I don't think this set up will necessarily work on the Z as it does on my G35. In addition, I do not push my car hard so handling is not a major priority as is the front feathering and rear middle tread wear. I'm using the non directional soft compound RSAs on the front which are quite quiet and hardly feather when I rotate them from side to side every 6,000 miles. I will be replacing the Avon 550s that I have on my rear with General UHPs. I would use a better tire on the fronts but have learned that aggessive large blocks will feather very quickly and cause a tremendous amount of noise. I also will stay away from any directional tires for the front. This combo after some experimentation works for me. I was lucky that the first 4 sets of tires were given to me for gratus by the dealer.

 

lol i dont even care anymore. scratch that, i do, its a complete pain in the ***. i just love my car so much that ive gotten used to the fact that its always gonn pop up as an issue.

 

I've got almost 3k on the car with the new EVO arms. I replaced all tires with non-directional sumitomo htr+'s - quiet ride. Gave the Avons a try, little louder than the sumitomo I must say. I replaced them to this tire because i heard good reviews, my shop guaranteed experience with them (the guy selling owned a Z) and told me to rotate side to side ever 5-6000 miles. I'l post more when I reach the mileage thresholds.

When i took off my old tires, the wear was so bad on the inside that the tire wouldn't stand straight. To the naked eye it sorta looked alright, had some feather to em' too, but let go or try to roll it, issue. I am now sporting zero camber in the front to see what happens. The rear has close to zero, but is still a little negative.

So far I'm happy and thinking about putting the car on the track too.

 

Please let us know how things work out. You seem to have a handle on this. If your fix doesn't work, it will surprise me. Did your handling change after you brought your camber to zero??

 

Definitely will keep all of you posted. So far quiet ride and a little hit on handling because of the camber adjustment - not much, but I notice when I take the roundabouts for on/off the highways 60mph is a limit, you can start to feel some (what I call) "roll" with rear tires. I used to be able to take the turns faster; I think that is fast enough for the regular roads - if it goes on the track that camber will have to be adjusted to be more negative without a doubt.

 

Wow this thread is long, I was just curious to as if this affects all the years? I see a lot of 03 and 04 as I've skimmed a few pages of the thread and noticed a couple of 06's and 07's too. Has this happened to any 08's by any chance?

 

I know of one or two guys who have noticed iton their 08's but not to the same degree as 03(my year, sigh) and 04's.

 

That sucks, looks like ill have to monitor it... I'm still in the break in process of my car but ill check tomorrow.

 

rodneeking85 - I had to be told about the feathering, otherwise i would have never have noticed it. (The 2003 Z was my first owned sports car)

Then I started to drive other sports cars and found out that my Z definitely had the issue. Not sure what number car it is for you, but if it's your first sports car - you very well may not notice any issue until 20k on the OEM tires.

 

well this is my 3rd car, the first was a Mustang GT and the last was a srt-4, I never noticed anything ont he Mustang besides when my alignment was out of wack. I'll monitor this every so often though since I'm new to the Z world. What should I look for or listen for when it comes to this? I've read some people make mention of a rumble noise, anything else? Thanks

 

Noise resembles a "washing machine on spin cycle." Like snow tires. Only problem is that deterioration is so gradual that it may be missed until its too late.

NOTE: Many members complain about feathered tires but do not post photos. I believe that they have generic tire problems. 350Z feathering is one of the most unique tire problems I have seen in 40 years.

 

Primarily applicable to 2003 and 2004. Is it possible that other years may experience the same problem? Sure its possible.

 

The Infiniti G35 Coupes are plagued with the same front end feathering and most if not all 03-07 models have the same issue.

 

Okay, my .02.

I have an '03 --bought 07/03. It's low miles... only 20,386.

Just bought my first set of new tires. The back tires were pretty shot.... the front had big-time feathering wear. (Sorry, no pics, but the same as everyone else -major wear on the inside)

Got Yokohama S.Drive.
Got an alignment.
Guess what ---the alignment was up to spec on the front!! It was not out of alignment..

Well, we'll see how this set goes...

 

this is not an alignment issue...this is a design flaw by nissan

curious to know if nissan addressed this problem with the newer models - 08 and up

 

Infiniti has finally resolved the identical front feathering problem on the G37 Coupe after all the years of G35 issues. Why can't Nissan do the same for the Z? They are basically the same design.

 

I noticed a slight feathering on my 07... sucks cuz my 03 had it as well and it got fixed.... my 07 is lowered and aligned properly and I'm noticing it slightly on my volk GTS'

 

This post is huge. I have an 03 touring and going to get it aligned next week. Does anyone have the latest specs that i should take to make sure the 4 wheel alignment is correct.

thanks everyone

 

Very good info for new z owners

 

how did you "fix" it? Ive seen people try so many different things to nullify the effect and it just keeps happening. If you stopped it or slowed it down dramatically tell us how. Bc i speak for everyone when i say its a pain in the ***.