Justice Pete

Pedders 2010 Chevrolet Camaro Suspension Evaluation
The new Chevrolet Camaro is derived from GM’s Global Rear Wheel Drive ZETA platform designed by Holden in Australia. Chevrolet has refined the ZETA chassis to create the best Camaro ever built with the chassis designated ZETA II. We took delivery of our Camaro from Berger Chevrolet in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Berger was a leader in COPO Camaros Back in the Day and is still deeply involved in the Camaro Performance Community. We are proud to have the Berger 5th Gen Camaro using Pedders Suspension.



We do most of our R & D in the USA at Witt Buick / Pedders in Muskegon, Michigan. Our first Camaro R & D project was a Victory Red Six. Pedders is fortunate to have worked with Nickey Chicago, Fessler Moss, John L. Sullivan Chevrolet and Hennessey Performance Engineering early on in the refinement of our Camaro range while we waited on delivery of our own Camaro. The Nickey road course testing video is available on YouTube. The Pedders USA Camaro is used as a rolling test bed and pushed to the extreme limits of operation by some of the best drivers and engineers in North America. Using a ProCharger they have more than 530 RWHP available. Cadillac CTS-V brakes are an improvement to the already excellent Brembo SS package. Forgeline 19 x10.5 wheel with titanium hardware reduce unsprung weight, even with Bridgestone RE-11 305/30/19s all around. Add to this Pedders Suspension and we are doing things with our street driven Camaro that many would consider impossible. While we abuse this gorgeous vehicle to improve our bits and range we show it frequently. We are just like all the other Camaro owners. We love our Camaro and like to show it off.



Our impressions of the Camaro after several thousand miles of bone stock use are that the Camaro is well built, very well built. We have in our fleet a GTO and a G8. The GTO is a solid automobile, even with more than 40 thousand hard development miles. Every 4th Gen owner that has been in it was impressed by the level of quality, refinement and noticeable absence of rattle or squeaks. The G8 is more solid than the GTO with a vastly improved ZETA suspension and with almost 30 thousand miles of development abuse stille rattle and squeak free. We love our GTO and the G8 is one of the most dialed in vehicles we have ever driven -- fully Pedderised and ProCharged. The 2010 Camaro is another level up from the G8 in terms of structural integrity. It is one solid vehicle. Run over the biggest bump and the entire vehicle travels the bump as a single unit. We have yet to detect any racking or cowl shake with 10 thousand miles of combined track and street abuse.


Pedderised NASCAR Pace Car

The 5th Gen Camaro is an impressive automobile that is at home on a suburban street or the Nurburing in complete OE trim. In Pedders USA form, a 5th Gen Camaro runs faster lap times than a full race Cadillac CTS-V on the same track with the same driver. For those that do not fully appreciate the significance of this statement you should know that the Fastest Production Sedan to ever run the Nurburing is a Cadillac CTS-V. A full race version, caged, lightened, Penske Racing Suspension and full slicks is faster yet. The Pedders USA street driven Camaro on street tires driven by the same racing / professional driver out performs the race version of the CTS-V.
Make no mistake, a Camaro off the showroom floor needs no modifications to be a great automobile and it is. If you would like your Camaro to be more capable, then the pages that follow are written for you.

How good is Pedderised Camaro?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElycM...layer_embedded


The Camaro is quiet. It is almost library quiet. They paid attention to detail and maybe borrowed an engineer from the Buick area in controlling cabin noise. If there is any wind noise, I can't hear it. There are no squeaks or rattles. The cabin feels as secure and quiet as anything I have ever driven. This is probably related to the structural strength that was designed into the ZETA II chassis.

As for driving, keep in mind we are very spoiled guys with some great cars in the fleet. The G8 and GTO are both ProCharged. They both ride on full Xa Track eXtreme suspensions and then some. They both have custom wheel and tire packages. They both have brake upgrades. They are built cars that have been carefully dialed in. The slug in the garage has been the HHR SS with a Stage II GM Turbo and Pedders Xa coilovers and it can pull up the inside rear wheel on a hard turn with GM issue wheels and tires. These cars have our benchmarks for performance set quite high. The OEM Camaro is a super car and one that thousands will be thrilled to own -- but out of the box in OEM trim does not measure up to the rest of our fleet. What follows are our opinions personally and professionally. They do not make us right. They do not make us wrong. These opinions make us Pedders.

The 5th Gen Camaro off the showroom floor is a very good driving experience. You will notice that the ride is supple over bumps. This is due to the advanced design of the ZETA II chassis along with the very large wheel and tire package. There is substantial lean and roll, yet the 5th Gen sticks in turns. The steering is a bit softer than we would like. The SS Brembo brakes are very good, but the pedal feel not as sharp as we would like. Drive to 7/10, pushed hard the IRS has too much movement and creates rear end step out. It undermines driver confidence. Having said this, a bone stock 5th Gen Camaro blistered the Nurburing. On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being a perfect car, we rate the 5th Gen a 6.5.


Pedderised NASCAR Pace Car

How could it be better? If the 5th Gen were built for a price point of 38 or $40,000 it would be capable of being close to a 10 from the showroom floor. Urethane is far more expensive than rubber. The low hanging fruit for the Camaro owner is in urethane inserts for the radius and sub-frame bushes. Installing Pedders EP6578 and EP1200 inserts addresses the feel of steering and brakes while settling down the IRS. These inserts work with the OE parts to make your driving experience more rewarding.
Lowering the Camaro with drop coils designed to work with the OE dampers and bumpstops reduces body lean and roll while maintain a high quality of ride. Using Pedders Xa coilovers would be the next level of excellence. For Pedders perfection only the 52mm Remote Reservoir Independent Bound and Rebound Adjustable Supercar Coilovers will do. All three address body lean and roll at the source.


Pedderised NASCAR Pace Car

Justice Pete

With these foundational elements in place we suggest adding sway bars. A 27mm front bar will reduce body lean and roll resulting in a more enjoyable drive for the vast majority of Camaro drivers. For the more sporting Camaro driver a matched set of 27mm front and 27mm rear bars are the solution. For drivers with professional credentials Pedders Competition Sway Bar solution with work with your other modifications to create velocity induced oversteer. In the hands of a professional driver with these bits the 5th Gen Camaro is capable of performing like a race car – with a street friendly ride. A fully Pedderised 5th Gen, a Camaro like the Pedders USA, LLC Camaro, is thisclose to a Perfect 10.

The 2010 INDY 500 and NASCAR Camaro Pace Cars run on Pedders Xa coilovers. GM designers wanted the cars to have a more menacing stance. Pedders height adjustable Xa coilovers are perfect for height adjustment as suspension travel is the same regardless of the set ride height. As always, Pedders delivers more than requested so each of these Camaro Pace Cars includes 27mm front sway bars, 27mm rear sway bars, Xa coilovers radius and sub-frame bush inserts. GM has joined the rest of us as enthusiasts and our desire to personalise our cars. As you read through the pages that follow you will understand how to personalize your Camaro and make it a Perfect 10 for the way you drive.

GM redesigned the radius arm on the ZETA II Camaro. It uses a large hydraulically damped bush on one end and a ball joint on the other. The arm is more linear to deliver improved steering feel. Drivers that are tuned into their Camaro will notice slight softness in steering feel, the brake pedal and perhaps describe it as isolated. Pedders started early on and worked on a full urethane bush for a very special project with GM – the 2010 Camaro GS Race Car Concept shown at SEMA 2010. This video walks you through the OE and Pedders bushes with Jason Debler from https://www.camaroz28.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-kJB...layer_embedded

Replacing the hydraulically damped OEM radius rod bushes will help with steering and pedal feel. While the NVH properties are excellent, they are too soft for performance driving in our opinion. Pedders offers three solutions for this. The first option is a direct replacement street-friendly urethane insert for the OEM rubber bit. The firmer urethane insert removes some of the compliance in the bush improving brake pedal and steering feel. Using an EP6578 is as simple as removing two bolts, removing the soft OEM rubber insert, installing the Pedders urethane and bolting it back together. You may wonder if such a small part can make a difference in such a large automobile. You will be pleasantly surprised on their first test drive.

Justice Pete

The full urethane bush replacement is Pedders EP6577 Camaro Urethane Steel Jacketed Radius Rod Bush. This is one robust bush with holes and voids designed to make our street friendly urethane mimic the NVH characteristics of the OEM bush with the performance of a urethane bush. If you track your car, the EP6577 will be the most durable solution. The inserts work to reduce motion, but the basic issue of the OEM bush remains -- it is hydraulically damped and can potentially fail on track. Pedders EP6577 is virtually indestructible on or off the track.



The third is an EP6579 full faceCamaro Front Extreme Radius Rod Bush Insert replacing the soft OEM rubber insert with a very high durometer piece. The combination of bonded rubber ferrule steel jacketed bush with a full face high durometer urethane insert is outstanding. This solution is extremely firm and may lead to premature wear in the tie rod ends or the steering rack. This is the solution we have installed on the Pedders USA Camaro because we prefer the extra control. This is a hardcore option for the most demanding driver.



The last element is the differential. The ZETA II differential is mounted with three steel jacketed rubber NVH voided bushes. The Camaro has a long history on the track. It covers both strip and road course. While the overall setups for these types of cars are different in many ways, a stable differential that efficiently delivers power is common to both. Pedders addresses this need with a set of three high durometer urethane bushes in our EP1167kit. The EP1167 works extremely well up to 450 RWHP. You'll experience crisper launches and stronger shifts with the EP1167 installed. For those who like Pedders choose to build their Camaro well past 450 RWHP our EP1167HD is the solution. The HD version does not have the voids found in our Sports Ryder version. The durometer is higher, for the loads delivered by higher output engines. There is a difference in cabin noise level with the EP1167HD. This is directly related to the elimination of voids and the increase in material hardness. It is a trade-off for ultimate performance with Delrin like performance, but with Pedders durability. Even if you run OEM spec power, but you hit the track HARD, you'll find the differential bush upgrade allows you to have a finer edge of control in the application of the loud pedal.

As we increase the operational range of our Camaro other items become relatively weaker. The brake pads selected by GM are a great combination pad in terms of useful life, quiet application, stopping power, etc... but they soften the Brembo feel. We choose to run a full race pad from Cobalt Friction with XR1 pads in front and XR3 pads in the rear. The difference is nothing short of amazing. There are tradeoffs in terms of noise and harsh dust that we feel is well worth it given the increase in pedal feel and performance. Pair up great pads with improved radius bushes and braking in a 5th Gen gets even better. Better is never good enough for Pedders so we went to the next level – Cadillac CTS-V Brakes with Cobalt Friction Pads. The Cadillac of Brakes may well be a preview of the Z28 brake package. Regardless, Pedders thinks GM engineering is top notch and we love our V28 Camaro.

Justice Pete

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. Actually we do understand and blame the designers and the public that love the look of these SUV tires and wheels. They love these big wheels and tires so much they want BIGGER wheels and tires. Our experience with the package is that the Camaro will be a much better car with smaller diameter wheels and tires that weigh less -- a lot less. It will get out of the hole better. It will stop better. It will not be as silky smooth, but it will be better. That is why we have selected Forgeline light weight racing wheels in a 19 x 10.5 size. The Forgelines will be covered with Bridgestone RE-11 305 30 19 performance tires. The RE-11 is arguably the finest street legal performance tire available. The combination of tire and wheels reduce the unsprung weight by 34 pounds while dramatically increasing the tire contact patch. The increase in traction combined with the decrease in weight improves everything from acceleration to handling to braking.



This is not a fitment that is in compliance with the OEM requirements. The sticker in the door shows a Maximum Load of 732 pounds plus the vehicle weight of approximately 3,900 pounds equaling roughly 4,600 pounds. The Load Rating stamped on the OEM tires is over 8,000 pounds. Speaking off the record with different OEM engineers Pedders is comfortable with the over 6,000 pound Load rating of our RE11 tires. We have suggested to GM marketing that they consider releasing an informational statement with an alternative range of acceptable wheel and tire sizes to the truck load ratings on the OEM package. Most wheel and tire shops will not sell or install a package with a lower load rating than shown on the OEM tires for liability reasons. Bridgestone, General Motors and Pedders do NOT recommend this tire and wheel package for your vehicle. This vehicle is built for Pedders to test the limits of the suspension design of OEM and Pedders components. Should GM modify their position on the Load Rating for Camaro tires, we may be able to make this our official corporate recommendation. Until , if or when that occurs all we can say is this is the best tire and wheel combination we have found for our testing and track use.



There is more to our choice of wheels and tires. Talk to any engineer with race experience and from a sheet of paper they can tell you why a Camaro in OEM trim suffers from significant understeer. The tale of the tape tells the story.

Front Track 63.7"
Rear Track 64.1'
Front Wheel 20 x 8
Rear Wheel 20 x 9
Front Tire P245/45ZR20
Rear Tire P275/40 ZR20
Weight Balance 52/48
Front Sway Bar Diameter 24mm
Rear Sway Bar Diameter 23mm

The understeer is built into the vehicle from the ground up. Pedders felt it necessary to bring out the true potential of the ZETA II Camaro to alter the car from the ground up.

Front Track 65.7"
Rear Track 64.6'
Front Wheel 19 x 10.5
Rear Wheel 19 x 10.5
Front Tire 305/30/19
Rear Tire 305/30/19
Weight Balance 52/48
Front Sway Bar Diameter 27mm
Rear Sway Bar Diameter 32mm

When the dimensional changes are combined with upgraded suspension components the Camaro become a virtual Supercar. We are at 141 MPH in 4th gear pulling effortlessly to redline. 175 MPH is the fastest we have run the car and we can tell you she was not breathing hard ready to for more. Only a fool will find the limits of a Pedderised Camaro on public road ways and depending on the race track, given there is no cage in the car, we doubt we will ever take our Camaro to the limit ANYWHERE.

Justice Pete

When you are considering the modifications you choose to make to your Camaro, we strongly suggest you take a holistic approach and discuss the entire range of modifications with your Pedders Suspension Specialist. They can guide you through the selection process to make certain that each modification compliments all the others to create the best possible custom Camaro for your personal use.

There is a noticeable rear end step out in turns while applying power or brakes and dealing with bumps in the 5th Gen. This is due to the voids in the OEM Sub-frame bushes. It is not unique to the Camaro. It is typical of IRS systems installed with rubber bushes to isolate the passenger area from road noise. The larger and stickier your rear tires the more pronounced the sub-frame movement becomes. The same is true with increased RWHP.



The Camaro features much larger sub-frame bushes than the G8. These were improved to handle the higher loads created by larger rubber and high RWHP found in the Camaro. While they are an improvement, we do not feel they are stable enough for the way we drive a Camaro so we designed two solutions.



Pedders EP1200 Sub-Frame Inserts are good up to 500 RWHP. The inserts fill the OEM voids in the rubber sub-frame bushes from both the top and bottom. The control surfaces are dramatically increased. Since the OEM bushes remain in place, this is more than just a great upgrade. It is relatively easy to install the EP1200. These eight pieces transform your Camaro and are probably the single biggest bang for the buck modification you can make.



For those taking the Camaro beyond 500 RWHP, drag racers and hard core corner lovers the best solution will be Pedders EP1201 full urethane Sub-Frame Bushes. With these robust bushes installed and well over 500 RWHP your Camaro will launch cleanly and track true under load. In these photos you can almost feel the improvement in performance. For ease of assembly there is a 3/4" OEM ferule holes through which a 14mm bolt is passed. Those sloppy OEM ferules are replaced with Pedders and holes suited to the 14mm bolts used to secure them. This change means there is no possible movement in the assembly under any load that doesn't bend or shear a sub-frame bolt. The increase in control surface is nothing short of MASSIVE. Your rear sub-frame will now follow your Camaro and not attempt to steer your Camaro. Switch backs are tamed. Drag launches are harder and crisper with a more efficient transfer of power.

Justice Pete

For ultimate in IRS control Pedders has developed the EP1201HD. Racers use Delrin bushes machined from stock. These are hard plastic suitable ONLY to a race car. They require frequent replacement. Pedders EP1201HD is a urethane of high dura that when captured by the Camaro sheet metal performs like Delrin, but has the durability of all Pedders urethane products.These bushes do transmit more road noise than the EP1200 inserts or the EP1201 full bushes. In the Pedders USA, LLC Camaro we barely notice a difference because the aggressive tires we run. The EP1201HD is not a typical Pedders bit. It is designed for ONLY the most dedicated enthusiasts. In the video, you will see that there is NO visible sub-frame movement, even with a 3 2 downshift with wide open throttle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibvGH...layer_embedded

The OEM Camaro cruises well and after hours of driving you feel fresh and ready for more. However, going back to our G8, the Camaro suffered by comparison. This is not a comparison to a stock G8, but to our Pedderised G8. While the comparison is not fair, it is what we demand of our vehicles and what we are accustomed too -- precision in our daily driving experience with almost OEM comfort. The Pedders USA, LLC G8 rides well and handles as well – we struggle to find an appropriate description as it is so good -- yet our G8 is still street friendly and comfortable. Pedders does not build race car suspensions. We build suspensions for the enthusiast driver that would like their Camaro to handle like a race car AND ride like the OEM suspension. Anyone can build a rock hard suspension that handles well on the track. The trick is to come close to a track prepared vehicle in handling with an almost OEM ride quality. Delivering that driving experience is Pedders specialty.

GM’s ZETA chassis is so good stock and so GREAT Pedderised it blew by a BMW M5 at the New Jersey Motorsports Park. The professional drivers said there was no comparison because the Pedders G8 was so superior to the BMW M5. A stock Camaro doesn't feel that way. A Camaro can and ours does PEDDERISED. To be clear stock is VERY GOOD. Our Camaro and we suspect many of your Camaros will need to be as dialed in as our G8.

Justice Pete

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QdiyI...layer_embedded

These were not specially prepared track vehicles, they were daily drivers. The Pedders USA G8 was driven with the family from Michigan to New Jersey and driven back again. They perform like race cars, but are as civil as OEM. Any company can make a rock hard track suspension. Pedders delivers track ready handling while retaining most of the comfort you expect in a luxury performance automobile. Look at what Paul Tracy can do with a Pedderised 5th Gen Camaro.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myksI...layer_embedded

Suspension starts with a sound foundation. The foundation for any vehicle is the bushes. If the bushes are not spot on, then adding coils, improved dampers or bars will never get it right. They all become like lipstick on a pig. It looks or fells a little better but it is what it is. We have already addressed two crucial weaknesses in the ZETA II Camaro chassis -- sub-frame and radius rod bushes.

If you want to look for virtual perfection in the ZETA II chassis check out the OEM composite sway bar bushes. They are made of rubber, fiber reinforced plastic and steel. If you stay with stock sway bars, there is absolutely no need to change the OEM sway bar bushes. The same is true for the inner front control arm bushes. Both perform well and do not require upgrades or replacements.



The same is not true in the rear suspension. The upper rear control arm bushes are relatively soft and highly compliant. We feel strongly they should be replaced with Pedders EP7322 Urethane Upper Rear Control Arm Bushes. These higher durometer bushes control the loads generated by an enthusiast behind the wheel of a 5th Gen. With the upper rear control arms and sub-frame Pedderised, we move to the Toe Link, Trailing Arm and Knuckle Bushes. All of these will benefit from Pedders EP7323 upgrades. This is how Pedders delivers track like handling with OEM like ride. We take a little compliance out here and a little there. No one part is doing all the work. A lot of incremental upgrades deliver a driving experience that is far greater than the sum of the individual parts. The only control arm weakness left to address is the inner rear control arm OEM bush. We upgrade that to a Pedders EP7264 Steel Jacketed Urethane Bush. The rear suspension is almost fully Pedderised at the foundational level.





Your Camaro's Pedderised foundation is now as stable as a Chevy rock and matches the best of class and approaches best in the industry monocoque. Everything is now performance matched for the enthusiast. Now we move on to address coils, damping, endlinks and the final tuning element -- sway bars.

We will start with the OEM coils and ride height. Why the Camaro delivers at 4 x 4 like ride heights is the result of a range of government regulations and GM engineering requirements. Unless you plan to take your Camaro off road, lowering will address a range of weaknesses and improve her already good looks. The first hard corner you take in your Camaro the most lasting impression will be just how much body lean there is. That is a direct result of the tall ride height -- even in SS trim. The SS delivers at 694mm front and 700mm rear measuring from the lower wheel lip, up through the wheel center and to the painted edge of the fender. That is 20 mm too tall in our opinion for a daily driver in the hands of an enthusiast.

Pedders has designed three solutions for ride height. One is the fully adjustable Xa Coilover range that dominates the Camaro after market in sales.

You have seen Pedders Camaro Xa coilovers on the highest profile Camaros in North America: Jay Leno's Six, the entire GM display at SEMA 2009 and on the Camaro Pace Cars used in NASCAR and Indy racing series.

Justice Pete

The second is Pedders SportsRyder lowering coils. Our SportsRyder lowering coils will work on both the six and the eight with a 657mm front ride height and either 675mm or 660mm rear ride height. These are no ordinary coils. These are coils manufactured to Pedders standards of +/- 1mm. Each coil is fully scragged and height verified before it is placed in a Pedders box. Coils that literally do not measure up are discarded as junk, not reworked. Coils that fail this test are not reworked. They are shipped out as scrap metal. When you purchase a Pedders Camaro Coil Set you have purchased what some brands would call a race matched set.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ix4-U...layer_embedded

The third option is the bets in class 52mm Remote Reservoir Independent Bound and Rebound Adjustable Supercar Coilovers. The shear mass of the pistons and the volume of oil work to make them silky smooth. The ability to click tune and Game On!

When we corner weighted the Pedders USA Camaro we were shocked as just how much attention to detail had been invested by the engineers at GM. We were able to adjust our Xa coilovers to bring the front wheels within ONE pound and the rear wheels to within 10. The cross weights were so close we kept checking the scales to make sure they were working properly. What this means to you is that your Camaro has tremendous potential and that your aftermarket coils or coilovers should be made with the same attention to detail as GM put into the development of ZETA II. Pedders understand how much you care about your Camaro. We feel the same way. It shows in our product, on the track, in your daily drive and most important of all -- how we value you as a customer.

Pedders Camaro coils have been designed to work with your OEM dampers and the OE bumstops. The SS dampers particularly are very well done from the factory. When matched to a set of Pedders coils, you can expect your Camaro to ride almost like factory even though it has been lowered and handle with a more aggressive edge.

For those who want the best of the best with track like performance and OEM like ride comfort and more drop than available through lowering coils Pedders 160086 eXtreme Xa Coilovers are the most popular choice in the 5th Gen community. The Xa coilover has a full range of travel when close to OEM height or fully dropped. This is functionality is the result of the unique fully threaded 46mm monotube damper body that screws into or out of the lower mounting bracket leaving the coil and suspension travel unchanged. The front coilovers use the OEM bearing and coil mount and cylindrical coil. The rear structure for the ZETA II Camaro requires a cone like coil wind to be compatible with the large four bolt upper OEM spring perch. Pedders takes great care in the design of a coilover to make certain that it is fully compatible with the OEM mountings.

To meet the needs of the enthusiast driver without camber plates, Pedders designed a 10mm wider clevis. The extra clevis width increases clearance between the sidewall and coilover. You can use this extra clearance to increase negative front camber. The Pedders Camaro clevis mounts accept the OEM brake lines and ABS wiring just like the OEM strut. Installing Pedders Xa coilovers is as easy as take off the OEM black and install the Pedders Red Xa unit.

Spring and rates and damper mapping are mission critical to the enthusiast and exceptionally well done with the R & D for the Pedders Xa Camaro application. Using 8kg coils front and 10kg coils rear the spring rates bring balance to the factory 52 / 48 weight distribution. There is a motion ratio at work in the rear of the Camaro making the spring rates almost perfectly matched. There are 30 positions to the Xa damper settings from OEM soft to R compound tire race track ready hard. The positive click adjustments are easy to make and alter the bound and rebound as well as the high and low speed circuits. Many adjustable dampers only allow the end user to change the low speed settings. For the enthusiast having the ability to alter both high and low speed operation is a huge plus.

Justice Pete

Pedders made the decision to give the end user control over both circuits because it is what we would want on our personal vehicles. We choose to fix the bound to rebound ratio on the Xa range so that even a novice user can confidently make damper adjustments.

The difference between full soft and full hard feels as though the coils were actually changed on the vehicle. This range of damping adjustment makes the Pedders Xa Camaro coilovers well suited to a vehicle that will be driven daily and when take to the track quickly clicked into a track ready state.

Pedders USA, LLC is proud to offer the most advanced coilover application for the 2010 Camaro. These are the SMOOTHEST MOST CONTROLLED coilovers money can buy for 5th Gen. Pedders Supercar coilovers are 52mm monotubes. Our Xa coilovers, which are spectacular in their own right, are sized like most coilovers at 46mm. Basic fluid dynamics tells you that the larger the volume of oil, the smoother the action, control will be. Comparing a 46mm diameter disc for surface area to a 52mm disc we find there is 27% increase in surface area. Couple the 27% greater disc surface area with remote reservoirs the size of Coke or beer cans and the volume of oil is increased by more than half. Couple this HUGE amount of oil with 30 independent bound and 30 independent rebound adjustments and you have race car like control over your 5th Gen suspension. There is nothing better you can buy for your 5th Gen Camaro. Make your Camaro a true Supercar with Pedders Supercar coilovers.

Justice Pete

The shear mass of oil, the diameter of the piston assure you of silky smooth operation. The Supercar coilovers include all of the Xa features and none of the headaches normally asociated with remote reservoirs. The Supercar reservoirs are mounted to the coilovers, so Pedders Supercar coilovers install with the same ease as our Xa coilovers. The ajustments are positive clicks with no guess work. Adjustment of the damping is as easy as Click, Tune -- Game On!



Pedders foundation as a company is more than just a range of bits, we are suspension specialists committed to delivering a Pedders Driving Experience. A lowered vehicle should have a full range of alignment adjustments. The Camaro delivers from Chevrolet with a fixed Castor position. The radius arm bolts into round holes with no available adjustment. Front Camber is adjustble from the factory. There is a threaded hole for front Camber Adjustment Bolt / Screw, but no bolt is installed and no part number is listed by Chevrolet. The rear OEM eccentric adjusters for Toe and Camber provide approximately one degree adjustment range. For an alignment specialist, this is unacceptable. You want to get your Camaro perfectly setup. This is what Pedders is all about. Our solution is a set of cadmium plated eXtreme Alignment Bolts. While GM made the hole round for the front Castor Adjustment or lack thereof, they did weld in brackets for an eccentric to work against. Your local Pedders Dealer can create a slot to provide Castor adjustment with Pedders Camaro Alignment Bolts. The kit provides the front Camber screws that GM didn't.



The knuckle on your Camaro has provisions for the same Camber adjustment screw that was standard on the Holden built Pontiac GTO and G8. While the threaded hole is on your Camaro knuckle, no camber adjustment bolt or crew has been provided. In fact, the alignment instructions do not even refer to it. A Pedders Alignment Bolt Front or Complete Kit includes two cadmium plated Front Camber Screws.

The Camaro ships with no provision for front Castor adjustment. Castor adjustment is critical in eliminating front end pulls as a repair or adjustment. Castor is also critical to the demanding driver or competitive driver. Higher Castor settings speed the return to center of the steering wheel making your vehicle more responsive. A Camaro Front Alignment Bolt Kit allows your Pedders Professional to increase the Castor or adjust Castor to the optimal range.

Pedders Rear Eccentrics are virtually bullet proof with approximately 2 degrees or double the factory adjustment. With the Camaro alignment Kit installed your Camaro can be setup for the drag strip, road course, auto cross or every day flawless driving. Even better, Pedders alignment eccentric bolts carry a unique warranty feature. Should a Pedders eccentric ever fail while you own the vehicle we will replace it. You get a superior alignment, improved driving experience and a life time warranty with Pedders Camaro Alignment Bolt kits.



The only components left are endlinks and sway bars. The OEM endlinks are designed for OEM anticipated driving. The front endlink is 10mm and the rear is 8mm with modest sized ball joints. The front endlink is mounted high up on the strut or a high roll center mount. Connecting the sway bar high up on the strut increases the efficiency of the bar. It helps the car roll or lean less. The rear sway bar mount geometry is not as efficient. The endlinks mount well in board on the lower control arm making it far from ideal. This is arguably the weakest design feature of the ZETA and ZETA II architecture. The Camaro delivers with a staggered wheel and tire package and bars almost identical in size but not in function. This configuration creates a solid driving experience until the vehicle is pushed passed 7/10s. (When we say 7/10s what we are referencing is the absolute capacity of a car. Race cars are rarely driven at 10/10s. Driving that hard causes failures. You may see a race car being pushed to 10/10s for the last few laps of a close race. Racers spend most track time running n in the 7 to 9/10s range.) Generally automobile testing is done at 7/10s or below by OEMs. Of course there are exceptions. A Camaro at 7/10s is a very fast automobile. Press on past 7/10s and at this level of aggressive driving understeer becomes dominant. Continue to press the range and you can plow the North 40!



There are several solutions to this, but before we go there allow us to explain our philosophy on sway bars as the final tuning element to a suspension. Everything starts with foundational bushes. We have to have a stable foundation before we change or tweak anything in the suspension. That is why we always start with the weakest foundational bushes first. After the bushes come the coils and dampers. Now that the suspension is solid from the foundational level on up, we can tune with sway bars. Adding sway bars before any other key component is the same as placing a Band-Aid over a bleeding artery. It might look better. It might even feel better, but the foundational issues are still there.

Not all sway bars are created equal. At Pedders we expect a sway bar to be made of high quality spring steel. We expect the bars to be heat treated after they are bent to restore the spring in spring steel with maximum function. That means a a Pedders bar made of the same diameter steel with many times be stronger than a brand-x bar made of the same material.

There is a fine line between R & D testing and having fun with our fleet. We cross it constantly becuase it is the best way to develop product for our enthusiast clients. It is one thing to test drive a vehicle for a day or two. It is a very different experience to live with a vehicle month after month. We belive it is the only way to understand your Camaro driving experience.

We have determined in our testing and daily driving that a 27mm front bar 428020-27A is correct for the Camaro in a variety of configurations. When a car starts to slide, the first action of most drivers will be to ease of the gas and / or get on the brakes. If you are in an understeer mode, as speed is reduced the slide will reduce. Lifting off the gas or hitting the brakes does not cause any dramatic reaction when in understeer mode. This is why mass produced vehicles are designed to understeer. It is what drivers are most accustomed too. It is the safe and conservative path. If you want to change your sway bars you have to ask yourself what you want to accomplish.

The vast majority of Camaro owners would be changing bars to reduce body lean and improve turn in. Keep in mind that driving a Camaro past 7/10s means you are making extremely high speed maneuvers. Many Camaro owners will never experience factory understeer -- because they don't push that hard when they drive. That doesn't mean they would not have a superior driving experience with a larger diameter front bar. A larger diameter front bar will greatly reduce the lean you feel on the highway or in a turn. It will improve turn in to a point, but when it goes into understeer, it will be worse than with the factory bar. Up to that point, it will provide a very rewarding driving experience. This 27mm front bar has three adjustment positions to allow you to vary your setup. Camaro Solution A Pedders 27mm front bar that ships with urethane D Bushes, Brackets and a Pair of 424218 Adjustable Endlinks. This installation requires the OEM front strut endlink mount holes be drilled to fit the larger 424218 endlink studs.

For themore aggressive enthusiast Camaro owners, those that want a rewarding driving experience and a reduction in actual understeer Pedders Solution B will be the answer. In this configuration, the front bar is 27mm 428020-27A and the rear bar is 27mm 429020-27A. The transition from slight understeer to slight oversteer will be predictable based on the velocity of the vehicle. The faster the vehicle travels, the faster the vehicle will enter oversteer in a turn. This setup requires the driver to know the difference between understeer and oversteer as well as how to react to both. You have to know when you can lift and when you cannot lift or things will get worse fast. Both bars are adjustable. Start out with the rear bar set to full soft and the front bar to full hard. Work through the adjustment range until you are comfortable with your setup. We encourage ALL Camaro owners to take a performance driving class to learn how to safely operate a high performance vehicle. Camaro Solution B includes 27mm front bar, 27mm rear bar, Urethane D bushes and 424218 Adjustable endlinks. This installation requires the OEM front strut endlink mount holes and the OEM rear lower control arm endlink holes be drilled to fit the larger 424218 endlink studs.

Justice Pete

For drivers that are SCCA or NASA qualified, those expert car control drivers, Pedders has put together a track ready sway bar package. The front bar remains at 27mm 428020-27A, but the rear bar increases in diameter to 32mm 429020-32A. The larger rear bar allows you to adjust in the amount of oversteer you desire. Between the front and rear bar adjustments you can create a very loose and very fast track ready Camaro. Make no mistake about it; this is an aggressive setup that ships with a disclaimer. The disclaimer makes clear these are for track use only. We do want you to send us your Podium Finish Pictures and have no interest in your damaged rim from a street incident. We told you before you bought these bars they were for SCCA and NASA qualified drivers for TRACK USE. Once again, you must know your driving limits. This setup is designed for track use by qualified drivers with years of high speed cornering experience. Camaro Solution C includes 27mm front bar, 32mm rear bar, D Bushes and Brackets along with 4 4242218 Adjustable Endlinks. This installation requires the OEM front strut endlink mount holes and the OEM rear lower control arm endlink holes be drilled to fit the larger 424218 endlink studs.

The first step in upgrading sway bar function is to improve the endlink. Pedders 424218 Adjustable Endlinks are more robust at 12mm than the OEM 8mm and 10mm endlinks. They also use a large ball joint with a larger stud. Installing these on OEM bars requires drilling out the bar as well as the strut and lower control arm mounting brackets. While this is an improvement, it is not a solution. The solution is to increase the bar diameters. The question is how much should we increase them and for which type of driver?

Pedders sway bars are made of solid stock. We choose to use solid stock for consistency in production. In a hollow bar, the thickness of the wall determines the strength of the tube. Anything less than a perfect bend reduces the strength of a hollow bar more than the same imperfection would in a solid bar. Solid stock is far more forgiving of less than perfect bends consistently delivering superior strength. The weight savings of a hollow bar becomes less and less significant as you study the application of material. First the weight is not unsprung so five or ten pounds does not radically alter the function of the suspension. It is not spinning mass as would be a brake rotor or tire and wheel so the weight doesn't not radically alter the function of the brakes. It is weight placed very low in the vehicle creating a very slight shift in vertical CG, but that too is of little significance. In the end, a 27mm solid bar is stronger than a 27mm hollow bar with a slight weight disadvantage. (There is much confusion on the subject of solid vs hollow bars. One of the best discussions from independent sources is available on the BMW forum. BMW Thread. The second post by Matt M. has the most comprehensive information.) It is our view that in volume production for a street enthusiast vehicle a solid sway bar will be the most consistent solution. Pedders provides the informed and educated Camaro owner with three sway bar solutions to match your driving skills and style that not only include the standard mounting hardware, but also include adjustable double ball joint endlinks to deliver the best possible driving experience.

With the foundational components are in place you will find Pedders Camaro adjustable bars to be a significant improvement to your OEM bars. The center adjustment position delivers 27mm front bar performance. Each position you move toward the firmer setting, toward the sway bar mounting D bush will increase the sway bar rate 1mm. The same is true moving away from the D bush toward the softest setting. With this range of adjustment built into both the front and rear bars and Pedders range of bars you should be able to adjust them to match your specific Camaro setup requirements. Keep in mind, that buying sway bars BEFORE you have installed EP1200 or 1201 Sub-Frame Inserts or Bushes along with at least the EP6578 Radius Bush Inserts is a mistake. You'll never enjoy the full benefit of the bars until you do. Many who follow this advice will find they don't need a sway bar upgrade. The weakest elements in the Camaro are the Sub-Frame and radius Bushes -- not sway bars. Build a solid foundation using Pedders bushes, dampers and coils and then use sway bars as the final tuning element.



Our Pedders USA Camaro continues to evolve. Some of the changes are cosmetic. Working with Nickey Chicago and ACS she now sports a functional Stinger II hood and ACS grill with functional brake ducts. Other changes are purely functional.

The OE SS calipers and rotors are fine for an OE vehicle, but as you increase performance, expand the operational range better braking became important. Peddersreached into GM rather deep parts bin and came out with Cadillac CTS-V brakes and rotors. The six piston rotors are perfect for a road course and resist fade. CTS-V street pads are great for the street, but we are going to upgrade for our next track session to a dedicated track pad.

The most significant upgrade we have made since our testing last fall is the additional of Pedders Supercar 52mm Remote Reservoir Independent Bound and Rebound Double Adjustable Coilovers. Our Xa coilovers are 46mm monotubes and very good. The oil volume and piton size of our 52mm is 27% greater as measured by only by tube size, not including the remote canister. The larger the oil volume, the larger the piston diameter the smoother they can function with greater control. These are smooth operators.



Setting up a car for street use would typically be soft and cuddly. The advanced engineering built into a ZETA II Camaro matched to a set of Supercar coilovers delivers a great street ride with full track settings. This is a true statement for West Michigan. If the car were operated daily in Detroit with arguably the worst roads in the country, you may choose to dial it backs a bit. Here are the settings we used for this testing session.

Supercar Damper Settings from Full Soft
Front Bound 18
Front Rebound 16
Rear Bound 23
Rear rebound 16

New Parts Evaluated in this Test Session
Cadillac CTS-V Brakes
Sway Bars
Supercar Coilovers

The CTS-V brakes tested well. The bias is absolutely perfect for the car. The feel is great. The OE pads are a great combination pad for street and light track use. We don't do track light with our Camaro. We like to run hard. The next time we run our Camaro she will have new track pads and the CTS-V brakes will begreat in all aspects.

We are never satisfied at Pedders and are constantly trying to improve. If you don't test, you don't know. The new sway bars earned a FAIL. We will go back to the track with our Solution C Sway bars. They were the best choice last year and are still the best choice. If you don't test, you don't know.

Grading the Supercar Coilovers is a real challenge. There is really nothing on the market to compare them too. They are the best solution available for the Camaro. We knew that going in. Aside from sitting next to me in the car the best way for you to see them in action is by video. We did not run hard because of the brake pads, but we still ran well!

We thank you for taking the time to read through our evaluations and solutions for the ZETA II 2010 Camaro. We hope it was informative. Feel free to contact Pedders with your technical questions or to contact your local Pedders Dealer. Our customer service starts well before the sale and continues well after the sale. The final thought we would like to leave you with is our best advice on how to purchase a suspension modification for your Camaro. This is the same advice we have been offering our prospective clients for years.

Don't believe what you read about Pedders or any other suspension product. Get a test ride or drive in a Pedderised Camaro. Let your backside and the real world experience make the decision for you. There is a reason we run with the catch phrase -- NO BULL! There can be no bull when you are in the car and feel for yourself why so many have joined the Pedders Nation.

Caution: Test driving any Pedderised vehicle can be dangerous. Pedderised vehicles have been known to induce suspension envy and sleepless nights filled with longing. Before test-driving any Pedderised vehicle, check with you banking and accounting professionals. Pedderised vehicles are known to induce credit card bills and reduced bank balances. There is no antidote. Only genuine Pedders can cure Suspension Envy.

ZETA and ZETA II Notes

GM's GRWD platform was designed by their wholly owned subsidiary Holden in Australia. The first production release of ZETA is found in the Holden built Commodore. It was followed by the Holden built Pontiac G8. Chevrolet worked diligently with Holden on the revisions made to ZETA to create ZETA II for the Camaro. The changes are subtle, but significant. ZETA II is a more robust platform that has been designed to handle the higher loads created by higher RWHP, larger wheels and tires, bigger stronger brakes and in general the demands of a true sports car. Some ZETA components are interchangeable, most are not. Pedders has had the benefit of working on ZETA in Australia and then working on the GS Camaro that will run in the Grand AM Challenge originally designed by GM and now built by Riley Tech.