I think that the guy that did my alignment is full of ****.
I gave him FM's specs:
-Front
Caster: 5.0 degrees
Camber: 1.0 degrees negative
Toe: 1/16" total (1/32" per side)
-Rear
Camber: 1.5 degrees negative
Toe: 1/16" total (1/32" per side)

And he gave me this and said that he couldn't reach those specs:

Is this guy full of **** or is this a viable issue?
Can this be fixed with different bushings?
What is the least amount of camber that i can run with the 6UL 15x8 36mm wheels that i just ordered? My car is on FM's newer design springs with a ride height of 12.5F and 13R

 

He can't get the camber in the front because he's got too much caster in it. Take it to a place that knows what they are doing.

 

i will have to agree with you on the search for a new shop.

could you recommend some specs that i can instruct a new technician to shoot for.

 

I would run a bit more camber, but that's just me...
You should have them set the camber to your specs and then max out whatever caster you can get, but camber first...
Fm specs are good for a street car, I would not mess with them unless you plan on tracking or auto-x'ing, then it's a whole different ballgame.
You should go elsewhere, this guy souds lazy to me.
Word of advice, have them align it with you in the driver seat or a weight in your place if they don't allow you in the shop.

 

Strange....
Last time i got an alignment, i just walked in, handed them my specs and POOF! done.

I did:
front camber = -1.8 -1.9
toe = o

rear camber= -1.2 -1.2
toe = 0

 

I get to do my own alignments, I love it.

 

F:
-1.7
1/16" toe out
maxed( 4.x iirc)

R:
-2.3
1/16" toe in

 

wtf? it's odd to see more camber in the front on a miata. you do know it's not FWD right

 

No, but it gives the front more "bite" and allows me to adjust the rear swaybar for my driving style. Having more camber in the rear then the front makes the car understeer too much IMO.

 

Sounds like he may have mis-interpreted your specs, although it's interesting how little the left front numbers changed before / after.

Because of the design of the alignment mechanism, Camber and Caster interact. If you take one out to the extreme, it limits the range of the other. It's quite possible that -1° Camber and +5 Caster might not be achievable on your car, so you need to make it clear which one of those two measurements is more important.

When discussing settings with an alignment tech, the conversation should always go something as follows:

"I want -1.5° Camber on the front, and then as much positive Caster as you can get without sacrificing Camber, and while keeping the left and right equal." I've never actually given an alignment tech an actual number for Caster, just waited for him to say "That's all I can get" then checked to see that Camber was still where i wanted it and said "Ok, that's fine."

On my car, for example, the right front wheel is the limiting factor. Nothing is obviously bent or damaged, but at -1.5° Camber, that wheel will only go to about +4 Caster, so that's what both are set at.

 

Ride height? Dropping the **** out of your car lets you get a lot more caster and camber at the same time. I'm at 11.75" in the front, 2.3 camber, 5.9 caster.

 

He stated ride height as 12.5F, 13R in the OP. Seems pretty reasonable for a daily driver to me.

 

thank you guys for all the great input.

i had no clue that the caster and camber could affect each other.
i think i know what i want to tell the technician now.
the only problem now is just finding a good tech and shop that i can trust

 

Locate the autocrossers in your area. They don't have to be Miata drivers, just racers. They probably have their own forum. Ask those guys who does their alignments, or search their forum. Ideally, you'll find everybody agreeing on the same half-dozen or so shops. Pick the one nearest you.