Im buying a cobra tomorrow and i saw the readout of the last alignment and the toe is good but the caster camber is out. I do the alignments at my shop and our machine uses factory specs. Anybody know what i should set my caster-camber to because it isnt stock?
Alignment ?
- Thread starter 1KleenSVT
- Start date
I'm not sure what you're asking. What is not stock, the suspension? Either way, you should set your CC and Toe to factory settings, unless of course you plan on road racing. Then jump over to the Open Track Racing section and ask for good setups that are a little more agressive.
You're welcome. Here are the stock settings are if need be...
Front: Left
Camber -1* to -0.6*
Caster 2.9* to 3.3*
Toe 0.09* to 0.17*
Front: Right
Camber -1.2* to -0.8*
Caster 3.1* to 3.5*
Toe 0.09* to 0.17*
Front
Cross Camber 0.0* to 0.4*
Cross Caster -0.4* to 0.0*
Total Toe 0.17* to 0.33*
Rear: Left/Right
Camber -1* to -0.6*
Toe 0.06* to 0.14*
Rear
Cross Camber -0.2* to 0.2*
Total Toe 0.12* to 0.28*
Front: Left
Camber -1* to -0.6*
Caster 2.9* to 3.3*
Toe 0.09* to 0.17*
Front: Right
Camber -1.2* to -0.8*
Caster 3.1* to 3.5*
Toe 0.09* to 0.17*
Front
Cross Camber 0.0* to 0.4*
Cross Caster -0.4* to 0.0*
Total Toe 0.17* to 0.33*
Rear: Left/Right
Camber -1* to -0.6*
Toe 0.06* to 0.14*
Rear
Cross Camber -0.2* to 0.2*
Total Toe 0.12* to 0.28*
[facepalm]
Caster is the relationship between the vertical centerline of the spindle and the ball joint. This affects self-centering of the steering wheel, and how prone the car is to wanting to turn or wanting to keep going straight. It is not adjustable from the factory on our cars. if you have caster/camber plates, run about 4 degrees if you dont plan on bump-steering the car. If you bought a bump steer adjustment kit, run as much caster as you can where its still even on both sides.
Camber is the relationship between the wheel and the vertical plane. As you turn a corner, weight transfers to the outside wheels, and as the suspension compresses, the inside tire on the curve pulls out at the top, and the outside tire pulls in at the top. This keeps the contact patch of the tire even across the surface of the pavement. What is good for turning might not be all that great for going straight down the road so too much negative camber can wear the inside edge of the tires. Honestly, though, if you have worn the inside edge of the front tires, its more likely an issue with the toe setting than camber. 1.25 degrees negative camber should work fine
Toe is the difference of the distance between the leading edge of the wheel and the trailing edge of the wheel. This also greatly affects steering and tracking. For the best fuel mileage and tire wear, you want zero toe, but in order to achieve zero toe while driving down the road, the toe gets set to a tiny bit of toe-in. That way when the car goes down the road, the slack in the suspension gets taken up, and the wheels dont toe in while driving. Having more toe in on the front than on the rear will make these cars behave badly as the rear end tries to steer the car. 1/16" toe in on front and rear should work ok. Maybe a bit less up front.
Since you're the alignment "technician", set the car up to where it drives the way you like it the most.
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