Don't know about caster, but toe and camber will be off.Originally Posted by GasGuzzler
You might want to just have the alignment shop crank it up. Not much labor, and they can take it to the max of what can be adjusted with your OEM suspension.
FWIW the front will be more bouncy since the compression snubbers to control arm distance has been altered. Might want to get longer shocks too, though this has been debated to death.
Yeah, don't worry about caster if you don't care if it pulls or has steering return. Yes, caster doesn't wear tires but cranking one up reduces caster to a point they're unstable at speed (dart all over the place and have no steering return).
Doesn't caster stay the same throughout the travel of the control arms? The relationship (fore/aft) of the upper and lower ball joints doesn't change, correct?
There is a difference between the discussion on what happens during a dynamic situation such as suspension travel and what happens in a static situation such as being discussed - - - alignment specs after bars are cranked. I wasn't talking about suspension travel though, I was talking about using the keys to jack one all the way up. I know from getting paid to use a Hunter DSP600 infrared LED aligner that once the bars are cranked up, you have to make fairly large adjustments to the CAMBER. In this case you're left between having enough caster to drive correctly or havng the camber be far enough off to wear tires. There is not usually enough caster for proper steering return and highway stablility when the bars are cranked and the camber is in. 2.5 degrees or so is by far the most you'll get out of a GMT800 half ton 4X4 with the bars cranked. I like them at about 3.3 LH and 4.0 RH.
So, which is it when you crank the keys?
Camber or caster?
Camber changes the caster. It's both.
That is true when you are adjusting the alignment, not when you just crank the keys. Only camber and toe will be effected.
I don't know about the 1500's but the 2500's that I have, I always take it to my alignment shop so that they can crank in the max leveling in and still keep alignment within specs. IIRC there is not much available adjustment remaining for caster/camber after leveling.
Maybe I should speak (type) slowly.
Cranking will change the camber. To fix the camber, adjustments must be made. The adjustments needed to get the camber back correct will take caster away.
Is that simple enough?
Another potential problem with the logic of your alignment shop is "spec". This is irrelevant if proper vehicle dynamics, handling, etc. is to be maintained.
That's like telling a competent tuner that GM has it right with idle speed, timing, injector PWM, shift RPM, TM, etc.
There we go! Thank you for finally understanding the point I was trying to make, but obviously you are not all that bright. Rather a post count queen with an opinion on everything.
The average guy out there that goes nuts cranking the TBs does not go and try to set camber afterwords, so caster is not effected.
-out
That's funny. Taking one part out of a post then quoting it pretty petty. Read the rest.
Go ahead and crank yours leaving the camber messed up. Tires are cheap. And yes, if the camber is corrected you'll lose caster....just as stated above.
Last edited by GasGuzzler; 03-19-2009 at 03:57 PM. Reason: FORGOT SMILIES
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