My wife's 2016 Mazda CX-5 has been great with respect to alignment for the 76K miles we've owned the car. I've actually been surprised at how well it holds alignment. We bought new tires, and it had been a while, so I brought it in for alignment. Camber and Toe were barely out of spec and adjustable. However, caster on the front passenger side was also just out of spec and about 0.3 degrees off from driver side. According to tech, it won't affect tire wear and really isn't of concern until it is 1 degree or more off. He said, most likely, it is from a pot hole and caused minor shift in suspension part (control arm, strut, bushing, etc.). I plan on taking the vehicle in for manufacturer check at 80K miles...anything specific (i.e. common parts that would cause this) I should request they check? Thanks.

 

The TECH you had your alignment is not as experienced as one would want. There are actually benefits to more positive caster regarding turning. . Factory alignment specification is generally for the best overall alignment taking into thought of steering in turns and longevity of tread wear. No one wants a vehicle that steers really well but wear tires out sooner then expected.

I would say get another opinion and ask the next alignment technician if they have ever done performance alignments. if the answer is yes that that Tech you want doing your alignment.

As for potholes doing alignment changes, well unless the tire started to show an unusual wear pattern it is not likely your alignment changed? Most vehicles from the last couple decades are not like the old 1980s or older Ford (or nay other make) that as soon as you ride over a pothole the car start wanting to go right or left more because of alignment changing.

I would also STRONGLY recommend keeping to a strict tire rotation schedule of every 5k miles sooner is always better.

ASE

 

Thanks for the response. I just added picture of the alignment results to original post. Based on your explanation...it looks like caster is at (passenger) or near (driver side) negative caster...compared to normal spec range...am I reading it right? My main concern was whether I needed to have a Mazda tech check, the next time I'm in, to see if there is any subframe or other suspension part that needs to be adjusted/replaced. I do my best to take care of both mine and my wife's vehicle...always "irritating" when a "red" result comes back that isn't easily fixed As for alignment, mine (Jeep) gets checked once or twice a year and usually just needs a few very minor tweaks. My wife's hadn't had one for a while but that was only because previous alignments had always looked great and shops said that was a benefit of Mazda. I'm not sure how long the caster has been out (albeit slightly) and, to date, neither my wife or I have experienced any notable steering or stability issues.

I agree 100% with tire rotations. I get mine and my wife's done every 6K miles (w/ re-balancing) and have never had any uneven wear issues. The tires we just replaced had 5.5 years on them and still a lot of treadwear left....and no indication of dry rot or other rubber degradation. However, in addition to the same tire that was patched years ago (screw) picking up a nail, a good Memorial Day sale, and my kids ride in that car most of the time, it was a good time to replace.

 

If there is no impact damage visibly seen, then it is very unlikely any suspension damaged.

Again, the specification set by the OE are based on the best tire wear overall and not necessary for end user. They are also based on dry weight .

*ASE

* as a rule when I sign off on some threads with my certification as an ASE it is based on empirical data , facts and OEM specifications and procedures . However, my response regarding this thread and possibly expanding beyond designed specification for alignment is a careful balance between the absolute and experienced (practiced) information available.