caster?
 

caster. . .
what is it? how does it affect handling? what are good settings to run at for autox (first gen)? or is it really that important? does anyone have any answers for me or any good websites to point me towards? thanks!

ground control's explanation of this item is on:
http://www.ground-control.com/index.html

i'm not a suspension expert, so if you'd like more information, give them a call. i hear that they know their stuff pretty well.

anyone who races a first gen. and has their suspension pretty much figured out, could you tell me what numbers you're running as far as toe, camber, and caster. thanks!

If ur driving down the road in a straight line and let go of the wheel, and the car starts to drift to one side or the other, that's caster, it's how the wheel sits centered, front to back, in the wheel well. If u have one wheel that sits more forward or back than the other, it causes it to pull to one side. It really doesn't have any affect on handling. Camber on the other hand does. The more negative camber u have, the better it'll corner, but for every day driving, too much will cause uneven tire wear. I would start with 1 to 1.5 degree neg camber and see how the tires wear, normal caster, and about a half degree toe in. U may need to get a camber kit from someone like Racing Beat or Mazdatrix. With these kits, u can set the camber for maximum handling for autox, then set it back for normal driving.

i think you were giving me numbers for a nice handling street car. i would like to have some numbers as far as racing is concerned. i heard 4deg. caster -2deg camber and 1/8in toe out in the first gen. forum and that's pretty much what i was planning on going with, except for the fact i dont have camber plates.

Ok, try that, it's been a very long time since I've done alignments so I couldn't remember how far negative u can get before excess tire wear. Just trying to help. Glad u found something to use.