Hi Folks,
Camber:
Needs to be set (0 degrees to -.50 degrees) and must be set first as it affects both the toe in and the caster. Most articles say there is no problem having a slight variation from driver side to passenger side to compensate for the crown in the road. Which side should be more negative for this purpose?
Toe In:
Most alignment specs list the toe in measurement in inches (1/16" to 1/8"). Is the measurement the difference between the front of the tires and the rear of the tires or is it 1/16" to 1/8" in from being straight? Either way, this spec seems kind of hard to get accurate, as measuring it in distance changes with the tire diameter as opposed to measuring it in degrees.
Caster:
Depending on which article you read, the recommendation is either negative 1.5 or 2.0 degrees to 3 degrees and up to negative 5 degrees for racing purposes. Is this a direct measurement of angle of the line from upper to lower ball joint (front to rear of car)to plumb/ vertical? Or is it the measurement of the difference of tire lean out/in with wheels turned 20 degrees to the left and then 20 degrees to the right? For example: most caster/camber gauges like this one:
http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Deco-Magnetic-Caster-Camber-Gauge,2698.html
as per their instructions, have you take the measurements by first turning the wheel out 20 degrees and the turning the wheel in 20 degrees with the difference being your caster measurement. I guess what I'm trying to understand is if you are actually measuring the spindle angle and/or if these types of gauges are simply calibrated/scaled to compensate for the fact that you are only turning the wheels in 20 and out 20 degrees? I understand that for negative caster, measuring the driver side, when you turn the wheel left, the top of the wheel will lean out and when turned to the right the top of the wheel will lean in. Is the spec of -3 degrees referring to the differnce in lean or to the actual spindle angle?
I realize this all sounds kind of confusing, but I'm hoping that someone here is an alignment expert who can understand my quandary/questions and help me out.
Thank You,
Gene
Camber:
Needs to be set (0 degrees to -.50 degrees) and must be set first as it affects both the toe in and the caster. Most articles say there is no problem having a slight variation from driver side to passenger side to compensate for the crown in the road. Which side should be more negative for this purpose?
Toe In:
Most alignment specs list the toe in measurement in inches (1/16" to 1/8"). Is the measurement the difference between the front of the tires and the rear of the tires or is it 1/16" to 1/8" in from being straight? Either way, this spec seems kind of hard to get accurate, as measuring it in distance changes with the tire diameter as opposed to measuring it in degrees.
Caster:
Depending on which article you read, the recommendation is either negative 1.5 or 2.0 degrees to 3 degrees and up to negative 5 degrees for racing purposes. Is this a direct measurement of angle of the line from upper to lower ball joint (front to rear of car)to plumb/ vertical? Or is it the measurement of the difference of tire lean out/in with wheels turned 20 degrees to the left and then 20 degrees to the right? For example: most caster/camber gauges like this one:
http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Deco-Magnetic-Caster-Camber-Gauge,2698.html
as per their instructions, have you take the measurements by first turning the wheel out 20 degrees and the turning the wheel in 20 degrees with the difference being your caster measurement. I guess what I'm trying to understand is if you are actually measuring the spindle angle and/or if these types of gauges are simply calibrated/scaled to compensate for the fact that you are only turning the wheels in 20 and out 20 degrees? I understand that for negative caster, measuring the driver side, when you turn the wheel left, the top of the wheel will lean out and when turned to the right the top of the wheel will lean in. Is the spec of -3 degrees referring to the differnce in lean or to the actual spindle angle?
I realize this all sounds kind of confusing, but I'm hoping that someone here is an alignment expert who can understand my quandary/questions and help me out.
Thank You,
Gene