Not sure if this has been discussed before. I can't seem to do a search.

Tonight we were checking out some new houses and something started clicking from being stuck in the tire. It turned out to be a hunk of wire stuck in the tire but it had me looking.

Has anyone looked at there rear wheel well? Mine has an inner fender that feels just like velvet. It is covered with a fuzzy material that looks like it should be inside the vehicle not in the wheel well.

The front wheel weel has a plain plastic liner.

Has anyone else found the fuzzy rear liner? Why is it fuzzy? Won't it just get super dirty? What about snow? Wont' it stick to it?

 

Yep. Noticed it on mine as well. It's normal of course. I think I read on other forums that it's to subdue the road noise from the tires. But what's not clear is why Nissan only fit this material in the rear wheel wells and not the front. Go figure...

 

My guess: The front wheelwell is adjacent to the engine compartment, which is well-insulated from the pasenger cabin (to reduce engine noise intrusion). The rear wheelwell is adjacent to the rear part of the passenger cabin and the trunk, neither of which is well-insulated from the wheel-well or from each other.

 

Good point. Makes good enough sense to me...

 

The Ford Focus has the same treatments for the front and rear wheel wells.

What I don't like about the fuzzy lining is that it traps snow and ice in the rear wheel well. In the snowy conditions we have here I have to take the car to a coin wash place every couple days to blast the buildup of ice out. The front wells come clean quickly, as soon as you get some water behind the ice it falls off in a couple big chunks. The rear wells are a PITA to get completely clean.

While its a nice idea to reduce noise its terrible for winter driving.

CM.

 

CM,

I was afraid of the snow build up. One trip to the mountains for me and wheels will be rubbing.

Thanks for the feedback.

 

You guys shouldnt be driving in the snow.... By the way I love wet look tires and I was amazed at the ammount of black road grime the wheel wells hold on to.

 

There is snow in Canada for months every year. Are you suggesting that we park it and take public tranportation?

 

Actually, the other night I was driving and heard a strange niose from the left rear wheel (sounded like a flat tire but wasn't). As it turns out, a piece of ice (I think?) got stuck on the carpet and maybe refroze and later rubbed on the tire and actually pulled the lining down a bit where it would rub against the tire periodically. I tired to push it back but it wouldn't go back, so the dealer took a look at it... wouldn't you know, they just popped it back in place with their hands and looked at me funny.

 

Nahh It just makes me sad to think of all those poor Canadian Maximas driving down the road and getting scratched up by sand and salt.

 

Me and my car hide from the snow. Do what I do and buy a 81 jeep, for 800 dollars. Roll it twice to get rid of that pesky paint and mirrors and then right side it and drive it every where when it snows. I can only imagine my poor max trying to take me snowboarding and hunting

 

Had to drive my 04Max for about 14miles in the snow the other day to get home. Same thing happened to me with with the fuzz liner it pulled out. However I did get it to pop back into place the next day. Just wondering if you could take some truck bedliner spray to it and rubberize coat it to keep the snow off. Maybe Nissan will have enough people to wine and come up with a tsb fix.