c4 steer
Melting Slicks
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 2,830
Likes: 147
From: Gainesville FL
Good luck
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 3,745
Likes: 275
From: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Too much (or a LOT) of caster can cause the heavy feel and desire to want to return to center. With the car stopped, turn the steering wheel side to side. Watch the hood in relationship to a wall or parked car in front of you. If you can SEE the hood rise at the ends of the turn, and drop as it comes across center, there is a lot of caster in the alignment. Some shops put a lot of caster in these cars in response to customer complaints of "wander". The result is a car that is not particularly pleasant to drive, although it tracks straight ahead. My personal experience is that 4 degrees is about the best compromise for 255/50's on 16" wheels. Other size tires may need more or less caster to get the best compromise bethween steering feel, and straight-line tracking.
I run 6 degrees caster on my 85, the steering is light no noticeable increased effort required.
Was a horror driving on uneven poorly maintained highways, the car would dart / wander dangerously.
The car has much improved stability requiring a light touch on steering wheel, compared to having to grip it tightly in case the car wanted to run off the road to follow a contour......
