A&Q about 350Z
Q:
Cantzmee, if you have the OEM wheels and tires, The dealer is the best way to get your alignment done. Check with them and nissan will do it for free. Plus they might change the tires too with little or no out of pocket expense for you.
A:
Here's a link for ya...
My SB ZR still feels like HEAVEN....what a wild ride!
A:
Mine is an '04 enthusiast with 17" tires. I started having feathering at 7,500 miles. The dealer gave me the free front replacement tires with the new tread pattern and the alignment with the new specs. I have over 16,000 miles on the new front tires and no problems at all. Just depends on your dealer and how good they are with alignments. I have heard both good and bad regarding the dealers capabilities with alignment. I don't think the tires are good for much more than 25,000 miles anyway with our very low stock tread wear rating.
A:
tire noise is common with badly worn tires or feathered tires. same with vibration.
The front tires on the Z get worn improperly because the suspension has problems. It has nothing to do with negative camber up front, it has to do with the way the car throws its weight against the tires as the car turns or reacts to bumps as it drives.
Either way, all tires will be affected by this problem in the same way. You're just able to compensate for it by using a new alignment which hopefully evens out the friction across the tire rather than focusing it on the inner edge. All they did was give it a little toe-in which will naturally focus friction on the outer edge of the tire as you drive straight.
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1985 300ZX n/a
A:
PHX31 is on the right track with this discussion--except I don't think the "worn improperly because the suspension has ‘problems’" phrase is exactly right.
High-performance sports cars have active suspensions that react to road and driver input with high performance built into the design. The 350Z frontend is toeing out aggressively when the driver/road input is aggressive. That's why the Zee handles like a dream.
It's not just our 350Zs that have this "problem" with premature front tire wear (cupping/feathering). Talk to the guys who drive Porsches and BMWs (to say nothing of the McClarens, Vipers, and Ferraris) who drive aggressively and you will find the same situation. The 2003 350Zs, as "consumer" sportscars, were guilty of "over ambition" in this regard (90% of Zee drivers don't want or need a suspension that aggressively responds at even sedate inputs), but you could make the case that if you were going racing, the 2003 setup would be darned close to what your racing mechanic would want to dial in.
Drive like a pussycat, and your Potenzas will go 20K (if you are lucky--they ARE a low treadwear compound). Drive like a tiger and expect to replace them (all around) at 10-15K (I'm down to the wearbars on my rears at 6,500 miles--but I autocross).
(BTW: I'm not a suspension expert, but my technical advisor, a master mechanic who works on all manner of high-performance street and racing sportscars is.)
Zeero
2005 Daytona Blue 350Z
A:
Zeero:
You're also right. The 350Z used a suspension designed to provide the best handling they could manage, especially given the weight of the vehicle. For a car as heavy as it is, the 350Z is on top of the handling arena (for a car of any weight).
However, there are 2 other cars which have suspensions either identical to the 350Z or slight variations upon the same design: The G35 Sedan and the G35 Coupe. Both of these cars which share the same front suspension design are also affected by poor tire wear.
This is why I call it a "suspension problem": it isn't confined just to one car, but to all cars with the same design. As you pointed out, the 350Z is designed to be a sports car with sport handling. The G35s (while the coupe version is definitely sporty) are primarily designed to have a softer "luxury" feel. So while they also handle very well, you wouldn't really expect the tires to wear out quite that bad on a car of their type.
Plus, there are plenty of other suspension setups that handle just as well but don't eat up tires...
Luckily the problem isn't too bad, because a minor correction in alignment specs alleviates most of the symptoms. Handling may be slightly affected, but I don't think many drivers would even notice after increasing the toe-in slightly.
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1985 300ZX n/a
A:
Actually, guys, the Z design doesn't "handle like a dream." The handling--stock suspension--is very good, but the staggered tire sizes and the stock sway bars add up to one thing: built-in understeer. The understeer isn't awful, but it's there nonetheless, and it provides a margin of safety for the unskilled or uncautious.
I just did a minor mod to mine, and the difference is noticeable: Replaced the stock sways with Nismo S-Tune sways. That makes the rear anti-sway about 40 percent "stiffer" than stock and increases weight transfer to the front in cornering. It also provides a "firmer stance" on wavy pavement that is perceptible.
One could get more aggressive by going to adjustable front and rear sways--ability to go much stiffer at both ends and still maintain stiffer rear than front for weight transfer purposes. And, the capper would be to go to 245's front and rear. Shocks and coilovers would be the icing on the cake, but they're not necessary to get to a pretty "tracky" setup via just wheels/tires and sways. It all depends upon how "tail-happy" you want the car to be. Even with my minor tweak, there is a real improvement in how the car drives through a turn.
BTW, those of you who are very interested in straight line acceleration should stay away from "track" mods, since suspension tune that helps you in the turns works against you in light-to-light combat.