I have a '03 Performance with 58k miles and Nitto NT555's on it. The tread on the tires looks pretty good. I can stick my finger down in the grooves and I have to press a little to get down to the bottom. No idea what the depth is though. I don't think it's time for new tires based on the tread ware.

Now here is my problem...my car has a ton of road noise and I can feel every bump in the road. When I hit a small bump or hole I can feel it and the car has developed a ton of rattles do to this. What is causing the ride to be like this? I know the Z has a stiff ride but this is ridiculous.

What could be wrong? Is it my tires or shocks or all?

 

Just because you have tread doesn't mean that the tires are as hard as rocks (and will be extremely noisy as a result).

 

What was the ride like 10,000 miles ago?
What have you changed?

 

you've got nittos? Time for new tires dude...

 

New tires + alignment FTW
solved my issue with road noise

 

i had nittos for about 2 years and didnt have as harsh a ride as you are describing. and i was on 20's.

 

I'd also check the Z's wheel bearings, as they can cause a lot of noise if worn. I have similar miles on my pre-order '03 track and ended up finding a badly worn rear bearing that caused a lot of noise. You don't want a catestrophic failure on one of those!

 

...worn rear wheel bearings is the culprit!

 

Will Nissan dealer check/replace wheel bearing for free under regular warranty ?

 

i have nt555s right now and i love them. i dont hear any road noise. i think its most likely your shocks, do you have lowering springs?

 

Only if you're still in the warranty period. It falls under the Powertrain 5y/50K warranty.

 

If heavier than oem wheels and tires were installed stressing the bearings, Nissan may reject bearing warranty.

 

I've had the car for a year and have put 10,000 miles on it. Everything is stock. I can't remember if the ride was any different a year ago but I don't think it was much better.

 

Thanks.

Then what you are experiencing is a typical 350-Z ride, or a ride degraded by tires. Without driving the car, I haven't the faintest idea which it is.

 

Would new/better tires help out? It just feels like my car has no shock absorption and it sounds like it has no sound dampening. When I'm driving at highway speeds I can barely hear to talk on my cell phone and I have to turn my radio up really loud to be able to hear it.

My sister has a G35 sedan and it is very quiet and rides like a dream on rough roads.

 

So I just went out and looked at it and I saw that the right rear tire is worn very bad on the inside. The inside tread is almost smooth while the outside has a lot of the groove left.

So would this be covered by the alignment problem or am I out of luck and I just need to get new tires?

Car is an '03 with 58k miles on it.

 

I have the same problem. It is noisy as hell on the freeway, irritating and hard to hear the music. I bought new tires, just need to put them on and have the car aligned. The suspension is pretty stiff on the 350z stock, and I read on this forum that upgrading to the revised 06/07 suspension at least will make the ride better.

Does the 5yr/50k mile warranty apply to all vehicles? I have an 03 with 40k miles, does that mean I am covered? Second owner, bought car recently.

 

yup still covered.

 

I thought it was 5yr/60k?

 

So I looked this morning and the inside of the right rear tire is almost bald. If I get this aligned will the noise go away or do I need to get a new tire on there too?

Firestone said it is $69.99 for a front and rear alignment or lifetime for $149.99.