Proper Caster & Camber

Dr Jay

Dr Jay

Member
Jan 1, 2004
134
0
16
Canada
#1
My Ford dealer is having a little trouble getting my car lined up properly. I installed MM CC plates with the Bilstein's so there is plenty of room to make adjustments but the guy doing the line up says his computer is set up with stock ride height only so he has to compensate for that. Does this sound right to you guys? It's wondering a little bit so he told me to come back tomorrow.

I mentioned the recommended specs provided by MM (caster 4.5 degrees positive, camber .5 degrees negative) and he told me to bring it back in tomorrow with the specs and he would do it again at no charge (after a little argument). I'm running sportlines with the lower isolator removed in the front so I have a pretty good drop. Anyone have any advice before I go back tomorrow?
 
#2
he is an idiot!

i do alignments everyday and i can tell you he has no f'n clue what he is talking about.
camber and caster spec is not affected by lowering. you can make up ANY spec you want and align ANY CAR to it. i can set your mustang up 10 different ways and keep it wearing tires correctly. hell, i can align your car to chevy truck specs if i want to.

tell him you make the adjustments at the plate up top. i know if sounds obvious but he isnt the brightest from what you posted. ask him why the ride height would change the spec to which the car is aligned to.

tell them you want it set up like this

RF LF
camber -0.5 camber -0.5
caster 4.0 caster 4.5

you can set toe to the stock spec. this will keep your car running right

if you want i can PM you my number so i can explain what an alignment is for him.:stupid: i'm guessing he is using a Hunter alignment rack so i can tell him step by step how it should be done:rolleyes:
 
#3
Many thanks SaleenGT2001

I was thinking he was an idiot but I didn't want to put my foot in my mouth as I have no experience in this area. I didn't understand why he was saying the ride height had anything to do with it. I was playing along nicely until he said it would probably only be another 1/2 hr labor, and at that point I spoke up and after I made my point he asked the service manager who said there would be no charge tomorrow.

I'll be sure to test him to see if he is adjusting the plates at all:rlaugh:
Why is the caster on the LF different than the RF? Again I have no experience so I really appreciate your input.
 
#4
the caster is basically how far forward the wheels sit if you were looking from the top.

the car will pull to the side with the least amount of caster. on a perfectly FLAT road you would run an even amount of caster on both sides. however MOST roads you drive on are sloped to the right to allow for rain run off. therefore setting your right tire slightly ahead of your left tire it pulls your car up the road crown and allows the car to drive straight down the road.

i don't know if that will make any sense but thats why you offset caster.

please post up a copy of the specs they print off for you tomorrow.i wanna see if this guy has any clue what he is doing.
 
#5
Caster%20angle.JPG



this should help
 
#6
SaleenGT2001 said:
the caster is basically how far forward the wheels sit if you were looking from the top.

the car will pull to the side with the least amount of caster. on a perfectly FLAT road you would run an even amount of caster on both sides. however MOST roads you drive on are sloped to the right to allow for rain run off. therefore setting your right tire slightly ahead of your left tire it pulls your car up the road crown and allows the car to drive straight down the road.

i don't know if that will make any sense but thats why you offset caster.

please post up a copy of the specs they print off for you tomorrow.i wanna see if this guy has any clue what he is doing.
Click to expand...

That makes perfect sense to me. He didn't give me anything the first time so I'll be sure to ask for a print out today and post it up.
 
#8
Is there such a thing as a 4-wheel alignment with a Mustang? Or do you get a 2-wheel alignment?

Nothing on the rear end is adjustable, but aren't the front wheels adjusted in relation to the thrust angle of the rear wheels?

SO do I get a 4 or 2 wheel?
 
#10
Mustang5L5 said:
Is there such a thing as a 4-wheel alignment with a Mustang? Or do you get a 2-wheel alignment?

Nothing on the rear end is adjustable, but aren't the front wheels adjusted in relation to the thrust angle of the rear wheels?

SO do I get a 4 or 2 wheel?
Click to expand...


What you get is what we call a thrust angle alignment. You hook the sensors to all four wheels this finds the center line of the vehicle so you can adjust for the offset in the rear axle( the rear axle on the majority of vehicles are not perfectly centered),see the spec sheet at the bottom posted earlier as thrust angle and also see what his other specs are on the rear wheels. In laymans terms if your rear axle is offset say 1/4 of an inch and u just align the front the vehicle may pull slightly or should I say push one way or the other.
 
#11
chuck943 said:
What you get is what we call a thrust angle alignment. You hook the sensors to all four wheels this finds the center line of the vehicle so you can adjust for the offset in the rear axle( the rear axle on the majority of vehicles are not perfectly centered),see the spec sheet at the bottom posted earlier as thrust angle and also see what his other specs are on the rear wheels. In laymans terms if your rear axle is offset say 1/4 of an inch and u just align the front the vehicle may pull slightly or should I say push one way or the other.
Click to expand...

:stupid:exactly right. you align the front wheels to match the rear in more simple terms
 
#12
Dr Jay said:
Hey SaleenGT2001, I gave him the exact numbers you mentioned and this is the printout I got back. Am I ok here? The numbers look a little different than what I expected to get in return.

View attachment 316240
Click to expand...

does it pull to the right at all??

the toe doesnt look right. the total toe should be no more than 0.32 you will see some edge wear the way the toe is set up

he is using a Hunter aligner. i'm guessing a DSP600

has your car ever been hit in the LF??
 
#17
SaleenGT2001 said:
does it pull to the right at all??

the toe doesnt look right. the total toe should be no more than 0.32 you will see some edge wear the way the toe is set up

he is using a Hunter aligner. i'm guessing a DSP600

has your car ever been hit in the LF??
Click to expand...

My car has never been hit and it drives nice, no pull at all. Couldn't be happier with the way it handles, no complaints at all.
 
#18
That is a lot of toe, but it doesn't surprise me that the tech set it up that way. All three of the 99-04 mustangs that I've had came from the factory with more than 0.25 degrees of toe in on each side. Ford specs are ****ty in regard to the range of toe that they allow (camber too), the maximum Ford toe setting would chew up tires at light speed.

I like to align mine at 0.12 degrees toe in on each side.
 
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