350Z - tyre initiation test!?

[Adrian7]

Hi All
I bought a 350Z three weeks ago; a 2003 year GT with 14K miles, and still under warranty. I absolutely love the drive; even more than my previous car (BMW 330ci). But, there's been one niggling aspect of ownership so far that has led me to this club for help.

I'm hoping this is a common problem so I probably only have to utter the words 'tyre feathering' to cause fellow club members to nod knowingly...

Just in case this is not common, it's basically an annoying rumbling/rubbing noise from the front tyres at low speeds and under braking and deceleration. (The Brembo brakes have plenty of life left so I know it's not them).

So, I booked it into a Nissan dealer who told me to simply replace the front tyres, which would fix it. But, the front tyres (Bridgestone Potenza RE040) have plenty of tread left and do not need replacing - even according to my local tyre centre!

Searching around on the web reveals stories of a product recall in the US, but only vague recognition by Nissan UK that there is a problem. There is one report of a Nissan UK dealer replacing the tyres and resetting the 'toe-in settings' but it is not clear whether this was under warranty or at the owner's cost.

Has anybody had a similar experience and solved it? Any advice on action that can be taken with Nissan? Any recommended tyre choice when I need to replace them?
Thanks!

 

[grolls]

Only the first 25-30% of the tyre is spot on, after that any tyre suffers with poor performance issues. Some cars suffer more than others so I would suggest getting rid of the old ones and trying a new set. You say the car has done 14k, but was that hard miles or local trips and no hard braking? There are other issues like has the car ever been kirbed, do you always drive the car faster and harder on left handers as opposed to right handers? these can have a huge effect on tyre life. The cheapest option is to start again I think.If it persists then go back to the dealer.

 

[TheMinel]

warranty job, well known in the Uk too mate. Many many owners have had that replaced under warranty. There's even a TSB out in the UK, specific for the UK market... don't let the delaer ofb you off, write to NMGB customer services, if they can't help aim higher, CS Manager, MD etc etc.

Good luck

 

[Adrian7]

Thanks both for the replies, I'll chase 'em down at H/O and dob the local dealer in for showing so much disinterest!
BTW this club & website is superb, it's good to be part of it. I'll nip on once a month or so (mad busy work/home life) and check out the latest..
Cheers