2021 mirage alignment specs

[Christopher_B]

My 2021 has always seemed to be out of alignment. Wheel not straight on highway, "feels" like it doesn't track right on some corners, etc. However, the tires don't seem to be wearing abnormally.



So I finally had the alignment checked after 10,000 miles. The car was out of state for a few months and I had other things to deal with.
This shop has a pretty high tech hunter machine. I know the guy that owns the place and he is one of the few places I would trust to work on my car for the few things I cannot currently do.

I assume it would be an issue with the rear axle, but it is shown to be out of specs for the front toe.

We all know Mits doesn't go out of their way to share data with the outside world. That being the case, they only had specifications for up to 2019 Mirages.

From what I can tell looking through AllData, 2019 & 2020 are the same. I would assume 2021 is the same as 2020 with just the facelift, so therefore the specs should also be the same as 2019.
Can anyone verify this theory?
Thanks,
Chris

[Top_Fuel]

My 2021 has always seemed to be out of alignment. Wheel not straight on highway,

My 2015 was like that from day 1. My car tracked perfectly straight on a level road, but the steering wheel was always a little off-center. My car's front end alignment was also out of spec when it left the factory (the toe was off on one side like yours). A good front end alignment took care of both issues. Off-center steering wheels were a fairly common Mirage complaint 4-5 years ago.

I would assume 2021 is the same as 2020 with just the facelift, so therefore the specs should also be the same as 2019

I would think that is correct. There are no mechanical differences between any of those years.

The good news is that your rear axle numbers look great. Maybe they finally got that figured out? I can't remember the last person who posted alignment values...especially on a newer Mirage like yours.

[Eggman]

Thanks for posting your alignment results. Looks fixable.

[PityOnU]

You are correct - the car has remained largely unchanged since its debut. Most of the changes over the years have been the bumpers - but those are just plastic bits that are there for aero/pleasing our monkey eyeballs. Mechanically, I think(?) they updated the brakes and spring rates on the hatch at some point (somewhere in late 1st gen, early second gen), and did some little tweaks to internal components of the engine to slightly improve gas mileage (fancy cams and a few other small things), but that's about it.

My steering wheel does not sit perfectly "upright," either. I have some recollection that this isn't and uncommon situation. It doesn't mean your wheels are out of alignment, though. The steering wheel mounts to the steering column via a splined coupling. Whenever they put the wheel on at the factory, they may end up accidentally mounting the wheel one notch of the spline to the left or right, so it looks a couple of degrees off of perfectly level. That doesn't mean the actual steering system is crooked, though - it's literally just your steering wheel.

I've learned to live with it, but if it actually bugs you enough you can remove the (I think) 4 screws holding the steering wheel in place, pull it off, and then put it back on so it's perfect. Should only take about 15 minutes, even if you've never done it before. Disconnect your battery first, though, as you don't want the airbag blowing up in your face while you're doing it.

[Fummins]

You are correct - the car has remained largely unchanged since its debut. Most of the changes over the years have been the bumpers - but those are just plastic bits that are there for aero/pleasing our monkey eyeballs. Mechanically, I think(?) they updated the brakes and spring rates on the hatch at some point (somewhere in late 1st gen, early second gen), and did some little tweaks to internal components of the engine to slightly improve gas mileage (fancy cams and a few other small things), but that's about it.

My steering wheel does not sit perfectly "upright," either. I have some recollection that this isn't and uncommon situation. It doesn't mean your wheels are out of alignment, though. The steering wheel mounts to the steering column via a splined coupling. Whenever they put the wheel on at the factory, they may end up accidentally mounting the wheel one notch of the spline to the left or right, so it looks a couple of degrees off of perfectly level. That doesn't mean the actual steering system is crooked, though - it's literally just your steering wheel.

I've learned to live with it, but if it actually bugs you enough you can remove the (I think) 4 screws holding the steering wheel in place, pull it off, and then put it back on so it's perfect. Should only take about 15 minutes, even if you've never done it before. Disconnect your battery first, though, as you don't want the airbag blowing up in your face while you're doing it.

Just to save the OP some wasted time. No, the steering wheel doesn't pop off with 4 screws. You have to remove the airbag, which is sometimes a pita on these cars. There are some spring clips you have to release then the airbag pops off, unplug it then there'll be a large nut you have to remove.

[7milesout]

My steering wheel does not sit perfectly "upright," either. I have some recollection that this isn't and uncommon situation. It doesn't mean your wheels are out of alignment, though. The steering wheel mounts to the steering column via a splined coupling. Whenever they put the wheel on at the factory, they may end up accidentally mounting the wheel one notch of the spline to the left or right, so it looks a couple of degrees off of perfectly level. That doesn't mean the actual steering system is crooked, though - it's literally just your steering wheel.

PityOnU - That's good thinking, but I would have to guess that the factory rarely if EVER gets the steering wheel off by even 1 spline. I don't know that. But having been in a factory for years, steering wheel assembly is a developed process that even an orangutan couldn't screw up. Course I've been wrong a time or two. I will also mention, that if the steering wheel was off by even 1 spline, it's going to be WAY MORE than a couple of degrees. Let's say there's 32 splines (I'd say there are less), if it is off by 1 spline it would be 11.25° off. Which would be very noticeable.

I've had my Scamp's steering wheel off a few times. I did put it back on one time 1 spline off. It was WAY WAY off, and annoying as could be. I doubt there are more splines on modern cars than on my Scamp. The number of steering wheel splines is unimportant (in auto engineering world), so the number would probably be based on what is least expensive / least complex to machine, or what is the least difficult to assemble.

[Dodge Aries K]

Last I checked the 2020 was the same as a 2019 (my wife had a 2020 get an alignment under warranty) so I'd assume the 2021 would be the same as well.

[Christopher_B]

Thanks for all the solid info guys. I debated taking the car to Lou Fusz Mitsu here but I have my doubts about their qualifications based on conversations I have had with their parts and service people. They are a new Mitsu dealer and only sold used cars out of this location up until about 18-24 months ago.
I have decided to take it to the shop that did the check for me and have them adjust the toe and the steering wheel (steer ahead.)
I just cannot decide if I want to throw some eibach springs on first since I will need an alignment afterwards anyway.
I found this interesting and informative -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQyis0YnS8U -- basically going over what the hunter print out meant. I was wrong about what I thought caster was

[Top_Fuel]

The more likely cause of an off-center steering wheel from the factory is that the steering wheel wasn't pointed perfectly straight ahead when the car entered the alignment portion of the assembly line.

This condition can easily be corrected by a couple of turns of the tie rod ends during the alignment process. Mention the off-center steering wheel condition to your alignment shop before they start working on it. They should always point the steering wheel straight ahead anyway when your car is being set up on the alignment rack...but if they are in a hurry then all bets are off.

Edit - You may want to hold off on your alignment if you are thinking about lowering springs.

[Christopher_B]

Has anyone been able to get their alignment in specs with lowering springs? If so what brand springs did you go with? I am leaning towards the Eibach but am open to others. Looking for a slightly firmer/sportier ride without enough harshness to irritate the wife who complains I can never leave well enough alone. I do not want to get myself into a tire wear problem.