Long term effects of tires being out of caster alignment?

[TLGG]

Toe and camber are fine, but the mechanic couldn't adjust the caster because the cam bolts/washers were seized. Getting those bolts out doesn't sound like a fun project (or a cheap one if I have someone else do it). How will my tires being out of caster alignment affect the longevity of my vehicle? The left side was .92 and the right side was .78.

 

[85straight]

Where do you live? Does is snow? I'd grab a can of PB blaster and spray the bolts liberally every day for a week or so. Then head back to the shop and try again. Just sounds to me your mechaninc didn't try very hard to break em loose

 

[Franky4ag]

Caster does not cause tire wear, it may cause a pull and affect steering response. But it should be correct none the less

 

[mtbtim]

[MENTION=102606]infamousRNR[/MENTION] recently helped [MENTION=142071]sunsetrunner[/MENTION] with replacing his LCA bushings with Whiteline poly bushings. We're Cali folks, so not rusting issues, and the cam adjusters came off no problem. Maybe you could use our video as a reference and just pound those cam adjusters out and replace them with new ones so you can get your truck aligned correctly.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kmaZNBp1gZM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[csp]

Caster can induce feathering and cupping of the tire tread blocks.

 

[RonJR]

If the caster is really as low as .8 to .9 degrees, your truck is going to have very light steering and be prone to wandering on the highway. Caster should be up around 2.5 degrees or higher. Not sure of the exact specs for a 3rd gen.

Cupping or scalloping of the tires could be the result of instability and shimmy due to the low caster. Otherwise there's no direct reason that low caster should contribute to tire wear.

 

[JayRolla]

Caster can induce feathering and cupping of the tire tread blocks.

BS. Caster has zero effect on tire wear unless it's too the point of instability.

To the OP your truck will be fine. Even with cam adjustment if on stock uca's you can only get about 1* if lifted 3" anyways and my rig drove perfectly fine at 1* caster.

 

[IBallEngineer]

BS. Caster has zero effect on tire wear unless it's too the point of instability.

To the OP your truck will be fine. Even with cam adjustment if on stock uca's you can only get about 1* if lifted 3" anyways and my rig drove perfectly fine at 1* caster.

Once again I beg to differ sir. Insufficient Caster DOES have a small effect on tire wear. The Caster angle itself does nothing to induce tire wear, THAT IS TRUE. The effect of insufficient or excessive Caster can induce toe wear, in for high and out for low Caster.

The rise and fall of the spindle cause toe change when turning. This is compensated for by the Ackerman angle built in to the steering arm. There is a lot of "fudge" room here because the amount of change is not huge. Generally OEM's will have a wide range of acceptable Caster, and cross caster can be as high as 1 degree.

On a trail dedicated rig you can throw all this out the window. But on a street driven truck looking for maximum life on tires, it is important enough to at least try to move the eccentrics. Upper control arms cost a lot more than two tires, though, that's a different story.

I have a lot of documentation on this on my laptop, but for a quick reference you can look at this.

AGCO Automotive Repair Service - Baton Rouge, LA - Detailed Auto Topics - Wheel Alignment, Camber and Caster

 

[JayRolla]

Once again I beg to differ sir. Insufficient Caster DOES have a small effect on tire wear. The Caster angle itself does nothing to induce tire wear, THAT IS TRUE. The effect of insufficient or excessive Caster can induce toe wear, in for high and out for low Caster.

The rise and fall of the spindle cause toe change when turning. This is compensated for by the Ackerman angle built in to the steering arm. There is a lot of "fudge" room here because the amount of change is not huge. Generally OEM's will have a wide range of acceptable Caster, and cross caster can be as high as 1 degree.

On a trail dedicated rig you can throw all this out the window. But on a street driven truck looking for maximum life on tires, it is important enough to at least try to move the eccentrics. Upper control arms cost a lot more than two tires, though, that's a different story.

I have a lot of documentation on this on my laptop, but for a quick reference you can look at this.

AGCO Automotive Repair Service - Baton Rouge, LA - Detailed Auto Topics - Wheel Alignment, Camber and Caster

In my real life experiences of building track, street and offroad vehicles I have found it almost to have zero effect on tires. Its true it can but in most real life situations caster being a few degress off will not cause any tire wear.

If your the OP he may take that as he is not able to drive his vehicle because he is at 1*. He will be fine.