04-10-2015, 08:14 PM | #15 | |
Account Suspended
Drives: 2010 Camaro 1SS LS3 Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Riverside, CA
Posts: 4,018
|
Quote:
I will not be racing my Camaro any time soon, if at all... I will be upgrading the stock shocks and struts with coil-overs or 1LE shocks and struts soon enough. With an already modest suspension upgrade with this kit, what would you go with? With BMR bushings all over the front and rear already - I reckon shocks/struts, trailing arms, toe links, control arm upgrades should allow me to play with the 'big boys'... no? |
|
04-10-2015, 09:44 PM | #16 | |
Account Suspended
Drives: 2010 Camaro 1SS LS3 Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Riverside, CA
Posts: 4,018
|
Quote:
Everything else looks like it would go great on our SS's... as a side note, the Hotchkis kit does not upgrade anything on Z/28 pack, except for the sway bars and end links. The bracing they do add would be a benefit I think. I don't think we can make an SS perform like a Z/28... or maybe we can? I know weight and I'm sure other things came to mind when fine tuning the Z/28 suspension to a Z/28. It may not work quite like we want it on an SS. We can definitely improve on what we have stock, tho, with these pieces. Thanks for linking to an image... pics always help. |
|
04-10-2015, 10:25 PM | #17 |
Drives: 2010 IOM 2SS/RS Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Detroit, MI
Posts: 22
|
As a GM suspension engineer, I gotta say I think we know our cars and what it takes to make them perform. I work with the guys who developed the 1LE and Z/28 packages. They are hardcore racers and they know their stuff.
|
04-10-2015, 10:29 PM | #18 |
Drives: Camaro Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Camaro
Posts: 5
|
That is interesting, they certainly have good products!
|
04-10-2015, 11:30 PM | #19 |
Account Suspended
Drives: 2010 Camaro 1SS LS3 Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Riverside, CA
Posts: 4,018
|
They, Like our good friends at GM engineering, know what they're doing...
I'm sure that there are comparable aftermarket parts out there... I speak only from what I know on this ride. You guys, it helps. Your Camaro is fast, but you ain't really felt it until you upgrade that suspension it come with from the factory. GM I don't think accounts for just performance when designing our rides. Many factors came into play... ie comfort comes to mind. Aftermarket or GM Performance upgrades focus more on just that - Performance... Believe in upgrading your suspension in as much as you would believe in upgrading to headers... it tranforms your car into something amazing... a Truly Fast Camaro. ... More; Back to the suspension challenge at hand. First up for me was the 426-hp Chevrolet Camaro SS that Hotchkis wound up renting when a friend of theirs with a bone stock 2010 Camaro SS backed out last minute. Sorry to disagree with P.J. O'Rourke, but this particular Camaro (we'll call it the Red Pig) disproved his assertion that the best handling car is a rental car. Honestly, I was more than a little shocked at how poorly the Camaro SS performed under the circumstances. In fact, let's go with massively disappointed. From ABS shudder that came on surprisingly early in the lousy brake pedal's travel to a looser rear end than Kim Kardashian, it become clear that the latest Camaro upheld the model's straight line-only legacy. Also, I managed to put a wheel in the dirt while driving the Camaro. It was either spin out of control fighting the rear end's refusal to play nice, or get the car dirty. To get an idea of how clumsy the Camaro is, even in the Mini – with five seasons of track time on its tire's well-worn rubber – I kept it on the pavement at all times. Next up was the Hotchkis-tuned Camaro SS. What a difference a chassis brace makes. Well, a chassis brace, sport springs, front and rear sway bars (the rear one is adjustable), poly bushings and mounts. Almost magically the black Camaro proved how good a 426-hp LS3 can be when given a solid platform to work with. Instead of a skittish, all-over-the-track rear end with loads of wheel hop, I was treated to predictable oversteer and much smoother braking, which allowed even a ham-fisted driver like me to make it around the track without sending up any dust devils. But never mind what I did, check out what Mark Hotchkis was able to accomplish. In the Red Pig, Mark recorded 0.85 g on the skid pad, 67.1 mph through the slalom and a 1.15.157 lap time. In the Hotchkis-tuned Camaro his numbers improved to 0.88 g, 69.2 mph and 1.13.490. Big gains, especially considering the fully stock motor. [Please Note: The stock Camaro numbers were recorded in a different, not-pictured, privately owned stock Camaro SS that we didn't drive. From Hotchkis, "the stock Camaro that was tested for before numbers [is a] blue manual SS, exact same car and mileage as the black "after" car. The red car was just there for additional driving impressions."] Next up was a mostly stock 1970 Dodge Challenger R/T. I say "mostly stock" because the car started off life with a (relatively) puny Mopar 318 that has been swapped out in favor of a 440 Wedge. All the better to pop off 12.7-second quarter mile times at 106 mph. Because of the heavier motor, the car's owner had already beefed up the front suspension. That said, watching the blue Challenger run the slalom was a frothy mix of comedy and horror. All gathered were certain the car would scrape its door handles. Even funnier was watching the Dodge blast out of the last corner before the front straight. "Sideways" doesn't even begin to describe it. After watching a couple of laps, I began appreciating the guys that made the movie Vanishing Point that much more. Continued; http://www.autoblog.com/2010/03/12/h...r-than-before/ |
04-10-2015, 11:43 PM | #20 |
Drives: 2010 CGM Chevrolet Camaro LS Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: St. Louis, MO
Posts: 510
|
I have the Hotchkis sway bars and springs and the drop is a nice stance. The ride is firm but not bad unless you ride down a bumpy road and then you will feel every bump. The cornering is nice and smooth. I will look into purchasing the strut tower brace next.
__________________
2010 Chevrolet Camaro CGM LS - Performance Mods: "Everything I can get bolt-on wise to make it run good!"
Exterior Mods: "Everything I can get to make it look good!" Interior Mods: "Everything I can get to make it look good!" |
04-11-2015, 04:24 AM | #21 |
Drives: 2018 Audi TT RS Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Navarre, Florida
Posts: 1,915
|
A lot of the time, you have to think about this from the full perspective. Hotchkis or other manufacturers make products for a slew of vehicles. Their shocks, struts, springs, sway bars, etc., are engineered to work for our cars but are likely retooled items from different vehicles or similar designs in order to cut down on costs of R&D. The 1LE or Z/28 suspension kits are nice but they are not the all-inclusive kits or complete packages you're looking for.
If you're not going to track your car, a Hotchkis kit or whomever you choose is likely irrelevant. Choose the kit that best fits your budget and driving style and call it a day. If you're getting even the slightest inkling, go look up some American Iron cars, 5th generation Camaro's specifically and see what they've done.
__________________
2018 Audi TT ▊RS
2.4X 0-60, 1.6X 60', 120+mph 1/8th, 4.XX 60-130, 150+mph traps on 255/35/18 R888R tires on the street (unprepped). 2019 Audi RS3 About as fast as the TT RS 2019 Camaro ZL1 1LE Sold 2018 Camaro SS 1LE Sold 2019 Corvette Z06 Sold 2021 Charger Hellcat Redeye Widebody Sold |
04-11-2015, 08:46 AM | #22 | |
Account Suspended
Drives: 2010 Camaro 1SS LS3 Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Riverside, CA
Posts: 4,018
|
Quote:
Z/28 isn't even in the same class. Also has more power than a Stock SS, better tires... Last edited by Spec; 04-11-2015 at 11:54 AM. |
|
04-11-2015, 08:51 AM | #23 | |
Account Suspended
Drives: 2010 Camaro 1SS LS3 Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Riverside, CA
Posts: 4,018
|
Quote:
I will agree with you that one should choose a starting point such as this kit, the 1LE pack, or the Z/28 pack. For a definite increase in performance that won't harsh that ride, go with the Hotchkis kit. I can't speak for what the 1LE or Z/28 pack would do to how much of the road you feel with stiffer shocks and all... but I can speak for what Hotchkis has done and it is good. |
|
04-11-2015, 06:50 PM | #24 | |
Drives: 2018 Audi TT RS Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Navarre, Florida
Posts: 1,915
|
Quote:
I've completely replaced my suspension on several of my cars to my liking and I tracked most of them. The ones I didn't track, were modified to gain an end result that was not directly performance oriented. Like, I wanted my car to be lower, not bottom out and shift around from potholes and imperfections in the road. Absolutely any manufacturer could have satisfied that requirement. Take the competiton out of the equation and you could play what-ifs and spout conjecture all day long. Are you tracking your car? If not, your search really doesn't have to be for a specific manufacturer and anything will suffice.
__________________
2018 Audi TT ▊RS
2.4X 0-60, 1.6X 60', 120+mph 1/8th, 4.XX 60-130, 150+mph traps on 255/35/18 R888R tires on the street (unprepped). 2019 Audi RS3 About as fast as the TT RS 2019 Camaro ZL1 1LE Sold 2018 Camaro SS 1LE Sold 2019 Corvette Z06 Sold 2021 Charger Hellcat Redeye Widebody Sold |
|
|
|
Thread Tools | |
|
|