cross flow intercooler

[96saabse]

So i have a cross flow viggen intercooler on its way with all the plumbing i need.. My car is a 99 9-3 vert 5 speed.. Saabsport exhaust, intake.. WIll i see any difference over stock intercooler??

[KaMiKaZi_t0M]

If you're car is untuned, then no. That intercooler is really needed when the turbo is producing more boost, and up in the RPM's, becuase these small turbos turn into hairdryers.

['97 Saab SE Turbo]

You will see some more power as the outside air temp decreases, but in the spring those increases will go away... Ron

[96saabse]

Soooo... with the mods i have will the taliaferro stage 1 ecu make a big difference? Or should i go another route? Suggestions? My goal is to have a car that will walk new stock gt's, 350z's, etc.... What other mods do i need??? Thanx alot guys!!!

[bogan]

Your gains will be minimal, But you wont loose as much power thru heatsoak.
Your IC upgrade is not to gain power. It is to prevent loss of power.

[Jeremy R.]

I thought that just adding a cross-flow intercooler (Viggen, in my case) added quite a bit to the car. It felt a little more powerful, and the turbo spooled up faster. At the time, it was $300 well spent. They used to say that a Viggen intercooler was worth 10 to 15 hp. The Sport Exhaust was supposed to be good for another 10 or so. The intake's another thing that gives you noticeable improvements. Replace the intake pipe with a piece of 3" plastic sewer pipe from Home Depot or Lowe's. If you haven't done it already, the aluminum elbow that bolts onto the throttle body has a very sharp edge where it connects to the rubber sleeve. Smooth that down with a Dremel tool so the air has a smooth transition from the rubber sleeve to the aluminum elbow. The way it's made, the air hits a sharp edge and it introduces turbulence. Your throttle response will be much smoother after this mod. That and the 3" air box mod were the two cheap things that everyone did to their NG900 when I bought mine 10 years ago.

[bogan]

Originally Posted by Jeremy R.

I thought that just adding a cross-flow intercooler (Viggen, in my case) added quite a bit to the car. It felt a little more powerful, and the turbo spooled up faster. At the time, it was $300 well spent. They used to say that a Viggen intercooler was worth 10 to 15 hp. The Sport Exhaust was supposed to be good for another 10 or so. The intake's another thing that gives you noticeable improvements. Replace the intake pipe with a piece of 3" plastic sewer pipe from Home Depot or Lowe's. If you haven't done it already, the aluminum elbow that bolts onto the throttle body has a very sharp edge where it connects to the rubber sleeve. Smooth that down with a Dremel tool so the air has a smooth transition from the rubber sleeve to the aluminum elbow. The way it's made, the air hits a sharp edge and it introduces turbulence. Your throttle response will be much smoother after this mod. That and the 3" air box mod were the two cheap things that everyone did to their NG900 when I bought mine 10 years ago.

Yeah, I agree

[BobSaabit]

I agree too... I think the turbo silencer will come out when you change hoses for the new IC, but if it doesn't, be sure to pull it.

If you're creative, you can also "port match" the delivery pipe where it meets the TB. There's a sizeable mismatch there too.

[96saabse]

ok thats some good info.. ill do all the above. Anybody used the taliaferro stage 1 ecu??

[BobSaabit]

Originally Posted by 96saabse

ok thats some good info.. ill do all the above. Anybody used the taliaferro stage 1 ecu??

Not me, but I'd buy one with confidence. Nick knows his stuff well, few better.

[20009-3t]

Originally Posted by BobSaabit

I agree too... I think the turbo silencer will come out when you change hoses for the new IC, but if it doesn't, be sure to pull it.

Yes the silencer does come out with the new hoses, Spooling up sounds much better too...

[markyboy75]

If you wanna reduce heat soak you could also remove your hood insulation. This also makes your bov nice and loud lol.

[Pontius DIO]

That Stage 1 with the cross-flow intercooler is said to make 10 more HP on the description on Taliaferro's site. Totaling at 230 HP. Otherwise, it'll make 220 HP. When the car is cold, HP won't be much different as heat isn't high. Please update with how the car runs with the Stage 1 as I was looking to purchase this as well after winter and some sensors have been replaced. In my case, $100 for 25-30 HP is a good deal as I have the 200 HP variant.

Is there a turbo silencer on 99' SE models? I haven't seen one. Is it only on the lo HP turbos? Also, you can reposition your blow-off valve downwards (disconnect from intake, plug intake) or add some hose to it to redirect where the sound travels as well as exaggerate it's overall sound by getting creative.

[Messinian900S]

If you have a HOT car (205hp) then you do not have a turbo silencer. its only on cars that didn't that didnt have a xflow IC, but yours does.