G8 Suspension and Handling Upgrades (Pedders, Pfadt, Nitto)

[Knoxville]

I pulled the trigger on some suspension and handling upgrades. I figured my car makes pretty decent power, now its time to do my due diligence by purchasing parts to manage and handle that power more effectively.

I ended up purchasing the following upgrades to improve handling and performance:

• Pedders Street XA Package
• Pfadt Rear Control Arms (Trailing Arms & Toe Rods)
• Nitto NT05r 285 18 inch Drag Radials

G8 ready for surgery...

Pfadt arms ready for bushings:

Drag Radials ready to be mounted:

Nothing like brand new rubbers!


The Pedders Street XA kit has not arrived yet, but I'll be expecting that early next week. I plan on installing the Pfadt arms tonight in the garage, and meanwhile the Tires are already at Discount Tire getting mounted on my stock 18 inch OEM wheels.

Very excited to see how this boat handles after these much needed upgrades!

[Tachyon]

Mmmmmmmmeat!

[Kracka]

Good call on upgrading the suspension. A G8 on the Three Sisters cruise I participated in this past weekend in the Texas Hill Country plowed straight into a rock wall on a tight corner.

[Knoxville]

I got the tires all finished up and mounted from Discount tire. They came out looking pretty decent on the stock 18 inch wheels. I can't wait to see how these wheels will do at the drag strip!



I also got the Pfadt trailing arms installed on the G8 tonight. I'm going to save the toe rods for a different night.


Trailing arm without the metal sleeve installed

Stock vs Pfadt


Stock Trailing Arms


Trailing Arm removed:


The toughest part of the install was removing the OEM bushings in the rear knuckle that connect the lower part of the trailing arm.

Pfadt recommends using their custom bushing removal kit that is $30 dollars, but I ended up renting a ball joint press for O'reileys and it worked great to remove the bushings.

[Murlo26]

At a kid! Good work sir, I'll try to stop by Wednesday to see if you need help still, was dead today after gym. New meat looks good, I am jealous.

[goodhart]

Nice work man, this new mods (other than the tires) should mean better traction at the track as well right?

[Knoxville]

Yes, I'm hoping for increased traction and less wheel hop with this setup. With the coilovers at the drag strip I plan to make the front coils as soft as possible. This way the front end can lift easier putting more weight / traction on the rears.

[Kracka]

You'd want to make the rears as soft as possible to aid in weight transfer.

[Knoxville]

Originally Posted by Kracka

You'd want to make the rears as soft as possible to aid in weight transfer.

Interesting... I was told front to help lift front end

[Tachyon]

Koni adjustables...
Gonna save us about 2 pounds...
And they're gonna give us better traction for the hole shot...

[JohnnyT]

Looking good, Knox! Car's coming along really well.

[Knoxville]

Originally Posted by Tachyon

Koni adjustables...
Gonna save us about 2 pounds...
And they're gonna give us better traction for the hole shot...

That's the idea! haha

I'm thinking the 3200 stall will help me out of the hole better than these lightweight arms on the rear.

[Murlo26]

You don't need help, you have the Auto V8! You just mash the pedal! I am jealous, very jealous.

[Knoxville]

Just took the car out for a quick joy ride with the new arms installed. I can definitely notice a difference. Not so much when cruising, but when the tires break loose there is a lot less wheel hop and more grip to the road.

Very impressed thus far and I've only installed a small fraction in the big scheme of all the suspension upgrades on the way.

Originally Posted by Murlo26

You don't need help, you have the Auto V8! You just mash the pedal! I am jealous, very jealous.

This is true for the most part, but I plan on brake stalling my torque converter up to around 2500-3000 rpm before the green light strikes

[Knoxville]

UPDATE:

With the Pedders XA coilovers and Bushings arriving next week, I wanted to prepare the car. I'm assuming with 285 tires on the rear that the drop could have me rubbing badly.

So I got my fenders rolled this morning, and I'm pretty impressed with how they came out. Naturally the fenders bulge out a little bit more, but its quite smooth and well done where I don't feel its noticeable.

Can't wait to drop this car and install the missing parts!





Drag Radial installed

[Knoxville]

Finished product

[JohnnyT]

Snag a pic from the back down low. Looks like it sits really nice with those 285s. What size did you have before? Nitto's generally run thin but those look pretty well filled.

[Knoxville]

Originally Posted by JohnnyT

Snag a pic from the back down low. Looks like it sits really nice with those 285s. What size did you have before? Nitto's generally run thin but those look pretty well filled.

I ran 285 tires previously as well. I'm just thinking with the drop that I would rub without having this roll.

I tried to take some pictures of the back like you requested:

[Murlo26]

Should back it out the garage and retake

You ain't got nothing better to do working from home anyway lol.

[Knoxville]