2002 Camaro Z/28 Suspension - Defying Gravity

We tossed a coin and decided... 

   

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We tossed a coin and decided to start at the back of the F-body. Loosening the rear sway bar was the first step.

The world of suspension technology isn't a hidden treasure, nor is it brain surgery. Some think that building a g-machine takes a 4-year engineering degree and tons of dough. If you're one of those people, unlearn it! Now, we're not saying that every Heavy Chevy can handle like an F1 car on pennies of budget, but when exploring the realm of Fourth-Generation Camaros you'll be surprised what a few aftermarket parts will do to your lap times.

Late-model Camaros have the reputation of being excellent handling cars right off the showroom floor. When doing every day street driving, that may seem believable. We wanted to see how our '02 Z28 performed under the rigors of on-the-edge track testing. Yeah, we knew it wasn't a Z06, but our baseline results surprised even us. While our quarter-mile acceleration was a respectable 13.55 and our 60-0 mph braking was a hair above 130 feet, our 200-foot skidpad results yielded a disappointing .80 g's, and our 420-foot slalom was even more inadequate at 40.9 mph. For those of you not quite up to par on all these figures, we'll let you in on a little secret, there's room for improvement to say the least.

After supporting the rear... 

   

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After supporting the rear end, we removed the lower mounting bolt to the OE shocks.

When we got back to the office with our heads hung low, we immediately got on the phone with SLP Performance Parts, Weld Wheels, Nitto Tires, RK Sport and Bilstein of America. We were driven to make our Camaro a respectable handling machine.

While the OE GM suspension offers a plush ride, it lacks rigidity. Our first order of business was to stiffen the F-body unibody construction. Using SLP Performance 1LE sway bars, sub-frame connectors, strut tower brace, boxed rear arms and an RK Sport adjustable panhard bar, we were able to tighten things up a bit. To give us a more agile feel and a quicker rebound when in the twisties, we installed Bilstein BTS custom valved shocks and progressive rate springs. And finally, we ditched the stock wheel/tire combo for a more aggressive Weld Forged Evo Mecham 18x9.5-inch set of wheels with Nitto NT555 275/35/ZR18 tires on all four corners. Our little F-body went from a mild mannered slop machine to a road ready street bruiser, if you're not believin' it, check out the numbers!

The rear springs can now be...        read full caption The rear springs can now be removed.	With the shock loose and the...        read full caption With the shock loose and the springs removed, we loosened both bolts holding the rear control arms in place.	The next step requires removing...        read full caption The next step requires removing the rear quarter access panels. While there is a small patch that can be removed to access the upper shock mount, we recommend spending the extra 5 minutes and going beneath the carpet. This requires two people, one to loosen the upper nut and one to keep the shock from rotating during removal.
Next, we installed the Bilstein...        read full caption Next, we installed the Bilstein BTS shock/spring combo. The mounting hardware was included with the packaging.	The new beefier boxed rear...        read full caption The new beefier boxed rear control arms were outfitted with greaseable urethane bushings.	The stock lower panhard bar...        read full caption The stock lower panhard bar was removed. Due to the lower ride height, an adjustable panhard is required.
While there are many options...        read full caption While there are many options for an adjustable panhard, we thought it would be best to use a dual adjustable bar from RK Sport. After installation, the bar must be lengthened or shortened to insure proper tracking of the rear tires. The adjustment is made from the center of the bar by turning the threaded stud either clockwise or counterclockwise.		With the rear end complete,...        read full caption With the rear end complete, we moved to the front and began by loosening the master cylinder and ABS unit. Due to the positioning of the driver's side struts, the master cylinder must be pushed aside to reach two of the mounting bolts.