Toe,
Caster, and Camber - What does it mean and how to adjust it.
Jeep Steering Alignment
101Dana 30 and
Dana 44 Front Axle Caster Adjustment
Caster is
somewhat difficult to comprehend and measure with home tools. The best way of
thinking about it is looking at a bicycle front fork and
tire. The forks arrive at the center hub at an angle.
The positive caster allows the tire to return to center (the
reason you can ride a bike with no hands). Another
example of extreme negative caster is shopping cart front wheels,
they will follow in any
direction that it is being pushed. Most Jeeps were
equipped with about 4 degrees positive caster with no
adjustments. Adding lift kits can mess with the castor
decreasing the angle sometimes to the point of becoming
negative. This will cause the Jeep to wander about the road. An improper
caster angle can make flat towing dangerous and coming out of
sharp corners exciting due to the wheel not coming back to
center.
Castor Correcting Degree
Wedges aka Shims
See:
Installing Caster Adjusting
Leaf Spring Wedges aka Shims
Degree wedges are usually the
easiest to install and "experiment with". They also
are available in greater degree variations. Ball joint
sleeves are more involved to install but aren't prone to
wear and causing noise or causing u-bolts to come loose.
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Caster Correcting Upper
Ball Joint Sleeves
See:
Installing Caster
Adjusting Upper Ball Joint Sleeves or "Caster Correctors"
Other options
Installing a shackle reversal
kit can drastically change the caster in a positive way due
to the front shackle mount becoming fixed and the rear mount
becoming longer causing the spring angle to change making
the caster move in a positive direction. This option
would be for someone with an advanced skill level.
Altering the steering
knuckles. This option involves cutting off the
steering knuckle, resetting the caster angle, and re-welding
the knuckles to the housing. This option is usually
best left to a professional.
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