Lift Alignment Specs?

i have a 1.5 in lift from a small coil spacer i got from Fatboys garage
yeah stock uca's.

 

ok... I am resurrecting an old thread here....

I had the TSB done on my 08 a while back. The dealer installed 5100s set at 1.75 at the same time. The did a wheel alignment in the process.

It drives like crap. I have been dealing with it for months and to be honest have gotten used to it being a little quirky on the highway. It wanders a little...

Today I took my truck to the local shop down the road from work... I took it for a tire rotation but noticed they have installed a front end machine.

I wrote down some of the specs from this thread and asked him to try and set mine up like the preferred numbers I read here.

I just picked it up and here is what I got...
Toe 0
Caster left 1.8
Caster Right 1.0
Camber 0

The caster worries me a little... I would think you would want the numbers to be closer left to right. I would think 1.8 casteron both sides would have been better.

I have only driven it on the two lane for a couple of miles. I will hit the interstate this evening and see how it does.

 

Chris I got my truck lifted today with billies at .85 and eibach. Had LR UCA installed too.
Caster is left 3.8 and right 4.0
Camber is left .9 and right 1.0
Toe is left .05 and right 0

Is this terrible?

 

i like your style! i finally found someone who would do what i asked..

 

Did you read your own article? Castor and Camber affect road crown.

Castor has a greater affect on road crown, plus I like even tire wear so I request equal camber of both sides close to zero as possible, with .2 to .4* greater castor on the passenger side to corrrect road crown. I ask for the most castor available, which I usual don't get as much as I'd like. I also like toe being closer to zero.

There are massive books out there about steering geometry. A buddy of mine designs race cars and reminds me of how little I know. I just stick to the basics.

Edit: This thread is hella old

 

regardless of what castor and toe are set for, cornering is primarily effected by camber, and camber should be maintained at somewhere between -1.5 to -2 degrees to ensure proper wear of tires and to ensure the largest possible contact patch. When you corner, the outside tire should return to just about straight up while the inside tire runs more camber, probably closing on 3 * for a few seconds. This is normal and means that camber is set properly, when its improper the outside tire will be positively cambered and the inside of that contact patch will suffer greatly, hamstringing cornering grip. Castor would ideally be 4.5-5.5 degrees, and toe somewhere between 0 and .2* out, depending on personal preference. .2 would be if you like your truck to have a very lively feel and like diving into corners, as toe enhances turn in response (not grip, however)

 

So I just installed OME 90000s, 60091s, Dakar leafs, light racing UCAs, and 886 coils. These are my current numbers. What would be good settings for my setup. Also I'm on 265/70/17s but plan on going to 285/70/17s. Thank you.

 

depends. If you mostly go in straight lines and dont like to hammer it through corners then I'd say:
Camber: 0
Toe: .125 (in)
Caster: 3.5-3.8

But if you like to take corners fast you'd want something more like:
Camber: -1.0
Toe:0
Caster: 3.2

 

My specs:

Camber: 0.9 deg L, 0.9 deg R
Caster: 4.2 deg L 4.3 deg R
Toe 0.09 deg L, 0.05 deg R

Drives amazing and I don't rub in any direction at full lock.

 

Thank you both so much! I ended up with these settings.

Camber: 0
Toe: .125 (in)
Caster: 3.0

Any idea how to increase caster more without affecting camber?

 

Vibration may be due to the driveline angle. Look into the carrier bearing drop

 

I just had my truck aligned yesterday after installing aftermarket UCA's over the weekend. They set Toe at 0, Caster at 0, and Camber at 2.5 and I have to say the truck drives worse than before the alignment. ALso, my tires are rubbing badly on mud flaps.

I installed the Bilstein 5100's with Eibach 620 springs about 4 weeks ago. In the rear, added 2" leaf and BOSS struts.

 

Ideal settings

Toes and camber to OEM
Castor 3.5 or higher for lifted

Especially with oversized tyres.

Not my opinion, comes from people that do this for a living. If you can get to 3 that is ok but better is 3.5 or higher.

It puts the wheel back where it needs to be in the well. Also helps with stability.

 

I figured Caster at 0 would put the tires back to center. Guess I should read up a bit more on alignments.

I have 265/75/16

 

Caster is like the neck of the bicycle. When you adjust the lower control arm cams to move the lower ball joint forward, that increases caster and has the added effect of moving the tire away from the rear of the wheelwell where it commonly rubs.

 

So I should actually be asking for at least a 3 degree, if not more, to keep the tires off the mud flaps like Gixerkiller had said.

So how the hell are all these trucks with lifts getting by with Caster at 2.5? Apparently this is the magic number.

 

You still have mud plates???

 

If I remember, that is as far as I could get with the OEM UCA’s. It liked to dance on less than properly maintained roads...it is not uncommon to have one side at a higher number than the other. I think my right side is 3.7 and the left is at 3.2. I do have a right drift, but I did not realign after fitting larger tyres... at some point I will.

 

Front mud flaps are coming off this weekend!

 

I'm planning to take the truck back for alignment and see if they'll adjust as much as possible.