Chevrolet Solutions

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 http://www.camaroz28.com/

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.

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.

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 5^th 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.