caster and caster split

[raabbiitt]

fwd, pavement

the street stock guys talk about caster split and adjustments. my car has some caster built in stock (both struts tip back at the top). i can adjust about a degree on each side.

just trying to get my head around what caster does and how it affects cornering and how the difference from side-to-side (split) changes things
thanks

[84Dave]

What caster does? Equal LF/RF caster tends to force the front drive tires to stay pointing forward. The tires will not 'wander' if there is some positive caster in the LF/RF. Caster stagger helps steer the front through corners. Slightly less steering effort required. Example: +1-degree caster at the LF and +3-degrees at the RF. However, the above caster stagger will also tend to very slightly cause the front to 'pull' left down the straightaways. Some small amount of tire stagger in the front tires, bigger tire on the RF, will also help the chassis steer through a corner. It's all a compromise. If you desire to educate yourself in race car suspension geometry, I HIGHLY recommend the Bob Bolles book "Stock Car Setup Secrets". ISBN:1-55788-401-3 . Totally absorb the book's contents, & you'll have come a long ways toward being a racing chassis expert! -84Dave-

[raabbiitt]

good idea on the book. i will get this
thanks for the explaination. i was thinking caster keeps the wheels straight, just didn't know it was a big deal for cornering or not.
i remember looking at a pavement go-kart years ago and they had alot of caster, so much that when sitting, the rf would almost come off the pavement when turned left. said it was so it unloaded the lr and they could get away with less rear stagger. turn the wheels back and forth and the whole chassis looked like a rocking chair. don't think we're talking about enough to make that dramatic a difference in a car