I have adjustable tension rods on my s13 and was wondering which way do I adjust them to increase caster?
Do I need to adjust the tension rods length to be shorter or longer? Also, someone correct me if im wrong, but increasing caster increases camber gain during cornering and increases the self centering of the steering wheel, right?

Thanks,
Mike

Shorter Tension rod = More caster. Your other two statements about caster are correct. But, I would be careful about going too far out of spec. Changing caster at the tension rod can introduce significant bind into the lower control arm bushing. I probably wouldn't go above 8 degrees. I think the steering feels better at closer to stock (6.5 to 7 degrees iirc). Mine is at 8 degrees to allow for no rubbing at full lock. Which might be too much and was probably silly anyway as the car only sees daily commuter duties as of the moment.

Im not even sure what my caster is set at, I really need to take it in for an alignment. Thank you, I just wanted to clear a few things up that I was wondering about.

ScrapnSidwayz wrote:I but increasing caster increases camber gain during cornering

It depends what wheel you're talking about. The leading wheel will gain more POSitive camber while the following wheel will gain more NEGative camber.

Yes, outside wheel gains negative and inside wheel gains positive. But that's ok since thats what you want to happen.

Gabes13 wrote:

ScrapnSidwayz wrote:I but increasing caster increases camber gain during cornering

It depends what wheel you're talking about. The leading wheel will gain more POSitive camber while the following wheel will gain more NEGative camber.

yeah i know that only the outside wheel gains more negative camber. but isnt the inside wheel suppose to gain positive? i always knew that it is beneficial for the outside wheel to have negative camber but i never really thought about the effects of positve camber on the inside wheel. anybody wana elaborate on effects of positive camber on the inner wheel?

It provides a "pull" for the car. Think of it like a motor cycle. You don't have to turn the handle bars all the ways to make a turn, you can just "lean" into the turn. A wheel barrel might be a better example. The only way to turn a wheel barrel is to lean the barrel into the the turn. So, running some extra caster can help your steering and turn in response but it also messes with your contact patch. Too much caster can cause the front tires to skid. It's really personal preference. I've seen inside wheels riding on the rim of the wheel bc of the loads of caster pulled, and I've seen wheels that were completely vertical bc of caster less than stock and and tons of static negative camber.

so about how much caster is recommended to get the max tire contact patch while turning? also, right now i have no idea how much caster im running but i will find out when i go to get an alignment, but i do have my camber plates adjusted all the way in for negative camber.

Really, you'll need to run very very low amounts of caster to get your wheel to stay flat while turning.
That isn't really ideal though.

One way you can have a completely flat wheel while at full lock is having knuckles that have modified steering axis inclination.
DriftWorks makes knuckles like these but they are a bit costly.



I say, just run stock 7 degrees of caster.

Razi wrote:I say, just run stock 7 degrees of caster.

^ this is good advice for probably 95% of us. If you need to run more or less than this then you already know why.

so the stock 7 degrees would be best for the most tire contact patch while turning?

ScrapnSidwayz wrote:so the stock 7 degrees would be best for the most tire contact patch while turning?

There isn't a simple yes or no here. The suspension is a dynamic system where everything interacts and affects each other. The stock caster setting is the usually the best compromise. But hell, don't listen to us. Try out a different setting and see how it handles on the road.

Like I said earlier I had mine set at 8 to allow for tire clearance at full lock with my inner tie rod spacers. I think the steering is a little vaguer than it was at the stock setting, and will probably go back next alignment.

alright thanks, i guess i will just keep messing with it

You could mount the top of your coilovers sideways.

Then you could get a little extra caster adjustment without moving the wheel inside the wheel well.
But then your camber adjustment would be limited...

Decisions, decisions.

Razi wrote:You could mount the top of your coilovers sideways.

Then you could get a little extra caster adjustment without moving the wheel inside the wheel well.
But then your camber adjustment would be limited...

Decisions, decisions.

haha yes that is another option. i believe i have seen an rx7 that had its coilovers mounted like that before, although i never thought about trying that on a 240. but i guess if camber was a problem then you could always put in some camber bolts for a lil extra negative camber.