T-DUB

There is a tire feathering thread that is "sticky" but also a few thousand threads deep... from what i could find in there i feel i'm pretty much screwed in my situation but here it is and maybe someone could help me out....?

I just bought my '03 350z 2 months ago. so far i have put 4200 miles on the "brand new" tires that the used car dealer gave me on the car during purchase. They are the potenza stock oem tires. Since then the inside 3rd of the front two tires are completely bald and showing the threading of the tire through the rubber.

I am not Driving the Z for safety reasonms for the tires like that but i also don't have the money to replace them so soon . since i bought it i have installed a injen SRA and Helix test pipes .

I took the car in to have them look at the tires and told them that it's insane that i have to buy new tires after i just bought the car and they have refused to replace anything. However the refusal is even before they looked at anything but the tires so they havent seen the test pipes or intake...


Where should I go or how should I proceed?

Thanks!

davidv

iTrader: (2)

There is little need to create another feathering thread. Everyone wants an answer other than this:

Buy new tires. Get an alignment.

Unfortunately that is the answer.

T-DUB

I understand there are way too many feathering threads but after i buy new tires and get an allignment, How do i stop the feathering?

Can we put up a new "sticky" post with the current information on the fix/preventative maintenence for Tire feathering (the biggest pain in the A$$ for Z owners)

I dont want to spend $500 on tires and allignment and be screwed 4500MI down the rd. again. I'm 21 and have loved the 350Z since it has come out. I'm breaking the bank working full time and going to school full time. Everything to fix & prevent this problem for me is a huge help!

Thanks again!

Dr. Venture

iTrader: (19)

take it to the dealer, should be covered under recall, it not go with what david said! OHHhhh and do not buy them Bridgestones...GARBAGE!!!

The Brickyard Rat

iTrader: (1)

The only solution is alignment & good tires. Other option is to let car sit.

Have alignment done by Nissan dealer.

Dr. Venture

iTrader: (19)

to hell with the nissan dealer!!! I do my own alignments and i let them sons o bitches do my recall and when they redid my alignment was all pulling hard to the left, so i redid it at my shop! i also put on bfgoodriche g forces, and i do my alignment about once a month just because every time i check it it's always off somewhere. Luckily its free for me.

YOGURT!

iTrader: (1)

welcome to my world.. I WOULD NOT buy this car again had i known that after 7k miles my "new" tires would be shot..
its in today for an alignment, i plan on wearing these down to the cords, buying the tire replacement warranty, getting new tires on my own, and if they start feathering again, run over some glass or an unfortunate piece of metal in the road, and getting a new set on warranty.. ****ing nissan wont stand behind the car.. so im out to screw em.

halcyon901

iTrader: (2)

first, if you dont want to buy new tires, you could rotate the tires left to right, and vice versa. but since they are bald, i dont know if thats a good idea.

you should really read the tire feathering sticky, to see all your options. i know i might be missing some info here, but to sum up, Nissan will basically do nothing for you, except the TSB, which some dealers wont do. the tsb calls for a wheel alignment, and rotation of tires. you could just nag the dealer to have this done everytime you see excessive tread wear or tire noise, which are symptoms of tire feathering.

also, dont get the stock bridgestones, cause they cost more, ride is crappy, and make tons of noise.

HDPDZO6

Just an FYI, there was never a recall for the tire feathering issue.

Spike100

That is correct. There is no recall for this problem. It’s not a safety issue, and therefore never reached “recall status.”

There is a class-action suit settlement with a mailing to registered owners, but it provides a small benefit to a narrow owner-group. As usual, it’s the lawyers who saw the greatest benefit.

The History and the Story

First of all: The “tire-feathering” issue for the 350 Z is solved. No one should be experiencing this problem any longer.

The problem description: Some 2003 (and I think 2004, not sure about this since I have a 2003) cars were delivered with faulty alignment. That caused the front tires to wear prematurely. The problem was evident in tire wear, and some owners reported a “noise problem” while braking and running slowly. I personally experienced both problems.

The “First Fix”: Nissan instructed the dealers to change the alignment. That fixed the problem for most owners, but not all. Why not all? As it turned out, some of the Nissan dealers had faulty alignment equipment that required recalibration to bring the equipment up to the standard to correctly set alignment on the Z.

The “Second Fix”: Nissan required all dealers to recalibrate alignment equipment, and after doing this, provide certification for the equipment-correction. Once that was accomplished, the “tire-feathering” issue disappeared. That was the “final fix.”

The Point: There is currently no ”tire feathering” problem on any Z model/year. You only need to insure you have correct alignment.

--Spike

Spork

iTrader: (6)

Correction...


The Bridgestone Potenza RE040 (came stock) tires are GARBAGE.

AREITU

I hope the second fix is the real fix.

My 6200-mile-old 08 is feathering. Contacting a dealership tomorrow...

350z2k3

iTrader: (5)

hmmm first 08 I've heard with "feathering"

DavesZ#3

iTrader: (26)

What recall? Nissan never issued a recall for feathering - only a TSB. It's long since expired.

DavesZ#3

iTrader: (26)

Any car can develop feathering, especially if it's not kept aligned properly.

chopperman

iTrader: (9)

Spike thanks for that post, keeps me from going through all those pages in the thread.

This shouldnt really be a problem with people who have coilovers and wheels because you should always get an alignment when you install them, correct?

AREITU

I would think it'd take more than 6000 miles and a month of driving over a dozen speedbumps a day to get out of spec. Looks like I'll have to align the car often. Given that kind of driving, how often do you figure?

DavesZ#3

iTrader: (26)

I'm doing mine annually.

super_undftd

how long do tires last if you align the car annually?

cheshirecat79

iTrader: (9)

Nice bump of an old post, but it really depends on your driving.

If on stock tires and with the stock alignment specs, not driving the car hard, you can expect about 20k out of rears and you may be able to squeeze 40k out of the fronts.

Drive the car hard or drop the car resulting in camber wear, or heaven forbid you have toe issues, and that number will drop dramatically.