Log in

View Full Version : Caster Angle



time2
14th August 2014, 08:09 PM
Hi All

For those that have had a wheel alignment - what is your caster angle?

My last wheel alignment has left @ 5*10' and right @ 3*39'. The target angles according to the report were 4*10' left and 3*52' right. I understand this is not adjustable but I'm interested to know how others are set. All the other angles were set to within 15'.

My vehicle is a 2011 D4 SE.

dazray
14th August 2014, 09:50 PM
I haven't had a wheel alignment, but here are the settings.

ADMIRAL
14th August 2014, 10:04 PM
First up, castor, camber and toe are adjustable on the front of your D4. Camber and Toe on the rear end. The target data does not sound correct. The target data would normally show as the same both sides, but would have a + or - . I think the D3/D4 castor is 4.01 + or - .45 (3/4 of a degree )

The castor on the lh side is normally set .30 ( 1/2 a degree ) higher on the left than the right to counter the camber on the road taking the vehicle left. This is not a hard and fast rule as camber settings will also draw a vehicle left or right. Typically a vehicle will draw to the side with the most positive camber. ( this can be the side with the least negative camber ) Have I lost you yet ?

That said, the D3/D4 being a constant all wheel drive is potentially less affected by variations in castor and camber on the front end.

On the face of it, your LH castor looks more than a little high. The proof is in the pudding. Does it drive straight ?

I guess the standard questions follow. Is the vehicle being put into tight tolerance mode before the wheel alignment is attempted, or at least ' locked ' into normal height before the wheel alignment ?

time2
15th August 2014, 09:03 AM
Thanks for that. I'll check all the other values as well against the specifications. I notice though that on the rear settings there are different values for camber for coil vs air yet the front makes no distinction.

The car does not drive badly offline but I was very disappointed with the tyre wear on the first set of tyres so really want to make sure the alignment is as good as it can be. The visual of the camber looks more uniform than it did prior to the alignment so here's hoping.

The alignment was done using the 'let settle and pull the fuse' method.

ADMIRAL
15th August 2014, 09:16 PM
Some forum members have achieved good results with the ' settle and pull the fuse method ', but you do need to be aware that any variation in height, up or down , from the height where the wheel alignment was set, will affect the accuracy of the wheel alignment.

The lower front arm bushes on the D3/D4 have a lot of compliance. LR have probably designed them this way, to try and cope with the variation in height and the changes in alignment angles as the suspension moves. All that compliance does make the vehicle a challenge to get the wheel alignment correct.