Alignment?

Racebrewer

Member
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Mazda, Mazda 2 Touring MT
Hi Guys,

Thinking about getting an alignment before putting on the winter tires.

Does anyone have the OEM alignment specs? Not sure that the local shop actually looks them up before they align.

Thanks,
John
 
When I had the OEM suspension I had front -2 camber and 0.3 toe out.
The car had MUCH better turn in and i liked it a lot.

Now with the coilovers i also have -2 camber and 0.2 toe out but I'll increase a little bit the toe because it makes tha car better on tight corners(but a bit twichy on high speed cornering..).

For those that have coilovers,if you want to fully use the benefits of your suspension first of all do a corner weihgting and tune the ride heights for good weight distribution and then do an alignment as a final step.
 
I'd love to know how you got -2. I didn't see any adjustment front or rear, so I slotted the upper bolt hole on the strut and am running -1 in the fronts.

Please enlighten us?
 
Mazda2AlignmentSpecs.webp
 
Thanks for the specs and the suggested mods ! ! !

SPC makes camber bolts for the front:

EZ CAM XR (12MM - PAIR) 81250
EZ Cam(tm) XRs are designed for non-slotted struts. They allow both positive and negative camber changes up to approximately 1.75 (depending on vehicle) by replacing the upper O.E. strut/spindle bolt. This easy to use adjuster provides built-in adjustment over the life of a vehicle just by rotating the head of the bolt. Each kit contains two cam bolt assemblies, enough for both sides of the vehicle.

Part No. 81250 - Pair Part No. 81251 - Single For replacement of 12mm bolts

Front Adjustment range:
Camber -1.75 to +1.75
Installation time: .4 hr/side
Required: 1 kit per axle

http://www.spcperformance.com/compo...Mazda2&year=2011+-+2011&from=USAFrom&to=USATo

Hi VDS,

Oddly, SPC doesn't list their shims as fitting the M2. Have you tried them yourself?

Thanks,
John
 
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No,I havn't because I'm happy with the stock alignment for the time being.
I just stated the shims as a way to adjust the rear alignment,I don't know if theres a mz2 kit available.
 
Having done a few thousand allignments, LITTERALLY, allow me to explain.

At stock ride height the front lower control arms are angled slightly down at the outer edge. When you lower the car, the outer point (ball joint) swings in an arc. The ball joint actually moves outward from the centerline of the car. Thus creating more neg camber. If you go past level, which most cars will not, you will start to move camber towards the positive.

The excentric bolts will help to adjust camber where you want it.

The rear is fixed allignment. I have used the SPC shims hundreds of times. I tried several of them on my B-spec racer and found none that fit properly. I am currently waiting for some machined shims to arrive. You only need about a 0.020" shim to adjust toe where I want it for a dedicated racecar. Which is probably not where you would want it for the street.

The fancy Hunter machines are only as good as the operator. I know, I used one every day for 15 years. If the shop has updated their software to the latest version they should have all the current specs that the manufacturers have provided. For a 2011 car, Hunter may not have the specs. So having the specs in hand before arriving may save the tech some time and effort.

I will add to what VDSracing said above; You should corner weight and allign the car at the same time. This is less critical on a mz2 than a Miata. But allignment changes can change the corner weights. Also when corner weighting, disconnect the front sway bar for accurate readings.

If I get everything done, we will have The Allien at the Blackhawk Farms Raceway this weekend.

Dave
 
Hi Dave,

Congrats on the win with the Alien!!!!

Can you tell us more about the rear shims? Did you use them then just for toe or did you add some camber? Do they incorproate all four hub bolt holes or just two?

Thanks,
John
 
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