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new best 1/4 times stg 3 auto

7K views 62 replies 16 participants last post by  BobSaabit 
#1 ·
My girlfriend ran her car today. Made 3 passes with a best of 14.38 97mph on Cobalt SS 18s. It spun bad first pass so the next 2 she left with the traction control on. We have BfGoodrich 225/50-15 drag radials for it for the next track outing to mount on the stock rims. Hoping to get low 14s.
 
#3 · (Edited)
14.30's seem slow to me for 280 HP in a light car. I'm guessing slicks and aggressive launch should put it around 14 flat.

Just to put her times in perspective, my 4000 pound (had about 200 pounds of amps and heavy subs+box, tools and jack) 96' Lincoln Mark VIII with 290~ish HP with automatic is only like 1-2 tenths slower. I raced a guy (couple years ago) in a 3.5L Altima, and even though I had better reaction times, he was 1 car length behind me all the way up to about 100 MPH where he finally gave up. Those Alitmas weigh about 3500 pounds and are around 14.4 in the 1/4. Our 9-3's are in the 3000 pound range (should have a .5 tenth advantage in weight alone). Late 80's Mustangs with 5-speeds, 225 HP, 3200-3300 weight, and disgusting 2.73 rear gearing were 14 sec flat cars off the showroom floor with nothing more than advancing base timing several degrees on the distributor. Put better upper and lower control arms in the back, remove the front sway bar, and it was a high 13 sec car with a stock engine. Put slicks on and it would be even faster.

I'm guessing her car isn't seeing the full 280 HP in the STG III tune or some other things need sorted out. Or maybe a better driver could push it faster?

I'm guessing the extra torque from the stage III should be making the torque converter act differently. If there's anything in the T5 suite to manage the lock up or shift points, it might be wise to tinker with those to get the most of the car if higher 1/4 mile times are the goal.
 
#8 ·
Not really, Saabs are not easy to get good 1/4 mile times in and most stg 3 tunes are in the 14.7 range, gt30 and 400bhp is 13.1-13.5 range and have seen 550bhp cars only run 13.00 flat, running a Saab on the 1/4 mile is not easy and not what they are good at, put them on the highway and they crush many cars, but from a dig, not so much. Here is a list of all the stages and power and times for fwd Saabs. You can see his times are not bad at all....

http://www.dragtimes.com/Saab--all-Drag-Racing.html

Here is a manual with stg 3 tune, 14.5

http://www.dragtimes.com/Saab-900-Timeslip-15984.html

John
 
#5 ·
Well its a T7 for one and she tried it with the tcs off and it went a 15.0 with a 2.4 60ft spinning bad and shifting into 2nd way early. With the tcs on it got a 2.25 and a 2.21 60ft still spinning and ran a 14.38 and a 14.48 both at 97. Im sure with the drag radials it will leave much harder. And as far as all those cars go your comparing apples to oranges as stick rear wheel drives with slicks don't really compare much to a fwd auto on regular street radials. And I know what i'm talking about as the truck in my avatar is mine and ran 10.65 that same day on drag radials and pump gas and it weighs 4100lbs with me in it. And her car doesn't make 280hp its not an SE it makes maybe 260 with the small stock turbo. Being a 4 door hatchback I doubt it weighs 3000lbs either. If you think its slow by all means build one and show me how its done. I'm no Saab mechanic its my gfs car and I helped her fix it up.
 
#12 ·
It depends on the driver and tires as much or more than anything. I have seen a car with just a mbc and tdo4 turbo run in the 13's, but it is rare, there are lots of little tricks, weight, fuel, conditions at the track, tire pressure, driver skill... The 13 second I speak of was run at 51F at Sea-level.

I have seen people with more power run slower many times, they just spin out of the hole and kill the ET, the mph is good though,

John
 
#11 ·
Nice truck!
I require more info. Love Ford pickups;ol;, I have 2.

These cars generally suck balls to drag race, they are all highway for a few reasons.
Long gears
Crappy chassis, the subframe flex is the worst I have ever seen
The steering rack is mounted on the firewall and moves side to side on launch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qge_hLbyFJI&feature=related

That is on a HEAVILY modded car, imagine how bad a stock car is.
 
#17 ·
Nice truck!
I require more info. Love Ford pickups;ol;, I have 2.

These cars generally suck balls to drag race, they are all highway for a few reasons.
Long gears
Crappy chassis, the subframe flex is the worst I have ever seen
The steering rack is mounted on the firewall and moves side to side on launch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qge_hLbyFJI&feature=related

That is on a HEAVILY modded car, imagine how bad a stock car is.
Its a 79 F100 shortbed lowered with drop i beams and a flip kit. It has stock leafs with Caltrac bars and shocks. The motor is 9.8:1 466ci bbf, TFS heads, custom solid flat tappet cam, Edelbrock Victor, 850 Holley, NOS cheater jetted to 200.

Here is a quick video from sunday
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62D8eV7iw7w&feature=g-hist&context=G2cbbab9AHT01scAACAA

I believe the automatic is geared pretty well for the track but Im told they are limited to around 300hp with no aftermarket parts available. If it wasn't for that setback I believe with a good turbo and maybe a 50 shot off the line it would run really well.

My girlfriend isn't a pro drag racer by all means but she knows her car well and did everything right. She actually ran quicker than me the first time we brought the car to the track. It spins really bad in 1st and the only thing making it manageable was the traction control. It will be sitting on the drag radials next time out so im hoping to be in the 14.1 range.
 
#16 ·
OK, the car had about a 1/4 tank of gas and I was NOT in the car when it got weighed, so this is the curb weight of a 4 door hatch with manual trans and about 20 pounds of loose stuff in the car (spare tire, jack, small amp). I removed my tool box to give only vehicle weight. The Steer Axle (front half of car) weighed 1920 pounds. The Drive axle (back half) weighed 1140. I parked on 2 separate plates to give the weight separately. The car's total weight was 3060 pounds. They are light cars. Pull the back seat out and you've got a sub 3000 pound car.
 

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#18 · (Edited)
Pontious, I see your points but not all cars are created equal. I didnt know anything about Saabs before my gf so I joined this forum and from reading on here they don't make the greatest use of hp. The 5 speed cars seem to have way to wide of ratios in the trans. The auto seems good to me but is a weak design so im told. That being said she loves the car and ive come to like it as well so ill help her make it nice and sporty.

You are right they are lighter than I thought but with driver ready to run that is still near 3200lbs. We have no plans on pulling interior as this is a comfy daily driver not a dedicated drag car. It way only see the track a few times a year. Even my F100 is all steel with a bench seat, heat, power steering, stereo and full exhaust.

BTW I didn't post this thread to start a pissing match I figured it was useful info for other Saab owners with similar mods.
 
#20 · (Edited)
i would be a little hesitant on the slicks with the auto trans.... might break something if it hooks up too well on take off
i have broken motor mount brackets before on a stock 2.3N/A from having to good of a hook up on warmed up tires


pontius.... do a lil research on our Saabs at the drag strip
They do not do good from a dig, Period
our chassis is horrible. it allows for too much flex

John Z Williams is one of THE top dogs when it comes to tuning and drag racing a saab
 
#21 ·
I'm not trying to get on anyone's bad side- believe me. I'm stubborn at times though and not afraid to speak my mind. I wasn't knocking anyone's car either, just that seems slow to me (might be the "norm" for the car, but it doesn't mean you have to accept it ;ol; or just give up because everyone says it's the norm). I think about making something work even if others don't like it or think it's possible. Maybe I'm being arrogant, but until you actually fail, anything is doable. Even if you fail, regroup and try again. (I'm thinking about the flimsy aspect everyone talks of but no answers are suggested to fix it) If a POS Honda can swap a motor and run quick, there's no reason why these cars can't be quicker with less than silly HP. Now you guys have motivated me to try and get a high 13 sec out of mine with less than 300 HP.:lol:

I knew nothing about Saab before Oct of last year when I bought mine on a whim due to the excellent shape it was in, but have learned a bunch from all the knowledgeable folks here willing to share the wisdom. But sometimes people need some fresh opinions about what a car can possibly be capable of.
 
#22 ·
Better get your welding gloves on and seam weld the entire front clip.
Did you watch the movie I posted? This guy hasn't been able to figure it out yet. That car has 700hp.
I hope you figure it out, though. It would be cool to see 10 and 11 second Saabs running around.
 
#23 ·
Yeah I watched it :p But won't come anywhere near that power level in a FWD daily driver. I think getting some weight (and heat) out of the car like a 1.5"-2"cowl hood, rear seat delete, lighter front seats (during summertime), welding thicker or stronger plates to the strut towers to the frame rail, down the frame rail (might be tight) somehow adding structural integrity to the firewall or plating it, tie it to the strut tower, adding thicker plates to the sub-frame connectors as well as "X" bracing the sub-frame connectors and solid mounts and bushings everywhere would be a solid start. Think custom heavy duty bracing of the steering rack is needed too, especially where those clips bolt in at. 10 or 11 sec isn't a goal of mine though (who knows, maybe if the bug bites hard enough and the money is out there). I'd be aiming for high 12's to low 13's and a daily driver status with a usable 300-350HP. If done right it'd be a ton of fun. Only thing that might be real hindering is the gearing. 1st gear is way to steep. Ideally a 1st gear swap to a wider number and a slightly steeper final would be pricey, eh I mean nice :)

I wonder how a Cobalt SS supercharger's instant boost would take to these cars? I know you can pick up a roots style from other cars fairly cheap like what's on the GT500. It'd be a torque beast and probably blow the bigger turbos out of the water in the lower to mid ranges :lol:
 
#26 ·
#30 ·
Pontius,
Are you wanting to keep it an everyday driver or is there a rollcage coming soon?
If you have a cage in mind, all you would need to do is add some horizontal bars across the bottom of the windshield and along the lower firewall and add a gusset to the firewall itself.
Watch the video again and look at where Johns' cage comes down to the floor, and follow those legs up a bit. Right where it starts to bend back along the a pillar you could add a horizontal bar. If you really want to stiffen it up, hole saw through the firewall at that same junction and tie in your suspension and subframe.

The MK2 Golf that my pops and I built for stage rally came apart at the strut towers so we wound up doing what I just described and it was a night and day difference. We also used some flat bar welded inside the towers to keep em together and ran beads down the fender seams.
That car was rolled twice and is still together and racing the last I heard.
 
#33 ·
No cage in mine, and minimal gutting. Seats will be the only things and possibly a custom cowl hood as heat in the engine compartment doesn't really have anywhere to go. Would love to see pics of the firewall and strut welding you did if you have them. Your dad sounds awesome! Wish mine invested that kind of quality time with me. Your very lucky.
 
#37 ·
1. John, do you know the weight difference of the Cobalt SS rims? And also what tire size she's running?

2. Also, I'm curious as to which axles are snapping? (DS, PS, Intermediate)

3. Where are they snapping? (is it the same spot that keeps failing)

4. Are they stock Saab 9-3 axles, or are they the Viggen axles?

5. What are you doing for custom units? Getting reworked GM/Ford units? Or entirely custom from the ground up?

6. What's the torque rating for stock 9-3 and Viggen?

Think you can help a lot of us from the headaches of broken shafts with your expertise, thanks.
 
#38 ·
Update: Its been awhile since she ran it but it did pick up on the drag radials. 14.13 at the same 97mph. I believe the 60fts were in the 2.1 range which isn't bad for an auto imo. Hoping to be solidly in the 13s in the fall after the td04 swap and retune.
 
#46 ·
Yeah you are very close. If you buy drag radials buy Mickey Thompsons. I have BFGs and though much better than stock they will spin if you try to leave on boost at the track. They work better on the street which makes me believe driving through the water at the track messes it up even after a quick launch to get the water off. We will probably go to another local track where you can drive around the water.
 
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