[DeuceCam]

Originally Posted by arpad_m

You may be able to reduce wheel hop with this rear cradle lockout kit, I have it on my car and it noticeably improved rear stability and perceived grip.

I'm not sure about the LT1, but the 2019+ SS has configurable launch control just like the ZL1, you can set the rpm target in a fairly wide range.

It's possible that GM nerfed the LT1 down in this area as well, though... they love to screw us over with little things like no shift lights on the normal SS, only when you get the 1LE package, or no auto dimming on the passenger side mirror when you get it on the driver side and rearview... these things save them a couple dollars per car and leave a very sour aftertaste.

l bought the BMR cradle lockout kit during the Black Friday sale, but it will probably be a while before I can get it installed, as I'm still gathering other suspension parts that I want to have installed all at once. I hope it helps with wheel hop, the floaty feeling I get from the rear under WOT and makes the rear feel more solid/consistent overall.

Chevy doesn't mention that launch control is included on the LT1 in any of their documentation that I've seen, e.g., owners' manual, which is weird. I saw a few videos on YouTube of LT1 owners using launch control, and the (2-step-style) limiter is at 2K rpm, but all of the videos I saw are 2019-2021 models iirc.

I decided to try it after getting the car. I noticed when I satisfied the requirements to engage launch control (i.e., sport mode, esc competitive mode, stopped, 1st gear, steering wheel straight, throttle to the floor), the car would rev up to the 4K rpm soft limiter (not 2K rpm like I saw in the videos). I tried it anyway and the car got off the line and up-to-speed well, so it works; there wasn't noticeable wheel hop with the 245 tires; although, there was a fair amount of tire slip (there always is with the 245's), but the ECS kept it under control.

Unfortunately, I haven't seen any information about being able to adjust the launch control RPM in the LT1 in my previous searches on the topic. It's not a big deal as this isn't a feature I intend to use much.

On the topic of performance modes: I'm still not sure if my 2022 LT1 has NLS (I believe the 2019-2021 models have it). I tried it once utilizing the required parameters: sport mode, TCS/ESC engaged (supposedly it doesn't matter), above 5k rpm, keep right foot to-the-floor, shift, etc. Unfortunately, I hit the rev limiter... Maybe I didn't keep my foot-to-the-floor? Anyway, I haven't had the nerve to try it again. haha

[DeuceCam]

Originally Posted by SSEssence

Love the hachi! Congrats on the LT1!

I didn't expect much corolla love around here, thx!

I had that one 12 years and it was registered, on-the-road the whole time, and passed the emissions test every 2 years. I never had any big issues, and it saw WOT/redline every time I drove it. It looks rough but was fresh underneath. I probably changed the suspension up 5 times while I had it because I was search for the best balance of performance and compliance; not a single bushing was left untouched. I also added some cool mechanical mods over the years like a quick steering rack, 4.77 gear, and Cusco 1.5 way clutch LSD. 100 hp (haha) but it was a beast on a twisty backroad. It was also a reliable track car that was easy on brakes and tires.

[DeuceCam]

When I installed the Raceseng shifter components I removed the oem shift boot's black plastic retention ring and did not use it with the Raceseng stuff (this was a mistake!). Only a (Raceseng included) zip tie was used to hold the boot to the Raceseng adapter. The boot opening ID was much larger than the adapter OD, which made for a poor fit-and-finish. I wasn't happy with how the boot looked because there was a lot of folds (see post #7 in this thread for visual reference).

I recently learned in this thread (https://www.camaro6.com/forums/showt...=628473&page=8), that when installing the Raceseng components, one should retain the oem boot retention ring and not separate the oem retention ring from the boot (they're glued together).

Even though my oem retention ring was separated from the boot (), I decided to attempt using it to improve the look of my setup. My how-to diy steps are listed below. (Note: if you didn't separate your oem shift boot retention ring from the boot, skip to step 5, below.)

1. Remove the boot from the car.
2. My boot had creases/wrinkles at the top from from being tightly folded over in multiple spots after installing the Raceseng stuff. I wanted to get rid of the wrinkles I created. At first, I soaked a microfiber towel in very hot water, then rubbed the towel aggressively over the wrinkles - while pressing from the underside of the boot with my hand - to try and flatten each wrinkle. It was only a slight improvement, but I still recommend doing this before proceeding to the next step.
3. Next, I decided to employ steam to help get rid of the wrinkles. I was hesitant to use a fabric steamer, so instead, I took a really long & hot shower with the shift boot placed in the bathroom. As soon as I got out of the shower, I placed a cap from a mouthwash bottle (cone'ish shape) underneath the boot to hold its shape while I rubbed the wrinkles aggressively with a dry microfiber cloth. This did a great job. Not perfect, but good enough.
4. See pic 1, below. Slide the oem boot retention ring over the Raceseng adapter. It's tight fit. Slide it on by hand just enough to get it started.
5. See pic 2, below. Use your shift knob, to push the oem retention ring further down onto the adapter to the desired height, by screwing the shift knob onto the shifter. Use caution. The adapter is narrower at the top and wider at the bottom , and I don't think it's meant to be used with the oem retention ring. The further down the adapter you move the retention ring, the more stretched it will become and greater the tension will be. The retention ring could break. I did not thread my shift knob extender all the way down because the extender/knob became really hard to turn because of the tension. I'm guessing my shifter height is 1/2"+ higher than before.
6. Remove the shift knob.
7. See pic 3, below. Install the shift boot. Press the top edge of the boot against the retention ring and shifter all the way around with your fingers. Try and get it as tight and tidy as possible.
8. See pics 4 & 5, below. Screw your shift knob on while holding the top edge of the boot tightly under the shift knob so it stays hidden. It took me a few tries.

I'm happy with the result. A Raceseng shift boot collar would make my fix look oem, as it hides where the boot and shift knob meet a little more, but (unfortunately) I don't have one. If you are smart (unlike me), and did not separate your boot from the oem retention ring (i.e., they're still glued together), the setup would have an oem fit-and-finish.

[david_acm]

Sweet, it turned out awesome!

[JoeCamaro444]

Enjoyed the write-up on your purchase, upgrades, and past vehicles! Congrats! If you look in my signature section, you’ll see I’ve owned a variety of performance vehicles, from an Acura RSX Type S and TSX, to an IROC-Z and GTO, to a 2015 Subaru WRX STI. I, now, enjoy driving my wife’s 2019 Mini Cooper Countryman S ALL4, too! Fun comes in a variety of flavors. 😂 👍🏻

[DeuceCam]

^Thank you for the kind words.

I bought a few ZL1 Addons bits:

1. Lift pads - not sure what I think of these yet but figured what the hell. I plan on lowering the car, and once that's done it may be hard to reach the frame rail with my floor jack, so maybe they'll help. I was able to install them without lifting the car; I also used blue Loctite.
2. Jack pad with magpuck - The idea of this is a little sketchy to me, but I got it anyway for similar reasons as the lift pads. I've only used it once and it worked well.
3. Deluxe rock guards - Considering I installed aftermarket wheels/tires, which have basically the same width and offset specs as an SS-1LE, it was about time I installed rock guards. Easy install. I had to remove the rear wheels to get the rear guards on the car. I'm pleasantly surprised by how subtle they look.

[RallyRunner]

Originally Posted by DeuceCam

^Thank you for the kind words.
I'm pleasantly surprised by how subtle they look.

they really are super low key. are those OEM pieces? i might need to grab a set. looks great.

i never had luck with the jack pads (mine wanted to roll sideways on the pinch weld, maybe because they were a cheaper brand) but have been using a slotted, tall jacking puck as well as slotted jack stand pads with good success.

[cdb95z28]

Originally Posted by DeuceCam

I didn't expect much corolla love around here, thx!

I had that one 12 years and it was registered, on-the-road the whole time, and passed the emissions test every 2 years. I never had any big issues, and it saw WOT/redline every time I drove it. It looks rough but was fresh underneath. I probably changed the suspension up 5 times while I had it because I was search for the best balance of performance and compliance; not a single bushing was left untouched. I also added some cool mechanical mods over the years like a quick steering rack, 4.77 gear, and Cusco 1.5 way clutch LSD. 100 hp (haha) but it was a beast on a twisty backroad. It was also a reliable track car that was easy on brakes and tires.

More Corolla love.. my shitty weather daily driver. '24 LE Hybrid AWD. My first Toyota. It's a special edition "1" LE, Corolla.

I had some 1LE decals left over from my Gen5 SS 1LE Brembo paint job.

Awesome WCT DeuceCam! Wild Cherry rocks.

[DeuceCam]

^Thx! TOYOTA! That's a very sensible daily. I've had Toyotas and Hondas most of life and they generally ever only need gas, tires and batteries. My daily is a '15 Accord Sport in a similar color; I bought in '17 with 13k miles and it's now pushing 80k.

WCT wasn't my first choice as I don't consider myself a red car guy (somehow I own 2 red cars hahaha), but it's really grown on me. The color changes, it's deep, and has a sinister look.

Originally Posted by RallyRunner

they really are super low key. are those OEM pieces? i might need to grab a set. looks great.

i never had luck with the jack pads (mine wanted to roll sideways on the pinch weld, maybe because they were a cheaper brand) but have been using a slotted, tall jacking puck as well as slotted jack stand pads with good success.

Thx! The guards are ZL1 Addons. www.zl1addons.com
I only tried jack pad once and only lifted the car high enough to get the wheels off the ground. Initially, it seemed like it wanted to angle a bit as I was lining up the floor jack, but since it has a magnet, I was able to straighten it by hand, then I just made sure it stayed square as the jack started supporting the weight of the car.

[DeuceCam]

The red on my "camaro" coil covers was deteriorating (see pic on page 1 for reference). Chevy gave me replacement covers to install under warranty based on my suggestion, which was great because I got to keep the old covers .

I didn't like the bright red color because it clashed with the WCT finish on the car, so the new covers were never installed and are in storage.

I decided to sand the red paint off the old covers which left a light gray finish that I think looks decent. It's not perfect (not even close), but hard to notice unless one really looks, so I didn't bother to try painting them or applying stickers but may do that later.

I also fung-shwayed the a/o separator lines for a cleaner look.

(This was all done last fall, but I forgot to document it in this thread. I emptied the a/o separator today which reminded me.)

[DeuceCam]

Teaser

[DeuceCam]

I got ahold of a set of 2SS knee pads (in excellent condition) from a forum member. I love simple mods like this, especially if they're OEM and make the interior a nicer place to be.

[DeuceCam]

I had KW V3 coilovers, SPL rear toe rods (with lockout), and BMR rear subframe lockout kit installed on the car. Pics are below. I'm kicking myself for not taking pics when I picked the car up as I was able to take a look at everything while the car was on a roll-on lift; I guess I was too mesmerized by the shiny bits at the time to think of taking pics...

I've had coilovers on other cars and these are by far the most refined I've experienced. (It's worth noting that my suspension is stock aside from the parts mentioned in this post.) Generally speaking, the overall ride quality is surprisingly near stock feeling in terms of compliance; although it is more responsive, sharper, and more firm over bumps/dips, as to be expected. I haven't changed the compression or rebound settings yet because of how good the default KW setting feels so far. I also haven't taken the car on a twisty mount road, yet, but just chucking it into turns and through round-abouts, it feels more eager to turn-in, flatter, and more confidence inspiring.

Straight line grip is slightly less, but that's likely due to now having -2* camber out back, which is more than I wanted. The shop that installed the parts doesn't do alignments in-house, so the alignment had to be farmed out, most likely to a typical auto-garage that doesn't specialize in performance alignments.

I've also noticed the rear end wiggle I've experience (since owning the car) is still present. It's likely the alignment or the tires. The alignment settings aren't ideal as the camber and toe settings weren't identical side-to-side, but the total toe and thrust angle are still in spec, which is somewhat typical. Luckily there's a place near me that specializes in performance alignments, so I'll likely end up taking it there at some point - if I do this I may take a little camber out of the rear.

It looks like there's at least 10mm of clearance between the wheel/tire and strut. This is with -2* camber, 285/35/19 tires, 19x10 +20mm wheels, and stock strut top mounts.

[cdb95z28]

Post your alignment sheet/final #s. Alignments on these cars can be tricky, but not difficult if the tech knows what they are doing. First thing is the rear adjustment eccentric bolts are one time use per GM. They are torque to yield bolts. Any time they are tightened to spec they must be replaced. Those are the only bolts needed for an alignment. There's lots of info here on the forums about the alignment procedure. 2* rear camber is excessive if you only street drive the car. Same with the front. I do my own alignments and there is give and take with the camber/toe procedure at the rear.