Caster adjustment is not much of an issue in a front wheel car because the components are made extra strong to handle the power of the wheels driving the car that they don't get out of alignment unless bent in an accident. The alignment property caster is how forward the rotational axis of the wheel hub is from the turning axis of the entire suspension from lower ball joint to the top of the strut in the shock tower. Unless something is seriously bent or broken it should not be a problem. Any clunking noises you hear indicates a worn or loose suspension joint. Check the tightness of all nuts and move the steering wheel while feeling the individual joints for the clunk/play will be the only way you will find it. Another thing to looks at is the wheel offset since you guys are running different rims - if the offset is not correct then you have moved the center of the wheels contact patch in or out and that can affect how the steering works when turned to the extreems.

 

bingo! so if you didn't eliminate caster from what i said earlier, maybe this will reassure you.

he said it was the same with the stocks so i don't think that is it. maybe he'll find something if he checks for looseness as you have been mentioning.

 

The service manual says to check chassis nuts and bolts every 5000 miles for proper tightness - and no where have I been able to find any torque specs.

 

i havent had much time to get in and look at it. I came from the world of honda and have driven many cars and the steering on the xb seems so sloppy. I am trying to put as much money into the suspension so i can tighten up the feel. I may get it up to toyota on monday and have them check it out. anyone know if the racks have had any issues?

 

Mine is nice and responsive at 20k but not sticky - tracks great and turns smooth right where I point it. My Friend's leased Prius with 18k on it has very sticky steering and wanders all over the lane on the highway by comparison.

I have not heard or read about any rack problems in the xB other than in this thread.

The first indications of something going wrong with the front end is the steering wheel not being straight when driving on a straight road.