My Caster readings...4" lift

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FJBen

FJBen

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Went to the tire shop today, with Slee 4" front springs and no caster correction

-2.3 -2.8

Being this is the case it appears I need between 4-6 degrees to be within the acceptable range. Will too much caster create issues???

basically puts me in the Slee arms, or Slee plates range...high or low side respectively...

I have a set of arms "reserved" I want to just make sure that too many degrees positive caster won't create anymore issues.
 
nope! The more the better! And if that happens just add more lift:flipoff2: mY guess is that you couldn't get too much of you wanted to. 2 to 4 is factory or normal and just makes it track straiter down the road. IMO You cant get more than that unless you do a cut and turn.
 
You are almost 7 degrees off.
 
A lifted radius arm application will run well @ about 2-3 degrees...but that is not an 80 specific statement.
 
I thought Christo's arms were 7 degrees.
 
FJBen said:
Being this is the case it appears I need between 4-6 degrees to be within the acceptable range. Will too much caster create issues???
Click to expand...

Too much caster also means you're creating too much pinion angle - which is a big chunk of what drives driveshaft vibrations.
 
Walking Eagle said:
Too much caster also means you're creating too much pinion angle - which is a big chunk of what drives driveshaft vibrations.
Click to expand...


To start with "pre-lift" I had the following caster:

1 1.5

So to begin with I was outside of Toyota's "specified range" with the arms I'd be at the 7. what do the plates correct at?
 
Walking Eagle said:
Too much caster also means you're creating too much pinion angle - which is a big chunk of what drives driveshaft vibrations.
Click to expand...

Good point Heath.

This is where cut and turns come in. You can set the caster for the lift AND set the pinion at a better angle for drive line angle in one shot.

Mark
 
helocat said:
Good point Heath.

This is where cut and turns come in. You can set the caster for the lift AND set the pinion at a better angle for drive line angle in one shot.

Mark
Click to expand...

Wonder what it costs compared to the $400 for a special driveshaft? I'd try it myself, but I don't look as good as Jessi sitting on a tire.

I'm sure someone has done it on an 80, I've never seen any posts about one.

Heath
 
I've chatted with Christo a while ago and his arms are at 10*. Everyone seems to still be in that 1" = 1* mode and it's simply wrong.

From talking with Christo the bushing compensates for 4* but he didn't mention his plates but I think they are around 5* but don't quote me.

One thing I mentioned to Ben was that when he turns the axle it will push the truck slightly higher because of better aligning the spring perch. I saw more that 1/2" when I did mine.

When I corrected my truck I was able to rotate the axle 7* using my plates which also aligned the pinion for a DC shaft. But if you can find someone to cut and turn the axle you would be able to use the stock shaft.
 
My usual non-technical approach ..

I placed Slee arms on, with his 4" coils, and we simply drove it. It drives beautifully! And that was good enough for me ..


So, as usual, no caster measurements obtained .. :o



TY
 
landtank said:
I've chatted with Christo a while ago and his arms are at 10*. Everyone seems to still be in that 1" = 1* mode and it's simply wrong.

From talking with Christo the bushing compensates for 4* but he didn't mention his plates but I think they are around 5* but don't quote me.

One thing I mentioned to Ben was that when he turns the axle it will push the truck slightly higher because of better aligning the spring perch. I saw more that 1/2" when I did mine.

When I corrected my truck I was able to rotate the axle 7* using my plates which also aligned the pinion for a DC shaft. But if you can find someone to cut and turn the axle you would be able to use the stock shaft.
Click to expand...

Rotating the knuckles is the best solution, because as you say, it keeps the spring perches on top of the axle where they belong and you can really dial in pinion angle and caster (just don't go changing your lift). That's a pretty serious project for a 4" lift, though. Any known issues doing this on the 80 front axle such as bracket interference?

A knuckle rotation that has no issues that require extra work should run around $300 - $400 if I remember correctly last time I checked, which was on a Jeep D30 and no shop would touch it due to mount clearance issues to the knuckle.

I hadn't thought much about doing this, but it's a way to keep the stock arms and disconnect the stock caster to pinion angle relationship. Hmmmm.....

Nay
 
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Jessi and what's his name sure made it look easy to cut and turn the dang things on the 60... well, after you've emptied the knuckes and all. Probably not quite that simple in the non-Hollywood world, I assume.
 
All trucks are different. My truck was at -1* and -0.5* with the 6" slee and 20mm OME packers each side up front and the slee control arms. When Christo had Brian pull them out at the shop my caster incresased to +1* and +0.5* afterward. Not high enough as id like but the tie rod has no clearance over the control arms. For this reason I cannot put in 2*or 3* caster bushings in the arms also. I thought I remeber the plates being 4*-5* and the arms being between 6*and 7*. I could be wrong but...
 
My lift has 23 3/4" F&R hub to flare. I had -2.5* castor. The wheel alignment shop told me that I needed 1* (I didn't check here first) so I went looking for 3.5* of castor correction. In OZ all you can get is 2.5* or 3* bushes, 5.5* castor plates or ?*drop arms. As I was under the impression I needed 3.5* I went for the 3* bushes as I didn't want to go to far due to the oversize chromemoly tie rod that I run maybe hitting on the control arm. This has only given me 0.5* castor. It turned out that there is enough room for the tie rod. I am happy with the improvement in handling compared to before but when these bushes wear out I'll replace them with 5.5* plates or drop arms to suit the lift.
 
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