Table of Contents
What should your caster be?
Vehicles with too much positive caster can be prone to understeer, so most modern vehicles don’t have a caster greater than 3 to 5 degrees. This is the ideal range to maximize straight line stability and still allow for comfortable turning.
What is the effect of incorrect caster angle?
Improper caster settings will require the driver to move the steering wheel both into and out of each turn, making it difficult to maintain a straight line.
What is the value of caster angle?
Positive caster angles run between 3 – 5° on modern vehicles. This gives a good mix of highway stability and steering feel. For a more performance oriented setup on a MacPherson strut you can add a degree or two to have more favorable camber gain at high steering angles.
What does caster adjustment do?
Caster angle settings allow the vehicle manufacturer to balance steering effort, high speed stability and front end cornering effectiveness. Increasing the amount of positive caster will increase steering effort and straight line tracking, as well as improve high speed stability and cornering effectiveness.
Is positive caster better than negative caster?
Increasing the amount of positive caster will increase steering effort and straight line tracking, as well as improve high speed stability and cornering effectiveness. Positive caster also increases tire lean when cornering (almost like having more negative camber) as the steering angle is increased.
How do you read caster angle?
Now turn the tire 20 degrees out and the gauge will read the amount of positive or negative caster. A safe starting point for caster is 2 to 3 degrees of positive caster….How To Align Your Car.
| Typical Street Performance | Drag Race | |
|---|---|---|
| Caster | +4 or more degrees | +4 or more degrees |
| Toe-in | 1/16 inch total | 1/16 inch total |
How do you measure caster on a car?
Turn the steering wheel right until the wheel is turned 20 degrees right of straight ahead (turning 40 degrees total). Hold the gauge at a 90-degree angle and the reading will be your caster angle for the left wheel.
What is the best caster angle for a Baja?
For Baja around 5–7 degree caster is optimum let me tell you that maintaining 5 degree is very difficult manually or in design manufacturing . So keep it tight and according to your steering and testing experience .
What are the disadvantages of a high caster angle?
Excessive caster angle will make the steering heavier and less responsive, although in racing large caster angles are used for improving camber gain in cornering. Caster angles over 7 degrees with radial tyres are common.
How many degrees of positive caster does a car have?
Most cars today have 2–3 degrees of positive caster. However, some like Mercedes Benz have 8 or more degrees. This very high caster is one of the reasons they handle well at high speeds.
What is the purpose of Castor on a steering wheel?
The purpose of castor is to provide a degree of self-centring for the steering — the wheel casters around in order to trail behind the axis of steering. This makes a car easier to drive and improves its directional stability (reducing its tendency to wander).