iTrader: (9)

Great pictures of the feathering, thanks for adding them for everyone to see. Would be nice if they could get pinned on the first page somehow for reference.

xsupan0va

does tire feathering affect all models?
so solution is to not have oem tires?

ladyzed

iTrader: (4)

Most, not all.

Basically the OEM tires are very soft, and have a UTQG of 140 AA.
You can read more about the UTQG here:

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tirete....jsp?techid=48

My Bridgestone Potenza RE960AS have an UTQG of 400 AA, and can last longer. Shop around!

03aeroZ

iTrader: (11)

I noticed that the potenza's that last longer and have no tire feathering problems are cheaper. I don't track my car, so I am not noticing the performance loss though.

Beaker02

Wow. Great "classic 350Z tire feather" shots. When you replace them, try the Pilot Sports. you wont regret it. and ya, you want to swap befor you did. About every 15,000mi. A swap and an alignment every 15,000mi. And 03aeroZ- Go ahead and drop. Not gonna matter on the feather thing. I love my drop. feathers slower after, then before. The big difference is the tires combined with L-R swap every 15K. as long as your inline, that's the ticket.

davidv

iTrader: (2)

All models like Base, Enthusiast? Yes.
The solution is non-OEM tires? Ummm...Look at the tires above.

Silver_Z33

so you put the evo camber arms on ur car and youve seen the feathering rate go down or is it gone fully? i heard that camber arms don't really do much from some ppl and from others they said i shoud get them. id really liek to slow this feathering rate down its becoming a pain in the ***.

Bocatrip

There is no guarantee that the camber kit will eliminate the front feathering. Besides the expense involved, not all kits allow the full range of adjustment to make the difference in the negative camber. It's pretty much a symptom in the design that goes with ownership. I own a G35 and all the Coupes are plagued with the same problems. I have learned to purchase just the right tires for my front to minimize the symptoms. I find that Assymetrical tires work best for me with the minimum amount of road noise. It's also a breeze to just switch the front two tires from side to side without having to dismount and remount as in directional tires.

Silver_Z33

what tires are you running now then lol, so i can go out and get the same ones of course haha