My wife recently had Nexen N5000's put on her 2005 G35X. They were recommended to her by her cousing who worked at the tire shop. Upon her returning to Albuquerque, she said the tires causing her to swerve in the interstate. I drove the car around the neighborhood, on a back road, getting up to about 60 mph, no problems at all. Upon driving it on the interstate the next morning going to work I noticed as soon as the road changed from normal asphault to "ripples", the car seemed to be floating/drifting. As soon as the road changed back, no problems. Just curious if anybody may know what causes this. Is it the tread pattern not lining up with the ripples on the highway? There doesn't seem to be any alignment problems, since it drives good on any other type of road, very quiet, seems to be a really decent tire.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tramlining
Sounds to be a classic case of tramlining, does it have wider tires?

 

Nope, the same size that was previously on it, 215/55 r17. If it us tramlining, hopefully a different brand would clear that up? They are brand new, and since they were installed by her cousin, I'm thinking a different tire shouldn't be to hard to get, just 200 miles away.

 

Well a quick fix would be to try rotating the tires to see if maybe they have worn unevenly if that doesnt work try a better brand of tire

 

They're junk. It's about the cheapest tire you can get. I found them online for $60 each. They come in both H and V speed ratings, so if you got H you're running below spec for this car (V is the minimum). Also, the tires are rated for 60,000 miles, which means they're pretty hard rubber, which means they won't handle very well even if they're V rated. I had a set of Mastercraft tires that came on my car from the dealer and they had similar specs to the Nexens and they were horrible in any conditions other than dry, flat pavement. I sold them within a week of buying my car to a Maxima owner who puts 35K-40K miles on his vehicle every year, so he liked the idea of a 60K tire. They perform poorly for you because they're crappy tires. I suggest returning them and buy something a little better.

There are plenty of inexpensive tires out there for the G that are significantly better than Nexen. And you've got 3 tire sizes to choose from: 215/55-17 (stock), 225/55-17, and 235/50-17. All of these will fit on the stock 17" wheels. Personally, I think the 215's are too skinny for a car with the kind of power and handling ability the G has. You can get Kumho ASX's or General Exlaim UHP's for about $100 each and they'll be a far superior tire to the Nexen. Go to http://www.tirerack.com/index.jsp to at least get some ideas of what's out there.

You don't need top of the line tires, but don't go cheap on your tires. They are arguably the most important piece of equipment on a car. Saving some money now may cost you later when you're paying a deductible on a wrecked car. Or worse, seeing someone injured.

They're too new to have uneven wear. They're just crappy tires.

 

We didn't really mean to go cheap on the tires, since her cousin recommended them, we thought they should be ok, and the reviews I've read have been mixed, good/bad. Live and learn I guess. Will deffinately look into better tires.