Help! Akebono eur973 or eur1095 for rears on 2006 Saab 2.0T?

[onerareviper]

I'll try keep it short

Akebono eur973 or eur1095 for the rear (2006 Saab 2.0T). I'm getting conflicting information from the posts I've read/searched.

Example:

(so I called Akebono today and they say it is EUR1095 for the rear. Right after I called Tirerack had a rep looks up in Akebono's printed catalog (2008 though) and he confirmed EUR973 is the right one for Linear. Only the 2004 convertible takes EUR1095 and 2005-6 SS. And he was absolutely confident.)

** Therefore, can someone with a 2006 Saab 2.0T confirm which Akebono pad is correct?

[onerareviper]

Some more info.... Looks like the EUR973 comes with the older clip style for the caliper piston but they work on the newer cars as well. At least this is what another person wrote on another forum... Anyway, not sure what this means since I have yet to remove the brakes, but according to the pictures at rock auto the eur973 DO NOT have clips in the middle. But the eur1095 do... without removing the brakes (which I don't want to do yet), I'm not sure which I have. Any help? Again, 2006 Saab 2.0T SS.

EUR973


EUR1095

[onerareviper]

Called Akebono. They said the EUR1095 is the correct rear pad for a 2006 Saab 2.0T SS. They just released this pad mid-year 2009.

[cadcamjim]

Thanks for the info. I'll be ordering mine in a few weeks. Can't wait to get rid of those rear pads that blacken my wheels so quickly.

[toplessFC3Sman]

I got the 973's for the back of my '06 2.0T when I replaced them this past summer, and they worked fine. The clips were a little bit of a pain to get on, but they did snap into place.

[onerareviper]

Originally Posted by toplessFC3Sman

I got the 973's for the back of my '06 2.0T when I replaced them this past summer, and they worked fine. The clips were a little bit of a pain to get on, but they did snap into place.

Can you confirm by 'clips' you mean those 'butterfly' looking things in the center/top of two pads in picture EUR1095? So you removed them from your old pads and then attached them to the EUR973 pads, right? If so, I guess ordering the EUR1095 pads would eliminate this step and make things a little easier. Assuming the pad is exactly the same otherwise, which I think it is (although still not 100% positive ).

[toplessFC3Sman]

my stock pads didn't have the butterfly-looking thing if I remember correctly, nor do the 973's have anywhere to put it if I did have them. As far as fitment goes though, the 973's fit fine, and if you get the metal clips onto the groove for them in the piston, then they sit fine and won't be dragging or anything either.

[TXSaaber]

I just replaced the read pads and rotors on my 2007 2.0T SC after less than 22k miles of fairly tame driving.

The Akebono site indicates the EUR1095 is the direct replacement part, while many of the internet auto parts sites recommend the EUR973.

I initially bought Akebono EUR973 pads, but the clips did not match. My original pads had the butterfly-type clip at the top. The EUR973 does not. I believe the EUR973 will work, but the EUR1095 is the better choice.

Since I had to return the rotors anyway (see below), I returned the Akebono pads, as well. I decided to purchase Raybestos rotors (P/N 980329) and Raybestos ceramic pads (P/N PGD-1095C) from RockAuto for $150.73 shipped. So far (~1000 miles), they are silent and seem to generate significantly less brake dust than the OEM pads. I have not noticed any difference in performance relative to the original brakes.

Here are a few tips I can offer:

I found this post to be useful: http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/sh...14#post1024514

Please note that the above post states that a 17mm Hex Bolt Socket is required for removing and reinstalling the guide bolts. Actually, the proper tool is a 7mm hex bolt socket (looks like an Allen wrench).

I used the $39.99 Pittsburgh disk caliber kit (in the blue case) sold by Harbor Freight to compress the pistons. The "M" adapter is a perfect fit. Harbor Freight offers a less expensive kit in a red case, but it does not include the exact adapter for the Saab piston. I figured I was saving enough doing the work myself that I would rather spend a little extra to get the right tool.

Get the lowest-profile E18 socket you can find for loosening the caliper mounting bolts. There is not much room (~1") to work between the bolt head and the suspension bolt right behind it, and the bolts are very difficult to remove (heavy torque plus Locktite plus tight workspace). The only E18 socket offered by Harbor Freight is part of a deep socket kit. This socket did not work very well, and I returned it. I bought a standard depth set from NAPA parts, instead, and this worked better. Even then, I had to remove the interfering suspension bolt to get at the top bolt of the passenger side caliper.

Make sure you order the correct rotor size. --> http://www.saabcentral.com/forums/sh...88&postcount=4
The internet auto parts sites have no way of knowing which rotors are on your car. I did not know this at the time and initially purchased the 292mm Brembo rotors that were recommended as a direct replacement. If I had seen the above post, it would have saved me the trouble of returning them and buying new 285mm ones.

Good luck!

[onerareviper]

Confirmed! The Akebono EUR1095 are the correct pads (at least for my '06). They were a perfect fit and looked identical to the sh*t noisey/dusty organic factory OEM's. Of course the more I learn about these newer Saabs, the more I realize not every 93ss has the same sh*t. Makes things really confusing (see rotor example above)... Now I have Euro Akebono's on all fours, and expect to get 50K+ out of the rears instead of 25K. Much smoother, quieter, and little dust. Highly recommended!

[Ferms_93_2.8T]

For future reference, the caliper bracket does not need to be removed to replace the rear rotor. When I did mine I only removed the caliper swing arm and left the bracket on there. This make it MUCH easier and takes less time. So you only have to remove the 2 guide pins to replace the pads and rotor. (This was on the 292mm vented rears.)

I didn't use the Akebono pads but the Hawk HPS pads, however, they came with the butterfly spring and matched perfectly with the oem pads I removed. So i recommend getting the ones with the springs. I remember reading people had rattling problem with the pads without.

The 314mm fronts were a different story.