I have a 2007 model and was wondering if anyone has problems with their alignment? Every year since I have bought it Ive had to buy new tires and fix it the alignment. I know it is not the way I drive cause I have babied the hell out of it the last 2 years but I still have to do it.

 

It could be the tires. If you're replacing the tires with the same crap that came from the factory then expect them to wear quickly.

 

How often do you rotate and balance your tires.
And have you done any suspension mods?

 

Are you taking it to the same shop every time? Maybe they don't do the alignment right.
How do the tires wear? inside edge, outside edge, cupping? Are the tires properly balanced?

 

Are your tires wearing unevenly, or just wearing out evenly? If it's the latter, your alignment is not the issue. Factory alignments are not always acceptable.

 

Ya Its uneven and wears out on the insides of all the tires. I usually get my tires rotated every other oil change. And as far as the tires I dont buy crap. This last one i paid $600 on the alignment and tires. Firestone.

 

What most people don't realize is that just because they "don't buy crap" tires, that in no way means they bought tires which will have a long life. Case in point, the factory Goodyear Eagle RS-A tires which came on my 2009 Mazda3 had a retail value of something like $225 per tire when I bought the car in late 2008. Based upon the dollar value metric, the RS-As aren't "crap tires", however, the vast majority of reports from owners pegged these tires as being done before the 20,000 mile mile mark.

Given how bad the reviews were on the RS-As, not only for a longevity perspective, but also for ride, handling, and wet/slippery condition tolerance, I opted to replace them with a set of Michelin Pilot Sport A/Ss after only 714 miles. The thing is, based upon the dollar value metric, these were in fact "crap tires" in that they only cost $125 per tire. In the end the Michelins lasted some 48,000 miles.

From a different perspective, the "best" tires I can find in the 205/50 R17 size are Bridgestone Potenza RE92A at $286 per tire, however, like the aforementioned RS-As, the RE92As will be lucky to return more than 20,000 miles. The flip side is the new set of Yokohama AVID ENVigors I have on my car; they cost a paltry $118 per tire, and by all accounts they should be good for an easy 50,000 to 55,000 miles.

Long story short, I only buy "crap tires" for my cars.

 

I would go to a different tire store the next time. Ask around who is doing a decent alignment job in your area. Ask some autocross or racing types. It seems there may be too much negative camber, in particular if the rear tires are wearing on the inside. A good alignment job requires all new tires and an empty car (no extra stuff in the trunk, etc). Some cars require a certain weight on the driver's seat. All suspension parts must be in good shape, no loose ball joints and tie rod ends.
They must use the factory specs. I know that some shops use a one size fits all approach. They would adjust the toe-in the same for all front wheel drive cars and the same for all rear wheel drive cars. Insist on getting the data sheet handed out to you.
If they say they can't adjust the camber any further ask them to use "crash bolts". These are somewhat excentric and allow adjustment after fender benders.
And if after the the alignment the steering wheel is crooked, I would go back and yell at them. But be careful: most roads are crowned, higher in the center and lower at the shoulders. On such a road a perfectly aligned car will drift to the right. Also cross wind will affect your feel of the alignment.
Sometimes new cars get knocked out of alignment when they get dropped off the transporter carelessly.

Meanwhile, do some research on tires in the ratings and review area of Tire Rack - Your performance experts for tires and wheels
I don't buy my tires there, it is too complicated and adds a middle man in to the deal, but I like the reviews and ratings.

 

To fix the wear pattern you need to fix the camber setup on the car. The tires are set up for performance, meaning that they are tilted inwards /\ - which causes them to wear crooked. This is how the factory wants it, and it's their spec... to correct it you need to get a camber kit or enlarge some of the bolt holes to align it properly.
I was just getting to that part of my project when it started to get too cold out for me to want to work on it - i'll continue in the summer. Basically I found that the upper control arm is all you need to adjust, the nuts are welded in place to hold the alignment, so that upper nut on the suspension has to have the welds ground off, then move the hole so the tire sits more vertically. I have yet to move the hole far enough, but i'm going to get it done and see how it works out.

This was prompted by getting a new set of tires that feel like they are squirming all over the road, and I think a lot of that is the tire not sitting square to the road. I've messed with the alignment (toe in) with no improvement, so the camber is the next step.

 

Nice explanation, djs.
I didn't know Mazda went to that extreme in this model. You see that negative camber in BMW cars frequently.
It seems crash bolts don't move the camber enough. If you don't want to enlarge the bolt holes then Camber/Caster kits could help or adjustable control arms. But I don't know where to get those, Summit Racing maybe.