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Author: Subject: Caster question. answers in simple form
mad-butcher

posted on 25/4/09 at 06:42 PM Reply With Quote
Caster question. answers in simple form

Hi Guys
As above, I've built several m/cycle racing outfits in the seventies so have a rough idea of lead and trail, Struggling to get my head round caster angle on a car (MK) sierra upright
1) how do you measure it
2) is it a line drawn through the top ball joint, stub axle and bottom ball joint taken to the floor. then that would be the caster angle.
3) If 2 is correct how is the caster angle affected by using offset mushroom adjusters, because by having the mushroom fully forward ( to increase caster) you are now unable to draw a straight line through the top ball joint, stub axle and bottom ball joint,

simple answers please I'm a wagon driver not an engineer


tony

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blakep82

posted on 25/4/09 at 06:44 PM Reply With Quote
its the line between the top and bottom ball joint, NOT the upright.
the angle's then measured against vertical

so those mushroom thingys don't affect the castor angle. which thinking about it now, makes me not sure what the point of them is

[Edited on 25/4/09 by blakep82]





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mad-butcher

posted on 25/4/09 at 06:47 PM Reply With Quote
your cars starting to look good

tony

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mr henderson

posted on 25/4/09 at 06:50 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by blakep82
its the line between the top and bottom ball joint, NOT the upright.



Indeed






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blakep82

posted on 25/4/09 at 06:50 PM Reply With Quote
thanks tony its slowly coming together lol very slowly. been out painting my mates bonnet today, might drag myself back out there today to do some of my own car!





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blakep82

posted on 25/4/09 at 06:56 PM Reply With Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Paul TigerB6
As above - its just measured through the centre of the ball joints top and bottom so to increase castor you want to get the top balljoint further back if thats what the mushrooms let you do


but thats the thing, the mushrooms don't let the ball joints move back the ball joint is fixed by the wish bones. only moving the top wishbone back (or the bottom one forward) will increase castor





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mark chandler

posted on 25/4/09 at 07:02 PM Reply With Quote
Look at a motorbikes forks from the side, the amount if lean back from bottom to top is caster
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Hellfire

posted on 25/4/09 at 07:06 PM Reply With Quote
The mushroom with the offset hole is there to provide mechanical trail which will aid self centreing.

As mentioned before, the only way to alter the castor is to move the top or bottom balljoints and the only way to do that is to move the wishbones to which they're attached. This can be achieved by either modifying the top or bottom wishbone (or both) or by moving the brackets.

Phil






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StevieB

posted on 25/4/09 at 07:10 PM Reply With Quote
Does moving the centre of the stub axle behind the castor line (top and bottom ball joint) achieve the same result as dialing in more castor? I think it does.
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Hellfire

posted on 25/4/09 at 07:16 PM Reply With Quote
The offset hole in the mushroom is there to provide maximum mechanical trail on the Sierra upright. Although trail and castor are related, they are not the same thing.

Phil






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wozsher

posted on 25/4/09 at 07:25 PM Reply With Quote
The Castor angle is a line between the top and bottom balljoints in relation to vertical. The offset mushroom inserts are used to allow for the anti -dive that Ford built in to the geometry for the Mcpherson strut set up,
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tomprescott

posted on 25/4/09 at 07:27 PM Reply With Quote
Mushroom is there to let there ball joint sit where the macpherson strut would go, angled ones aid in self centering but thats not its primary function!
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wozsher

posted on 25/4/09 at 07:39 PM Reply With Quote
Castor angle dosent just provide self centering its also an essential requirement for overall handling
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