Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Caster Angle shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Caster Angle offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Caster Angle at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Caster Angle? Wrong! If the Caster Angle is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Caster Angle then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Caster Angle? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Caster Angle and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Caster Angle wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Caster Angle then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Caster Angle site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Caster Angle, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Caster Angle, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
image:caster_angle.svg sometimes have an extreme
caster angle for aesthetic reasons
Caster angle is the angular displacement from the vertical axis of the suspension (vehicle) of a steered
wheel in a
Automobile,
bicycle or other vehicle, measured in the longitudinal direction. It is the angle between the pivot line (in a car - an imaginary line that runs through the center of the upper ball joint to the center of the lower ball joint) and vertical direction. Car racers sometimes adjust caster angle to optimize their car's handling characteristics in particular driving situations.
The pivot points of the steering are angled such that a line drawn through them intersects the road surface slightly ahead of the contact point of the wheel. The purpose of this is to provide a degree of self-centering for the steering - the wheel casters around so as to trail behind the axis of steering. This makes a car easier to drive and improves its straight line
stability (reducing its tendency to wander). Excessive caster angle will make the steering heavier and less responsive, although, in racing, large caster angles are used to improve camber gain in cornering. Caster angles over 10 degrees with radial tires are common. Power steering is usually necessary to overcome the jacking effect from the high caster angle.
The steering axis (the dotted line in the diagram above) does not have to pass through the center of the wheel, so the caster can be set independently of the mechanical trail, which is the distance between where the steering axis hits the ground, in side view, and the point directly below the axle. The interaction between caster angle and trail is complex, but roughly speaking they both aid steering, caster tends to add damping, while trail adds 'feel', and returnability. In the extreme case of the shopping trolley (shopping cart in the US) wheel, the system is undamped but stable, as the wheel oscillates around the 'correct' path. The shopping trolley/cart setup has a great deal of trail, but no caster. Complicating this still further is that the
lateral forces at the tire do not act at the center of the contact patch, but at a distance behind the nominal contact patch. This distance is called the pneumatic trail and varies with speed, load, steer angle, surface, tire type, tire pressure and time. A good starting point for this is 30 mm behind the nominal contact patch.
History
Arthur Krebs applied the first positive caster angle to automotive front-train in his 1896 car English patent : "To ensure stability of direction by means of a special arrangement of fore-carriage, that is to say, to re-establish automatically the parallelism of the two axles of the vehicle when there is no tendency to keep them in any other direction, or after a temporary effort has caused them to diverge from said parallelism. The axle of the fore-carriage is situated a suitable distance behind the projection of the axis of the pivot-pin in order to ensure the stability of direction above referred to."
See also
External links
- Caster and Race Car Suspension Tuning
- Camber, Caster, Toe - What does it all mean?
- The 1896 Arthur Krebs automobile English patent: page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
image:caster_angle.svg sometimes have an extreme
caster angle for aesthetic reasons
Caster angle is the angular displacement from the vertical axis of the
suspension (vehicle) of a steered wheel in a
Automobile, bicycle or other
vehicle, measured in the longitudinal direction. It is the angle between the
pivot line (in a car - an imaginary line that runs through the center of the upper ball joint to the center of the lower ball joint) and
vertical direction. Car racers sometimes adjust caster angle to optimize their car's handling characteristics in particular driving situations.
The pivot points of the
steering are angled such that a line drawn through them intersects the road surface slightly ahead of the contact point of the wheel. The purpose of this is to provide a degree of self-centering for the steering - the wheel casters around so as to trail behind the axis of steering. This makes a car easier to drive and improves its straight line stability (reducing its tendency to wander). Excessive caster angle will make the steering heavier and less responsive, although, in racing, large caster angles are used to improve camber gain in cornering. Caster angles over 10 degrees with radial tires are common. Power steering is usually necessary to overcome the jacking effect from the high caster angle.
The steering axis (the dotted line in the diagram above) does not have to pass through the center of the wheel, so the caster can be set independently of the mechanical trail, which is the distance between where the steering axis hits the ground, in side view, and the point directly below the axle. The interaction between caster angle and trail is complex, but roughly speaking they both aid steering, caster tends to add damping, while trail adds 'feel', and returnability. In the extreme case of the shopping trolley (shopping cart in the US) wheel, the system is undamped but stable, as the wheel oscillates around the 'correct' path. The shopping trolley/cart setup has a great deal of trail, but no caster. Complicating this still further is that the
lateral forces at the tire do not act at the center of the
contact patch, but at a distance behind the nominal contact patch. This distance is called the pneumatic trail and varies with speed, load, steer angle, surface, tire type, tire pressure and time. A good starting point for this is 30 mm behind the nominal contact patch.
History
Arthur Krebs applied the first positive caster angle to automotive front-train in his 1896 car English patent : "To ensure stability of direction by means of a special arrangement of fore-carriage, that is to say, to re-establish automatically the parallelism of the two axles of the vehicle when there is no tendency to keep them in any other direction, or after a temporary effort has caused them to diverge from said parallelism. The axle of the fore-carriage is situated a suitable distance behind the projection of the axis of the pivot-pin in order to ensure the stability of direction above referred to."
See also
External links
- Caster and Race Car Suspension Tuning
- Camber, Caster, Toe - What does it all mean?
- The 1896 Arthur Krebs automobile English patent: page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Caster angle - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Caster angle is the angular displacement from the vertical axis of the suspension of a steered wheel in a car, bicycle or other vehicle, measured in the longitudinal direction.
Caster - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Some wheels are softer, and designed to operate on surfaces such as terrazzo. [edit] See also. Caster angle; Caster board [edit] External links. Caster patents.
RcTek - Radio Controlled Model Car Handling - Caster Angle Basics
Radio controlled model car article featuring pictures and information about model car handling. This article concentrates on the basics of caster angles.
RcTek - Radio Controlled Model Car Handling - How Caster Angle Affects ...
Radio controlled model car article featuring pictures and information about model car handling. This article concentrates on the affect that caster angles have on camber angles.
Overbed Table Variable Height / Angle with 4 Caster Wheels - Medisave
Overbed Table Variable Height / Angle with 4 Caster Wheels (OT397) by Medisave Generic - This handy and economic Overbed tables are ideal for use in the bedroom or the lounge and ...
Caster angle - Wikicars
θ is the caster angle, red line is the pivot line, grey area is the tire
Image:Caster angle.svg - Wikimedia Commons
English: Diagram indicating caster angle. The solid red segment indicates the steering axle, with the dashed red line indicating the pivot line.
The Bicycle Forest :: BikeCAD :: Caster Angle
Caster Angle ... In the motorcycle industry, caster angle is synonymous with what would be called the head angle in the bicycle industry.
CASTER - What does CASTER stand for? Acronyms and abbreviations by the ...
Acronym Definition; CASTER: Coded Aperture Survey Telescope for Energetic Radiation (NASA ... Caster angle Caster board Caster board (Construction) Caster gun Caster oil
Spindle Drop / Caster Angle / Camber Angle
Spindle Drop / Caster Angle / Camber Angle ... Author Topic: Spindle Drop / Caster Angle / Camber Angle (Read 604 times)
