Have you got any tutorial how to do that properly with the common equipment? I'm also interested how you measure caster.

I see also that you use digital protractor. Is it better way than using a digital level?

 

That's very interesting and a bit unsettling. I guess the question then is, are there good alignment numbers out there that we can give to the local shop - perhaps tighter than the factory numbers what would work better for a lowered car?

 

I have a write-up of sorts (MS Word *.doc), but with the pics it's way too big to attach. PM an email address.

Caster can be determined indirectly from camber measurements made with the wheels steered first one way and again with them steered the other. A little math is involved. I't in the write-up.


It will read camber out directly once the bubble is centered in the vial.


Norm

 

Probably the biggest influence is the way you normally take corners. The harder you do and the more frequently you do suggest that you should set your camber further negative than OE preferred (which is -0.75°) or for whatever would be optimum for a mild driver who takes things at a more moderate pace.

FWIW, the upper end of the OE range (-1.5°) is entirely livable for a driver who is unusually "enthusiastic" about cornering. The flip side is that at that setting, you must be aggressive in order to live with it.

On the other hand, if you don't take corners very hard but frequently find yourself using the brakes hard, you might actually want to set your cambers less negative.

IMO, the presence of lowering springs is only a secondary influence overall.


Norm