Re: [Chrysler300] Firm feel power steering

[Ray Jones <1970hurst@xxxxxxxxx>]

That makes it Negative Castor.
Top of the Spindle forward of the bottom is Positive Castor, looking from the side.

We also deal with Camber.
And a easy way to remember which is which,  is this:
Looking at the front of the car. Camber is the letter "M" , in at the top is Negative, out is Positive.
Poached from a Yahoo look-up:

Camber angle is the angle made by the wheels of a vehicle; specifically, it is the angle between the vertical axis of the wheels used for steering and the vertical axis of the vehicle when viewed from the front or rear. It is used in the design of steering and suspension. If the top of the wheel is farther out than the bottom (that is, away from the axle), it is called positive camber; if the bottom of the wheel is farther out than the top, it is called negative camber.

Camber angle alters the handling qualities of a particular suspension design; in particular, negative camber improves grip when cornering. This is because it places the tire at a better angle to the road, transmitting the forces through the vertical plane of the tire rather than through a shear force across it. Another reason for negative camber is that a rubber tire tends to roll on itself while cornering. Negative camber can also be caused by excessive weight on the front wheels. This is commonly seen on modified cars with larger engines than standard; the weight of the modified engine can make the wheels negatively camber. The inside edge of the contact patch would begin to lift off of the ground if the tire had zero camber, reducing the area of the contact patch. This effect is compensated for by applying negative camber, maximizing the contact patch area. Note that this is only true for the outside tire during the turn; the inside tire would benefit most from positive camber.

On the other hand, for maximum straight-line acceleration, the greatest traction will be attained when the camber angle is zero and the tread is flat on the road.

Just a little more info, Ray



On Aug 28, 2012, at 1:34 PM, Bob Jasinski wrote:

My alignment guy was able to get 2 degrees caster in my stock front end.
Caster is what causes the wheels to go in a straight line when you take your
hands off the steering wheel. The upper control arm position is farther
back that the lower control arm, this puts the steering knuckle axis line
leaning towards the back of the car. Think of a motorcycle, the caster put
in the front fork causes the motorcycle to go straight when you let go of
the handle bars, the same thing is true in a car.

Ray Jones
1970hurst@xxxxxxxxx





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]



------------------------------------

To send a message to this group, send an email to:
Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to bob@xxxxxxxxxxxxx or
go to http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/Chrysler300/join and select the "Leave Group" button

For list server instructions, go to http://www.chrysler300club.com/yahoolist/inst.htm

For archives go to http://www.forwardlook.net/300-archive/search.htm#querylangYahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Chrysler300/

<*> Your email settings:
    Individual Email | Traditional

<*> To change settings online go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Chrysler300/join
    (Yahoo! ID required)

<*> To change settings via email:
    Chrysler300-digest@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
    Chrysler300-fullfeatured@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
    Chrysler300-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
    http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/