caster angle after lift affecting steering

[konastinky1234]

guys,

my steering has been wandering a bit after doing my ~4 inch lift and i want to get it ironed out. i've been reading and it looks like caster angle is obviously a big deal for this symptom. so i know i need adjustable arms on either lower or upper, or both in order to change the caster and i think i understand how to do it. just wanted to know what other people have done with this issue before and any experience that can be shared with it if anyone has adjusted their caster on a tj, xj, or zj (assuming it stays the same between all 3 jeeps)

thanks
john

[ninetysix-ex-jay]

Are you on stock arms? If thats the case either get arms designed for that lift height or get adjustable arms. If they're adjustable just adjust it so the pinion points up 6deg.

[konastinky1234]

i have longer lowers and stock uppers, so i am guessing that my caster is too low like 1 or 2 degrees when it needs to move back to about 5-7 or so. i think i will get adjustable uppers and just shorten them hopefully and that should definitely help. now pinion pointing up 6 degrees? what size tire is that on? on your rig? how does it work out for you, etc?

[clean4drxj]

Between 5-7 degrees and I went off the inner C's, although it's been a year since I've had to mess with my caster(bad memory).

[konastinky1234]

Between 5-7 degrees and I went off the inner C's, although it's been a year since I've had to mess with my caster(bad memory).

thanks for the advice man, i'm gonna get under there this week and check it out and hopefully remedy the issue.

[Zullock Holmes]

I always set it with the inner c's at 5 degrees.

[konastinky1234]

I always set it with the inner c's at 5 degrees.

how's the wandering when you set it at 5 and what not? and what size tires were you on with that setting? i read that 35s should be at 5 which is what i will have so i figured i'd go with that.

[Zullock Holmes]

every dana 30 we put a kit on gets set to between 4.5-5 with a digital angle finder, its the happy medium.

[konastinky1234]

ok thanks man sounds good to me! i'll give it a shot at that angle first and see how it works out.

[konastinky1234]

zullo, just read that for LP vs HP it is different, do you always set up HPs? or have any experience with the LPs? it seems like they need a bit more caster from what i read. obviously ill have to play with it but just wondering if you had done any of those.....

one other question, im assuming you guys always adjust it via the adjustability of the arms but do you know if i could get some adjustability out of the LCA mounts since they have a bolt hole that allows you to slide the arm back and forth? not sure where mine are right now...

thanks

[justtorchit]

caster shouldnt matter whether its a hi or low pinion. where your pinion ends up is where it ends up.
im not sure what jon is talking about saying to point the pinion up 6 degrees.

put ur angle finder on the inner c, i like to measure from the balljoint.
if your looking from the drivers side at the drivers side inner C, it should be rotated clockwise 6 degrees from 0. (4.5-5 is good too)

l = 0
/ = 6

idk if you will get the adjustability out of the factory alignment adjustments and they put shims and shit behind (meaning you would need more shims)

i have longer lowers and stock uppers, so i am guessing that my caster is too low like 1 or 2 degrees when it needs to move back to about 5-7 or so. i think i will get adjustable uppers and just shorten them hopefully and that should definitely help. now pinion pointing up 6 degrees? what size tire is that on? on your rig? how does it work out for you, etc?

wut? if you have longer lowers and stock uppers it should give you more caster i would imagine.

Now go out and actually give us a caster number before we give anymore advice, cuz it could be something other than caster all together (bad tie rod, tow, play at teh pitman arm, yada yada yada)

[ninetysix-ex-jay]

caster shouldnt matter whether its a hi or low pinion. where your pinion ends up is where it ends up.

put ur angle finder on the inner c, i like to measure from the balljoint.
im not sure what jon is talking about saying to point the pinion up 6 degrees.

Cocaines a hell of a drug

[konastinky1234]

caster shouldnt matter whether its a hi or low pinion. where your pinion ends up is where it ends up.
im not sure what jon is talking about saying to point the pinion up 6 degrees.

put ur angle finder on the inner c, i like to measure from the balljoint.
if your looking from the drivers side at the drivers side inner C, it should be rotated clockwise 6 degrees from 0. (4.5-5 is good too)

l = 0
/ = 6

idk if you will get the adjustability out of the factory alignment adjustments and they put shims and shit behind (meaning you would need more shims)








wut? if you have longer lowers and stock uppers it should give you more caster i would imagine.

Now go out and actually give us a caster number before we give anymore advice, cuz it could be something other than caster all together (bad tie rod, tow, play at teh pitman arm, yada yada yada)

yep, good call man. just got home to my jeep last night and immediately after looking under the bumper there was a solid half inch of play in the trackbar-axle mount. there's my wandering. no clue how we didn't notice it before. if i still have problems after i fix that i'll follow your steps though for the caster.

thanks for the help

[DrThunder]

glad you figured it out,

but just to clear things up caster needs to be adjusted by finding the angle of the inner c's, not by adjusting the pinion angle

[clean4drxj]

glad you figured it out,

but just to clear things up caster needs to be adjusted by finding the angle of the inner c's, not by adjusting the pinion angle

exactly what I had said!