Greg H
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Greg
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2019
- Threads
- 16
- Messages
- 288
- Reaction score
- 184
- Location
- Vallecito Lake, CO
- Vehicle(s)
- 2018 Wrangler Unlimited JL Rubicon
- Thread starter
- #16
One of my previous Jeeps was stock. The last one a 14 2 door sport was stock for 1.5 years before I put a BDS 3.5" lift on it. That lift didn't have new LCA's but had Octo Cam Washers to correct caster. That jeep felt like the wind was blowing it around on the Interstate when there was no wind. My wife didn't like driving it on the highway after the lift. She said after driving my JLUR after installing the lift that she didn't notice any difference except the steering wheel was off center slightly to the left. The alignment fixed that. She doesn't mind driving it.I there weren't any longer LCAs included w/ that lift than that 3.3 is probably just about what it should be after raising 2".
Maybe OPs previous Jeeps were also lifted w/out new LCAs (or UCAs) and is just used to low caster.
But FWIW @Greg H I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND those Mopar lift LCAs at a minimum, but adjustable LCAs FTW! Getting that caster in the 6s I bet you'll be quite happy, those Mopar LCAs will get you to about 4.5 to maybe 5.
I Read something interesting about the effect of lifts and tire sizes on caster. It says;
" Installing a suspension lift with stock fixed length control arms does two things... 1) It very slightly pulls your axles closer together, shorting your wheelbase a tad. 2) It very slightly decreases your front axle's caster angle by rotating the axle a tad. That slight reduction in caster angle is actually a good thing for larger tires since you don't want quite as much caster angle for a larger tire like you'll be running with your new suspension lift."
That explains why a Sport, Sahara, and Rubicon have different caster specs as below;
Model tire size recommended castor
Sport 245/75R18 31.5" 5.35
Sahara 255/70R18 32.0" 5.05
Rubicon 285/70R17 33.0" 4.80
So my thinking is running 315/70R17 (35.0") tire the castor should be slightly lower maybe offsetting the slight reduction in caster of a true 2" Lift like my Dynatrac Endurosport. But I don't believe it should have dropped to 3.3. I'm thinking the tech at Big O Tires did something wrong reading the castor on the alignment. My neighbor has an 18 JLUR with the same lift. The dealer did his alignment. His castor is 4.0 left and 4.20 right. His wife thinks his drives better after the lift. He thinks it is effected by the crown in the road more.
But back to my original question. If the Jeep drives good is there any reason to change the LCA's to increase castor? Doesn't increasing castor cause increased pinion angle causing it to wear faster?
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