Weird Tire Wear, educated opinions?

Hi-Step'n370Z · 07-06-2011, 03:35 PM

Last year there was some discussion on the Forum about the uneven tire wear on the outer treads of our tires. I had the issue and discussed it with the Nissan GTR tech at the dealership.

He said that because of the factory set camber, that's the way the tires will wear, and there's no adjustment to correct it. I think there is on the rear, but not the front, or on the front but not the rear, not sure about that.

He said that the Z is designed for the track - specifically cornering - and if you drive 60 mph-ish, you will not place enough force on the suspension to "level out" the tire.

Going through curves at racing speeds, the tire will level out and all the treads will make contact. I accepted that answer, but never felt real solid about it.

Even at the track, you're not always in a curve! What about the straight away?

It is hard to watch the tire wear past State Inspection just because one to two treads have worn below the allowable depth to pass State Inspection.

Does anyone have some input on this? If an adjustment could be made, I'd do it tomorrow. I don't drive my Z like it's on the track and would gladly give up the full track performance if it would extend the life of my tires.

spearfish25 · 07-07-2011, 08:45 PM

The rear tires on the Z have negative camber that probably evens out (goes to 0 camber) during cornering. The front tires are factory set with near 0 camber. When tracking, cornering shifts the camber to positive and wears the outer edges more than the inner. Ideally, a track setup would have more front negative camber and leave the rear alone.

cossie1600 · 07-07-2011, 08:48 PM

Stock Z has -1.8 or so in the back, nearly -1 in the front. It's not exactly zero.

Hi-Step'n370Z · 07-08-2011, 07:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cossie1600

Stock Z has -1.8 or so in the back, nearly -1 in the front. It's not exactly zero.

Does this mean that there's no adjustment to keep the outer edges from wearing so much more than the inner?

cossie1600 · 07-08-2011, 08:18 AM

Buy a harder tire and check your toe, your tire should last a lot longer

07-07-2011, 08:45 PM	#17 (permalink)
spearfish25 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Naples, FL Posts: 4,117 Drives: to work Rep Power: 1856	The rear tires on the Z have negative camber that probably evens out (goes to 0 camber) during cornering. The front tires are factory set with near 0 camber. When tracking, cornering shifts the camber to positive and wears the outer edges more than the inner. Ideally, a track setup would have more front negative camber and leave the rear alone. __________________ 2013 Cadillac V-Wagon, RIP Z

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07-06-2011, 03:35 PM	#16 (permalink)
Hi-Step'n370Z Enthusiast Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: new york Posts: 425 Drives: '10ZR S/B AT Tour NV Rep Power: 277	Last year there was some discussion on the Forum about the uneven tire wear on the outer treads of our tires. I had the issue and discussed it with the Nissan GTR tech at the dealership. He said that because of the factory set camber, that's the way the tires will wear, and there's no adjustment to correct it. I think there is on the rear, but not the front, or on the front but not the rear, not sure about that. He said that the Z is designed for the track - specifically cornering - and if you drive 60 mph-ish, you will not place enough force on the suspension to "level out" the tire. Going through curves at racing speeds, the tire will level out and all the treads will make contact. I accepted that answer, but never felt real solid about it. Even at the track, you're not always in a curve! What about the straight away? It is hard to watch the tire wear past State Inspection just because one to two treads have worn below the allowable depth to pass State Inspection. Does anyone have some input on this? If an adjustment could be made, I'd do it tomorrow. I don't drive my Z like it's on the track and would gladly give up the full track performance if it would extend the life of my tires.

07-07-2011, 08:48 PM	#18 (permalink)
cossie1600 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: californee way Posts: 5,380 Drives: 370, Leaf Rep Power: 29	Stock Z has -1.8 or so in the back, nearly -1 in the front. It's not exactly zero.

07-08-2011, 08:18 AM	#20 (permalink)
cossie1600 A True Z Fanatic Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: californee way Posts: 5,380 Drives: 370, Leaf Rep Power: 29	Buy a harder tire and check your toe, your tire should last a lot longer