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Date:         Sun, 12 Apr 2009 16:05:30 -0700
Reply-To:     Keith Hughes <keithahughes@Q.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Keith Hughes <keithahughes@Q.COM>
Subject:      Re: Trying To Understand Tie rod Adjustments
In-Reply-To:  <BAY0-PAMC1-F9Gmt405000116f6@bay0-pamc1-f9.bay0.hotmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

> Date: Sun, 12 Apr 2009 13:50:36 -0700 > From: neil N <musomuso@GMAIL.COM> > Subject: Re: Trying To Understand Tie rod Adjustments > > The original goal; align things by my "shade tree" hand so I could drive it= > . > > Current goal: see if changing castor on passenger side help RH drift. > Mostly for learning. >

Well, it's "caster" to be correct, "castor" is a bean :-)

IME, caster rarely causes a consistent pulling to one side or the other. That's typically camber and/or toe in. > I will take it to a shop. If my adjustment corrects drift, I'll be > curious to see how close i got toe and castor. (I'm not dicking with > the camber) > Well, yes you are actually. If you adjust the caster, you'll be adjusting the camber as well. To understand why, just think of a transverse line running through the two front wheel hubs. To adjust caster without affecting the camber, the radius arms would have to be perpendicular to that transverse line so that when you increase caster by nudging the control arm rearward, the vertical plane running through the upper and lower ball joints is not changed (i.e. the lower ball joint would move *straight* back). Since the radius arms are at an angle to that transverse line through the wheel hubs, adjusting caster also moves the lower ball joint either IN or OUT as well forward/backward.

Unless your tires are already beat, take it to a shop. It's money well spent. Once you start getting a scalloped wear pattern from bad toe adjustment, or inner/outer wear from bad camber, you'll never get them to wear right again.

Keith Hughes '86 Westy Tiico (Marvin)


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