hi
just looking for a bit of info or tips in adjusting the caster angle in the front of an eg civic?
any help would be great.
thanks

 

umpossible

 

i know there not supposed to be adjusted but they dont turn in very well.
ive already swapped the top wishbones from left to right and that helped a good bit but its still not enough. i see bolt and shim kits are available but thats not going to enough either. any modified lower wishbones available or any cut/bend mads?
its a hillclimb car so its not on the public road.

 

That's about the extent of what you're going to find until you venture into the one-off custom-made territory.

Just be VERY careful with that you do, because typically doing things to increase caster on this Honda suspension design has quite a few negative impacts on other parts of the suspension geometry.

 

Use SPC UCAs, since they adjust caster, and install swapped side to side like you did the stock ones. You'll want to cut out the shock towers for clearance, but you'll get to +4* of caster with just this change.

Remove the bolts holding the subframe in place, slot the holes, put washers on the bolts, reinstall subframe, shift subframe while on alignment rack to adjust caster.

Still not enough? Remove the back half of the LCA, install "traction bars" (verify proper geometry since they can bind if made wrong) and shorten the arm length to increase caster. Check balljoints for binding through full suspension travel range after doing this though.

If you're brave, Whiteline makes the LCA shim kit. I didn't trust it, so I have a set sitting on a shelf.

And when you're done with all of that, you'll have a lot of caster and more bumpsteer than you'll find acceptable...

If you just want the car to turn in better, increase the front ARB size and up the front shock low speed compression damping.

 

thats great info thanks, is there any to remove bump steer or minimize it?
i was going to cut the lca between the lower shock mount and the bottom ball joint, move it foward and weld/brace it. i have already swapped the top arms and cut them and welded them to increase caster and camber.
if i move the bottom ball joint forward and the top balljoint back and keep the track rod end in the same place will this minimize bump steer?
i know cutting sounds terrible but its a hillclimb car and it would be nothing in compared to the chances we take in the car...
thanks so much for your help.

 

I would pay someone to fab new control arms from scratch before welding cast iron stock parts, but that's me.

My bumpsteer knowledge pretty much consists of "I added bunch of caster, loved how the car felt, couldn't stand the bumpsteer, couldn't adjust bumpsteer within class rules, went back to stock caster, and the car felt worse but went faster.".

You'll want to adjust the location of the tie-rod connection on the knuckle vertically, but I don't know how to calculate where to put it based on the tie rod length and arcs of the control arms.

 

OEM LCA's are cast iron? I thought they were steel...

 

Steel is made with iron...

They're cast. Whether they're iron or steel, I have no clue. I do know that I can MIG weld sheet metal without issue, but cast parts never came out right for me.

My morning coffee still isn't being effective. Time for another cup...

 

yea they are poured steel. they can be welded fine, it might look a little rough but its strong.
i was thinking of changing the track rod end for a rose joint and drill out the track rod reciever on the hub and threading it. then i can use a vertical threaded section to connect the rod end to the hub, that way you can dial out bump steer by adjusting the rod end up and down and run as much caster as you want.
how does that sound?
think ill chance it and post some pictures if it doesnt kill me.

 

You might want to search around on here, on Team Integra, or elsewhere on the 'net for Dave Dunn's mid-engine RWD H22 Integra. He did TONS of custom fab work (obviously) including a bunch of front suspension geometry changes with custom parts to get better geometry angles, eliminate bump steer, etc. Check it out.

 

I was having a bad caster issue for a long time, with 175/65R14 tires on my VX the car drifted and pulled a lot at highway speeds. After replacing upper and lower front control arms and installing all new polyurethane bushings, my caster still measured -.6 on the left front and -.1 on the RF. While on the alignment rack, I took a heavy duty ratchet strap and hooked on to the LF lower control arm. The other end of the strap hooked to the front of the alignment rack. With the back wheels chocked, I loosened the subframe bolts, and then proceeded to crank down the strap. I watched the caster on the screen begin to straighten out, and when it got where I was happy, I retorqued the bolts and released the strap. The adjustment held! Now my car registers -.1 on both sides, and the pull is gone. The car still drifts some, but that is a lot due to the skinny tires. If I could get the caster to +.3 to +.5, I feel the drift would be virtually eliminated, but unfortunately this trick was only good for a half degree. Still worked well though!! I left a lot of weights in the front driver seat to simulate a driver when I set the alignment. Hope this helps!