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Anyone get the Hirsch Upgrade for 10/11 9 5 yet?

11K views 17 replies 11 participants last post by  Imspace2 
#1 ·
Hirsch upgrades for new 9-5

Anyone tested them?


I am sure their software, brakes and leather dash are must options and will work great.


But what about big rims and lowering kit, will not it make car rough on bad roads?


And exhaust – new 9-5 is known for being very silent car, will this exhaust make car louder on idle and slow driving? Basically it should be pretty same as exhaust made for 9-3 Aero XWD, so if someone got it on their 9-3 please post a review of its noise.


If someone missed -
http://www.hirsch-performance.ch/Co.../HP+News/491fb8c3-bed9-4b4e-9415-472800894e00
 
#11 ·
I wanted to bring this back to life and check in with the Turbo4 guys. Worth the money? Is the price the same for everyone or is it worth shopping a few different dealerships? With Saab going under, I wonder if Hirsch will drop the price to a more reasonable level.

Back a few years ago during a "musclecar" phase of my life, I was able to buy an entire PCM program and cable that would allow me to tailor virtually parameter with my laptop forever for less that half of what Hirsch charges for a lousy tune...
 
#12 ·
I had a 11' manual transmission turbo4 premium with Hirsch tune. I've since traded it in. The car is much more responsive with the tune, especially in 3rd and 4th gears, passing, accelerating, etc. It feels fast thanks to the 300 ft/lbs of torque. I'm not sure how well paired the auto transmission is with the engine, but probably better than the manual pairing. The tune brings the car up to the level of the Buick Regal GS. Same engine, transmission, same weight, FWD, etc. Read some rag and web reviews of the GS. They will give you a very good idea of what to expect from the car with the tune. Is it worth the money? I would say yes. The car is more fun with tune.

BTW, Saab is gone. No one works there presently. Doors are shuttered. Everything sold off. The parts business has been taken over by the Swedish government and parts distribution is just getting sorted out in the US. The factory might be purchased by some sort of consortium looking to create an electric car on new 9-3 platform. But they can't seem to buy the rights to use the name SAAB, let alone finalize the deal to buy the factory.

Hirsch may also close making it impossible to get the tune download. Will price go down? Probably not. It just may not be available much longer.
 
#14 ·
The increase in power would have brought the 4 cylinder engine very close to the power output of the 6 cylinder engine, so they kept power lower to distinguish the different trim lines: my guess anyway. Hirsch was factory authorized by Saab. Saab dealership will sell and install it for you, so I would guess it will not void your 3rd party warranty.
 
#15 ·
I am very interested in doing the upgrade, but it seems there are very few Hirsch dealers in the country that can. I am not anywhere near one. Can any Saab mechanic do it? My local Saab guy said he has equipment that can talk to the computer and everything, but he's not sure what this upgrade requires him to have. Any help would be much appreciated.
 
#16 ·
Only a Hirsch dealer with an Ipro tool can perform the upgrade and YES it is worth every penny(On the 4 cylinder cars.) Hirsch states that the V6 increase is more noticeable above 120mph. Another caveat,
Every and I mean EVERY car we installed the tune got better gas mileage. The only time you will see a decrease in mileage is when you cannot keep your foot out of the gas pedal.
 
#17 ·
Alternative tuners

So I know a number of other tuners exist, anyone hear of a Turbo4 tune thats not Hirsch? The $1350 is insane and I'll probably wait until BSR comes out with theirs but just wondering.

My history of ECU mods to my '02 9-3 SE:

JZW Stg1
BrewCityBoost Stg3

My Wife's '08 Aero:

BSR Stg1
 
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