Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums - Camaro5.com - 2010 Camaro Full Pedders Justice Install

Heyas. I'm Adam, I don't post much. :) L - u - r - k - e - r

Sorry about the length. Hopefully it's not tldr;

Anyways...

Just letting you know, the 2010 Camaro is a 2011. Greg got it wrong. :) No biggie really since there's not much difference other than the hud.

How do I know it's a 2011? 'Cause it's mine damnit!

Anyways. First impressions:

1st. Greg is great to work with. If you have any needs he's mah man in teh SD. I wouldn't go to anyone else. I've said it a number of times, I'd rather be doing alot of the work myself, but I have workspace issues, (being a lack of that isn't covered in 3 ton's of loose sharp rocks.)

Honestly though, Even with the desire to put a lot of my own mods in, I decided that Greg deserves my business. Because of this, I felt totally comfortable handing him a very large check to complete both this and a 4.10 gear install (might as well, the pumpkin is gonna be down anyways.)

Greg your shop kicks more ass than Bruce Lee.

For those that don't know, I hate the Camaro. Seriously.

I sold my 2008 C6 to get the Camaro, and I've hated it about a month after purchasing it. I feel that there were several parts of the design, where they totally ruined the functionality of the car by picking the more aesthetically pleasing choices. I've hated the torque lag, Hell honestly other than the looks of the car and the fact that it's moderately powerful (in comparison to a c6, not really, which is odd since it's the same engine) There isn't much I can say about the car that I do like.

The forward blind spots are the most frustrating thing for me. Call me a bad driver, but I've never hit more curbs in my LIFE than I've hit with this car. My wheels are beyond JB Welds help now. I'm actually considering installing not 1 but 2 forward facing cameras to aid with the parking since seeing over the totally unneeded GIANT $*)(@*% COWL is irritating to totally impossible (Try a 45 deg curve uphill and to the right. I do this at the fry's and it's impossible to even see oncoming traffic, whet alone if I'm actually in my lane or if I'm gonna hit the curb.) PS Yes, I've tried seat adjustments. Everything from a crooked neck to scraping my ass on the ground, and everything in between.

I was about to go back to the 'vette. I had Jimmy Johnson talking to me about a brand new 2009 z06 M6 they couldn't sell. (Which BTW, they dropped the ball, and never called me again. Good job guys, last car I get from you) I was gonna take a serious hit. I was already upside down 7k on the Camaro, and now I was gonna do it again. I had a budget of 20k for this build. With a z06 It would have taken a 15 down payment to break even.

Now, what's all this got to do with me threadjacking? Nothing.

I have no doubts, I made the right decision. Once I got into the car, I knew all was well. I think most of the problems I have with the car have to do with the stock ride height. The wheels are just not where I expect them to be (might be I'm just too used to the 'vette... Evidence: I keep parking ala 'vette. IE with the concrete stop about a meter in front of my car, and my ass end hanging out in the alley of the lot, as not to scrape the underside of the bumper.)

I get in my car today HOLY SWEET JEBUS! I instantly feel like I'm back in my 'vette. The car no longer feels like my semi-joke, "A really fast Sherman Tank" but instantly feels smaller, lighter and faster. All this before I even turn the key! Seriously. Perhaps I'm just missing my vette, but the ride home proves it further to me.

We've got the car set on Aggressive Street. It's great. I live in Ocean Beach, and as such, the streets as you get closer and closer to the beach get more cracked, and craiged. Not the kind of thing you generally want to take a sports suspension over. While I admit it's a bit rough over there, it's never fully uncomfortable. Further that with the knowledge that I'm still running the run craps, (your days are numbered my friends.) and the suspension system is brand spanking new, and isn't broken in and I'd say, once everything is settled it's gonna be good. A little rougher the a Duce and a Quarter, but it's about letting me know what the car is doing in relation to the road, not about cruising around in luxury and comfort.

This is a Camaro, not a Lincoln Town Car.

Now that's not to say ride comfort isn't a concern. We all know how the ladies love what sports suspensions tend to do on rough roads to their, uhm. ladyparts.

I got a lady. But she's a bit of a motorhead as well, so she tends to be more forgiving then most wives. Things that tend to pass her muster wouldn't pass the 'wife test'

Now. Here's what I'm trying to say (the point?)

0 chance I'm changing the settings. Greg's team has got it dialed in, perfect. I'm sure we could get it smoother, but I'd lose feedback. That's not gonna happen.

I'm sure with the break-in + new tires (even the same size but non runcraps.) it'll get even smoother.

We all know how runflats work. That doesn't help ride, or road noise.

Even better, I seem to know where the wheels are now. I can slide the wheels up to a curb, with a few mm's to spare. My notion of where the car is seems to be fairly close to reality now.

Prior to the Pedder's Kit I had a real problem doing that. The worst part is it was wildly inconsistent. Sometimes I'd think I got it and get out to find 2 feet. Sometimes, I'd... Yeah right there. CRACK. Damnit.

So all in all. BEST FREAKING MONEY I'VE SPENT, EVER. and trust me, I've spent 5K+ on some really stupid crap. Ask me sometime. :) I've got a cat, thats so expensive, it make your jaw hit the floor. (She gets fed steak every night.)

So I'm no stranger to a frivolous spending.

THIS ISN'T IT.

I know everyone says this, with every mod. THE CAR SHOULD HAVE COME STOCK LIKE THIS.

I need more time to give real feedback about body roll, the ride home didn't have me handling much.

I did notice something interesting though. For 20 years, every time I get into a car, I feel the car load down. I'm a big guy: 6'2" 200# so It doesn't bother me. I get into my car today when I went to the grocery: No movement in response to my weight as I entered the car. Nothing, the car, didn't even shift. Damn. 200 lbs moving around, I'd think the car would bounce a bit. Nope. Nothing. Rock freakin' solid.

DAYUM!

If your thinking about it. Do it. Honestly. So far, between the gear swap, and the Pedders, this has fixed every problem I have with the stock setup. While I'm sure it's not ALL peaches and cream, I have no reservations in saying I've made the right decision in keeping the Camaro.

Even if I'd pulled the trigger, there's NO way the stock Z06 would have felt like this. We'll see how it handles the 163 S curve at speed tonight, when I drive the lady in to work. (don't ask)

Usually that's been a rollercoaster of body roll, and fear, as you wonder if the car is gonna hold (but the good thing to say about the Camaro is while it does roll a lot: It does hold in a lot of places most "normal" cars won't. It's just frightening cause my experience says, "ah crap, We're gonna die!")

The 'vette used to handle that same curve like a rock. As if a 40' kid were invisibly standing above me moving me through the curve and I was his giant matchbox car.

I'll report back later. Give some good real impressions. I've only got about 30mi clicked off since picking it up. Let me get a few hundred and I'll come back. :)

Also there's some issues that have come up, but most likely this build is not done.

There's still budget left, and most likely we're gonna be going for stage 2: Blower (spec'd as a maggie tvs2300 currently, meh thinking Kenne Bell or maybe even procharger?) ADM Stage 2 blower cam, Clutch (maybe change to zr1, think we spec'd spec) JBA Headers, X Pipe, and full exhaust (maybe change to Doug's?) 80% chance this goes off as is or with minor changes listed.

Stage 3: May happen, just planning now. Looking at: Meth kit, (looking for octane, more as a preventive measure against detonation, rather than tuning for it. Though I may request we tune for it very conservatively, to gain a bit, +keep octane high and chances of blowing my engine low. Also looking at fortifying the bottom end. I may decide to go stroker, or I may just keep the specs similar but just go with forged parts. Also need to think about at least changing out the axels and driveshaft. Though I've started to think about a 9" G-Force. Don't know, need to keep thinking... I *did* just replace the bushings and gears. :) I guess I could always ask for the parts back to sell for cost offset. Didn't see the need on stage 1 as I'm not selling stock piecemeal suspension parts on ebay.... Yuck.

Greg can feel free to though. :)

Adam