Caster????

[joshua5438]

I just went and had my L aligned. I was wondering what the caster is and is it possible for it to be adjusted on an L? They left the left side at 7.6 and the right at 7.7...

Josh

 

[joshua5438]

I also noticed that the drivers side leans in a little at the top and the passenger side is straight up and down.. Does this sound right? My camber is.... Left / -0.9 and Right / -0.4

 

[SVTORANGE]

I just noticed that about mine today, it seems to be a norm with these trucks:shrug:

 

[NJ SILVERBULLET]

The only way to adjust the alignment on these trucks is to buy a set of aftermarket "cam-bolts" to replace the stock upper control arm mounting bolts...Then your alignment guy can actually do a true alignment instead of just setting the toe like most shops do...It's definately worth it in my opinion because these trucks have way too much negative camber from the factory for normal driving, and it gets worse if the truck is lowered with diffferent or cut springs...Once you have the alignment done properly, you will notice much-improved tire wear and the slightly less cornering ability will never be noticed by the vast majority of drivers.

My alignment was really screwed up, but it was "in spec" according to what Ford says it should be for these trucks...I kept the caster at about 7.5 to 8 degrees, got the camber to about -.25 degrees and set the toe about 1/16" toed in...the tires are wearing great, it handles just fine and is very stable at high speeds, even at the track with my Bogarts & skinnies up front...By the way, where I have it set at is also within "factory specs", it's just where I prefer to have it.

This is just my opinion, and opinions are like a$$holes...everybody has one.:-D

I'll put on my "flame suit" now. lol :burn:

 

[SVTORANGE]

But you info is great and I am going to order a camber kit today when I get home:rockon:

 

[joshua5438]

I already have the cam bolts installed. That is why I was currious about the driver side tire leaning in a little. Just need to know if thats normal or do I need to take it back and have it checked out?

 

[IneritaSVT]

Your camber should as close to zero as possible and the you try to acheive the most caster with the camber in spec. Most alignment techs dont know this. The manual calls for around 7 degrees of caster but you cannot come any wear close to that with the proper camber witch affects the tire wear.

 

[pitstain]

Camber and caster affect tire wear much less than improperly set toe, you want a very slight amount of toe-in, as rear wheels drive vehicles will dynamically toe out on their own, the toe will drag the tire and will destroy the tread much faster than even 2* of negative camber.

It is also a good idea to have the vehicle aligned with a full tank of gas and you sitting in the drivers seat, or equivalent weight in the seat.

 

[joshua5438]

This is my full specs.. How do they look?

Left Camber / -0.9
Left Caster / 7.6
Left Toe / -0.06

Right Camber / -0.4
Right Caster / 7.7
Right Toe / -0.06


Since my left camber is twice that of my right camber... is this why it looks to be leaning out at the bottom?

 

[pitstain]

I would have the left camber backed out, when you sit in the truck it will go even further negative, when you compress the suspension it gains negative camber.

as for the toe I would prefer 0* or slightly positive, having some positive toe, or toe-in will aid stright line stability, whereas negative or toe out will make it a bit twitchier.