Persistant alignment issues- Mazda 3

[gradymotorco]

Hey folks,

On the fiance's '09 Mazda 3, we've been having trouble keeping tires on it. Originally, the issue was that they would wear out on the inside edge, causing the tires to have an irreparable split seam there. After two wheel alignments (first one was at a tire shop that just played around with front toe and camber and called it a day), and three sets of tires (Sumitomos, Goodyear Eagles, and now Michelins), the issue has resurfaced again. Only this time, it seems the outer edge of both front tires is wearing faster than the rest of the tire. Her dad put the first set on the car, but I've bought the next two, and I'm averaging less than 20k miles per set. Frankly, if we can't figure it out and get it squared away, she's going to have to trade it. (Or buy the tires herself. LOL) Do y'all have any ideas?

Thanks!

 

[eljefino]

got any before/after printouts or photos of the tires?

 

[SuperDave456]

While in college, I bent a bunch of suspension components dodging a homeless guy and hit a curb. It came to something like $900 in damage. The Stealership did not do a good job reinstalling the components.

For years the car has been eating the driver's side front tire and wearing the other 3 unevenly. I would rotate them every 5-7,000 miles and just call it a day.

I finally found a decent shop that took a look at it, and although the car was "In-spec" it was just a tad bit off on the alignment machine.
For $50 they ground out the spot welds, moved the shocks, and did the alignment again. It has been about 3,000 miles since and I can tell a difference in the wear pattern.

I would suggest you shop around for a shop that knows what they are doing. Just because something is "Good enough" does not mean that it really is.

 

[gradymotorco]

I can take photos tomorrow, but as far as printouts neither place provided me with one. I don't think either one did a computerized alignment (they aren't many shops that offer it around here) so I assume they both did the Bear style.

 

[brelandt]

get it aligned and ask for the printout. My shop always prints 2 of everything. One for us and one for you or you get your money back. I haven't aligned too many Mazda 3's cause here in the bay area it's mostly Corollas. Can't remember how much of the car can be adjusted from the factory. Most of these compact cars are front toe only and shims in the back. But should have aftermarket support for camber bolt kits.

 

[Trav]

Did she hit anything with the front suspension? Did she buy it new or did it come from an auction?
Look for damaged lower control arm bushings, bent strut, damaged sub frame, steering rack mounts etc.
Aligning it with something worn out or bent is a waste of time and money.

 

[3311]

I've had a terrible time keeping tires on my wifes 08 3i. We got a about 18k on original tires. The wear on mine is from the rear tires and their negative camber. The rear is alignable and has eccentric cams, if that's what you call them. I haven messed with them though and just rotate every oci(7500miles)

Buy the highest wear rating tires you can find.

 

[The Critic]

Have the dealer align it. These cars have aggressive alignment specifications so they will wear tires more than other cars in their segment.

 

[rationull]

We have an 08 3S sedan that also ate the inner edges of its original tires in something like 25k miles IIRC. I had the alignment checked and it was in spec. The rear camber setting is a little extreme on that car but is actually less extreme than on our other car at the time (an 07 Civic) which didn't show the same wear patterns.

Its second set of tires is wearing better (so far at least, AFAICT) and the only difference (besides the fact that they're better tires) is that I'm rotating them religiously *every* oil change.

FWIW.

 

[mechtech2]

Unless the camber is WAY off, this probably is a toe problem.
Also, consider running your tires 2-3 lbs over stock door sticker pressures. Many women don't ever check there tires at all. This is huge.
FWD cars wear tires on the edges, and rotation is more needed today. So some wear is gonna be there no matter what.

 

[bdcardinal]

I betcha your alignment is good. Mazda 3's tend to run a lot of negative camber from the factory.

 

[rpn453]

Sounds like an alignment issue. Find a good shop. My Mazda3 has just as much rear camber as any other, and it sees a lot of wheel spin and hard cornering. As far as I can tell, it's the front tires that get almost all the wear. I have over 20k miles on both of my current sets of tires with more than half the tread depth remaining and even wear. The OE tires lasted 20k miles with even wear; about what I'd expect out of a 260 treadwear tire under my driving style.

 

[rationull]

Originally Posted By: rpn453
Sounds like an alignment issue. Find a good shop. My Mazda3 has just as much rear camber as any other, and it sees a lot of wheel spin and hard cornering. As far as I can tell, it's the front tires that get almost all the wear. I have over 20k miles on both of my current sets of tires with more than half the tread depth remaining and even wear. The OE tires lasted 20k miles with even wear; about what I'd expect out of a 260 treadwear tire under my driving style.


How regularly do you rotate them?

 

[gradymotorco]

I've been a little lazy when it came to rotating them, mainly because we both drive the car so much (2k miles or more a month), and therefore oil changes come frequently (every other month since I run dino). It's due an oil change and trans fluid swap, so when I pull her in the shop to do that I'll swap the tires from front to back.

 

[rpn453]

Originally Posted By: rationull
How regularly do you rotate them?


Spring and fall seasonal change-overs. Intervals up to 6k miles or so, but it has been much shorter the last couple of years. One set is studded and the other is directional, so they stay on the same side at all times, though I do that on all the vehicles I service regardless of those factors because it makes it easy to notice any unusual wear patterns.

I keep them as axle pairs and I put the pair with the most tread depth on the front when I install a set. It's usually hard to distinguish any difference though.

 

[rationull]

Originally Posted By: rpn453
Originally Posted By: rationull
How regularly do you rotate them?


Spring and fall seasonal change-overs. Intervals up to 6k miles or so, but it has been much shorter the last couple of years. One set is studded and the other is directional, so they stay on the same side at all times, though I do that on all the vehicles I service regardless of those factors because it makes it easy to notice any unusual wear patterns.

I keep them as axle pairs and I put the pair with the most tread depth on the front when I install a set. It's usually hard to distinguish any difference though.


Granted I don't exactly have scientific evidence, but my theory is that the spec'd alignment is just sensitive to rotation. The toe and camber settings are a bit extreme but my wife's car was in spec when it was measured. The wear on the OEM was pronounced and uneven though. IIRC I had gotten lazy and skipped a rotation or two, going 10-12k miles in between. The new tires are wearing fine sticking to 5-6k miles.

My 2c. If the alignment is in spec, I'd buy decent tires and keep on top of rotations and see what happens.