I am experiencing some pretty poor tire wear on the inside edge of my front tires. 350Z 18" wheels with Yokohama S-Drive tires on my Z32. new in the Spring.

The inside 1" of the tread pattern is very uneven on both sides of the car. I am pretty sure that is what Rich from RDZ300 told us to look for in the Z32. I was told there are not too many adjustments on the Z32.

Rears are looking fine. Any more suggestions on what can be done with the fronts to reduce this wear pattern?

My other question is related to a huge piece of gum stuck to the inside of my right front wheel. It was spread out to about 3" flat pancake. Could a piece of gum throw off my wheels balance? I thought I was feeling a little wobble in the last few months, that would actually go away after about 5 miles of highwat driving.

Lets hear what you think.

_________________
Keith Hultmark
2009 370Z Touring - Sold (5 years owned)
1993 300ZX - Sold (5 years owned)
1976 Porsche 912E. #163 of 2200 - SOLD (3 years owned)
2018 BMW 330i GT xdrive daily driver
2004 BMW Z4 3.0i ….it is a Z

Tires wearing faster on the inner edges of front tires is usually a signal
of excessive toe-out, but I'm not familiar w/what adjustments are
available on a Z-32 to deal w/that.

I can't believe that a blob of bubble gum would throw off a wheel's
balance to where it could be felt, but I remember an owner coming in
complaining of a shake like you described and we found a blob of mud
(which had hardened on the inside of the rim) which was the culprit.
BTW was there any improvement once you removed the gum?

All Z Best,.........................Rick (& Kathy)

_________________
All Z Best,.......Kathy & Rick

1969 Z.CAR (#00013 10/69) 8/30/76
1969 ITSA.Z (#00171 11/69) 8/24/73
1970 OLD.Z (#06289 6/70) original owner
1971 510 2dr since 12/31/75
1969 1600 rdstr (our 160-Z)
1971 (#19851 1/71) sold
1975 75.Z (#01343 1/75)

Rick...I was switching back to my stock wheels for winter storing when I found the gum. So I will not be driving on the 18" wheels until Spring time. I'll take the Z out tomorrow with the stock wheels and see if there is any wobble.

_________________
Keith Hultmark
2009 370Z Touring - Sold (5 years owned)
1993 300ZX - Sold (5 years owned)
1976 Porsche 912E. #163 of 2200 - SOLD (3 years owned)
2018 BMW 330i GT xdrive daily driver
2004 BMW Z4 3.0i ….it is a Z

Well my stock 16" Wheels are rolling just fine and have never worn unevenely. I think I'll bring the 18" one in for rebalancing over the winter.

_________________
Keith Hultmark
2009 370Z Touring - Sold (5 years owned)
1993 300ZX - Sold (5 years owned)
1976 Porsche 912E. #163 of 2200 - SOLD (3 years owned)
2018 BMW 330i GT xdrive daily driver
2004 BMW Z4 3.0i ….it is a Z

To much negative camber.

Heres my alignment report from a local shop. Mike Rosann's was very similar done at Miller Nissan. We were both told that camber and caster are no adjustable on the Z32.

Man it is tough being a confused old man, right Tristan

_________________
Keith Hultmark
2009 370Z Touring - Sold (5 years owned)
1993 300ZX - Sold (5 years owned)
1976 Porsche 912E. #163 of 2200 - SOLD (3 years owned)
2018 BMW 330i GT xdrive daily driver
2004 BMW Z4 3.0i ….it is a Z

Are there not Camber/Caster adjusting plates you can buy for atop the shocks. The Gum is most likely a plug repair, they didn't cut it down to the tire. Don't pull it off, it might leak again.

Paul, the gum was actually gum...green mint. It was plastered to the back of the wheel about 12" from the stick on balancing weights. The centrifical force stretched it out to about 3" in diameter pancake.

I'll have to look into the aftermarket adjusting plates.

_________________
Keith Hultmark
2009 370Z Touring - Sold (5 years owned)
1993 300ZX - Sold (5 years owned)
1976 Porsche 912E. #163 of 2200 - SOLD (3 years owned)
2018 BMW 330i GT xdrive daily driver
2004 BMW Z4 3.0i ….it is a Z

Keith

Is the off-set on those rims the same as the original rims??

A different off-set will change the weight distribution across the contact patch. Causing the tire to wear un-evenly.

Pat

_________________
Pat & Regina
Current Inventory
73 240Z Gray (in fostercare)
74 260Z White project car (back on the road)
74 260Z Brown triple webers
75 280 Z stroker
82 280ZX
91 300ZXTT
12 370Z Black

Now that you mention it, as I look at the front stock wheels they do seem to sit inside the fenders a tiny bit more than the 18" wheels even though the width of the rubber is still the same. I'll have to go back and find/review the offset info.

_________________
Keith Hultmark
2009 370Z Touring - Sold (5 years owned)
1993 300ZX - Sold (5 years owned)
1976 Porsche 912E. #163 of 2200 - SOLD (3 years owned)
2018 BMW 330i GT xdrive daily driver
2004 BMW Z4 3.0i ….it is a Z

Once you change the diameter, offset and ride height of the the car you will need some aftermarket method of changing the suspension geometry back to near factory specs for daily driving.

You aren't old Keith, just "vintage".

I am starting to really like my stock wheels again. Been driving around today and will drive tomorrow then she hibernates for the winter.

Reading 300zxclub.com forum, the main suggestion to fix the camber issue is to install adjustable upper control arms. Sounds like a winter project to me. Or does anyone want to buy 18" 350Z wheels with new rubber, slighly worn on the front insides?

_________________
Keith Hultmark
2009 370Z Touring - Sold (5 years owned)
1993 300ZX - Sold (5 years owned)
1976 Porsche 912E. #163 of 2200 - SOLD (3 years owned)
2018 BMW 330i GT xdrive daily driver
2004 BMW Z4 3.0i ….it is a Z

Ok, just checking............must of been good gum to still have flavor. .......or adjustable control arms. I liked those rims on your car, are you sure you want to sell them.

The gum had a minty smell...I did not taste

I'll probably look into the suspesions parts...I do like the look of the 18" wheels.

_________________
Keith Hultmark
2009 370Z Touring - Sold (5 years owned)
1993 300ZX - Sold (5 years owned)
1976 Porsche 912E. #163 of 2200 - SOLD (3 years owned)
2018 BMW 330i GT xdrive daily driver
2004 BMW Z4 3.0i ….it is a Z

Hey keith, what kind of 'wear' were you developing on the inside edges of those tires? Were they cupping or feathering? Can you tell which direction each tire was dragging (in or out) on each side?