I'm off to an alignment next week and running a new setup this year. From my experience last year, I recall being able to set my caster a little over 8 degrees. When does too much caster start getting in the way?

My setup:

Alignment: -4 front and -3 rear. 1/8 toe-in rear, 1/16 out in front.

~2700lbs wet weight w/o driver. GTC300 wing and front splitter.

Running the Gendron 1-5/16 bar. Tein SRC (18k front /16k rear spring rates)

275/40 on 17x10 all around on NT01s

(btw, this is for road race not autox)

 

Personally, I like a lot less caster. I run ~5.5 on the S and the FD. On the Z, due to lengthened control arm mod, I wound up with 3.5caster. Loved it.

For all I know, caster may be a decent way to load up the inside front/outside rear at very low-speed autoX turns. But for me, I don't want the added weight in the steering, and don't want corner weights to be jacked around by steering angle.

I definitely don't subscribe to the notion that MORE is necessarily BETTER.

 

the reason most people run max caster on the s2000 is to try to get the max front camber they can. I am no expert but I would venture to say that a lower caster number would be better but in a war of less caster v. less camber the camber always wins and therefore you see max caster numbers up in the mid to high 6's.
Arguments?

 

ZDan's convinced me to try lower caster for my next alignment. I figure I might get more steering feel in the corners if the steering effort is a little lower. I've noticed I have to really hang on to the wheel during the up-shift at Summit Point's Turn 1 exit. I've been running 7.5 caster for a couple of years with success but I'm going to give lighter steering effort a try.

 

i'm with 5.5 caster.
i like steering light and communicating (vs artificially heavy and numb).

zero front toe.

it felt a bit weird at first but now i it feels good.

previously i was with 6.5 camber and big toe out.

now i like it more.

(staggered tyres)