I went by the dealer for an alignment today. It appears my from toe was quite off:

FL: 0.21" (0.025 nominal spec +/- 0.025)
FR: -.05"
Total Toe: 0.17" (0.05" +/- 0.05")
Shear Ahead: 0.26 deg (0 deg +/- .05 deg)

The rear was within spec initially and symmetric about the two sides, now the camber and toe are .1 deg and .01", respectively, different from one side.

 

Planning on purchasing an 04 350z in the future. So all season tires fix this or at least help? Is everyone thats having this issue using summer tires or something?

 

All season tires typically have a higher UTQG tread wear rating, which would theoretically prolong the amount of miles before you start noticing the feathering.

 

I've had my Z for 8 years, since Nov 02, the best solution I have found is get the Potenzas that came from it but DONT BUY FROM anywhere but the dealer. They sell a different tire with the same name as the tire stores do.

You need to look for a closed outer tread pattern - the one Nissan sells is the only one that works. I got 50,000 out of my last ones. The only ones I had since the recall 7 years ago. 74K on it now. I just bought mine due to wear - and not feathering - a few months back.

 

Feathering isn't happening on the Hankook Ventus V4ES, Michelin Pilot Alpin PA3, or Michelin Pilot PS2. So from my experience, this is an RE040 problem.

 

I just got my Z a few months ago, i went to do a tire balance, cause i hit a pot-hole really hard and the guy noticed that the inside of my tires where messed up..i have TSW Snetterton 19' wheels and 245/35 tires in front (where the problem is!) the guy said oh yeah buy new tires for $435 out the door and get an aligment and thats it.. my Z is lowered and so i dont know wtf is going on? im new to this car and stuff so any help would be awesome! thanks!

 

With the exclusion of the Alpine PA3 tire, they all have a higher UTQG rating. In my opinion there is an inherent "issue" with the response/design of the suspension/steering setup, and switching tires will only affect the resistance or susceptibility to this wear.

Granted, switching tires may minimize this effect to a level that is negligible. I am also starting to wonder if the very stiff, 3 ply rayon, sidewall on the RE040 is contributing to the uneven wearing.

 

If you do not feel unusual vibrations or hear audible noises that exceed your comfort level, you may not need to do anything yet. It may be enough to simply swap the front tires to their respective opposing sides.

 

Do not know if this is feathering. Photos helpful.

 

follow up//. my Z is not vibrating at all, it goes perfectly straight, no noise at all.. ill post some pictures tomorrow of the little damage.. im thinking a new aligment to toe them out would work before tires mess up more. Thanks!

 

Hey all,

Considering buying a 350z from a dealer auction and man these things depreciate a decent amount every year! The thing that scares me the most about these is the alignment issue, last thing I want is to keep buying tires for this car.

I'm looking for a stock car, and plan to mostly keep it that way - am I better off buying an 06+, or are 04-05's OK too if I get a camber kit?

Thanks, been reading for a while and couldn't really find any definitive answers...

 

Hi all -

I have a 2008 Touring with 15,500 miles on the odometer. I removed the front passenger wheel the other day because I lightly curbed it and chose to get it repaired. On inspection, I noticed a significant feathering on the inside of the tire, to the point where the outside tread measured 6/32" and the inside tread measured 1/32". The rear tires are wearing evenly, but both the fronts are showing significant feathering toward the inside tread.

I thought the alignment problems were resolved with the early-model 350Zs. Is this common to all new 350Zs or is it just my car? I'm not tramlining or wandering all over the place when I let go of the wheel, so I wasn't noticing any alignment issues prior to removing the wheel. Does this sound more like a camber issue or an alignment issue? Is there a TSB for the newer models or is it only pertinent to the 2003-2004 model years?

I'm still under factory warranty (until Feb 2012) so if it comes down to repair, I'm hoping I can get the dealership to fix it and not have to take it to a shop. I guess my biggest question is: Did Nissan intentionally set the car with a negative camber for performance issues? If so, I'll chalk it up to owning a sports car and just get some new tires. Otherwise, I'll want to get it corrected. 15,500 miles on the factory treads is a bit low for my tastes.

Thanks for any advice.

EDIT:

OK, I read back a bit and it looks like this is not only common, but expected with the 350Z (all years). I'll take mine in for an alignment when I get new tires and ask them to set the camber to -1 all the way around. That seems to be the popular answer anyway. Please let me know if this is the wrong way to go. I guess I'll just have to resign myself to an unexpected tire budget on the Z.

 

I have a 2008 and last month at 5k miles I noticed the feathering on the inside of the front tires. My car is pristine and has never been parked next to a curb. I don't mean not noticeable 370Z curb rash fos mint. I mean garage kept and diaper rubbed show room new and they still did not cover it! I was told adjustments are free under the first 12 months only and after that it falls wearable item. They charged double the going rate but being under warranty they would look for more work and I was afraid of taking it to a tire shop.

 

Same problem here. My '08 had severe feathering on the inside. At 18k mi front tire noise was so unbearable, I replaced all tires. Nissan told me I need alignment, which is covered only for 12 months. Got some symetrical undirectional tires up front and had it re-aligned at my local NTB. Will swap front tires in-side out if needed in the future, to get more miles as sugested on here. So far, no noticible feathering at 24k mi, but I think I'm starting to hear tire noise again.

To zekmartin above...
The front camber on the Z is not adjustable, unless u have aftermarket arms. Besides, it is not out of spec camber that causes feathering. It is incorect toe setting, or too much toe out (according to Nissan, though, I believe it is faulty suspension design, since many report feathering even after aligning with the reccomended total front toe-in setting to the max 0.08" or 2mm).

Good luck

 

This thread completely sucks. Am I supposed to be embarrassed that I didn't read through the 200+ pages to get the main point? Forget it!
Someone post a cliff notes as to what causes this and what might help, then lock it up and call it a day!!

 

Yes Sir I will get right on it. Do you have other assignments for me today?

 

BTW the fact that this thread is 204 pages would lead me to the conclusion that the "fix" is elusive.

 

Photos appreciated.

 

I hear ya, but it's not like I don't have a point. It's a place where new members come in, ask a question, get ignored, find nothing valuable about the site and leave. If there was actually some confirmed info in here about solutions to this rampant problem, THEN it should be stickied, and locked so the community could benefit from it.
And hey, you of all people should be able to chime in on a potential cliff notes version seeing as how you spend more than a few minutes per day in here.

 

Sad to see that nissan has failed to resolve this issue even after 8 years? OH yea its part of owning a sports car.... BS..I owned a 04 and every 9,000 had to start looking at replacements. long story short..I framed and display what nissan agreed on out of the class action lawsuit in my game room. and own a sport car that has the non sports car tire wear well just the rear ones