I posted about HP boosts and possibilities of problems previously but thanks to Chris 9-5 I saw the facts about tuning my SAAB. I do have several questions before I jump into the fray.
This is my first car that I will ever get to tune and upgrade and word is that I happened into a fantastic model just for that purpose! 1999 9.5 SE, 2.3 liter, 4 cylinder. From what I have gathered the ECU uses SAAB Tronic 7. (On that note I downloaded the manual and information guide for T7Suite. Reminds me of the Aircraft Technical Orders I use on a daily basis on the Air Force Base.)
First up on the questions:
Before I start adding upgrades and tuning to my car I fully plan to replace and repair all the odds and ends that are left over that require maintenance. On top of that, I want to replace parts that may come up as problematic on down the road as I begin upgrading and tuning. I made up a list of parts I wanted to replace and whether I wanted standard parts as replacements or performance parts as replacement.
I could use some help in deciding if the parts should be replaced just to prevent future problems (major, minor, and annoying) from developing, and whether parts I have put on my list can just be removed due to their reliability or otherwise.
I didn't want to swamp this first post with the part listing but I can post it up. The basic idea I am shooting for is maintenance first, safety and handling second, performance and appearance/styling last.
So, any suggestions on stock parts that I should replace?
Second up on the questions:
A guy I work with on the base used to be a Master Mechanic and has worked on countless vehicles. I was talking to him the other night about the tuning and performance upgrades I want to do and he laughed at the Stage tuning (specifically remapping the ECU as the first stage before you install any performance parts like the exhaust, piping, etc.)
He was talking about another guy that works at the base that completely nuked his ECU when he was remapping it (Not a SAAB). I'm guessing that since he hasn't worked with SAAB before in his vehicle maintenance career that he wouldn't realize that SAAB uses different system for engine management.
After I learn more about remapping and the Tronic 7 system, is it actually suggested to remap the ECU at each stage?
What are the chances of royally screwing something up when remapping (outside of trying to remap without the right amount of knowledge on what you are doing in the first place)?
If I do screw something up, is it possible to revert to a previous map? (I haven't really looked into T7Suite yet so I don't have the slightest clue.)
Should I keep the stock ECU or replace it with an aftermarket ECU? If so, any suggestions on the best one to go for and at which stage it would be most beneficial? (I do have more questions about this if its suggested to install an aftermarket ECU.)
Final question!
I plan to use Abbott Racing as my main aftermarket part supplier, given that I can obtain the parts in the U.S. I was checking out their different stage packages and the top one is the Epsilon Stage. I couldn't really find any information on the parts included in each package and it was harder than expected to figure out the individual parts based on the pictures alone.
Does anyone have a list of the parts that come with the Epsilon Stage?
Is this stage worth the money? If not, then which one is?
It will be next year after my deployment before I can start dropping major cash into my car, but it will happen. The beast is going to get unleashed.
Any help to the questions I asked will be greatly appreciated. I know I have a lot of questions to ask but it is my first car that I get to tune and I'm very excited about it.
Thanks in advance!
This is my first car that I will ever get to tune and upgrade and word is that I happened into a fantastic model just for that purpose! 1999 9.5 SE, 2.3 liter, 4 cylinder. From what I have gathered the ECU uses SAAB Tronic 7. (On that note I downloaded the manual and information guide for T7Suite. Reminds me of the Aircraft Technical Orders I use on a daily basis on the Air Force Base.)
First up on the questions:
Before I start adding upgrades and tuning to my car I fully plan to replace and repair all the odds and ends that are left over that require maintenance. On top of that, I want to replace parts that may come up as problematic on down the road as I begin upgrading and tuning. I made up a list of parts I wanted to replace and whether I wanted standard parts as replacements or performance parts as replacement.
I could use some help in deciding if the parts should be replaced just to prevent future problems (major, minor, and annoying) from developing, and whether parts I have put on my list can just be removed due to their reliability or otherwise.
I didn't want to swamp this first post with the part listing but I can post it up. The basic idea I am shooting for is maintenance first, safety and handling second, performance and appearance/styling last.
So, any suggestions on stock parts that I should replace?
Second up on the questions:
A guy I work with on the base used to be a Master Mechanic and has worked on countless vehicles. I was talking to him the other night about the tuning and performance upgrades I want to do and he laughed at the Stage tuning (specifically remapping the ECU as the first stage before you install any performance parts like the exhaust, piping, etc.)
He was talking about another guy that works at the base that completely nuked his ECU when he was remapping it (Not a SAAB). I'm guessing that since he hasn't worked with SAAB before in his vehicle maintenance career that he wouldn't realize that SAAB uses different system for engine management.
After I learn more about remapping and the Tronic 7 system, is it actually suggested to remap the ECU at each stage?
What are the chances of royally screwing something up when remapping (outside of trying to remap without the right amount of knowledge on what you are doing in the first place)?
If I do screw something up, is it possible to revert to a previous map? (I haven't really looked into T7Suite yet so I don't have the slightest clue.)
Should I keep the stock ECU or replace it with an aftermarket ECU? If so, any suggestions on the best one to go for and at which stage it would be most beneficial? (I do have more questions about this if its suggested to install an aftermarket ECU.)
Final question!
I plan to use Abbott Racing as my main aftermarket part supplier, given that I can obtain the parts in the U.S. I was checking out their different stage packages and the top one is the Epsilon Stage. I couldn't really find any information on the parts included in each package and it was harder than expected to figure out the individual parts based on the pictures alone.
Does anyone have a list of the parts that come with the Epsilon Stage?
Is this stage worth the money? If not, then which one is?
It will be next year after my deployment before I can start dropping major cash into my car, but it will happen. The beast is going to get unleashed.
Any help to the questions I asked will be greatly appreciated. I know I have a lot of questions to ask but it is my first car that I get to tune and I'm very excited about it.
Thanks in advance!