Alignment Woes

The alignment shop used the factory specs, 100%.

Most shops will, and most techs don’t know enough to understand that the factory specs are for bias ply tires and are incorrect for radials. Although even if they do understand that most shops will not set a custom spec for liability reasons. And you can explain until you’re blue in the face, but they won’t understand that they have a higher liability with the factory specs.

Other than the toe settings your initial alignment was better than what you left the shop with. A little evening out of the camber and caster would have sufficed, and the toe adjustment.

As for setting the caster and camber evenly, it can cause the car to pull to the right a little if there’s a heavy crown on the road. But I’d rather have that than the alternative, which is your car pulling you toward the opposite lane if there’s no crown. Most shops will set a little cross caster, but I set my car equally side to side. On a smaller crowned road you’re doing more steering anyway, and it’s easier on the freeway if it just goes straight.

The vast majority of alignment “techs” are complete morons. They have zero understanding of suspension geometry and handling, they’re just making the red turn green on the computer.