My 2013 AGM 2SS/RS

[HAMBO]

Been meaning to get this journal started for some time now (have had the car for about 14 months). Better late than never, so here it goes!

In November 2013 I started looking for a new car, as my previous car (2006 Mustang GT) was unfortunately put to a premature ending while I was stopped at a red light. I was at a full-stop, and a Mercedes SUV decided not to stop behind me and plowed into me, pushing me into another SUV in front of me, who was also at the red light. Thank g-d I seemed to be fine, but my beloved Mustang (with bolt-ons and tune) was done.

When looking for a new ride, the 5th gen Camaro was first on my list to consider. My dad had a fourth gen Camaro that I loved, and despite my affinity for my Mustang, I had always been a GM-person.

After searching inventory in the area, I found a 9-month old, used 2013 AGM 2013 2SS/RS (L99) at Chevy of Irvine. After driving down, and a few hours of my wife haggling the sales people for a better price, the car was mine!

Here it is, bone stock:





It was quite loaded: navigation, moonroof, and all the features of the 2SS and RS packages. Was a great and fun drive back to LA! I wasn't initially a fan of the rally stripes, and was quite set on removing them. But over time they really grew on me, so I've kept them.

While I loved the car as it was, I knew it was just a matter of time before the mods started. Next chapter to come soon!

[HAMBO]

After enjoying the car for a few months, it was finally time to add some more power! Did plenty of research here on Camaro5.com, and decided on add an SLP TVS2300 and a 3" Magnaflow catback. Why go straight to an SC and not bolt-ons? Well, I wanted to keep my car smog legal here in CA, so most bolt-ons were already eliminated. Secondly, after months of haggling, I convinced the insurance company of the person who hit my Mustang to send me a check for my mods that were scrapped with car. So once the check arrived for a few years worth of older mods, it made the sting of buying an SC much easier to bare.

Brought my parts and car over to Kevin at Guldstand Motorsports in Burbank, formerly of Haddad Motorsports. Was in good SS company when I arrived in the parking lot:



Left the car with Kevin overnight, and received this exciting photo via text from him the next morning:



Headed over to pick up the car that day, and it felt great! Kevin did a great job on the install, and I am very happy with the way the car drives and sounds.

At this point, I was quite "done for this year" in terms of spending money on mods. Well, at least that's what I thought then...

More to come!

[HAMBO]

Next set of modifications was to clean up the look of the engine bay. Didn't really feel like paying $500 for fuel rail covers, so I ended up hacking up my original engine cover to fit over the supercharger. Here's what it looked like post-cutting:



Next step was to spray paint it black, and add some vinyl "Chevrolet" stickers. Also at this point bought a 1LE STB, and had it painted gloss black in the middle and ashen grey where it bolted to the strut towers. Also painted the fuse panel cover gloss black. Lastly, I placed a red SS badge in the engine bay. Here's how it all turned out:

[Ryanbabz71]

Nice

Agm is the best color


Ryan

[HAMBO]

Next mod was to spruce up the exterior a little bit, with some slight changes to the badges. Replaced the red SS badges with old school white SS badges (since I have always been a fan of that logo, and to match the white stripes), and added mail slot stripe.

Also put on a set of 'Supercharged' badges on the hood cowl, mostly because I thought the large white stripes on the cowl look a bit empty.

[nhoubprga]

once the check arrived for a few years worth of older mods, it made the sting of buying an SC much easier to bare.

[HAMBO]

Originally Posted by nhoubprga

once the check arrived for a few years worth of older mods, it made the sting of buying an SC much easier to bare.

Well it certainly did! Not to say an SC isn't a good value on its own, but price tag is up there...

[I4toV8]

gimme a ride! Love your ride bro

[HAMBO]

Originally Posted by I4toV8

gimme a ride! Love your ride bro

Thanks! And likewise

[HAMBO]

Next on the mod list was improving handling, while helping the added power get to the ground. For that I ordered to the following suspension upgrades:

* BMR front and rear sway bars (Helpful info from Keith at BMR, and a terrific deal from MarylandSpeed)
* BMR toe links
* Prothane subframe bushings (great value, thanks to Tyler from JDP Motorsports for these)
* Prothane front control arm inserts
* JDP rear upper control arm bushings (formerly Pfadt design)

Brought it back to Kevin for installation and a custom alignment:



I was really happy with how this turned out. The car handles much better. Was noticeable right away. These additions were a great bang for the buck, which can actually be felt in day to day driving. Don't get me wrong, I loved adding the SC, but my average vehicle speed is a whopping 9mph (checked the other day...) thanks to our lovely LA traffic, so doesn't take much advantage of the additional 150 crank hp (don't get me wrong, I find ways to do so...). The improved handling is noticed on every turn, particularly in the more spirited turns. I also find that I have much more control over the car in general, particularly when I get it up to higher speeds and accelerate quickly. After installing the SC if I really punched it I felt somewhat out of control, and that's not the case anymore. Definitely glad to have added all this. Not sure what impact each specific addition had, but the combo has been great.

One piece I considered but did not add was trailing arms. I wasn't convinced it was going to add much value to me since I wasn't experiencing any serious wheel hop. That may be largely because I don't often find myself in situations where I aggressively launch the car from a complete standstill, but whatever the reason, I wasn't convinced that I should spend the money to solve a problem that I didn't observe having. I'll note, I have not experienced any wheel hop with the new setup either.

[Ryanbabz71]

Nice, I have suspension mods next on my list

[HAMBO]

Next cosmetic mod on the list was to replace the factory fog light bulbs with plasma LEDs (originally from Phastek Performance, though I bought used). I never quite understood why the RS models come with white halos and yellow fogs, nor why you can't have both on at the same time whenever you want (so added DRL harness as well). Installation of these was fairly easy. Didn't need to take off the wheel, just unscrew and bend back the flap behind the wheel that covers where the fog lights are. Here's how it came out:



I'll note that the Phastek bulbs, while white, have a tad more blue to them than the stock RS halos. If you are looking for an exact color match may need to get a matching set. I like the way these came out, particularly since I have white elsewhere on the car.

The question now is what mod to do next? I'm debating between coilovers (likely BC Racing BR series), upgrading to 3.45" gears, or possibly moving to the CTS-V brake setup. Any suggestions (or something else in a similar price range)?

[Demon War Horse]

Car looks great! AGM is the way to go!

[StephenofSD]

Originally Posted by HAMBO

Next cosmetic mod on the list was to replace the factory fog light bulbs with plasma LEDs (originally from Phastek Performance, though I bought used). I never quite understood why the RS models come with white halos and yellow fogs, nor why you can't have both on at the same time whenever you want (so added DRL harness as well). Installation of these was fairly easy. Didn't need to take off the wheel, just unscrew and bend back the flap behind the wheel that covers where the fog lights are. Here's how it came out:



I'll note that the Phastek bulbs, while white, have a tad more blue to them than the stock RS halos. If you are looking for an exact color match may need to get a matching set. I like the way these came out, particularly since I have white elsewhere on the car.

The question now is what mod to do next? I'm debating between coilovers (likely BC Racing BR series), upgrading to 3.45" gears, or possibly moving to the CTS-V brake setup. Any suggestions (or something else in a similar price range)?

AGM for the win! Love the old school SS badge on the front also. And I think the fogs look much better and also wondered why GM sold them with that ugly yellow haha! Can't wait to see what's next!