caster camber plates
03-18-2010, 11:23 AM
#1
1st Gear Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: Arizona
Posts: 58
caster camber plates
ok well i recently got new struts, shocks and lowering springs. got the alignment done and still not where i want to be but i believe that i am at my max for alignment and it still feels like my front 2 tires are somewhat lopsided, so with the caster camber plates it will allow me to adjust the caster and toe further correct? if so thats what i am buying next. input? thanks
03-18-2010, 12:30 PM
#2
Banned
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Lil' Rhody
Posts: 22,376
03-18-2010, 12:42 PM
#4
2nd Gear Member
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location:
Posts: 153
Toe is limited by the adjusting sleeve on your tie rod ends. You want 0 toe on both sides.
The front end of your car has a Mcpherson strut that does not allow you to change camber (centerline of actual wheel relative to true verticle viewed from the front/rear) or caster (steering axis relative to true verticle through the wheel as viewed from the side). These are the best descriptions I can provide offhand without getting too technical.
Either way, your alignment angles after dropping are not conducive to tire wear or desired handling characteristics. You need CC plates.
Generally, you want your camber about -.5 degrees in the front. This will give you better grip when cornering than 0deg but it will not be agressive enough to wear tires unevenly. It will also increases the longevity of your lower balljoints compared to the high negative camber you are running now.
My caster is as far positive as I can get it on the passenger side (+5.5 degrees) and +5.0 degrees on the driver's side. Having slightly less caster on the driver's side compensates for road crown and allows the vehicle to maintain a straight line in the right lane of your average road. Basically, you give the vehicle a tendency to drift left on a flat level surface. The average road is higher in the center than the edges so a 0degree caster split would make it tend to drift to the right on a crowned road.
Generally, the more positive your caster is - the more stability you will have at speed. This comes at the sacrifice of increased steering effort. Your power steering system will take the brunt of this so increased wheel effort by the driver will be minimal.
If you want to know what effects negative caster has - push a shopping cart real fast. Negative caster allows for easy steering effort but comes at the sacrifice of decreased high-speed stability.
You want:
0 deg toe
0 to -.8 degree camber
as much caster as you can get, keeping the LH side about .5 deg less than the RH side
The front end of your car has a Mcpherson strut that does not allow you to change camber (centerline of actual wheel relative to true verticle viewed from the front/rear) or caster (steering axis relative to true verticle through the wheel as viewed from the side). These are the best descriptions I can provide offhand without getting too technical.
Either way, your alignment angles after dropping are not conducive to tire wear or desired handling characteristics. You need CC plates.
Generally, you want your camber about -.5 degrees in the front. This will give you better grip when cornering than 0deg but it will not be agressive enough to wear tires unevenly. It will also increases the longevity of your lower balljoints compared to the high negative camber you are running now.
My caster is as far positive as I can get it on the passenger side (+5.5 degrees) and +5.0 degrees on the driver's side. Having slightly less caster on the driver's side compensates for road crown and allows the vehicle to maintain a straight line in the right lane of your average road. Basically, you give the vehicle a tendency to drift left on a flat level surface. The average road is higher in the center than the edges so a 0degree caster split would make it tend to drift to the right on a crowned road.
Generally, the more positive your caster is - the more stability you will have at speed. This comes at the sacrifice of increased steering effort. Your power steering system will take the brunt of this so increased wheel effort by the driver will be minimal.
If you want to know what effects negative caster has - push a shopping cart real fast. Negative caster allows for easy steering effort but comes at the sacrifice of decreased high-speed stability.
You want:
0 deg toe
0 to -.8 degree camber
as much caster as you can get, keeping the LH side about .5 deg less than the RH side
Last edited by 1990lxhatch; 03-18-2010 at 05:14 PM.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post