The DEFINITIVE EXPLANATION OF CAMARO SUSPENSION, ISSUES, AND UPGRADES

[600hp-lpe]

Originally Posted by JusticePete

Rob and the crew at Expert are absolutely first class and I am pleased that you see them in the same light that we do. I also want to thank you for choosing Rob and Pedders for your Camaro. It is more than the purchase of the parts. It is the trust you placed in us that we respect and appreciate.

Please accept my thanks for choosing Rob and Pedders We have a tradition at Pedders and you are about to be introduced to it. Welcome to the PEDDERS NATION!

Thanks Pete! We will cross paths somewhere.. sometime... Count on it!
Good luck on the 10th and 11th! I know your car will smoke the vette! I have complete faith in Pedders!

Now I know how you felt when your car was assembled with the marathon session before the Berger car show.

My car has been in my posession 4 days. I just spent an extra 2K+ on top of the price of everything for the LPE work and the Pedders extreme kit,so I could fly to Indiana, pick up my car at Lingenfelter on friday, drive 1000 miles so Rob and crew at Wretched Motorsports could work on it on Sunday, 2 days later. It was worth every penny! I am pedderised and extremely proud of it! Lingenfelter woke it up and now thanks to pedders it can handle like it should have from the factory.

I spent so much money on upgrading my car I can't swing going to SEMA. LOL Probably a good thing.. I would want to buy more cool stuff for it. It still needs tires and rims, and some brake part upgrades that will happen over the winter.

Here are some pictures of my ride so far. I havn't had a chance to take any pictures of it outside in the daylight yet.

The first two were at Lingenfelter (pre Pedders), the rear assembly completed back in the car, the last one was when we were done with the car on the alignment rack. I will post some pictures as soon as I can wash it and take some good shots in the sun.

[600hp-lpe]

Originally Posted by Rob@WretchedMS

It was my pleasure to meet you, and thank you for letting us get your car Pedderized. I will post more info soon, but i'm beat, we were at Mcdonalds at 7:30am for a Breakfast meet, and we didn't leave the shop until 3:30AM finishing up a pair of SRT8's, then back at the shop for another 12 hour day until 7pm tonight. I have a bunch of pics from the event that i will post up too, but i'll start a new thread for that.

Thanks again for giving us the opportunity to work on your LPE Camaro

Not a problem Rob.. see you soon! Thanks again!

[JusticePete]

Originally Posted by 570hp-lpe

Thanks Pete! We will cross paths somewhere.. sometime... Count on it!
Good luck on the 10th and 11th! I know your car will smoke the vette! I have complete faith in Pedders!

Now I know how you felt when your car was assembled with the marathon session before the Berger car show.

My car has been in my posession 4 days. I just spent an extra 2K+ on top of the price of everything for the LPE work and the Pedders extreme kit,so I could fly to Indiana, pick up my car at Lingenfelter on friday, drive 1000 miles so Rob and crew at Wretched Motorsports could work on it on Sunday, 2 days later. It was worth every penny! I am pedderised and extremely proud of it! Lingenfelter woke it up and now thanks to pedders it can handle like it should have from the factory.

I spent so much money on upgrading my car I can't swing going to SEMA. LOL Probably a good thing.. I would want to buy more cool stuff for it. It still needs tires and rims, and some brake part upgrades that will happen over the winter.

Here are some pictures of my ride so far. I havn't had a chance to take any pictures of it outside in the daylight yet.

The first two were at Lingenfelter (pre Pedders), the rear assembly completed back in the car, the last one was when we were done with the car on the alignment rack. I will post some pictures as soon as I can wash it and take some good shots in the sun.

Very cool. You can skip SEMA as you already have the best of the best on your Camaro!

[600hp-lpe]

Originally Posted by JusticePete

Very cool. You can skip SEMA as you already have the best of the best on your Camaro!

True! I need to let the checkbook heal anyway before i order the rims and tires. Sure do need to order some bulletproof driveline parts, though!

[YouEnvyMySS]

So reading all this, with barely 3000 miles on my 2ss/rs and not into racing at all, what's in all this for me and others like me? Not sure I "get" it...

Disclaimer - have not yet read the reference doc (reading all this on my iPhone!), but trying to understand... My ride seems just fine stock on the 21" optional wheels...

Tks for helping us novices!

[pharmd]

Which kit are you guys recommending for a very strong street set up on a car that will only see a road course maybe a 3-4 times a year (85%street/15% track). Yet could easily be upgraded if the car will see more track time.

[American Muscle]

Appreciate the time and dedication on this write up and testing. very informative. well done.

[themossman]

Great write up...I spent some time 'studying' it this evening.

And your Pedders Camaro is looking very sharp...you guys made my wheel decision for me. For the last 3-4 weeks everyones telling me I'm nuts wanting to go down to a 19", suggesting the tires are more expensive with less selection, etc, etc, etc.

[Info@PeddersUSA.com]

Originally Posted by pharmd

Which kit are you guys recommending for a very strong street set up on a car that will only see a road course maybe a 3-4 times a year (85%street/15% track). Yet could easily be upgraded if the car will see more track time.

to properly advise you, I need info on hp, tire sizes and budgets, and driving abilities. Anyone doing suspension and advising you and do not ask these questions of you has not done their own homework. But 15 % track time is a lot! If the budget allows, our Serious Track XA extreme kit will bring smiles to you. Add the support on alignment, setup, and such that we can give you, you will eat S06 vettes.

There is another kit that will be popping up in our merlin store. It is our Xa eXtreme StreetII Plus. I think this is a killer kit. price has not been established yet. But includes Xas, Solution B sway bar kits, Street 1 bushings, and complete alignment bolt kit. This system will rock. The Track Xa kits will not only rock, they will fricken scream!!

mike
dms

[lil_chef]

Who would you recommend as your favorite North Florida area store?
Ive been planning on Pedderizing my car ever since ive become acquainted with this site. i am just curious on who you recommend i go to considering i spend 75% of my time in Florida and the other 25% in Tennessee

[JusticePete]

Originally Posted by YouEnvyMySS

So reading all this, with barely 3000 miles on my 2ss/rs and not into racing at all, what's in all this for me and others like me? Not sure I "get" it...

Disclaimer - have not yet read the reference doc (reading all this on my iPhone!), but trying to understand... My ride seems just fine stock on the 21" optional wheels...

Tks for helping us novices!

The Camaro out of the box is a very good vehicle. For some who see the 5th Gen as a possible super car ther is much more that can be pulled out of a ZETA II chassis. With your optional 21" wheels my first mod would be radius rod bush inserts to reduce the kick back in the steering wheel over sharp bumps. TYou have your choice of two inserts that with minimal effort and funding will make a significant difference.

Next up would be the sub-frame bush inserts to tame the rear end step out experienced under acceleration through turns over bumps. This is caused by movement in the NVH voided OEM sub-frame bushes. A set of EP1200 inserts will make a huge difference.

With just these two foundational bushes installed you will find your Camaro to be far more solid than it already is. It will be more sure footed. you will find yourself more confident behind the wheel everyu time you drive. Be careful with these mods. They are like crack cocaine -- highly addictive. You start out with one small change to a foundational bush and find you have installed a Xa Track eXtreme a few months later.

[JusticePete]

Originally Posted by lil_chef

Who would you recommend as your favorite North Florida area store?
Ive been planning on Pedderizing my car ever since ive become acquainted with this site. i am just curious on who you recommend i go to considering i spend 75% of my time in Florida and the other 25% in Tennessee

Bob at Precision Pedders of Florida. You can find Bob on our website at this link http://www.peddersusa.com/dealer-finder/40/dealer22

[Xanthos]

Really good read!
- X

[Mr Twisty]

Originally Posted by JusticePete

Yes we will have an OEM Camaro SS. If you are in the South Haven Michigan area and have a

C6 Bone Stock Vette
C6 ZO6 Bone Stock Vette
Stick 2 SS Bone Stock Camaro

and are interested in observing our runs in exchange for the brief use of your car, please email me at PGB@PeddersUSA.com Our test date is this Saturday the 10th. Not only will we be testing cars, we will be doing a photo shoot with gorgeous model for Hot Rod.

Here is what we will do with your car.

Our professional driver Chris Brannon will take your car out on the track. After two or three warm up lap he will run two or three hot laps. They will be run hard, but not beat. Professionals are very smooth and don't beat on hardware -- unless we are doing durability testing or some one drops a green flag. After a few cool down laps Chris will take you out and show you how your car handles in the hands of a professional.

So your compensation is

1. An on track run with Chris Brannon
2. Free lunch with a bunch of car guys
3. Photo with a gorgeous model and your car

That would be a sweet deal for anyone wanting to:

1. Get a driving lesson from a professional driver
2. Get fat and make good friends
3.

Keep us posted... Thanks guys.

[JusticePete]

The models are worth the price of admission....

[Rob@WretchedMS]

I wouldn't consider myself a model, but thanks....


ps, i'm still waiting for my plane ticket for the modeling job you talked about.

[JusticePete]

Originally Posted by Rob@WretchedMS

I wouldn't consider myself a model, but thanks....


ps, i'm still waiting for my plane ticket for the modeling job you talked about.

:sm2:

[rodimus prime]

Originally Posted by JusticePete

The Camaro out of the box is a very good vehicle. For some who see the 5th Gen as a possible super car ther is much more that can be pulled out of a ZETA II chassis. With your optional 21" wheels my first mod would be radius rod bush inserts to reduce the kick back in the steering wheel over sharp bumps. TYou have your choice of two inserts that with minimal effort and funding will make a significant difference.

Next up would be the sub-frame bush inserts to tame the rear end step out experienced under acceleration through turns over bumps. This is caused by movement in the NVH voided OEM sub-frame bushes. A set of EP1200 inserts will make a huge difference.

With just these two foundational bushes installed you will find your Camaro to be far more solid than it already is. It will be more sure footed. you will find yourself more confident behind the wheel everyu time you drive. Be careful with these mods. They are like crack cocaine -- highly addictive. You start out with one small change to a foundational bush and find you have installed a Xa Track eXtreme a few months later.

So for the non genius people such as myself, do you guys make kits like springs/sway bars and bushes(?). My car will be a bolt on auto with a 3600 stall pulling triple duty, street/track/drag. But I dont want to buy coil overs, as Im always budgeting to build the cheapest car possible.

[Mr Twisty]

Originally Posted by JusticePete

The models are worth the price of admission....

Yeah buddy!
You know any volunteers will be wanting to Pedderize their car afterwards... Can you help with that?

[Mr Twisty]

Originally Posted by Rob@WretchedMS

I wouldn't consider myself a model, but thanks....


ps, i'm still waiting for my plane ticket for the modeling job you talked about.

[JusticePete]

Originally Posted by rodimus prime

So for the non genius people such as myself, do you guys make kits like springs/sway bars and bushes(?). My car will be a bolt on auto with a 3600 stall pulling triple duty, street/track/drag. But I dont want to buy coil overs, as Im always budgeting to build the cheapest car possible.

No one really wants the cheapest. Cheap breaks. Cheap doesn't work. They want the most cost effective solution. They want to spend the least amount of money for maximum results.

The answer is yes we are offering basic to full on drag packages. For drag racing you would be most interested in the differential bushes, sub-frame bushes and rear alignment bolt kit. These will provide the most effecient transfer of power tire to strip by eliminating undesirable twisting in the IRS. The eXtreme alignment bolts will provide adequate range to go to the positive side of camber so when the rear end squats, the tire contact patch is square to the pavement for maximum power transfer. Your solution for the most cost effective drag package is found in these bushes and bolts.

Mike will post up links to the part numbers.

[Sean@Phastek]

Originally Posted by JusticePete

Pedders 2010 Chevrolet Camaro Suspension Evaluation - Page 4 - Wheels and Tires

The wheels and tires are too big in circumference and diameter. We don't understand why GM used a set of tires and wheels better suited to an SUV.

So saying the stock 20" and 21" wheels & tires from GM are too big on the Camaro for best performance... what size do you recommend? 19" or 18"? x9.5" front & x11" rear?

Thanks!

[CGM2SSRS]

I think the 20" wheels and tires are very nice. You can nit pick things up and down the car that could be better. If you take a look at it from the big picture,and the price tag, it is a freakin home run. I know you've indicated it's a good example,"out of the box", but then you say stuff like it has suv wheels.
If you plan to track your car or drive it in,"spirited" excursions, there are things you'll want to change. And money dictates where you start. I buy into the program that you upgrade suspension first when you have decent power to open. Knowing what I know now I would do drop springs and sway bars or if you have the money, coilovers. Drop the center of gravity and increase spring rate. It has an amazing effect on the cars handling. Then you decide what is cost effective for you as well as the criteria of importance/desire.

[ahart04]

how could you not be happy with that monster...

[JusticePete]

Originally Posted by Sean@Phastek

So saying the stock 20" and 21" wheels & tires from GM are too big on the Camaro for best performance... what size do you recommend? 19" or 18"? x9.5" front & x11" rear?

Thanks!

The key words are best performance.

The track on a stock Camaro along with the staggered tire and wheel package will always produce heavy understeer. It is built into the package and cannot be tuned out without altering the track. You can certainly make it better with suspension tweaks, but the core issue is the track, wheel and tire package.

It is important to keep in mind that the OEM Camaro is a great car. I am talking about taking it to the next level. Most people will not run my tire and wheel package for many reasons. That doesn't make our selection wrong.

Our wheel and tire package increased the front track by 2" and the rear track by 1/2" for a net front track increase of 1.5". That is a huge benefit and gain. We did not want to increase unsprung weight with the tires and wheels. Moving up to a 305 / 30 / 20 would have increased the weight as it is such a huge increase in tire. Add to that we run 10.5" rims all around and even the lightest wheel would have offered minimal weight reduction. Using a 19" wheel we dropped almost 40 pounds of unsprung weight or roughly 10 pounds per wheel. That is huge from a handling perspective.

Now consider the brakes. 10 pounds spinning at 100 MPH takes a significant amount of braking power to stop. Remove 10 pounds and your brakes just improved -- a lot.

Next is the rear end effective gear change from a 3.45 to a 377 via the wheel and tire change. The car pulls like a truck and keeps right on pulling through 175MPH. That is as fast as we have taken it and it showed no signs of breathing hard.

I could continue to write a book on this, but this should be sufficient to help people understand why I refer to the OEM wheel and tire package as SUV or truck style. I do not say this to be offensive. It is just my opinion and opinions are like XXXholes. Everyone has one. We have several clients with Xa coilovers and 22" rims. The cars look great. I really mean that -- they are bad aXX. Our clients are very pleased with the way their cars perform and handle and I would have to say they are right. Would that be my choice for the best performance no, but best performance is not the ultimate goal for everyone.