Caster Correction Options, Differences, and Opinions

[landtank]

Christo, Your drawings are enormously helpful in understanding the subtle geometry differences in the two approaches to caster correction.

While those differences may seem subtle in the real world they are enormous. If you do a search on MUD you'll find that people have cured a drive line vibration by simply added some weight to the front bumper. All that basically is doing is subtly changing the operating angles of the u-joints by compressing the suspension.

There are a ton of variables in this equation. The front axle, front arms, frame mounts, transmission crossmember, transmission housing, engine mounts, transfer case and more. Everything is built within a certain tolerance and all those tolerances play into the location of the t-case flange and front pinion flange. Add those tolerances together and it's quite possible that you will find yourself with a truck that has a vibration problem that can't be resoled with either drive shaft configuration. And it wouldn't surprise me at all that if one of these solution produced that scenario, the other one would not.

 

[calstyl2]

MAF front drop brackets hang up on too much stuff and tore out of the crossmember mounts after Christo led me on some destructive testing in Moab.....

 

[sleeoffroad]

While those differences may seem subtle in the real world they are enormous. If you do a search on MUD you'll find that people have cured a drive line vibration by simply added some weight to the front bumper. All that basically is doing is subtly changing the operating angles of the u-joints by compressing the suspension.

There are a ton of variables in this equation. The front axle, front arms, frame mounts, transmission crossmember, transmission housing, engine mounts, transfer case and more. Everything is built within a certain tolerance and all those tolerances play into the location of the t-case flange and front pinion flange. Add those tolerances together and it's quite possible that you will find yourself with a truck that has a vibration problem that can't be resoled with either drive shaft configuration. And it wouldn't surprise me at all that if one of these solution produced that scenario, the other one would not.

Yes, I did these so that people could see that there is no right way or wrong way to do it. In some cased one solution will work, in others something different. I still don't think the differences are enormous in real world, especially in the case of the bushings. But there are differences, however as you pointed out, there are a variety of other factors that also com into play.