caster woes....help!

I've been trying to align my front end but the caster is way off.Here are the numbers:

caster -8*(using go jeeps formula which is the "true caster") and my proctracter reads -82* negative caster.(90 - 82= neg.8*)right???

The specs are 89 xj 4.0 dana 30 hi pinion,rubicon express 5.5 lift(non adjustable control arms)

The problem is that with the re drop brackets I can only fit one shim in the lower control arm mount per side.I've heard of people having the knuckles cut and turned to correct caster so that way it doesn't affect the front driveshaft angle but this sounds expensive.

The other option I'm looking into is offset ball joints but at the most the will only give me 3* more positive caster.Will that 3* be enough to get my rig driving decent???Right now it drives like $h!t!!and its wearing my tires FAST!!!

I know that I'll never have perfect caster with such a tall lift but there has to be something I can do to make things more bearable.So typically with a lift around 6" what kind of caster number should I be shooting for?Is it possible to ever get a positive caster with a set up like mine??

To those of you that are lifted as high as mine what kind of caster # did you end up with and how?Should I cough up the money for adjustable arms or go with the offset ball joints or both??

Thanks

You read the diff cover angle and then add positive 9*. So you have -8 then add +9* which gives you 1* of caster. Still not enough and would want around 5* total at your height.

jeepdeepfreak said:

Right now it drives like $h!t!!and its wearing my tires FAST!!!

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If I am not mistaken this sounds like a Toe problem. Caster is a NON tire wear issue, it is for steering return to center. I would check for your Toe, that will make your tires last and make your jeep track better.

And get adjustable arms to get as close to good caster and pinion angle.

I hope this makes sense, as it is 3:30 am

Hans

Gojeep said:

You read the diff cover angle and then add positive 9*. So you have -8 then add +9* which gives you 1* of caster. Still not enough and would want around 5* total at your height.

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So if I got those offset ball joints that you did the install on,that would put me at 4* of caster, correct?That's probably as good as I'm going to get it.....

Is there a cheaper solution to get me the additional 4*?

Either get longer lower arms or re-drill the upper arms at the diff end to shorten them a bit. Might have to weld up the old holes first which is what I do as you wont have to move the hole much.

XJourney said:

If I am not mistaken this sounds like a Toe problem. Caster is a NON tire wear issue, it is for steering return to center. I would check for your Toe, that will make your tires last and make your jeep track better.

And get adjustable arms to get as close to good caster and pinion angle.

I hope this makes sense, as it is 3:30 am

Hans

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Correct caster is a non tire wear issue.

Did you do your toe in settings as well like I show to stop the wear?

Yea I just did that today.Found out that the pass. side wheel was pointed out(toed out) more than the drivers so I adjusted the t.r.e on that side in 1/2"!!

So I started with both t.r.e's set at 3/4" of thread showing and then set my toe from there....hope I did it right,it was the most logical thing to do in that situation.If someones got a better way to make the toe equal on both sides let me know.

Test drove it after I was done and it handles better but still pulls to the right while driving straight??.I have bump steer also so I wonder if a zj pitman arm(one inch drop) will resolve that?Still can't figure out why the coil on the pass. side sits closer to the sway bar end link compared to the drivers side....talked to a alignment shop and had a guy tell me that my track bar needs adjusted and that would make the axle sit straight.Is there any truth to that???

It's got a shimmy around 35 and stops around 45 but I hope that goes away when I do the airsoft bb balance in my tires.

You you measured to see if the tyre to flare distance is the same left to right? Use a level vertically and measure both sides to make sure and then adjust the trackbar until it is providing one has been fitted.
You cannot not just add a Zj pitman arm as then you will make the bumpsteer worse unless you have lowered the trackbar at the frame end the same amount. Make sure also that the trackbar is is still in the stock location at the axle end if you have not raised the steering arms at all. Take a picture and show what has been done so all can see it.
To check the toe in you must measure between the sidewalls of the tyres at the same height front and rear and adjust the tie rod until they are exactly the same. The fact that one tie rod was screwed in more than the other side makes no difference at all to the function or the length of the tie rod.

6" of lift and stock length control arms?:doh:
Yea, I think that's probably gonna cause some issues.

Nope it's an re 5.5(sitting at 6") with drop brackets and re control arms...adjustable hd trac bar and drop mount at the frame.


The axle seems to be sitting crooked .....what would cause my axle to be shifted...the wheel base is different on the pass side(longer by 1/4 to 1/2 inch) than the driver side.But that doesn't explain the pull to the right.....or does it??What can be done to fix this?I was thinking of shimming the driver side lower control arm more than the pass side in an attempt to get the axle straight but started thinking that it would affect caster weird,as one side would be twisted more than the other.If this jeep was ever t-boned on the pass side would that cause a wheel base difference on one side?Is it possible that the unibody is bent?

jeepdeepfreak said:

Nope it's an re 5.5 with drop brackets and re control arms...

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So the RE kit comes with CAs that are sized that incorrectly?

Didn't think about that.Sounds very remote,re has a pretty good quality reputation.It doesn't hurt to measure them though,huh...

(go jeep quote) "The fact that one tie rod was screwed in more than the other side makes no difference at all to the function or the length of the tie rod".(end quote)

In my situation it did.The pass side toe out was more than the drivers side so I had to screw just the pass side in to get the toe in.Now looking at the front things look straight.Before the drivers side wheel would be straight and the pass side would be toed out pretty noticeably.

jeepdeepfreak said:

Didn't think about that.Sounds very remote,re has a pretty good quality reputation.It doesn't hurt to measure them though,huh...

(go jeep quote) "The fact that one tie rod was screwed in more than the other side makes no difference at all to the function or the length of the tie rod".(end quote)

In my situation it did.The pass side toe out was more than the drivers side so I had to screw just the pass side in to get the toe in.Now looking at the front things look straight.Before the drivers side wheel would be straight and the pass side would be toed out pretty noticeably.

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So instead of checking the toe adjustment and adjusting it the correct way, you removed the tie rod end from the pass knuckle and rotated that one side to bring it closer to the drivers side?

Toe automatically equals itself out.
Set the toe correctly and then adjust the drag link to center the steering wheel.

This is not the correct way to do an alignment! It might get you in the ballpark but thats it. take it to an alignment shop. It's worth spending 40-60$ to not wipe out expensive tires!

When I trammed(measured) my 01 I found out that the pass. side is longer by 4mm. I have adjustable arms so I equaled them out. And my xj has not a single sign that is has ever had any previous damage, and I should know I am a Journeyman Coll. Tech. with my I-car certs.

Also I-car (the authority on automotive structures) states that any measuring point on a unibody has to be +/- 3mm to factory specs. And I find that even brand new Caddies have a hard time meeting that standard sometimes.

Remember that most cars are mass produced so don't lose any sleep worrying that your XJ isn't perfect.

Basically what I am saying is get an alignment and see what the Tech says. They will tell you if you have a real problem. Hope that helps you out.

Hans

http://www.automedia.com/DIY/Alignment/ccr20021201ay/1

This is an interesting way of setting the toe.....I wonder if it'll be accurate enough?

jeepdeepfreak said:

http://www.automedia.com/DIY/Alignment/ccr20021201ay/1

This is an interesting way of setting the toe.....I wonder if it'll be accurate enough?

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That's probably the best way. That's how I do it. The line you scribe while spinning the tires cancels out any issues with bent wheels, uneven bulges in tires, etc.

Kyung

That's exactly what I was thinking.....

Instead of using spray paint I'm thinking of using a fine point paint pen,that way I don't drive around with paint in my tread.

xj journey:explain "trammed"......