Documenting the PEDDERS CAMARO BUILD

[dms]

Pedders Gets ProCharged

Pete shipped the Pedders Camaro off to ProCharger last week. They will be using the bone stock engine and exhaust to create a final tune to ship with the retail ready kit. Because the Pedders Camaro gets around to many shows and on the web we will have our blower and hardware highly polished. Is is SOP for us, looks great but takes a lot of work to stay that way.

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PEDDERS CAMARO ON THE SHOWROOM
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This is the first step in our build. When we get it back it will get a full Revolution body kit, 305/30 19 Bridgestone RE11 mounted on the lightest weight ZX3 wheel that Forgeline can make including titanium hardware. We will install headers, exhaust cutouts, chambered exhaust, electric water pump, header coating, oil coolers, special brake pads and a custom tune. Then the Pedders eXtreme Track Kit.When we are done we expect to have 600 RWHP on a dyno certified accurate for SCCA work. We should be able to pull over 1G on the skid pad and expect to run laps faster than a C6 Z06 stock Corvette.

Pete picks up the Pedders ProCharged Camaro from ATI this Friday and will drive it back to Michigan. By the time they get to Backstreet Performance for the final tune he will have about 4,000 miles on it or put another way close enough to break it in and get good numbers and performance on the street and dyno. This is just the start of the thread. We will get pictures of the Pedders Camaro starting this weekend and throughout the build. It will debut at the Berger All Chevy Show on the 29th of this month.

Revolution Body Kits
bodydrop45@aol.com

Back Street Performance
650 W. Smith Rd. Unit 12
Medina, OH 44256
http://www.backstreetper.com
Rich Johnson
440.655.7677
rich@backstreetper.com

Berger Chevrolet
2525 28th Street SE
Grand Rapids, MI, 49512
616) 828-5916
http://www.bergerchevrolet.com/
A Lot more to come!

thanks
mike
dms

[JusticePete]

I'll post the baseline and ProCharged dyno numbers as soon as I get them.

[dms]

PETE FLEW IN TONIGHT TO PICK UP IS CAMARO WITH THE PRO CHARGER BLOWER ON IT. NEXT TO BACK STREET PERFORMANCE FOR A BUNCH OF UPGRADES!

THANKS
MIKE
DMS

[dms]

We have to get our beast ready for the Home Town Cruise. The 28th Street Cruise in Grand rapids Michigan is a huge event. Woodward may be bigger, but 28th Street is our home turf so it has to be better. Our Camaro is back from ATI / ProCharger and now the exterior mods go into high gear.


Front Splitter
Upper and Lower Grilles
Cowl Induction Hood
Shaved Emblems and Badges
Shaved Door Handles
Shaved Spoiler
Side Sills
Rear Lower Fascia
Deck Wing -- Maybe
Interior Paint
Tinted Windows


We picked up the Camaro at ATI and mad a hard run from Lenexa to West Olive in 10 hours and 15 minutes including gas, food and where is the head I gotta go right now stops so we could deliver the Camaro to Essex Customs in Grand Rapids. We reviewed the build list and went right to work Saturday afternoon. Jason is as jacked about this project as we are and that is really good news as he has a lot to do.

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The rear sheet metal work on the Camaro is nothing short of gorgeous. It is stunning and gets lost with the wing. The roof, fenders and deck lid lines are so well done they would be at home on a Ferrari. We think that wingless may be the best look. Removing the rear wing does increase drag, but with something like 600 RWHP who care about a little drag that hold the car down to 189 instead of 190? A wind that is raised and allows you to still enjoy the OEM art work may be acceptable, but we really like naked for now.

Jason will be sending us pictures to update this thread over the next few days. He is on a tight schedule -- very tight schedule. All the mods have to be complete by Wednesday so we can get the car over to Witt for:


Pedders Xa Track eXtreme Suspension
Corner Weighting
Alignment
Install Full Alignment Kit
Install Headers
Install Sweet Thunder Exhaust and QTP Cutouts
Install Cobalt Friction Pedders Hardcore Track Only XR Pads
Install Forgeline 19x10.5 Wheels
Install Bridgestone 305/30/19 RE-11s all around


We already know that several items will not be ready while other are on the bubble.


Grilles
Side Vents
Rear Wing
Rear Fascia


What will get done -- stay tuned as the thread will be frequently updated.

Mike
dms

[dms]

While some will take the interior of their new 5th Gen to the eXtreme, our interior mods will be modest with the extreme reserved for performance and the exterior.

The shift pattern is pretty darn good from the factory and appear to have been dialed in for performance driving so why are the pedals so hard to heal and toe. I have been driving around with t e pseudo Berger mods courtesy of Matt Berger. These Momo pedal allow you to shrink the distance between the brake and gas pedals. They have an aggressive no slip pattern. You can see we removed the rubber on the brake and clutch pedals to make certain we had a bullet proof installation with no possibility of anything moving. After driving this around for a bit we decided they are in for good and will remove them to trim the OEM pedal materials for a super clean installation.

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We ordered custom Pedders mats including the trunk.

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The pedals work great and make performance driving more comfortable. The Custom Auto Accessories, Inc. mats look good and feel better than they look. We have a couple of additional mods for the interior that are small in size but we feel will add some drama to the interior. They should be complete next week and the pictures will be posted here.

[dms]

The guys at ProCharger are nothing less than awesome. They treat me so incredibly well i cannot imagine using another product. Their installations are off the charts and more refined every time. They have out performed my expectations again and that is saying a lot Becca my expectations were exceptionally high this time around.

The blower has helical cut gears which are much quieter than the standard cut. The classic ProCharger whistle is gone. It is dead quiet at idle. No one will know what is under the hood. It is dead quiet at speed. The dump is virtually inaudible. This is the most refined ProCharger ever. The only clue you have that the Pedders USA, LLC Camaro is ProCharged comes when you depress the accelerator.

The mounting bracket for the unit is thicker, stronger and just plain looks rock solid. The tensioner is a twelve rib unit on my currently eight rib belt. It appears to be bullet proof. Everything looks factory clean. The air filter mounts cleanly atop the engine.

There is much debate about the placement of the air filter. Here are a few details you should be aware of. The air flow in an engine compartment is designed at the factory to draw hot air down and away from the engine compartment. When a vehicle is in motion there is little difference in temperatures in the engine compartment unless we are measuring right next to the exhaust manifolds. Now in Pedders Camaro, we really like the placement of the air intake on the ProCharger because our Revolution Camaro Cowl Induction Hood will be feeding it a steady supply of external air.

Now for the bad news ProCharger delivered to me. My Camaro was the limpest stick in the units they have tested. It came in 18 RWHP low. I am hoping that some very spirited driving will loosen this thing up and let it grow some hair. A typical ProCharged Camaro will produce 525 RWHP. Mine limped in at 510. We are in no way ready to give up those missing 18 ponies. The math doesn't seem right because while we limped into ProCharger our ProCharged gain was slightly above average which give us hope that it is still breaking in.

We also are upgrading the exhaust to included American Racing Headers, Sweet Thunder chambered exhaust and QTP cut outs. An electric water pump will be installed so we can cycle it after runs to keep cooling the engine. Eric at back Street Performance will be doing a custom tune. With all this we expect to find at least another 50 RWHP and if the missing ponies come home we may reach our goal of 600 RWHP. Time will tell.

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To all those dedicated people at ProCharger that worked so hard on this project Pedders USA, LLC extends our thanks. The operation was flawless on my trip. I promise to keep you posted on the progress of the rest of our build. Thanks you for a job eXtremely


mike
dms

[dms]

Jason and his crew at Essex have the tear down well under way.

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Pete is standing over Jason's shoulder whispering "only three more days and it has to be done".

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That spoiler just won't go away. Anyone need an OEM spoiler?

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Jason and his crew have the trunk lid and door handles shaved.

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[JusticePete]

I am headed over to the shop to get some pictures and will get them posted later today. They kicked #$% yesterday and may be done early!

[RichJ.]

We at Back Street Performance have been working with a customer on Procharger set up [but without the oil coolers that we plan to install on Pete's Camaro]. We are looking forward to working on the Pedder's Camaro in the next few weeks.
For now we are working on a few T1 Corvettes, Vipers, a T2 Solstice, plus a few other cars getting them ready for the SCCA RUN OFFS.
In between we are getting ready to go to the National Corvette Museum for the Labor Day weekend event. Hope to see some of you there. And if you get a chance stop by the Dyno to say hi.

[dms]

The guys at Essex had the Camaro stripped down in record time.

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We have the work in pictures and in video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrmqrOOjLls

Shaving the door handles or spoiler sounds easier than it i. Once the hardware is removed we have to get down to good sheet metal, cut away the stamping indentations. Weld and fill. Prime and sand and then do it again until it is perfect.

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The engine compart has to be as clean as the rest of the car. That means the OEM pebble grain plastic has to be smoothed and painted as well as the body panels. Sand, prime, sand, fill, sand, prime until it is just right.

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Then we get into the really new and cool stuff. Here is the first Revolution body part -- the spoiler. Step one is the test fit. Step two is prime, sand, fill, prime sand fill, prime sand....

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[dms]

We wanted to do something special in the interior and decided that Victory Red was exactly what we needed. The first step is to take apart the interior.

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The small things actually take a lot more time because of the detail involved.

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The end result should be sweet. I love the smell of paint thiner in the morning. It smells like Victory red!

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Here is the day in video. It includes the interior and exterior prime and paint work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrmqrOOjLls

[Moriartii]

So here is a question regarding painting the interior pieces. How do you keep them from getting all tacky and nasty once installed from the heat built up in the closed interior? I assume that the pieces are plastic? I always thought you never painted interior pieces due to marginal success in adhesion and the subsequent tackiness that occurs from the heat?

More pics please I am enjoying watching the build.
Cheers
Kinley

[dms]

So here is a question regarding painting the interior pieces. How do you keep them from getting all tacky and nasty once installed from the heat built up in the closed interior? I assume that the pieces are plastic? I always thought you never painted interior pieces due to marginal success in adhesion and the subsequent tackiness that occurs from the heat?

More pics please I am enjoying watching the build.
Cheers
Kinley

I am not a paint expert in any way. But being in new car dealers my entire life, I have had the opportunity to have hundreds of interior parts painted. I think it is an issue of prep, proper priming. It is all in the details. The videos and pictures show some of the prep work. The only piece that I think long term I would have some concerns about is the engine cover itself. I have seen tons of engine and valve covers painted and looking outstanding. But 300 plus degrees of air temp can take its toll on the paint. But this takes many years to show up. Pete's GTO had some custom paint on his valve covers and after 4 years or so, there were a couple of wear areas that were showing. But interior work is no issue at all.

mike
dms

[dms]

Monday night and Tuesday were really productive. The crew at Essex Customz will start assembling the Pedders USA Camaro later in the day. We should have a hood, although it may be really green as in fresh out of the mold, by the end of the day. Check it out in video and pictures.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kW1PS0Dh7lY

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They have an amazing process at Essex Customz -- http://www.cosmichrome.com/intro.htm

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We shot the process in HD and will get that posted to YouTube soon. When all i said and done the key to a really great car is attention to detail.

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[dms]

Day three and we are almost done.

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They are doing assembly as I type, but you'll not see the whole car until Friday an Saturday at the 28th Street Cruise.

[dms]

Pete just got back from the shop. The guys are still hard at it in large part because of some back luck and issues with part fitment. When doing a final buffing after full body wet sand, the buffer pad got caught in the hole for the side view mirror. This oops is being corrected by reshooting the door. We all thought we had the interior door panels correctly taped so the LED lighting would still be 100% functional. What we have is maybe 2% function. Once again, no real problem here it just takes time. They have already ordered two new inserts and will have them perfectly finished next week.

The hood has been a challenge. Something changed from plug to splash for the bottom of the hood. The top skin is production perfect ready. They devised a plan for the weekend show and sacrificed my OEM hood making it a donor for the new skin. This took hours we just didn't have. What it means is the crew at Essex is burning serious hours until the car id done. We'll have it trailered to Witt Pedders Buick for the suspension work in the morning.

Thursday is headers, suspension wheels and tires.

Friday is finishing anything we missed on Thursday as well as the new exhaust,

Friday night it is time to cruise 26th Street!

Monday we'll continue to finish up development of more revolution accessories as well as anything we missed to make the show. Pete really hates to have a car that isn't finished and isn't perfect, but he understands the challenges of developing new accessories and really enjoys working with skilled people. Pete and I learn more on every build from the people we work with. That is one of the great things about big builds ñ the people involved. We learn more every time we test at a track. It is one of the reasons we build and personally track all these cars. We want to live with them and not just sell parts for them.

[sdoomxz]

My brother is gonna be out at the Metro Cruise/Berger chevy show with my ZR1 im trying to get him to get some video and pics of this Pedders bad boy

[dms]

My brother is gonna be out at the Metro Cruise/Berger chevy show with my ZR1 im trying to get him to get some video and pics of this Pedders bad boy

That is great! We will want to be able to make some comparitive checks with a ZR1 after the build is complete. If you are interested in this, please talk to Pete about it. Now this would involve a pro driver doing a couple of laps at Gingerman.

thanks
mike
dms

[Speed Kills]

Now this would involve a pro driver doing a couple of laps at Gingerman.


Does that mean sdzoomxz is the pro or you would replace him? If I had a ZR1, I don't think I would let too many people other than myself drive it. In my book, sdzoomxz (or the artist formely know as modsled - damit dave, modsled was easier) is the pro.

[dms]

Does that mean sdzoomxz is the pro or you would replace him? If I had a ZR1, I don't think I would let too many people other than myself drive it. In my book, sdzoomxz (or the artist formely know as modsled - damit dave, modsled was easier) is the pro.

We are associated with 3 pro drivers with tons of experience. We used 2 of them in our New Jersey testing.

mike
dms

[dms]

A sneak preview before the hood is put on:
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The guys had to do an all nighter, and spent today starting on the suspension. The hood will be done tomorrow morning before the big event. Not like cutting it to the wire. But that is what happens when you are doing custom work.

mike
dms

[urbanlegend]

Oh man. I can't wait to see the complete look of this car. :)

[sdoomxz]

That is great! We will want to be able to make some comparitive checks with a ZR1 after the build is complete. If you are interested in this, please talk to Pete about it. Now this would involve a pro driver doing a couple of laps at Gingerman.

thanks
mike
dms

im definatly not a pro driver lolim great at driving in straight lines though lol....ill get in contact with him though on that

[sdoomxz]

Does that mean sdzoomxz is the pro or you would replace him? If I had a ZR1, I don't think I would let too many people other than myself drive it. In my book, sdzoomxz (or the artist formely know as modsled - damit dave, modsled was easier) is the pro.


i actually have another car im gonna have in a few weeks as soon as it takes to delivery to FNA....Hint FNA this new car will make an awesome test car also lol

[SSRS]

i actually have another car im gonna have in a few weeks as soon as it takes to delivery to FNA....Hint FNA this new car will make an awesome test car also lol
Do I have to keep quiet about this one too?

[dms]

i actually have another car im gonna have in a few weeks as soon as it takes to delivery to FNA....Hint FNA this new car will make an awesome test car also lol

Hey,'
You Michigan guys need to take a drive to the event and check out Pete;s ride and meet all that were involved.

thanks
mike
dms

[dms]

Do I have to keep quiet about this one too?

Sp what is the mystery?
mike

[SSRS]

I'm not sure if i have the authority to disclose this information.

[sdoomxz]

lol nope u dont

[SSRS]

lol... so since you're not responding on aim or yahoo... respond!

[dms]

Here are some shots from the event. Unfortunately they have very serious rain and it was very cold for this time of year.

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More to come.

thanks
mike
dms

[RichJ.]

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Installing Coolers for the Pedders Camaro. Next will be a tune. Then we should be at the Camaro show at Summit on Sunday.

[Headynugs12]

is that a powerstearing cooler? what are those two coolers for?

[RichJ.]

The upper one with the Back Street Logo is oil, the lower one is power steering?

[Rob@WretchedMS]

looking good!

[dms]

Camaro Track Testing At Gingerman 10/10/09

We have been talking with all of you about our R & D process on the Camaro, literally for years. It started back with the Aussie VZ chassis (Commodore, Ute, Statesman, Monaro and GTO) almost 25 years ago. That is roughly when Holden brought the Opel chassis to AU. That well regarded range of vehicles led GM to assign the Global Rear Wheel Drive Platform to Holden and created the opportunity for Chevrolet to bring back the Camaro. The first product out the gate for the revolutionary ZETA chassis was the Holden Commodore. It was followed by the Pontiac G8. Chevrolet started on the refinement of ZETA just a bit more than three years ago. While Chevy was tuning the ZETA II chassis for the Camaro Pedders was developing the finest suspension systems for the Pontiac G8. How good are the GTO and G8 when Pedderised -- they run this close to a Vette on a highly technical race track, on a track where the low center of gravity, the light weight, the great brakes should allow the American Performance Icon to destroy the much larger and heavier GTO and G8. It doesn't happen because Pedders has designed a complete system for these vehicles that allow them to perform as though they were 1,500 pounds lighter. We can't change the laws of physics, but we can cheat or bend them here and there or at least try to make the impossible possible. So where does that leave our 2010 Camaro? I suggest you ask Staci, Kim or Pedders.

Staci

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Kim

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You could also watch the video in HQ. The clarity is stunning.


Note: it is best to click on the tab to watch in in full screen mode to see the computer graphics better


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElycMszkj74

Maximum Lateral Gs / Accelerometer
Pedders Camaro........1.3835
Pedders G8 ..............1.1503
OEM Camaro ............1.0928
Pedders GTO ............1.0091
*Corvette -- The Press asked us not to tell you

Maximum Lateral Gs in a turn do not represent a single event. We look at the data collected and use the numbers that have been repeated across multiple runs. These are a bit lower than the peaks recorded by the DL1 as Max Lat.

......................Maximum Speed MPH
Pedders Camaro..........111.03
Pedders GTO...............106.47
Pedders G8.................105.82
OEM Camaro...............103.77
*Corvette -- The Press asked us not to tell you

These are exactly what they say they are. These are the top speeds reached by the cars at Gingerman. There were a number of limiting factors at the track. It was cold. The hottest the track got was 54 degrees. Getting the tires to optimum range was a challenge. To make matters worse it had rained for almost two weeks. The track was washed clean. There was no residual rubber on the track making the track very slick. It is why we ran all the cars the same day to eliminate as many variables as possible. Even the temperature stayed consistent. When the sun was out it felt a bit warmer, but is was basically a 54 degree day all day track side.

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.................Average Speed in MPH
Pedders Camaro.........71.156
Pedders GTO..............67.97
Pedders G8................67.83 (Automatic G8)
OEM Camaro..............66.635
*Corvette -- The Press asked us not to tell you

The GTO and G8 incurred technical issues out on the track. We found that both vehicles suffered from fuel starvation due to the high G loads in the turns. Chris Brannon would have to back off and wait to accelerate hard out of the turns because of the drop in fuel pressure. Compounding that were the OEM differentials in the GTO and G8. Both have wear from daily driving and general abuse. We don't think that is the issue. Pulling 1G at a high rate of speed is different from a skid pad. In many of the turns we are well into over steer, counter steering and applying power. This transfers enormous amounts of load to the outside rear drive wheel. The OEM differentials just give up and the unloaded inner wheel spins in a one wheel peel. Both Camaros and the Corvette did not demonstrate these issues and were virtually perfect at the limits of handling.

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.............Maximum Power Output kW
Pedders Camaro..........224.62
Pedders GTO...............201.41
Pedders G8.................196.72 (Automatic)
OEM Camaro...............174.14
*Corvette -- The Press asked us not to tell you

This is a calculation made using data from the accelerometers based on acceleration. Chris, our driver, will tell you he could not put down power due to the track conditions in ANY of the cars. What he is really saying in that he could have done better on a seasoned track on a warmer day with the same cars and setups. He is spot on. It is also a factor that he is accustomed to driving on full race tires. All of the cars we tested would have done far better on full race tires. The more powerful the car, the great the benefit would have been for this measurement. How much difference do we think full race tires would make for a test like this -- between 3 to 5 seconds. On the over powered Pedders Camaro, maybe more.


.................Front Tire Size.........Rear Tire Size

Camaro...................245/45/19..............275/40/20
Corvette..................245/40/18..............285/35/19
Pedders Camaro.......305/30/19..............305/30/19
Pedders G8..............275/35/19..............275/35/19
Pedders GTO............275/35/18..............295/30/18

.................Tire Pressure Cold
............................ LF......RF......LR.......RR
Camaro..................33......33......33.......3 3
Corvette.................33......33......33....... 33
Pedders Camaro......33......33......33.......33
Pedders G8.............33......33......33.......33
Pedders GTO...........33......33......33.......33

......................Tire Pressure Hot
.............................LF......RF......LR... ....RR
Camaro.................40.9....40.2....39.9.....39 .1
Corvette................39.2....37.5....38.4.....3 7.8
Pedders Camaro......44......44.......41.7.....41.3
Pedders G8.............42.0...41.3....42.0.....40.4
Pedders GTO...........40.4...39.8....40.7.....40.3

Yes we used a tire pressure gage that reads in tenths of a pound.


http://forums.peddersusa.com/imagehosting/84ad7754fa0bef.gif

.........................[B]Tire Temperatures Hot
.........................LF Outer....LF Center.....LF Inner
Camaro..................123...........114......... .103
Corvette................108...........102......... ..96
Pedders Camaro.....109...........104..........121
Pedders G8............102...........108......... 106
Pedders GTO............97...........97............99

.......................RF Outer....RF Center.....RF Inner
Camaro..................131..........120.......... ..115
Corvette................110..........109.......... ..108
Pedders Camaro.....167..........169............152
Pedders G8............109..........116............120
Pedders GTO..........101...........99............100

...................... LR Outer....LR Center.....LR Inner
Camaro...................113..........105......... ...116
Corvette....................93...........90....... ......89
Pedders Camaro.......109..........106............142
Pedders G8................97...........98............108
Pedders GTO..............76...........86............101

.......................RR Outer....RR Center......RR Inner
Camaro....................107..........106........ ....112
Corvette....................96..........110....... .....105
Pedders Camaro........120..........120............163
Pedders G8...............106..........116............123
Pedders GTO...............85...........90.............98

It would appear that the aggressive driving style of Chris Brannon and the exceptional balance of the Pedderised Camaro combined to heat up the tires. Of all the cars on the track, the most neutral, the car with the least under steer was the Camaro. The transition from neutral to over steer was complete predictable regardless of the track conditions or Chris aggressively jumping the corners. Nothing unsettled the car all day. My driving skills (Pete Basica) are better than many but nothing near the excellence of Chris. I was able to steer through corners, use a bit of over steer to slip through corners and flat out drift an entire corner. The Camaro makes me a far better driver because it is such a competent and complete car.

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...........................Brake Temperatures Hot

........................LF Rotor.....RF Rotor.....LR Rotor.....RR Rotor
Camaro.....................494..........440....... ...335..........296
Corvette...................370..........348....... ...411..........391
Pedders Camaro........738..........644..........361....... ...335
Pedders G8...............607..........518..........476.... ......407
Pedders GTO.............448..........336..........462..... .....416

......................LF Caliper...RF Caliper...LR Caliper...RR Caliper
Camaro......................228.........210....... ....159..........147
Corvette.....................192.........165...... .....185..........174
Pedders Camaro..........372.........366...........207..... .....178
Pedders G8.................370.........364...........322.. ........293
Pedders GTO...............253.........236...........176... .......162

Our Pedderised Camaro brakes were clearly the hottest. There is good reason for that. We had to Black Flag Chris to get him off the track or he would have run until the tank was empty. Our Pedderised Camaro is that much fun to drive. You never want to slow down or stop driving. Each car was prepared carefully for the track with the exception of the Corvette and OEM Camaro. We ran only enough hot laps on those two cars to get good data. They are not our cars and we promised to return them in once piece. That doesn't mean they were not run hard. They were wrung out, just not repeatedly like the GTO, G8 but especially our Pedderised Camaro. Even with the rotors smoking we had no brake fade -- none thanks to Cobalt Friction ZX1 and ZX3 pads. Our custom made lines are braided stainless with red vinyl coating and OEM ends with strain relief. We even used the OEM mounts.

http://forums.peddersusa.com/imagehosting/84ad7778f24b25.gif
Justice Pete & Chris Brannon Driver Extraordinaire

The tale of the tape is complete. What is know where near complete is how we got here and how the Camaro really drives. It all starts with tires and wheels. You need to address the front and rear track of the Camaro with LIGHTWEIGHT 19" wheels. We use Dave at Forgeline where we feel we get the absolute best service and best quality product. Forgeline designed a set of wheel with a proprietary offset to add 2" of front track and 1/2 inch of rear track creating a net increase up front on 1.5 inches. Bridgestone makes the RE-11 and we consider it the king of street tires. We run 305/30 19s all the way around on our 19 x 10.5" Forgeline rims. We pulled just under 40 pounds out of the four corners while dramatically increasing the tire contact patch. This was a killer first step in the process.

Next up we added power. Our longtime business partners ProCharger came through again. They installed a QUIET blower and bypass that are undetectable with the hood closed. We are making 480 Torque and 530 RWHP through our American Racing Headers and QTP cutouts. The American Racing headers offered a weight savings that was more important to us than RWHP. Anything we can do to reduce weight is desirable. Our Camaro has enough power to literally scare you on the street or track, A byproduct of the 305/30/19s is a gear ration change by tire diameter from a 3.45 to a 3.77. That is one more reason we had issues getting power down at the track.

What is last in this discussion should be first on your list if you own a Camaro -- PEDDERS SUSPENSION. Changing out the radius arm and sub-frame bushes are the two most critical modifications that should be made to EVERY Camaro that is built and sold. Our bushes remove the terminal bush squish squirm that creates instabilities in handling from a foundational level. It all starts with these two parts. We already addressed unsprung rate with our Forgeline lightweight wheels and Bridgestone RE-11 tires. These same modifications do double duty in correcting the narrow front track that is the OEM specification. The track correction addresses under steer as do all our suspension modifications as we strive to bring a finely honed edge to a well made Chevrolet knife.

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In the rear we replaced every OEM suspension bush with the exception of the specialty Hiem joints. We went deeper into the car and upgraded the OEM voided rubber differential bushes with Pedders street friendly urethane to increase the vehicle's ability to handle the increase in RWHP and Torque. Then we moved to the dampers. Pedders Xa eXtreme coilovers are 46mm high pressure monotube units. You'll see them on every GM owned Camaros at SEMA and on most of the GM sponsored Camaros at SEMA. They are height adjustable by screwing down into or out of the mounting brackets. Raising or lowering the car does not alter the jounce travel (a GM term describing the distance of suspensions travel before contact with the bump stop). This preserves ride quality at all ride heights. The Pedders Camaro was destined for some serious track time. We have it riding very very low. I do drive it as my daily driver. We drive the kids to school and go any where the mood moves us in our super low Camaro. There are certainly speed bumps that we drag on, but it is really no different than driving a Corvette. You know it is low and approach at a 45 degree angle to reduce points of contact. I have been doing this for years and it is second nature to me. many of you would find my car undrivable because it is almost on the ground. No problem the Xa coilover are height adjustable. They are also have 30 preset damping adjustments. You have full control over both the high and low speed cycles. They are easy to adjust as long as you can count to 30.

With the full suspension in place including wheels and tires our Pedderised Camaro was almost track ready. What was required next were the right diameter sway bars. You'll see many options in the market. I can tell you from my testing that we feel Pedders has the best solutions available in the market. For the typical Camaro owner a single front 27mm bar will steady your Camaro under most daily driving conditions and make sweepers your favorite turn or twist of the day. A single front bar solution does nothing to address under steer and when you reach under steer it will be worse than it was from the factory. Most Camaro drivers will never reach that level and that is why we offer this practical solution that reduces lean and roll to make your driving experience better than stock.

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For the more aggressive driver we have a second set of bar that offer three positions of adjustment. These are a matched set of 27mm bars for the enthusiast. These bars are a huge step up and bring more balance to your Camaro. If you occasionally hit the track or auto-cross these bars are for you. You will know the first time you enter a turn.

For the serious track person. For those with extensive SCCA or NASA experience. For those that understand that lifting off the throttle when you are in over steer is a really bad idea and won't make a mistake worse by hitting the brake we offer Pedders Solution C. The C stands for COMPETITION. These bars on your Pedderised Camaro will allow you to choose how to traverse a corner -- STEER, OVER STEER or DRIFT. If you know how to drive your FULLY Pedderised Camaro will not under steer again. These are made for serious drives and come with a disclaimer. When matched with a full Pedders system your Camaro will over steer. ONLY DRIVERS that know how to handle this should purchase this COMPETITION set of bars. That is why we made them -- so Camaro owners can watch the race from the front row in their rear view mirror.

All of Pedders sway bars are sold complete with HD endlinks. The studs on the endlinks are larger than the OEM studs. This means it is one of the very few Pedders products that requires you to use a drill on your car. The front strut endlink bracket must be drilled to fit as well as the rear endlink bracket. The are HD double ball joint endlinks. They are also adjustable. For those of you with Pedders coilovers you Pedders sway bar endlinks can be cut to fit making corner weighting more accurate. It is all part of any sway bar solution you purchase from Pedders for your Camaro.

Spring rate, damping rate, stable foundation through bushes and finally sway bars. Sway bars are a TUNING ELEMENT and not a solution. You can use an oversize bar to mask a deficiency in the vehicle, but only to a point. A rear sub-frame that steps out from NVH voided bushes will still step out with the best sway bar in the world. The cause wasn't a too small OEM sway bar. The cause was the NVH voided sub-frame bush that is fine for the more mild mannered Camaro driver, but completely unacceptable to the more demanding enthusiast driver. The Camaro is one of the best cars to ever be built in volume production. The monocoque is exceptionally strong. It doesn't need all the Band-Aid braces that are so deeply ingrained into the Muscle Car community. Let me say this one more time -- DON'T BUY A BRACE FOR YOUR CAMARO -- IT DOESN'T NEED THEM. Now if you are building a full on race car with a cage and no interior, brace away. Street Camaro's don't need any Band-Aids. They need foundational street friendly urethane bushes. Bushes that will not beat you up on your daily drive. A fully Pedderised Camaro has a ride quality equal to an Audi RS series. It is taut, but not harsh. We will return to Gingerman for a piece of unfinished business next spring / summer. With one item left to accomplish we left Gingerman with the knowledge that our fully Pedderised Camaro is not a wannabe. It is the real deal and in the hands of Chris Brannon it is off the charts. Watch the video again and again. See how stable it is no matter how hard he jumps the corner. Nothing unsettles it and he is running it at 10/10ths.

7 Seconds is an eternity on one lap. If you want your Camaro to be among the best on the road it will have to be Pedderised.

Written by,
Justice Pete Basica
Pedders USA, LLC

[Rob@WretchedMS]

Xa Coilover Kit Special Order

http://wretchedms.com/product_info.php?products_id=10847

Shipping Early November
We only have 10 of these available
Typical wait times have been months, with this order you can get the Xa's in much less time.
This is a special order, and has an additional shipping cost added in to the price.
If you have any questions please email rob@wretchedms.com



Pic is of the G8 kit, which is similar in apearance to the Camaro, however the Camaro reuses the OE strut mounts.
http://wretchedms.com/images/160064-800.png (http://wretchedms.com/product_info.php?products_id=10847)