Less BS about changing tire alignment specs from stock (a.k.a. let's rant about Mopar suspension some more)

[j-c-c-62]

IF it is found that in a tight right turn, the right front tire is carrying minimal load while the left carries 80% or more, (As I suspect) it seems that you could go a few different ways.
I would think that body roll would aggravate the matter so I'd aim to reduce that so the inside tire carries more load.

I have to step in here, reducing body roll mechanically is NOT about equalizing wheel load, the benefit is mostly about improving wheel cambers and driver perceptions resulting mostly in better and greater total axle grip.
Best way to equalize tire load if desired on an axle when turning is by slowing cornering speed, change static weight bias L/R, widen track and/or lower COG. Better equalizing tire loading will agreed always increase total axle grip. Body roll however can change wheel cambers reducing total axle grip.
Imagine if one had an infinitely stiff suspension, and a COG above ground, on cornering at high enough speed the inside tire would simply lift off the ground, with zero load with only very slight body roll. As any "suspension" is gently added by design, the inside tire would gently start to share partial loading staying in contact with the ground as suspension became softer, however body roll would be slowly increasing.

 

[V_TastyTacos_V]

The self centering is influenced by the steering box by some degree. I'll add though that a tire that is really wide will induce more of the self centering since you can see that large amounts of caster will cause the wheel to take on a bit more negative camber at full left and right. This tilts the tire on it's edge which takes effort to do. That effort means resistance that you as a driver has to overcome with additional steering effort. In other words, wider tires may result in better self centering response.

My lowered '69 Dart with manual steering, and as much caster with stock parts as possible, you can really feel the jacking effect on self centering. You can see the front of the car lift, and feel it in the steering wheel. The steering wheel would snap back to center so fast it was a blur. Steering axis inclination plays a part, too. They both influence the scrub radius. All I know is my cars always return to center better, and track straighter, when I give them more caster. Now where do people come up with how much caster a car should have? With power steering, steering effort is never a problem, so why not more is always better unless you get to a point where the tires start leaning too much into the turns, which I have never seen.

 

[V_TastyTacos_V]

I have to step in here, reducing body roll mechanically is NOT about equalizing wheel load, the benefit is mostly about improving wheel cambers and driver perceptions resulting mostly in better and greater total axle grip.
Best way to equalize tire load if desired on an axle when turning is by slowing cornering speed down, change static weight bias L/R, widen track and/or lower COG. Better equalizing tire loading will agreed always increase total axle grip. Body roll however can change wheel cambers reducing total axle grip.
Imagine if one had an infinitely stiff suspension, and a COG above ground, on cornering at high enough speed the inside tire would simply lift off the ground, with zero load with only very slight body roll. As any "suspension" is gently added by design, the inside tire would gently start to share partial loading staying in contact with the ground as suspension became softer, however body roll would be slowly increasing.

I understand that a racecar wants to have the softest suspension they can get away with exactly for the reasons you mention, and stiffening one end or the other usually reduces grip on that end, but other constraints often force one to have to increase roll stiffness. From the looks of how these cars cornered stock, I find it hard to imagine that they were not severely under sprung.

 

[j-c-c-62]

My lowered '69 Dart with manual steering, and as much caster with stock parts as possible, you can really feel the jacking effect on self centering. You can see the front of the car lift, and feel it in the steering wheel. The steering wheel would snap back to center so fast it was a blur. Steering axis inclination plays a part, too. They both influence the scrub radius. All I know is my cars always return to center better, and track straighter, when I give them more caster. Now where do people come up with how much caster a car should have? With power steering, steering effort is never a problem, so why not more is always better unless you get to a point where the tires start leaning too much into the turns, which I have never seen.

So you are cognizant of weight jacking with caster, and I assume also than any weight jacking at the front is also found on the rear on the opposite side and more so with a stiff chassis? Not always a preferred result. Why the focus on the car self centering?
Doesn't that in performance driving mean the car and the driver are at odds of where car needs to be headed?
Sounds like the people who in decades past bragged about how their car rode like a "Cadillac" and all cushy.
Now it's "I don't even have to steer, the car drives straighter than it's driver"?