The new eXtreme Xa Coilovers are nothing shorty of unbelievable. Comfort, control, comfort and control... One Dealer noted that the G8 with eXtreme Xa coilovers was "better than sex!" They are right even if it is with a $10,000 specialist! The Xa range will include:
Audi
BMW
Chevrolet
Ford
Honda
Lexus
Mazda
Mitsubishi
Nissan
Pontiac
Subaru
Toyota
Volkswagen
We did discover that the G8 rear camber and toe eccentrics are prone to failure. The eccentric washer is tack welded to the bolt. In severe use or after multiple alignment or both the welds fail and the eccentric acts as though it is stripped. It is an easy fix to lay down a bead and the alignment can proceed. That is dependent on knowing they are welded in the first place. The upper rear control arm mounting bracket have a sloppy fit. They can slide in and out 3 to 4mm.
To get the G8 really dialed in we want the upper rear control arm brackets mounted as close to the rear fenders as possible. The rear trailing arm is also slotted. We like to see this arm locked down after the wheel alignment is complete. This sets the arm in a neutral position in elation to the alignment.
eXtreme Xa Pedderised G8 Alignment Specifications
Front
Castor +7.75
Camber -1.5
Toe 1 Degree Total Toe Out
A bit of Toe Out improved turn in.
Rear
Toe L 1.17 R -.18
Camber -1.8
Thrust Angle 0.00
Adjust Toe to a Zero Thrust Angle.
The slight toe out improves turn in. At eXtremely high speeds the turn in requires a steady hand on the wheel. We do NOT recommend these alignment setting for tire life or daily driving. These specs are for a very aggressive driver on a road course, or for my personal daily driver. There are a number of other subtleties we discussed at the Dealer meeting to make certain that your local Pedders Dealer knows more about alignments and the cars we service than virtually anyone else.
Then came Mike Haddad's G8 and a mystery noise which turned out to be a loose bolt. That comes as no surprise if you ever saw Mike Haddad drive anything. When Mike drives everything comes loose. The surprise comes when something doesn't come loose. Mike made out pretty well at the Dealer Conference. He took home my slightly used G8 eXtreme coilovers. He really wanted the Xa coilovers, but rank does have privileges. Now that they are installed on Mike's G8 he loves them. Next we'll have to get that girly blower off his engine -- whats her name -- of yeah Maggie.
Then came
Nathan E. Herschbach, Owner of
www.Redfox-Racing.com. Nathan's trailer broke down, but burning midnight oil in a Pedders shop is nothing new. Nathan and his beast of an LX Dodge Magnum was on the way to SEMA and in need of a ride height adjustment to accommodate his monster wheels. While the rest of the crew went on to dinner, the hard core crew stayed on task.
With Nathan good to go, we thanked
Heath, owner of
American Muffler & Brake 1230 S State Highway 16 Fredericksburg, TX 78624
for the use of his shop, and went on for a bit of dinner and drinking with the rest of the crew. Since the Dealer Conference Heath and American Muffler and Brake Service have joined the Pedders Dealer Network. Another day of classroom style work and it was time to relax. We grabbed so group photos on the taxiway and headed out to the new Pedders USA, LLC North American Headquarters. First my family pictures.
Front Row: LJ, Ani and Dani
Back Row Mike, Deb, Con, Sam, Pete, Mark, Clayton, Peter, Dallas Mike, Rich, Gavin, Bob, Rob, Rich and Risha
Not pictured: Michael, Ken, Adam, Dan, Dave and I am sure I'll be in trouble for missing some one!
Our Dealer of the Year Kim and Rob.
