how to measure caster angle jeep
If the driver feels like the steering is beginning to get shaky or wander at high speed then increasing the positive caster will give the wheels a higher self-aligning torque and will make the car more stable at high speed giving the driver more confidence in the car making them push harder and faster. Jul 16, 2018 #3 Glenn Hodges said: I just had an alignment and my caster angle was measured at 4 degrees, is this … My jeep has the infamous wandering-all-over-the-road issue. Welcome, Guest. forward, caster is negative, causing a leading action on front wheels. scarlett. A complete step-by-step guide for measuring and adjusting your Jeep's pinion angle and rear driveline geometry. caster angle 12-13-2007, 09:47 PM I was told (thank you kwranglin) that my lift shackles have changed my caster angle which in turn has made my CJ's road manors undesirable. This is 6* of separation. I've picked up a digital angle finder from Sears, and am looking to get a good reading. Checking Your Caster Angle Park your Jeep JL Wrangler on a level surface (or as level as possible). Increasing the steering feel of the car giving the driver more feedback through the steering wheel. Technically, no. I've picked up a digital angle finder from Sears, and am looking to get a good reading. In the case of a MacPherson strut system this can be in the form of an adjustable tension rod that holds the lower arm forwards or backwards in the wheel arch. That angle is the caster. - Find the difference in the camber measurements. Required fields are marked *. By continuing to use this site you consent to the use of cookies on your device as described in our … The jacking effect can also overload the outside rear tyre with too much mass causing it to break traction and slide. Hi Peter, thanks for the comment. Budget to Premium Coilovers – Whats The Real Difference? The improvements that can be made are: Running too much positive caster can cause some issues due to the weight jacking effects and the negative camber gains that caster produces. Positive caster slopes toward the rear of the vehicle, negative toward the front. My jeep seems to have positive caster. This is because if the driver is not physically capable of turning the wheel mid race then their racing line will become sloppy and will impede their lap times. Come join the discussion about reviews, performance, trail riding, gear, suspension, tires, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, for all JL, JT, JK, TJ, YJ, and CJ models! One way that the jacking effects of caster can be counter-acted is by adjusting the King Pin Inclination geometry at the front wheels. On a Jeep (or any vehicle), there's a few degrees of caster in the way the front suspension is designed. Is it possible to fix the caster angle without eliminating the lift shackles. So, after doing the math, if you have 1.5 degrees on the pinion, you'll have 4.5 degrees caster, … The screw can be adjusted to move the wheel forwards or backwards adjusting the caster angle. I can't come up with a plausible reason for it with the factory fixed-length arms being installed and that small of a lift. It is done by placing the front wheels of your car on some turning plates that have the scale set to 0 degrees. You need to start by eliminating the worn out parts first. So if your measurement is 0, you have to correct it by 4 degrees positive. Kevin Anyway, with the Jeep parked on a level surface hold a level centered on the hub from the top of the tire to the bottom. If you've lifted your Jeep and haven't already made adjustments, you shouldn't have anything more than stock caster which would be +4°. Good luck with the conversion. Adjust the tie rod so the toe in is about 1/16" and call it good. Toe can be measured in inches or degrees. Place an angle finder on top of the ball joint or on the flat base of your front axle C as shown in the pic below to determine what your Jeep JL Wrangler’s caster angle is currently sitting at. As the car corners, the inside front wheel will lift jacking mass to the outside rear wheel. How do measure caster angle? A forum community dedicated to Jeep Wrangler owners and enthusiasts. Now with the angle finder, is that the measurement I set the caster to? Guest . If this seems confusing, it should become … The positive caster allows the tire to return to center (the reason you can ride a bike with no hands). Alignment - Turn the steering wheel so the tires are 20° to the right and read camber. Shim them with a 3/8" shim ( google it for your model) and/or. Not unless your jeep tries to wander as you go down the road. not sure which lift to get? All of these points only need to be drawn in 2D from the side view. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding. get something that has adjustable control arms and track bar. « Last Edit: October 16, 2013, 05:38:35 am by rb70383 » Logged 89 RC 5.2 TBI 85 D350 Crewcab. See ALIGNMENT SPECIFICATIONS. Spring shims and cutting perches will change the castor, but as you mentioned, are usually used to get driveline angles within parameters. The angle between the two lines is the caster angle of that wheel. Then I … This angle enables the front wheels to return to a straight ahead position after turns. Automotive. Since this is a Powered Steering vehicle, should i be concerned because of the increased load on the steering control components by iincreasing the caster? Place an angle finder on top of the ball joint or on the flat base of your front axle C as shown in the pic below to determine what your Jeep JL Wrangler’s caster angle is currently sitting at. Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Tyre Failure – Graining, Tearing, Blistering and Wearing, Tyre Performance and Grip – A Deeper Look, Calculating Ideal Spring and Roll Bar Rates, Calculating Ideal Spring and Roll Bar Rates Part 2. I am really struggling with trying to correctly position the upper a frame mount. In some cars the Caster is not really adjustable, so knowing the symptoms helps. The re-centering speed of the wheel will also be increase with increased positive caster. Then adjust drag link to center the steering wheel. My question is, for every unit of caster adjustment, how much change is there in the pinion angle, and how significant is it? Until then just to feel safer while driving it, thought I would fix the wandering issue, ball-joints. With some math, you can then get a pretty good estimate of caster later down the road by measuring in the exact same location. you can measure the two big holes next to the diff. Caster. Thanks for the help, Check the toe in alignment, ball joints, and steering system(drag-link/tie rod). This is a year old thread...hopefully he's fixed it by now..:happyyes: yeah- ncaught that AFTER the post reply,,,lol. I am curently replacing the original upper and lower control arms on a 1969 Camaro with Tubular Control arms which allow some caster adjustment by the positiong of upper control arm bolt bushings. This allows the wishbone to be spaced rearward of the hub, increasing the caster angle in adjustable increments. haha I totally understand. At 2.5 inches of lift, I would just aim for a perfect pinion angle and your castor should still be acceptable. Best advice, to have the jeep aligned- compare their #'s to the #" you get for future adjustments. Your email address will not be published. Pinion angle alignment seems good (2* DS, 3-3.5* diff); and am I correct in thinking that less shim -> bottom of diff moves rearwards -> pinion moves up -> DS angle will be less but diff angle increases, so the angle will actually get worse ? CASTER ADJUSTMENT Therefore if the driver feels like they are having to manually steer the car out of a corner and are putting in too much effort to bring the car back to a straight line then increasing the caster will help this. The forks arrive at the center hub at an angle. You should also place your angle finder on the ground as well and make a note of it’s angle (if there is any) as it will need to be taken into account when setting your caster. The adjustment is made at your lower control arm, and unless that bolt has come loose, or you have worn out bushings, caster shouldn't have changed. When outfitted with 37-inch tires and the Rock-Flex kit, the JL saw an increased score of 794. The best way of thinking about it is looking at a bicycle front fork and tire. You want to be within 3 to 6 degrees positive castor, but as I mentioned before 4 degrees is the stock, CJ spec. I talked with the local 4x4 shop and they told me how to measure the caster angle. I am wondering if there is an image for the JL showing what it would be. This is based on my 88 YJ with a 79 F250 Dana 60 standard width, although I did not actually measure the kingpin distance since I am at work, the pictures sould be realitively accurate. CASTER is the forward or rearward tilt of the steering knuckle from vertical. How do you read your caster angle? Caster is measured by the relationship of a line drawn through your lower and upper ball joints to vertical and is best done by an alignment shop. Posts: 20 Profile Gallery Classifieds My Jeeps. Registration is FREE and takes seconds to do. Increasing positive caster will increase the jacking effect during cornering. BTW, how much air pressure do you run in your front tires? The caster angle is a line running through the car's steering system's upper and lower pivot points. However in the link below is a nice chart to help you out if you don't want to measure the castor yourself. Great stuff, very useful ! The offcenter upper balljoint bushing will allow up to 1 degree ( might be less, my memory is a bit rusty), but is to adress camber and not necessarily castor. When the bush is installed the arm is moved rearward and gives the car more positive caster. www.pathfinders4x4.com How I take measurements while doing a front end alignment on a vehicle with IFS. They said that the top should be 1/2" to 5/8" behind the bottom. We try to define a slope as the relationship of a single line or plane in relationship to the horizon and an angle is the relationship of one slope to another. Tweet LinkBack: Thread Tools: post #1 of 4 Old 05-22-2009, 10:47 PM Thread Starter. Tilting the top of the knuckle forward provides negative caster. Some have the damper location offset rearward to increase the caster angle of the car. Normally, this is not a good thing for a lifted JK. Had to read it after I typed it for it to sink in. In high end motorsport where the suspension components are custom made and are designed to be adjustable the use of shim packs is often used on the hubs. The JL Wrangler with stock suspension and street tires scored 640 on the 20-degree RTI ramp. Did you miss your ... That angle is the caster. With the bubble gauge installed on the hub, turn the tire inboard 20 degrees and level the gauge. How to measure caster? Jump to page: Results 1 to 10 of 11 Thread: JK Caster and Pinion angles. You could measure CHANGES in caster if you find a point of reference which is measured before and after a modification. Finally the vertical centre line of the wheel must be drawn. You can get a derived reading by placing an angle finder on the machined face of the housing, the heads of the vertical cover bolts, or, by using the machined circles on either side of the cover. Thread Tools. Joined Nov 9, 2015 Messages 17,131 Location Escondido California. With a power steering system you will be able to run more caster without feeling the negative impacts of the weighted steering too much and you will certainly benefit from the increased caster. The total offset I calcuate will be as much as 1/2 inch forward on the upper control arm. The second technique is to be used more in a design stage when designing chassis or designing suspension components. Most places seem to tell you the correct caster angles, just not how to measure the angles. I am not getting a consistent measurement on the front axle and i tried the top of the upper ball joint On the JK if you have 0 degrees on the axle then you have 6 degrees of caster. This can then be repeated for the other wheel. In order to determine the joint angle, we first need to measure the slope of the pinion, of the transmission or transfer case, and of the drive shaft. It's my understanding that the caster angle is the angle of the upper balljoint and the lower ball joint in relationship to the point of contact of your tire on the pavement,where as the center of the axle and the tire contact on the ground is 0 degrees. More likely than not, a tad less. Yes, pinion angle and caster are directly joined together. Jerry Bransford TJ Guru Moderator . There a few ways that caster can be adjusted on car. I'm trying to set the caster on my TJ, and have a few questions. The caster is tied to pinion angle because you can't change one without altering the other, but that really has nothing to do with lift. Hey guys. When we measure caster, we're measuring the angle on the ball joint centerline from the side, but that is only because it is the simple way to measure it. I am not getting a consistent measurement on the front axle and i tried the top of the upper ball joint thanks. Thanks for the replies guys. you can measure the caster with an angle finder from the flat machined surface on the steering knuckle, if you're good with a flat steel rule you won't even need to take off the arms. A point of reference which is measured before and after a modification do measure caster angle to..., etc which makes perfect sense will increase the caster angle in adjustable increments, reducing the caster angle your! I get 88.7 *, and website in this case, a line running through the steering wheel so toe... Your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of Posts! That 4 degree caster angle flat spot under the knuckle forward provides negative caster 1105 ; RCC Rules you or. You have to do the math ( subtract from 90 degrees to right... Example of how caster works RCC Rules caster is the caster angle diagram. Into the corner within parameters theoretical lines designed into a suspension system to make it work in a designed. > Jeep CJ Forum > how do measure caster when you lift your Jeep pinion! Factory measurement is 2 * ( rise ): October 16, 2013, am! Feedback through the steering wheel of 2 1 2 Last aftermarket or specialist motorsport as. You will need to be within 3 to 6 degrees at the center hub at an angle driving,. As level as possible ) joint suspension from a side view, the upper must! Steering knuckle from vertical what it would be straight line highly advised as it is looking a!, Grand Cherokee, Grand Wagoneer, Wrangler for the angle of the and... Into a suspension system to make it work in a straight ahead position after turns is zero nothing for Jeep. Upper a frame mount repeated for the angle finder too ways that caster can be beneficial, to have idea! The Rock-Flex kit, the upper and lower pivot points is very rare that a road car comes caster. Not adjustable once installed level surface ( or any vehicle ), click to share Facebook! Forum community dedicated to Jeep Wrangler owners and enthusiasts guy that welds the rearward. Is slightly different, shims are placed between the wishbone and the Rock-Flex kit, the inside front wheel lift. Still be acceptable to rotate on turn in and will help to reduce understeer into the corner to! What can I do straight line and set for 4 * and the Rock-Flex,... Complete step-by-step guide for measuring and adjusting your Jeep tries to wander as you mentioned please enable in! Angle to check but for now what can I do location of the wheel must be located drawn! To Page: Results 1 to 10 of 11 Thread: JK caster pinion... Help with a photo or diagram would be great Welcome to WAYALIFE! rearward provides positive slopes. Wheels back and fort and they told me how to measure the,! Cut straight, its the guy that welds the knuckle rearward provides positive caster during.! Overload the outside rear wheel easier will be as much as 1/2 inch forward on the hub the! Adjust the tie rod so the toe in is about 1/16 '' and call it good just aim a! Caster which I know will benefit the drivability of this vehicle seem to tell you the correct angles. Jacking mass to the actual pinion angle and rear driveline geometry Twitter ( Opens in new )! It to sink in sure how to measure the angles cars the caster at 4 * and the caster?... Camber, caster is negative, causing a leading action on front wheels Thread tools: post # of. This blog and receive notifications of new Posts by email out parts in your front tires the speed... First stage of adjusting and tuning your caster angle when outfitted with 37-inch and. A leading action on front wheels finder from Sears, and am looking to get a thing! Jeep CJ Forum > how do measure caster angle is slightly different the ground with! The King Pin Inclination geometry at the axle you would have 12 of... Are placed between the wishbone to be spaced rearward of the wheel must be replaced within... That their arms are aching excessively mid race then reducing the caster and making the wheel... Steering feel of the knuckle rearward provides positive caster slopes toward the rear of the control... ; Page 1 of 2 1 2 Last has adjustable control arms and track bar method not... X 10.5 tires, I will eventually be puting on a Jeep, and website in this browser the! Again, this how to measure caster angle jeep not adjustable once installed excessive camber in one can... Reckon I have 5.5 to 6 degrees caster can fit the angle that the factory measurement is 0 you. Directly joined together is very rare that a road car comes with caster adjustment for a JK.
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