tire questions...yup...i'm a newb
 

i'm new in pretty much every aspect of the Z...my first RWD car, first sports car, and am basically mechanically DIS-inclined. :icon14:

i don't like to ask obvious questions and have read/searched as much as time allows for the past week regarding tires...so please be gentle. :p

i picked up my Z a few days ago (used) w/ 17,89x miles. the dealership replaced the rear tires with stock Potenzas because they were completely bald. great. BUT, being ignorant to the feathering issue, i didn't know to look for that and found the next day to have, what i believe to be bad wear on the fronts.

here are pics of my 2005 fronts:

front right tire:
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k1...feathering.jpg

front left tire:
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k1...eathering2.jpg

questions:

1. is that indeed the official feathering or simply how a Z's fronts will wear down over time? i know...dumb question...but i've found so many conflicting threads. :icon14: SHOULD the front tires on our Z's wear evenly no matter what (assuming alignment is proper) or does the sports suspension, etc cause inner tread to wear out first normally?

2. whatever kind of wear my pics show...what level of wear do you rate it at? i don't think i see wear bars, but again, i'm not the best at this stuff. the road noise/roar is very loud at the typical reported 20-28MPH, but still present up to about 40MPH. basically wondering if it's already at an unsafe level.

3. i'm going to visit the dealership to see what (if anything) they will do since i just bought it from them. again, my fault for not knowing ahead of time...but if it's unsafe they should have replaced them just as they did the rear tires. i was told by the manager "the front tires are maybe ~25% worn but perfectly fine".

thanks for any input you have. i have various notes ready to go when i visit the dealer, but am interested to hear what the experts here have to say as well.

2005s dont have tire feathering. Looks like you just need new tires. Think of it as a good thing, because there are many winter tires that have better handling than the sh!t tires that come with the Z. I suggest michelin PS2 for summer tires or bridgestone potenza RE960AS pole positions if you want all seasons.

1.) Sports suspension typically causes the tires to wear out in the inside more than the outside. Its more pronounced if you lower the car and don't get an alsignment.
2.) Stock tires should last to 20k-30k miles if you drive normally. They can last as little as 10k miles if you drive like a maniac, and maybe 150 miles on a track if you're lucky.. Its unsafe if you don't feel safe driving it :-D
3.) Typically a dealer will say eff you on wearable items like brakes, tires and clutches..

I can't see the pictures btw.

thank you for the reply. the pics show up for me...using photobucket. same pics are in a detailing thread of mine here as well that others seem to view properly:

https://my350z.com/forum/cleaning-and-detailing/305340-detailing-has-begun-on-the-z.html

oh...one final question to add:

--when i replace the front tires, i assume it's ok to mix brands since the rears are new Potenzas. i could get whatever everyone recommends here (daily driving...no track...just occasional "spirited" moments..haha). as long as the size is correct, there isn't a problem with say Toyo on the front and Potenza on the rear.

the 2 pics of the front shows that you do have either feathering or some sort of alignment wear on the inside of the tires. It's hard to tell which one due to the fact the tires do look a bit low on tread.

When you replace the fronts have the alignment done correctly and try to buy a set of tires that has:

1) Correct size
2) Same tread pattern and design
3) Same speed rating

Thanks for the photos.

From the looks of the front tires, its probable that you have a feathering problem. Look at the high (light) and low (dark) blocks on the inside of the tire. The tire is cupped or scalloped. This is typical feathering.

How is the noise level from the front tires?

Great photos… That effort gets you better help.

The tires are obviously worn out (at least at the bad edge) and need replacement. The strange thing is you would expect the more worn part to be on the outside of a front tire (more pressure and wear here when turning). Probably the previous owner or the dealer reversed the front tires in an attempt to even the wear. That maneuver won’t do much when the tire is that worn. The tires in your picture are “cupped,” and they will be noisy. You need new front tires.

You can safely mix tires from different manufactures, front to rear. I’ve done this successfully. It’s best if you match the type and characteristics of tire as closely as reasonably possible.

--Spike

As Spike100 said dissimilar tires front to rear is fine, just not on the same axle unless it is an emergency (like when you use your spare).

I would recommend a wheel alignment, as while it was pointed out, your year doesn't specifically suffer from the feathering ailment, any car can be misaligned for any number of reasons. Plus if you are going to put new tires on you might as well have the piece of mind that the alignment is in fact good going forward.

And as it has been said already, thanks for the pictures, they really are a huge help.

thank you VERY much to everyone for all of the information. :thumbup:

i went to the dealer this morning and they took a look at everything. the tech was very helpful and spent about 15 minutes discussing everything with me. he said the wear was definitely due to the alignment being off and that the wear was different on each tire, showing that it really needs to be adjusted. the front right tire is far worse and apparently causing all of the noise (i'd hate to hear BOTH tires doing that then!).

i'm waiting to get the quote for tires/alignment faxed to me...then the manager that sold me the car will review it. i basically told him to cover the repairs since it shouldn't have been sold in that condition. of course, my stupid mistake of driving away with it is my fault...just hoping they have mercy on my soul. i've learned a big lesson from this...triple-check a used car and get it on a lift no matter what...or WALK.

there were a few other surprises under the car...the previous owner bottomed it out fairly bad at some point (or wiped out into a ditch or something)....perhaps that's where the alignment went wrong. live and learn for me i guess.

i'll let you know how it ends up.

thanks!

Not meaning to diss the OP at all but it is imperative, imo, to have any used car you buy checked out by a mechanic you pay & trust. It will cost you a hundred bucks or so but could save you hundreds...or more.

I cannot tell for sure but they look like the also have some cupping on the tires. If you rub your hand down the tire do you have high and low spots ?

I agree… but picking the mechanic may be part of the equation. For example, you may not have “a mechanic you pay & trust.” You and I are a little older and have this guy, but a younger buyer not owning cars for a long time may not know where to go for this.

One thing is checking the car’s service records. That only tells you if there has been oil changes and normal service. Of course CarFax might reveal some nasty stuff about the car.

But… Here’s something else to consider. Nissan has a long checklist and service standard at 30k, 60k, and past that. These are the service points where you pay something like $500 for replacing fluids, doing adjustments, and completing a long checklist (which you wonder if it was done at all). So why not turn the tables and insist you get the “Official” checklist? If the car has 30k miles or less, you demand the Nissan 30k checklist, and past that you ask for the 60k checklist when buying a used car at the dealership. That gives you a record in writing signed by an authorized agent of the dealer. If something isn’t right and they deliver the car, you have some recourse.

I’m not certain, but I would bet the OP’s got that going now. He may not even know it, but it’s probably there. He reports the dealer’s mechanic is spending a lot of time with him already. I’m sure he has a good dealer who wants to “make it right.” He promises to report back, so we will see.

--Spike

back with the outcome...as promised!

no worries about dissing the OP...errr...me. i know you should have an independent check it out. this situation was a bit different, leading me to believe i was "safer"...but as i stated above, lesson learned.

the car was purchased from a porsche/audi dealership...it was a trade-in. so, the inspection wasn't done by Nissan techs. i took it to the dealership's Nissan location today and a "master tech" looked at it with me.

the end result was the Nissan service writer discussed it with the audi/porsche manager that sold it to me and they agreed to replace the front tires and do an alignment free of charge. the tech said the alignment was "way off" and had significant premature cupping, NOT feathering. the other items i had them look at are going to be fixed under the standard bumper-to-bumper warranty. these were a creaky driver's seat (new seat rail needed...parts are on order) and an A-pillar vibration.

i also have the greasy window issue, but they came back and said it's "an adjustment, not a repair" and probably isn't under warranty. i thought the TSB on the 03/04's would help my case, so we'll see.

cliff notes: dealer fixing issues and making it right.

my take: i didn't expect them to cover it all...i would have even been happy if they prorated the tires (it IS used, after all). so, i'm just having the stock Potenzas put on by them. i didn't want to push my luck and complicate things with "oh, can i upgrade?". :)