guess what? i found out that we can actually adjust the caster on our cars.. after re-lubing my ES control arm bushings i forgot to tighten the nut all the way that stick out of the control arm pointing towards the front of the car, and the whole lower control arm moved forward changing my caster.. steering became noticable more nimble but high speed stability was compromized.. so i figured for those of you that want to change your caster you can add ginormous washers on the back of the first bushing and in front of the second huge bushing.. i'm not sure how many degrees each washer would change your caster, but its do-able.. =D..

it may be a repost but i swear i feel smart..

 

Good idea. I've heard you can also do the same with your subframe but haven't tried it yet. Gotta figure out my bumpsteer and slammed geometry problems first...

 

so... you turned your maxima into a town car?


yay.

 

Don't you have it backwards? If you tilt the wheel assembly forward, it will decrease caster (less positive/more negative). Steering response becomes faster, but less stable, as was reported empirically above. A Towncar has the opposite response curve. It has slow steering, but more stable. This would entail tilting the wheel assembly rearward.

 

Wait, when I got an alignment for my 2K SE this week, the guys told me that my front passenger side wheel is slightly more forward than my driver side. He said that It was not adjustable.Is this caster? I really don't know what it means. It makes my car go left when I let go of the wheel (but it doesn't hurt the tires)

 

but if you get an alignment, wouldnt it even out??

 

Technician said the problem was not adjustable, one wheel is further in front than the other one. I don't know if this is caster, but if it is, then it is adjustable. (they did camber, toe, etc.)

 

caster does not effect tire wear but if it isn't alligned correctly it'll make your car pull to one side. maxima's supposidely don't have caster adjustments.. but i just found out a way to do it =D

 

Sounds like a structural problem with your front end. Are you aware of any previous damage? Do you go through tires quickly? Adjusting caster isn't just about moving the wheel forward. It is about tilting the suspension arms and all around the center of rotation. Imagine jacking up the rear of your car and watching your front shocks tilt away from vertical. That's what caster is.

 

actually i think we both have it wrong.. and he had it right.. moving the control arm forward increases caster reducing steering response, i think the instability was due to loose bolts.. hahahaa.... either way now we can increase caster..

 

nice find mingo, although it might be difficult to measure how much each washer will affect your caster

as for the subframe.... I managed to lower my car about 1/4 of an inch when I put in subframe spacers (this was done without touching the suspension portion of the car)

 

no, reducing caster (less positive) bringing kingpin angle closer to vertical creates an easy steering feel, with less returnability, which is how a town car feels, partially due to EVO, but thats aside the point.

the more positive a caster adjustment is, usually the more perfomance oriented a car is.

 

how can you adjust caster without risking adjustment on camber/toe?

 

you cant. thats why alignment procedure starts with camber/caster adjustment, and toe is final. toe doesnt affect caster or camber.

 

You can't! If you manage to get more caster and you want to correct the camber you will need to get camber kits. The toe is easy to adjust

 

Oops...I must have been thinking of something else then.

 

Dunno, might be. The car has a clean title. I can only imagine it getting structural damage by hitting a curb REALLY HARD.

 

You have to be careful about using washers to adjust your caster. Washers are not inteded to be load bearing components. If you wanted to adjust it, I would recommend a spacer. Unless your racing a road coarse like indy car then I wouldn't mess with it.

 

i dont' think any load would be put on the washers.

 

tlon, your sig blinds me every tyme. think you could tone down the size of the pix in your sig? the car loox great, but i have to scroll through 2 screens to see the next post.

 

its against TOS, anyway... and this is two thread so far that his sig has been mentioned in the posts immediately after his.

 

Oh no? I snapped an OEM washer putting load on it and it took me out for days.
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=351814

Regarding the original thread it looks like SuperPro in Austrailia may offer some offset control arm bushings to adjust caster on some gens...

 

Are there any illustrations of this caster adjustment? My drivers side caster is off. When I turn left the tire rubs against the mud guard on my 2000 maxima.

 

It sounds like you have more serious problems than an alignment. Take the car to a collision frame shop and have them check it out.

 

Thanks bro.

 

The weird part is this has never happened before. I am wondering if it has anything to do with the lower control arm.

 

It's possible the bushings on the control arm have rotted out and has allowed the wheel to re-position. But usually that means the control arm in no longer held steady in one position. If the control arm can move around, that would cause the car to wander all over the road. A bent control arm is more likely. Do you recall hitting any curbs or nasty potholes?

 

No I have not hit any pot holes. I just recently changed the lower control arm because of a busted bushing about a month ago. When I did that I thought it would cure the caster positioning but obviously I was wrong. Something I noticed today is my strut also changed within the last year, I hear a creaking sound when turning and when i hit bumps I hear something banging, so I am wondering if that has anything to do with this caster issue I am having.

 

It's possible. Check the top of the strut, the nut on top. It should be sitting dead center in the opening. Then grab the fender and shake the car sideways as hard as you can. BIG CAUTION - make sure you have good hood struts or you won't have any fingers if the hood falls. Watch the nut on the strut. There should be absolutely zero movement. If the nut is not centered or you see the nut move, the top strut mount is bad.

 

http://www.agcoauto.com/content/plug..._articleid=176

this should answere all your alignment angle questions

as for the tire rub i agree with dennismik you may have a bent control arm.

 

Of all the threads to post in, why one from 2005?

Use this thread. >> http://forums.maxima.org/5th-generat...thread-10.html