Worn Tires

[coolman]

I have a 1994 Q45 with Michelin wide tires. The inside corner of the tires are worn on all four tires. The front two are more worn than the rear. What could be causing these problems? Bad alignment, fast cornering, etc?

[99q45t_vl]

Could be the combination of the two (too much negative camber). Please post the alignment numbers. Next time you have the tires rotated, make sure they get remounted to switch the inner and outer sides.

[maxnix]

Add worn suspension components also as a cause. Rotated every 3K miles? Flipped every 6K miles?

[squeefoo]

I have a 1994 Q45 with Michelin wide tires. The inside corner of the tires are worn on all four tires. The front two are more worn than the rear. What could be causing these problems? Bad alignment, fast cornering, etc?

Tension rod bushings may be worn/sloppy.I replaced mine and had an alignment done, toe was perfect after replacement no adj. necessary. Check the ball joints and the kingpin bearings too.This car is heavy and the suspension geometry normally wears that part of the tire faster anyway. Bummer.

EDIT : Read this too:zerothread?id=159004

[hardmoney]

"Michelin wide tires"? What size are your rims and tires? excessive width and size can be a culprit as well as any and or all of the reasons listed above.

[szh]

Add worn suspension components also as a cause.

Yes. The front upper links can be a major contributor to this wear. The links should be changed every 20 to 30k miles.

Z

[coolman]

My tires are Michelin Pilot XGT V4, P225/60R15 95V M+S which I bought at costco. Costco will not do a free rotation since tires are too worn. WalMart Tires says front tires are unidirectional rotation and cannot flip the front two tires. I am using the same factory rims. I plan to buy 2 of these same tires. Someone mentioned the width of the tires is the problem. Is it? Also, my Infiniti dealer says my tension rod bushings are crack. Should I replace just the bushings or the entire tension rod? Dealer did not mention the tie rod end. Should I replace the tie rod end? Also, is the left and right tension rods (entire rod) the same part or are there left and right versions?Thanks,

[hardmoney]

The size of your tires doesnt seem to be the problem, As a matter of fact the OEM tire size most guys here would recommend would be the 225/60/15. As far as flipping your tires go, Wal-mart is correct. However that doesn't mean you cant rotate the front to the rear if your fronts are wearing quicker to get a little extra mileage if that's what your looking for. If your tension rod bushings are cracked they could be part of your problem and its time to fix them. IMO your best bet is to buy some of the adjustable ones off of ebay, They run about $90-100 shipped and have a pillow ball joint that doesnt wear out instead of the OEM liquid filled bushings.Simply do a search for 300zx tension rods, they are the same exact part. The left and right by the way are the same. I would recommend you install them your self, its an easy job that shouldn't take more than about an hour or two and will get you familiar with the underside of your car and also save you a few bucks.After drive straight to midas and buy yourself a lifetime alighnment, its worth it($150 if i remeber correctly). Your alighnment I believe is your problem, its what would account for both front and rear wearing prematuly. If you want an easy way to DIY and find out if your tie rod ends are done for simply jack up both front tires off the ground and try to shake them back and forth, if you have any play then they need replacing.

[coolman]

Hardmoney, thanks for the advise. I search ebay for "300zx tension rod" and found the following ebay listing:http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...ZWDVW ($120 + $25 each) or this other ebay itemhttp://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...ZWDVW ($125.50 + $14 for 2 tension rods)

Which auction item is better?Would this part fit into my 1994 Q45 car? What is included in the Midas "Lifetime" alignment plan? Can I bring the car in for alignment checks and get it aligned for free after paying a one time $150 fee? How does it work?

[hardmoney]

The first auction is a little beefier. Id go with that one. The auction is for a pair not just one, the auction is a little confusing but it says right underneath the picture. As far as Midas goes you can bring it in at any time and they'll adjust it if necessary. Check around for a deal, you may find a better price.

[squeefoo]

Also, my Infiniti dealer says my tension rod bushings are crack. Should I replace just the bushings or the entire tension rod? Dealer did not mention the tie rod end.

Why didn't you mention this 5 hours earlier ??

Buy bushings and have them pressed in.

Then you don't need TRE's.

[DrewQ45]

Replacing cracked tension rod bushings is good but it may not be the source of your problem.

I replaced the ones you see below with brand new Stillen solid rods and hardly felt a difference. Not that I felt a problem to begin with, it was purely perventive maintenance and the hope of greatly improved feel which I never got. Climb under your car and see what kind of shape the tension rods are in. Small cracks are no big deal, you really have to watch how distorted the bushing is...that's the tell-tale sign. Btw, the oil you see was not leaking from the tension rods but other sources



..Drew..

[maxnix]

1.) My tires are Michelin Pilot XGT V4, P225/60R15 95V M+S which I bought at costco.

2.) Costco will not do a free rotation since tires are too worn. WalMart Tires says front tires are unidirectional rotation and cannot flip the front two tires. I am using the same factory rims. I plan to buy 2 of these same tires.

3.) Someone mentioned the width of the tires is the problem. Is it?

4.) Also, my Infiniti dealer says my tension rod bushings are crack. Should I replace just the bushings or the entire tension rod? Dealer did not mention the tie rod end. Should I replace the tie rod end?

5.) Also, is the left and right tension rods (entire rod) the same part or are there left and right versions?

1.) Good tire. Give us a tread depth measurement for each going across the tire from inside to out side.

2.) When tires are flipped (necessary with directional rims or wheels), the are dismounted and mounted on the opposite wheel, all orientations remaining the same, except your wear will now be on the out side. Best done every 6K miles. Do it, but you might require a realignment on a Hunter with a good operator. I know Costco doesn't align, so hopefully you had this done the first time you put them on.

3.) No. In fact, that size is short. A few of us are running the correctly sized but insufficiently H speed rated 235/60-15 XGTH4 (now out of production) until we have to bite the bullet and shell out the bucks for a proper tire and wheel combination.

4.) Just replace the bushings, not the entire rod. Dealers like to replace the entire rod because it increase revenue for the parts department and it minimizes labor for them. If you go to an independent shop, make sure they know when and to what torque to tighten the front bolt.

5.) L & R may be the same, but there is an OEM optional rod of different length to correct for improper caster.

#14 below



Oh, and I am running the NISMO solid polyurethane ones in one of my G50. A little harsher on impact, so not for bad roads or some urban areas.

[hardmoney]

I agree with Manix on replacing only the bushings($50?) being the cheaper route, however it sounds like coolman is planning on having this car a while, you mention an OEM optional rod($75-100?) , however if he needs a little adjustment then it just makes more sense to go ahead and get the aftermarket adjustable rods that will never need maintenance of any kind....... and are cheaper.

[coolman]

I just bought the Revo Technica Tension rods from ebay. I posted the link to this in an earlier post. I will be taking this to my local mechanic and someone mentioned the torque settings? I am assuming they meant how much torque to tighten the two bolts using a torque wrench, correct? When I bring this in to my local mechanic, what should I tell him so he would know how to install it and adjust the tension rod? How much torque should be used? I also plan to get this same mechanic replace a fan blade, 2 steering boots, and fuel filter that I plan to buy fron infinitipartsusa.com. I personally have never changed oil/filter in a car.

Thanks for the advice.

[maxnix]

You'll need an alignment with the new tension rods. Find a good operator with a Hunter machine.

98-118 ft. lbs. when the car is on its suspension suffices for the OEM bolts.

[Jeff Williams]

OK.

Excessive camber causes inside tire wear, but so does toe-out, and sagging springs.

The Q has no adjustment of the front alignmnet, except toe-in.

INFINITI issued a TSB back in the early 90's, and the fix was to replace the ension rods, upper links, then set the toe-in to as close to neutral as possible. This will put more weight on the outer edge of the tires.

If you are going with adjustable tension rods, you might as well get the adjustable upper links for the 300zx. They are about the same cost as OEM. This will make the whole front-end adjustable, and you can elminate tire wear.

This is also necessary, if you intend to lower the car, to keep the tire wear even.

The rear upper adjustable links for the 300zx work as well.

[texasoil]

THe CASTER mcan be easily adjusted on the G-50 front end with all OEM parts. The frame member to which the tension arm bolts has SLOTS in it and you can easily move it FORWARD to increase caster or AFT to decrease caster. You do have to remove the arm to loosen the mounting bolts, but takes me less than 1 min to do this using air impact wrench. This is the correct way to set the caster.

Camber is more difficult to adjust. But installing a strut tower brace greatly simplifies that too. Simple measure camber (normal ride height etc, the spread the top of the spring mounts with hydraulic jack to get the camber you want, then set the STB to fit. You may want to 'over spread' just a little to allow for some spring-back.

Another method is to slot the mounting holes for the top strut mount. Takes only a few minutes with power grinder. Easy to use 10th grade trigonometry to calculate how much slot lenght and direction is needed to make a given change.

Adjustable top mounts are very common in really high performance chassis-like NASCAR, INDY,etc.

[Q45tech]

But this thread is about a 94 Q with upperlinks ---changing spring/shock seat has nothing to do with Camber.

Look at #11 and #12 in the suspension drawing EARLIER the shims [thin 1/16-1/8"] fit between these and #10 to adjust camber.

[Jeff Williams]

But this thread is about a 94 Q with upperlinks ---changing spring/shock seat has nothing to do with Camber.

Look at #11 and #12 in the suspension drawing EARLIER the shims [thin 1/16-1/8"] fit between these and #10 to adjust camber.

I bought a set of longer bolts and thicker shims (made for the 300zx) to compensate for the Cal Custom springs. It is a PITA, to install, but will never slip or move once installed.

The frame member to which the tension arm bolts has SLOTS in it and you can easily move it FORWARD to increase caster or AFT to decrease caster. You do have to remove the arm to loosen the mounting bolts, but takes me less than 1 min to do this using air impact wrench. This is the correct way to set the caster.

I wonder if this is what moved when Evie hit that culvert. The Tension rod still fits the transverse link perfectly, even though it is moved backwards? I will ahve to check it out this afternoon.

[BlackBirdVQ]

Another method is to slot the mounting holes for the top strut mount. Takes only a few minutes with power grinder. Easy to use 10th grade trigonometry to calculate how much slot lenght and direction is needed to make a given change.

Adjustable top mounts are very common in really high performance chassis-like NASCAR, INDY,etc.

You mean like these ? It won't do **** on a G50 as the only thing that controls camber is the upper link. On Macpherson style front suspension the angle of the shock mounted to the spindle is what controlls your camber. There are 2 bolts that hold the strut to the spindle and then you can move the top of the strut inward or outward for needed camber adjustment.

I have the SLP upper links for my G50 and I have those JIC coilovers pictured here on my Maxima- which has a MacPherson strut front suspension vs multilink of the G50.

[maxnix]

Been looking for some of those like on the right for the FY33.

[louiegz]

If you are going with adjustable tension rods, you might as well get the adjustable upper links for the 300zx. They are about the same cost as OEM. This will make the whole front-end adjustable, and you can elminate tire wear.

I could be wrong, but I remember reading once that the adjustable upper links are the same length, fully extended, as the stock links, thus negating the ability to correct the negative camber. Do a search, but I read that about a year ago. I was keeping up on this because I'm getting squeak in the front over bumps so I'm due for a set myself.

[Q45tech]

People don't seem to get the concept, that the rear mount for upper link is bolted to the side of the shock tower. Thus the mount can be shimmed out by at least 1/8" which will move camber more positive by almost a degree.

If negative 0.7 is ideal and you lower by 1" you get negative -1.8 thus something like a [ 0.125"] thick shim would be needed between each of the 4 bolts and the mount.

Using your brain and a couple of alignments [camber readings] with a home camber gauge you can zero in on perfection.............or at least until the worse case bolt thread doesn't work with the nut.

Shock tower bend [from miles and accidents] and deflect from stress as does the third member [which should be replaced along with kingpin before you start to get CAMBER exact to perfect -0.7.