Yes its an 04 roadster (build date 07/03), I wouldnt have known to check if not for this forum. They werent bad as they didnt "sing" yet but I could tell by feel and had it confirmed by my local tire dealer before I took it in. I dont know why dealers dont just align them all when they come in. My service rep said the original tires suck anyway and wishes Nissan would just give up on them. At $1200 a pop I think I would. THIS FORUM IS INVALUABLE GUYS/GALS, mention it when talking to your service rep, and if necessary copy the pertinent sections to cut potential hassels.

 

Probably because the alignment doesn't fix the problem...

 

The alignment will not fix the problem in the 03 cars. I was hoping that the feathering defect had been fixed in the 04's. I guess NNA will just have to buy my car back instead of trading it for an 04.

Also the original Bridgestones are $150 ea fronts and $157 ea for the rears . Total is $614.00 plus about $80.00 to install.

 

ok,
I have had my car since nov. 2002. I had the feathering problem then and I have it now at 15,500 miles. I had all of the replacements done and the feathering is back and no one wants to talk about it! They just ignore me when I mention it to the dealer and NNA. I have followed this forum for almost a year and we/I am not the firsts to have this problem. There is no fix!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They don't want to dump the funds into the project to fix it! Yet they still sell! I guess, to get a 50,000 dollar car for 35,000 , is a small price to pay for luxury! In the long run we all get screwed . I won't buy another but I'll keep what I got and that is the decision I have made!

As far as I am concerned, there is nothing else to talk about here! If someone could get in touch with consumer reports and let the buyer know what to expect before he buys one of the Zs , then maybe there would come a change! But, It's been over a year now and nothing has happened! And nothing will!

calvin cole

 

I really liked the Z and was really into getting one as my second car. Thanks to this forum for all the info, I am not getting a Z until nissan gets its act together or I find another car I like. Maybe I will look into an M3 since I have had a good experience with my BMW 323.

Too bad nissan doensn't fix this problem, they will be loosing future sales and losing customers who have purchased this car and are not very happy.

 

From what I've seen the problem is just sh*tty tires Nissan is putting on the cars. I'm not that worried about it, since I'll put something better on at like 15,000 or 20,000 miles. It's just that the sound and going to dealership get annoying. Nissan just doesn't want to buck up and fix the problem correctly with S03's(I wish) or Michelin's.

 

Members, I've actually been lurking for several months on different forums (my350z, 350Zfrenzy, 350Zmotoring), and it's time I pipe up.

I have been needing a new car for some time now, and have been eyeing and drooling over the the Z for a year now. These forums have been instrumental in helping make a decision. Unfortunately, with all the problems that I've read about (tire feathering, bouncy ride, and tranny problems), I've decided not to purchase a Z, and instead get an S2000.

Although I'm quite happy with the Honda, I really wished Nissan got their act together, and took care of your problems accordingly. I've owned a '93 Sentra and an '99 Altima, and was very happy with those cars. I wish you guys (and gals) the best of luck in getting these serious problems resolved, and I hope in 4-6 years, I will be able to buy, in confidence, another Nissan.

 

High performance tires wearout in 10-15K miles depending on how you drive. If you can't live with that get a family car. ( I understand that there seems to be some alignment problems and the OEM tires are not as high quality as they could be based on the given examples) but it looks to me that Nissan is stepping up more than Acura or Porsche ever did when I owned an NSX or a 911 and I was concerned about the rear tires wearing out on the rear of the NSX and the 911 in 10K miles. Acura and Porsche said that is normal with a sports car, live with it. About the transmission problem, looks to me like it is a very small number of owners with this problem and it is interesting that the same owners have had their transmissions replaced several times, sounds like it could be pilot error, but Nissan is still standing behind these owners even when based on the owners signatures their Z's have been modified (increasing engine output) and most manufactures, including Porsche and Acura would void their warranty and not replace the transmission. Now I am sure that any manufacture can have a failure and it is not the owners fault, but if that is the case it looks like Nissan also stands behind the warranty and replaces the transmission. What would concern me if I was looking at buying a Z would be the owners saying that the Manufacture did not address their problem and just blew them off. Not the case from what I have read.

 

The tires on the M3 will last around 10K-15K miles just like the Z. Your 323 is in the same performance range, just like the Lexus ES 300 and the tires will last 40-50K miles. Different tires different performance different mileage. I agree that it sounds like the Z had some alignment issues that would affect tire wear, so does the Acura NSX and it can also be adjusted and you can get 20K miles out of the rear tires but it also will not handle as well with the adjusted alignment. If Nissan will replace tires and align my Z so I can get 15K miles out of the OEM tires I will be happy with that and then I will buy a set of Michelin Pilots and hopefully get 15K - 20K miles from them. Perspective is a wonderful thing and I think reading these threads make some people lose perspective.

 

It is not that the tire wear out at 15 or 20 K miles, the problem is that the feathering causes noise and even some handling problems. I have had this problem crop up three times and had Nissan replace one set of from tires with less than 18K on the Z.

My first time it took nearly a year to get NNA to fess up to the problem. Dealer and NNA kept with BS of it's a sport car. Had to put up with nearly 10K miles with problem.

Last attempt to "fix" problem was last week, previous to that it was last June (late). According to work order that was $200 plus for tire rotation and alignment.

Personally I think they did something more than rotate the tires and alignment. Prior to getting work done the Z was handling and showing problems similar to those expirienced when wheel bearing are about to go. Lots of beaing noise, bit of shimmy on turns and brake pedal mis-behaving.

After getting Z back there was no bearing noise and you could feel the difference on turns...a lot crisper turn. Brakes were also more consistent. It is hard to describe but if you have experience these problem before then you "know" when they start showing up.

Again with these suspension problems I do not want to spend $200 plus evey three months for aligment and adjustments plus a new set of tires every six months or every 3-4k miles plus new tires every 6-8k miles.

Too me sports car or not this is a problem that needs to be fixed.

 

Good information, problem is that they might of done a fix that was a silent tsb that is only applied when they run into a car that has all of the problems your Z had. Could be a bad run of wheel bearing out there, combine this with the bad alignment and cheap OEM tires and you have your Z. So they put in a good set of wheel bearings and realign and new tires and your good to go until your cheap tires wearout again. Then you buy some Michelins and your good to go and no more problems.

 

Well, I am now one of the many with tires being replaced. As closely as I was watching for the feathering I never caught it but my dealer did.
I brought the car in today for feathering on the outside left front (second time since 1700 mile alignment) and he showed me the cupping starting on the inside of both front tires. Tomorrow with 9400 miles on car, the tires will be replaced.
The service I receive at my dealership is wonderful. They are concerned and admit there is no fix for the these problems. I will file a complaint tomorrow with NNA as well as the NHTSA.
I love this car but I feel f I do not start the ball rolling for a lemon law filing I will be stuck with a car with no resale value.

 

Is there any one else out there who is filing for a LEMON LAW buy back or has won there case?
Mark 804 784 8851

 

the dealer and nissan's service rep decided to replace all four tires. realign all tires and so far my 350Z drives well. i was told to bring it back in after 2000 miles.

 

Just wondering how many miles on your Z when they did this? Did they replace with the same type tires or change you to Michelins?

 

Pit Bull, that was a good question.

Friday was a "Z"day!!
I had my front tires replaced with the OEM Bridgetone's at 9500 miles, filed a complaint with NNA and NHSTA!!
The NNA claim process was a positive one. The agent said Nissan was aware of the problem (thought it was alignment), but was still working a fix.
The service manager told me the alignment was right on, so there was not an alignment issue since the last time it was aligned at 1700 miles, but the tires were over 60% worn. This clearly indicates Nissan hasn't a clue!!
I am taking all the appropriate steps to pull the trigger on a Lemon Law buy back, if required.
The Z is beautiful, but if a fix is not found, they will be worthless on a trade!!
Right now the car is riding like new...
Lew

 

Please excuse my ignorance but what do "NNA" and "NHTSA" stand for? I've seen these abbrviations all over this forum as well as OEM, tsb, etc. I have an idea what OEM and tsb are referencing based on the context of the sentence, but I'd have a better understanding if I knew what these abbreviations stand for. I noticed you referenced NNA and NHTSA in your post so I thought you might be able to help me understand. Thanks

Rod-Z-Guam

PS - I just had a flashback from my days in the military. "Go to the PX, hang a right at the APC, three clicks from the HQ Bldg. . ." LOL

 

Rod Z - Guam

OEM, Original Equipment Manufacturer
NNA, Nissan North America
NHSTB, National Highway Safety Transportation Board

 

NNA - Nissans complaint line
NHTSA - National highway and transportation safety (big brother)

 

OK Guys and Gals, I have a question for you all... (Yes I HAD the cupping / feathering issue, but is seems an alignment and new S-03s have kept the problem from returning. It's now been 9000 miles since I had the tires replaced. Original problem was found at less than 6000 miles.)


My question is this... Exactly how long do you expect our
oem tires to last? Without any Cupping / feathering problems, these are still Ultra High Performance tires. My 1995 Trans Am burned through a new set of Good Year Eagle GSCs in 6400 miles. The next set I got were some ZR Rated Michelins (Sorry I dont remember the exact model) these lasted me about 13000 miles.

I see Nissan replaceg tires for people with almost 15000 miles on the tires. (For these people, what kind of tread was left on your rear tires?)

Personally, I agree that this is a problem that needs fixing, BUT at the smae time, if SOME people are starting to experience this issue at 12000 - 15000 miles, isn't that about the expected life of an Ultra Performance tire?