Caster / Camber

[Norm Peterson]

In virtually all cases, changing camber will also change your toe. Depending on whether it's an upper arm adjustment or a lower, for a rear steer car more negative camber will toe the wheels in or out, respectively.




Norm

[pitts64]

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[Norm Peterson]

I have no way of checking caster..

Sure you do.

In fact, your observation of "the right wheel has too much positive camber when turned fully to the right" is at the heart of the method (IOW, you should EXPECT to see this).

Steer the wheels 20° to the right and measure right side camber. Write this number down including its sign.
Steer the wheels to 20° left and do the same thing. It usually will not be the same angle.
RF caster will be 1.5 times the algebraic difference in the camber with the wheels steered right minus the camber with the wheels steered left.

Now steer the wheels 20° to the left and measure left side side camber. Write this number down including its sign.
Steer the wheels to 20° right and do the same thing. It usually will not be the same angle.
LF caster will be 1.5 times the algebraic difference in the camber with the wheels steered left minus the camber with the wheels steered right.


Picky, but due to Ackermann correction when you steer (say) the right side wheel 20° the left wheel steers a slightly different angle. So if you're being a little fussy you do the two sides independently of each other.


Norm

[pitts64]

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[Norm Peterson]

You need to know how many degrees the front wheels are being steered, as that determines the factor that you multiply the camber difference by. I suggested 20° and a 1.5 factor because that seems to be what most of the commercially available caster-camber gauges are based upon. You can use other angles if you know what the factor changes to. But you need to know the angle in order to get the factor.

Roughly,

[Factor] = 1/( 2 x sin([WheelSteerAngle]) )


Norm

[pitts64]

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[aosborn]

If I add the same number of shims on both front and rear bolts will I only change camber?

Yes...

[pitts64]

btt