Caster degree for 5" - 6" of lift

I have a 1989 Cherokee with 4.5" Rubicon Superflex, RCX drop brackets, plus ACOS, so a total of 5.5' of lift. The Jeep has always had a duck/dive/wander issue when hitting the brakes fast. It stops like an arrow now, with the pinion angle at 5 degrees. See the picture to show where to put the angle finder. Huge difference!

UCA's at fixed length.
Adjustable LCA's @ 16.5" center to center.
Pinion angle at 5 degrees.

Hope this helps anyone with 5-6" of lift with wandering issues when stopping...

I don't know what you think you are measuring, but it isn't pinion angle.
Pinion angle is referenced to the drive shaft, not the ground, and is measured at the u-joint.

Caster is measured at the knuckles.

Once you have lifted your Xj, throw the stock numbers out the window, they don't mean anything any more unless you are going to cut off the inner Cs and splice them back on.

Pinion angle is a crap shoot on a lifted XJ. Double Cardan drive shafts want 0 degree angle between the pinion and the shaft. In order to get Caster angles within reason, most folks drop the front pinion a couple (2-3) of degrees to dial in Caster and avoid getting vibrations and either live with some drivability issues, or install adjustable upper ball joints and try and dial in a couple more degrees that way. Since no Jeep is exactly the same, one can not, and should not post info not related to the actual angles measured at the correct measuring spots.

What worked for me may work for others, so I posted it in simplified terms to be helpful. If you don't find it helpful - move on to another post.

caster should be around 5 to 7 degrees. anyone with an angle finder should be able to figure it out just as easy as your method

Where do you guys measure your caster at? Do you use the top of the upper ball joint with the zerk fitting removed or do you use the back flat part of the pumpkin and use go-jeeps chart?

You can't use the flat at the top of the ball joint, it doesn't mean anything.

Since Caster is the angle between vertical, and a line going though the ball joints, and is true only at the knuckle. I use a flat on the knuckle that is nearly parallel to that imaginary line though the ball joints. I accept that there will be error in my measurement, but if it drives OK and doesn't shake itself apart to and from the trail, I'm good

I make lemon aid on my lifts. Since I have no inclination to cut and re-weld the inner Cs, or install adjustable upper ball joints, I adjust in a few degrees of drive shaft angle so I neither get poor drive-ability or excessive drive shaft angle.

slabelle67, I understood the reason for your post, but if you are going to post, try and be as accurate as possible. Caster does not equal pinion angle, and the angle of an un-machined portion of the housing means nuts. There are a lot of newbies here who will accept your word as *fact* because you posted it here. Also, expect that some people will agree with your method, and some will not. Those that do not, *will* post. They are not trying to be mean, or put down your efforts, but trying to keep the discussion as factual as possible so everyone learns.

slabelle67 said:

What worked for me may work for others, so I posted it in simplified terms to be helpful. If you don't find it helpful - move on to another post.

Click to expand...

Maybe it did work for you. The point is however, what you are measuring is not the pinion angle. I'm really not even sure what measurement it is that you have. It's almost like you threw an angle finder on your axle and said, "bam! that's my pinion angle! throw me another beer!"

Edit: It doesn't even look like its resting on your axle.