It is one month until SEMA 2009 in Las Vegas, and I still have a lot to accomplish for it to be ready for the Nitto Tire display (booth 46115). At least Phase 1 of the project is now completed…which is the long awaited Pedder’s Extreme Xa coilover suspension kit. I mentioned this back in April as one of my first confirmed mods to my 2010 Camaro, and it is finally installed.

I met with Pedders USA president Pete Basica at Seller’s Auto Sport in Farmington Hills, MI who was handling the installation and alignment. Pete was nice enough to make the trip to assist in the project.  It took a few hours from start to finish because we were all taking our time but it is something that any experienced auto technician should be able to complete without incident.

As far as the Xa kit, I was very impressed with the initial quality which is top-notch. It not only looks cool but is also very well designed and constructed.

Pete brought a Pedders rear sway bar to also install on the car.  He wouldn’t tell me anything about it, he just wanted me to try it and tell him what I thought.  If I find anything more out about it I will post but until then I will just try to test it out whenever possible.  He also provided me with a special gift, which was a pair of radius rod bushings that were similar to the ones that Pedders offers but with an interesting difference.  As it turns out, these bushings that Pete had installed on my 2010 Camaro were originally made for the Riley-built Camaro GS race car that made its debut at SEMA 2008.  They are entirely hand made and there are only two sets on the planet, and one set is now on my car.  I am totally honored to have a piece of GM Performance Division history on my car, thanks to Pete and Pedders.

Once the installation was completed and the car was set on the ground, it looked great but was not done yet.  It was time  for it to go on the alignment rack. People often overlook the importance of as well thought out alignment, especially after radically changing the geometry of the car.  Pete made sure that the alignment was right for my driving intentions.  This made incredible differences in steering feel and response alone.  There is a lot of criticism about the steering on the 2010 Camaro and if you agree with them, consider getting the car aligned by someone who knows what they are doing, even if you do not change the suspension.  You may be surprised at what a difference it makes.

The end result is nothing short of astounding for a street car.  With the coilovers set at a height 2″ lower than stock, the front radius rod bushes and prototype rear sway bar in place, and a semi-aggressive but street and tire friendly alignment, the car feels entirely different and looks much more aggressive.  The handing in a stock 2010 Camaro SS is very good for right off the showroom, but the Pedders Extreme Xa kit turns it into a true machine.  The beauty of the Xa kit is that the ride height can be changed back to stock or lowered even further by adjusting the collars on the shock tubes with the included spanner wrenches.  To go with this, the firmness can also be adjusted from 0 (softest) to 30 (firmest) with a turn of the knob on each shock.  Pete suggested that I set them all at 10 for my style of driving but once I get a feel for it I may experiment with the settings if I want to get adventurous or change my driving style.  The design makes it extremely easy to tweak and adjust compared to other methods of height and ride adjustment.

Overall, the addition of the Pedders Extreme Xa coilover kit was the most worthwhile suspension modifications I have ever done.  It makes a 2010 Camaro look like it is in attack mode and makes it handle like no street car should. Pete tells me that he has a hard time keeping the systems in stock and I believe him.

Now that Phase 1 is done, it is time to move on to Phase 2…the Magnacharger installation.  There’s a few select details about other changes to the powertrain that I haven’t mentioned yet. We are going to really turn the wick up on this car.  Stay tuned for more details to be posted.