krinkov

Well I think your assumptions were at least well founded. Honestly the most common reason behind feathered tire wear is bad toe alignment, caster alignment or both. But you say that correct alignment did not fix the problem. Also I would not alone assume that just because there was a part number change to the spring that it was to make the spring rate stiffer to fix the underdamped condition, but you have a TSB that states clearly that there was indeed a part change to a suspension piece in conjunction to the problem. well theres only 2 parts that would directly affect this condition; the strut, and the spring, so detecting the part change makes it a pretty safe assumption. Still an assumption but a pretty well supported one, let us know how it goes

phile

and my other question...build date was 10/02 vin number at the end after the letters was 0078XX. I would assume i'm gonna be onr of the ones who gets this tire wear. I got my z in feb. It was made in october...it must have been sitting for a long time cuz it didn't have many miles on it. I wish I had gotten a newer production model..

krinkov

yeah looks like your VIN my get affected. I think its best to also keep in mind that the nature of the internet is such that we have the power to hear from everyone else in the country with our car and these first year problems snowball into mass buyers remorse to a degree that would never had been seen in the years where the most contact you ever had with other owners of your car would be a mailing list or at local meets. When it comes down to it, the 350Z is acctually very well made with relitivly few problems compared with other first year production cars(just look at the amount of first year recalls on the Ford Focus or BMW X5 if you want a reality check )

ZZtopp

iTrader: (1)

Has anyone whose car was built after December experienced the feathering problem? And does the car still have the bounce? If the answer to these questions is no, then something must have been changed.....right?

jmark

iTrader: (1)

Boomer,

I hope you are right about the suspension part change. I'll talk to my dealer today and see what I can fine out. Maybe its why some of the Z owners can't figure out why some of us are complaining and others are happy. Haven't noticed the feathering yet but I will keep an eye for it. The bounce is definitely noticed!

03350z

Just got back from the dealer after review of my front tires again. Car was realigned at 10,000 miles with new tires installed because of excessive wear on inner edges. This time with only 2000 more miles on the new tires it was evident by me and the dealer that the cupping/feathering was still there. The dealer contacted NNA and their fix is still to just rotate the tire to put wear on the other edge. NNA said three months ago that they would have a fix within three months. No fix yet. I called NNA myself and was told that it was not a real issue as only a few owners have reported additional cupping after the cars had been aligned. I don't believe that and the dealer does not either. NNA should support the dealers and car owners better. I'm not sure I can wait for NNA to come up with a solution. I have begun to look into the Lemon Law here in Georgia but since I'm moving out west that may not be a solution. NNA should find a way to resolve this issue. I also got the run around on an issue that I have been having intermittently. I can’t fill the gas tank on many occasions as it kicked back the nozzle after only two or three gallons. I have tried slow filling, waiting a few minutes before starting again and moving the nozzle around. The dealer has tried three times to fix the tank issue with no success. Very frustrating as I need to make a long distance trip soon. Hope the tires last the trip and that I can get more than 100 miles between gas stops. Early VIN blues I guess.

jmark

iTrader: (1)

Guys,

Boomer is correct on the part number change on the springs. Partspeddler confirmed it to me in a PM. Now to get Nissan to retro fit the early Z's.....

vission

I haven't chimed in, in a loong time. But I too have the horrendous tire cupping issue, I took one of their teks for a ride, and his first comment was "That's the worst tire roar I've ever heard."

Anyways, I had a terrible clunking noise whenever I would gun it slightly. Tek tells me I need new Engine Mounts!! I was like you gotta be kidding! He goes ahead and orders them. Oh and he couldn't figure out why I had a popping noise when I turned the steering wheel.

So, this past weekend. I was like screw-it, I'll look and see what I can find. Take drivers side wheel off, first thing I find is a loose control arm nut, tightened it up - popping during steering gone!!!

I was like ok 1 for 3, let's look at those Engine Mounts.....
Hmmm, I see the left engine mount moving quite a bit, when shaking the engine, let's look closer...
Under the car, hmmm shouldn't their be a nut holding the Engine Mount to the frame?? Let's check the other side. Odd, there is a nut holding that engine mount down. Let me think....
Nothing holding left engine mount to frame......Possibly causing a clanking noise during acceleration? I think so, just happenend to find a perfect Lock washer & nut, in a junk can. Tightened that baby up. That engine is SOLID now guys!!! Woo Hoo!!

Now that's a good day.

But of course I still have terrible Tire feathering, although it does scare the hell out of someone when you pull up next to them, and your car sounds like a freight-train as it slows down. HA!

So I have a call to Nissan who is going to contact The Service Manager, I am wondering what they are gonna do, since I have had 2 different Nissan Dealers state the tires NEED to be replaced.

I have a questio about the Springs that have been changed in Dec. Can anyone post the part numbers of the Old and new Springs? I would like to ask Nissan to look into repaing mine.

Ok, enough chatter.
Later.
Vission

ezchief

I just called Nissan to get a file open on the feathering issue on the tires.

Interesting that "Shannon" knew what tire feathering is. File open and she and or a "Z" specialist will call back in a day or two. I will persist with this and suggest all who have the problem to call and let them know we will not let it stand.

Oh yeah, I told them that a bunch of people in Dallas are looking into their legal rights regarding this issue. I find a little push can work wonders. Keep the pressure on people. The more files they have with the same problem equals the squeeky wheel that gets the oil.

WashUJon

Well, to start off I'm a little concerned as my car fits the VIN range and was built in Nov, 2003. I only have 1150 miles on the car and I have no idea if I'll have feathering yet, but now I'm worried I will. I don't like that I see more and more members getting left out in the cold on this when Nissan initially seemed to be on top of it.

Why don't you guys report this condition to the NHTSA as a SAFETY HAZARD. Surely badly worn tires that wear SO early could pose a serious hazard on the road.

Here is the complaint form. I'll post this in a NEW thread, as well, guys. I think this might be a good avenue for starting the ball rolling.

NHTSA complaint

phile

Hey JMARK, and whoever else knows anything about vin numbers:

here's your vin:

JN1AZ######103411

Here's my vin:

JN1AZ######007861

build date: 10/02
What was your build date?

Someone mentioned that the "1" denoted airbags. I have a "0"

Yet I have driver, passenger, side, and head curtain airbags. Can anyone elaborate? Im assuming my car falls within the vin# range of the Z's affected?

ezchief

I just submitted my claim. Took 7 minutes. In the open comments area I wrote "that I am scared and concerned for my safety and others due to uneven tread wear and possible suspension problem"

Hope a call from the feds will let NNA know that I am serious about this.

Thanks for he link. I suggest if you want resolution, you try the same. My $.02.

slaponte

iTrader: (2)

After ignoring this thread for a while (I figure I would give it some time to settle down), here is what I think would be usefull :

A) Does somebody have access to post-december springs (take offs?)? It would be usefull to compare post-december and pre-december spring to see if the rates did change or not. With so many people doing suspension upgrades on this boards, a set of post and pre springs should be easy to find, no? Just to settle this one question...

B) Does anybody know of an after market set of springs that does NOT lower the car? I think many of us don't want to lower the car, just want to solve the problem.

C) As a follow up to (B), given a set of non-lowering springs, how do I match the struts to them? Or, if I keep my stock springs, again, same question.

After all the reading, the jury is in that the springs and struts are not matched. Keeping the springs and replacing the struts would seem the best way to go, if you are going to pay yourself. A "stiffer" strut I hear you say, but how much stiffer?

Lets say I get a set of post-december springs (latest ones). How can I have them check to make sure they match the struts? Is there a way to take the stock spring, evaluate it, and come up with a strut recommendation?

Thanks.

WashUJon

I'm only trying to help, so no problem.

I really think notifying the NHTSA will be an effective way to get results on this issue. We only need more people to file complaints!

jelledge

My complaint has been filed with NHTSA. Hope it helps. They generally only investigate problems that cause a major safety concern like loosing control of the car, catching on fire, etc.

Ja

krinkov

I know it may sound odd, but yes, a well matched strut/spring combo even if more firm, will ride better than a mismatched bouncy setup that is not as firm.

as for replacing just the strut, it would be best to get an adjustable set that you can fine tune to your springs rather than looking for a non adjustable set and hoping it will match correctly.

jmark

iTrader: (1)

phile,

The 1 means side air bags I believe. I had a Sept. build. I am curious if the new springs are progressive and the old ones are not.......Eibach & NISMO replacement springs are progressive. I don't think the first springs were. Now if we can find two people who have replaced their stock springs (one who had an early Z and one who falls outside the TSB) to shoot pics of the stock springs and we'll know. I am pushing for an upgrade to the latest spring at a minimum. I also think Nissan will have to supply us with a suspension upgrade to allow chamber adjsutment up front. I know aftermarketers are already offering these pieces.

WashUJon

I would think that unevenly worn tires at only 4k miles might constitute a safety hazard where loss of traction is possible. I wouldn't discount the possibility at all and I'm glad you gave it a shot. I think everyone with the problem should post it there because, at the very least, it'll be seen by Nissan as a recurring theme of complaint. If they see that owners are trying to be heard by the NHTSA, they may take action without a forced recall. Who knows? The NHTSA may take interest in this.

JimH

I have a August 29 build Touring. Here are the stock springs (bottom) alongside the Eibach's I installed. Clearly, the stock are not progressive. The Eibachs have helped the ride greatly. Now, hopefully, we can get some pix up from a later build to compare.
Regards, Jim

phile

I have side airbags, and I have a 0 and not a 1. Can anyone explain?