Have the Caster Fairies diddled your car ?

[JohnRW]

Most of the VW camber plate kits for A1/A2 seem to push the top of the struts all the way back to the firewall. When quizzed about it, manufacturers say "oh yeah...you pick up a lot of caster that way", as if "a lot of caster" is a good thing. Ummm...I must have missed that memo.

I sometimes take a dim view of 'conventional thinking', in that much of the time 'conventional thinking' is a product of 'conventional hallucinations' or 'conventional daydreaming'. Could this be another example ?

Why the rant ? Well, I let somebody borrow the Golf Enduro Queen this fall and told them that the payment would be installing the camber plate kit I bought. They followed the instructions and did a nice job. I got into the car several weeks later and now I gotta be freakin Popeye to steer the car. Alignment is where it should be...it's just all that freakin caster.

Obviously, it was designed that way, but WTF would somebody want a race car to feel like that ??? My preference is for a slightly nervous, quick-steering car. I set all my other cars up without a lot of caster, so is there some great secret of speed that I'm not getting ? I don't need the thing to track arrow straight...that's what I'm there for.

Just trying to cut thru all the vendor BS...

[Rick]

There are a couple things increased caster can help with, besides building up your biceps. With an increase in caster you'll gain more camber as the steering wheel is turned. On a car with limited camber gain in bump this can be a help. Also increased caster will create more of a weight jacking effect with steering input. The inside front wheel will get heavier as the steering wheel is turned because of the rest of the geometry. Not a bad thing at all.
Plus, chicks dig popeye!
Rick

[JohnRW]

Rick - thanks for the reply & info. Nobody (even the vendors) could enlighten me. That said...Popeye only got some skinny chick with a squeaky voice named OliveOil.

If the Golf was a 16v and had power steering, I wouldn't care, but since it was built purely as an enduro car (and I've gone over 2 hours 20 minutes on fuel !), I'm taking some of that caster out and making it a little more comfortable to pilot. I'll do my weightlifting in the gym, thank you.

[racer_tim]

John, try driving around the paddock with a locked front diff. Not only do you get the bicept workout, but lots of strange looks from folks when you try to turn under your EZ-Up. Can you say 6 point 90 degree turn? My Dodge 2500 Turbo Diesel tow vehicle has a better turning radius than the Wabbit does.

Gook luck to all in 2003.



------------------
Tim Linerud
San Francisco Region SCCA
#95 ITB GTI, GP for 2002
http://linerud.myvnc.com/racing/index.html

[JohnRW]

Tim - my ice-race 1.8 12:1 Lunati-cammed Rabbit has a welded diff. It's not bad on a frozen lake at 100mph but even on paddock ice at 5mph, it's a wrestling match. When I want to turn it in the driveway in front of the barn, I jack the front end and pull it around.

At least if you miss a corner on the ice, you'll slide for a mile or two before hitting somebody's dock. Yeehar.

[mogren]

JRW, All I have seen you lift is a donut. Wimp. Lock it up , add castor and go fast.
Who the heck would race a car on ice???
What were you thinking? MM
catsor adds camber on turn in, allows less static camber, means go faster in straight and turns.

[JohnRW]

A day late and a dollar short, Mikey. Besides, the only time I've seen YOU move fast was when you were chasing something with a broom. And having seen all the race cars you built for the last decade or so...I never noticed ANY caster mods. 'Sploded a radiator in the ice car this weekend. Phooey. Got any spare radiators down there ?

You got the roof sawed off my old Scirocco yet ? You got the pool heaters installed yet, and are they fat ? You finish parting out the TVR yet ? Get back to work, you lazy bastard.