5th Gen Suspension -- The Book

[JusticePete]

Originally Posted by llcamaro

Pete, why does your pace car package include this notice? GMPP Note: This product is intended for use on racing and / or off road vehicles and is not authorized for use on street vehicles

Lawyer language from GM corporate to protect them and us from people doing foolish things on the street.

Originally Posted by llcamaro

Just noticed the ZL1 pace car package does not have the warning???

We'll have to edit that

[llcamaro]

Originally Posted by JusticePete

Lawyer language from GM corporate to protect them and us from people doing foolish things on the street.





We'll have to edit that

[JusticePete]

Originally Posted by llcamaro

Kronix answered one question I had; where are the adjusters on the xa coilovers. I see the fronts, very easy to get to, how easy are the rears to access?

[llcamaro]

Originally Posted by JusticePete

Thanks Pete...Any reason not to buy the ZL1 package if I was already convinced to buy the pace car package?

[ssmike]

Originally Posted by Kronix

Shouldn't even be a tough choice llcamaro! From a customer service standpoint alone, Pedders delivers top notch service. Pete's always been there when I had a question, responding either via email or phone call ASAP. Not many Presidents of companies do that, but it seems the norm at Pedders. Do you think the President of that "other" company is going to call you if you have an issue? I doubt it...Not to mention their product is awesome, and the choice of many professional racers, top shops around the globe and heck, I even saw Pete on TV with West Coast Customs!

Precisely why I went with Pedders XA's!

[Rangore]

How much of the OP applies to the 2LT (frame structure obviously), or is this SS mainly?


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[JusticePete]

Originally Posted by Rangore

How much of the OP applies to the 2LT (frame structure obviously), or is this SS mainly?

Structurally, all of it.

[JusticePete]

Originally Posted by llcamaro

Thanks Pete...Any reason not to buy the ZL1 package if I was already convinced to buy the pace car package?

About 100 dollars would the the only reason. The improved sway bar geometry is worth every penny.

[llcamaro]

Originally Posted by JusticePete

About 100 dollars would the the only reason. The improved sway bar geometry is worth every penny.

Thanks, I'm sold. Just waiting for my ship to come in, which looks like a couple weeks maybe sooner....or I could just....If I buy now and intercept the delivery before my wife see's it......I may live through the experience!

[JusticePete]

Originally Posted by llcamaro

Thanks, I'm sold. Just waiting for my ship to come in, which looks like a couple weeks maybe sooner....or I could just....If I buy now and intercept the delivery before my wife see's it......I may live through the experience!

Are you a Registered Member? I am the founder and either the best member or the worst member

[JusticePete]

The Camaro TEAM has made so many improvements to the ZL1 it is hard to keep track of them. It is good to see that the Camaro TEAM is following Pedders advice in the IRS. They have improved the sub-frame bushes, more on this in a later post, and addressed the compliance in the Toe Links.

The steel ferule bonded rubber bush that has been and is used on all other models was too compliant. To address this the ZL1 comes with new bushes.





These are are larger steel jacketed bushes with rubber encapsulated rose joints similar to those used in the hub where the rear upper and lower control arms bolt up. They are similar to Heim joints or spherical bearings in function, but encapsulated in rubber will provide years and years of quiet operation as they are protected from dirt and debris. You could call this the Super Duty 5th Gen Toe Link

The bad news for us at Pedders and other aftermarket companies is the new arms are too good If you have a ZL1 coming you will not need Pedders toe link bushes. If your 5th Gen isn't a ZL1, the new toe links are available as an upgrade from your local Chevrolet Dealer P/N 22845487

[radz28]

Originally Posted by JusticePete

The Camaro TEAM has made so many improvements to the ZL1 it is hard to keep track of them. It is good to see that the Camaro TEAM is following Pedders advice in the IRS. They have improved the sub-frame bushes, more on this in a later post, and addressed the compliance in the Toe Links.

The steel ferule bonded rubber bush that has been and is used on all other models was too compliant. To address this the ZL1 comes with new bushes.





These are are larger steel jacketed bushes with rubber encapsulated rose joints similar to those used in the hub where the rear upper and lower control arms bolt up. They are similar to Heim joints or spherical bearings in function, but encapsulated in rubber will provide years and years of quiet operation as they are protected from dirt and debris. You could call this the Super Duty 5th Gen Toe Link

The bad news for us at Pedders and other aftermarket companies is the new arms are too good If you have a ZL1 coming you will not need Pedders toe link bushes. If your 5th Gen isn't a ZL1, the new toe links are available as an upgrade from your local Chevrolet Dealer P/N 22845487

Thanks, Pete, even for the bad news for Pedders (regarding some ZL1-parts sales). It means a lot, to a person like me, to share this information, and making it so easy to find the OEM part that could take some sales away... :( It shows me how much you respect me as a potential customer and I think is a small insight to how Pedders does business.

I'm looking forward to more information, because I'm sure that there's more improvements than can be made for a person like me I know the rear cradle bushings were improved, but I really want something solid and at least a poly', so I don't really have to worry about it anymore. Unless they have a semi-solid bushing for the rest of the rear, I'm still looking for poly' replacements - not inserts. I want that IRS as planted as possible. What good is it if it's not?

I'm very much looking forward to your input on the rest of the information

[JusticePete]

Spring Section Update:

Video: Birth of a Lowering Spring: Inside Pedders Suspension
May 2, 2012 by Carter Jung



Birth of a Lowering Spring: Inside Pedders Suspension



Pedders Suspension is a brand that might be familiar to enthusiasts of the domestic aftermarket. For more than six years, Pedders has offered suspension components for Chevy Camaros, Ford Mustangs and Pontiac GTOs. What most don’t know is that the company is far from an upstart in the chassis game. Pedders Suspension has been in business in their home country of Australia for over 60 years, starting back in the mid-1950s rebuilding shock absorbers.

Headquartered in Keysborough, just outside of Melbourne in the state of Victoria, Pedders Suspension has a unique business model for their domestic market. Their products are distributed solely through franchised Pedders Suspension retailers, of which there are over 130 in Australia. Think Jiffy Lube, but for suspension needs that range from the inspection and alignment all the way to polyurethane bushings and coilover swaps.

Here in the U.S., Pedders’ business model is completely different, utilizing a more traditional distribution route. In their short time in the American market, Pedders’ products have been used by GM, Lingenfelter and Saleen. Pedders sells the gamut of chassis components, including coilovers, polyurethane bushings and CV shafts, but their core product is springs. In fact, Pedders likes to refer to their manufacturing facility as the “World’s Best Spring Plant.” While that’s up for interpretation, having witnessed the birth of a spring, firsthand, we can attest that quality is very much at the core of their values.



Here’s how Pedders Suspension springs are made:

Birth of a Pedders Spring - Step1

Step 1:
Pedders’ springs begin life as steel from BlueScope Steel, an Aussie company headquartered in Melbourne. Instead of sourcing cheaper materials from China or India, Pedders insists upon using steel that is ISO accredited.

Birth of a Lowering Spring: Inside Pedders Suspension - Step 2



Step 2:
For heating of the metal rods, Pedders relies on gas instead of electricity. With the latter, dips and irregularity in power can cause inconsistencies in the metal. Each rod is baked close to 980 degrees C.

Birth of a Lowering Spring: Inside Pedders Suspension - Step 3



Step 3:
After the steel is heated up to temperature, the glowing rod is then coiled around a mandrel. The solid steel mandrel does not flex or bow with repetitive use. Pedders has more than 100 different steel mandrels in varying shapes and sizes for varying applications.

Birth of a Lowering Spring: Inside Pedders Suspension - Step 4



Step 4:
The next stage in the spring production is quenching, a process in which the hot coiled steel is cooled by oil. The spring is still soft at this point, lacking any memory.

Birth of a Lowering Spring: Inside Pedders Suspension - Step 5



Step 5:
Once the spring is cooled, it goes back into the tempering furnace where the coils are cured. Temperatures are adjusted to suit the gauge of the wire—the thicker, the hotter.

Birth of a Lowering Spring: Inside Pedders Suspension - Step 6



Step 6:
After another cooling phase, each spring is ground to appropriate size and fitment.

Birth of a Lowering Spring: Inside Pedders Suspension - Step 7




Step 7:
For the final step in strengthening the steel, each spring is shot peened with military grade shot.

Birth of a Lowering Spring: Inside Pedders Suspension - Step 8



Step 8:
Pedders scrags 100 percent of their springs. Scragging is a quality-control process where each spring is fully compressed, testing its load for up to 2 mm in variance.

Birth of a Lowering Spring: Inside Pedders Suspension - Step 9



Step 9:
Before they are boxed and shipped around the world, the springs are powder coated. Powder coating gives a spring its brand-distinctive color and protects it from the elements.
.

Posted with the permission of R & T

[Kronix]

Very cool Pete, seeing how the springs are made!
Proud to say my SS is "Pedderized"!