[99Saabnut]

Hey all;

In about 3 months I will be coming into around $5k in free mod money for my car :cheesy:

I am looking for advice, ideas and requirements on what i need to do now to prepare my car before i start modding. Anything along the lines of:

-Oil. Just did a change to 0W40 (thanks for the info!)
-Oil pan? how do I drop it, what do I look for?
-Fixes, modifications to any systems to make sure it is protected?
-Other systems, problems common to this year? I am reasonably competent around an automobile; but I haven't done much with Saabs specifically.


Also be glad to hear your suggestions on what to do with my windfall Bear in mind though I need to either repair my 17s and put new tires on them, or get new 17s/18s with this money as well. Once the tires/wheels are sorted the rest is up for grabs on what I want to do so far.

No mods currently on the car; just a stock T7 wating for some love.

Thanks!

 

[99Saabnut]

P.S. I found this link in a thread on oil issues. Is this necessary? and if so; how hard is it to install?


Thanks again! :cheesy:

 

[Bigsky]

What are you looking to improve, the handling, straight line acceleration, braking?

 

[99Saabnut]

What are you looking to improve, the handling, straight line acceleration, braking?

Yes.















No really though; all of the above. I guess my key question would be what area to start in; and what order to work with? Ideas are appreciated :cheesy:

 

[99Saabnut]

OK; as I search and do more research I think my first order of business is:

-Rack Clamp and Brace
-22MM ARB
-6 Pt Subframe Brace.

I have a Vert; so these should sort the steering/handling well yes? Is there anything else I need to add to the list?

Next will be suspension; likely a full Koni kit. Anyone for/against this one? Is there better out there or are they all pretty close?

As I said I need to do my wheels/tires for summer. I have 2 wheels bent so either I replace the set or have them repaired. Why does everyone say 18s are bad on our cars, is anyone out here running 18s currently? I would love to hear pros/cons of them from any who know with experience. My plan was to put on O.Z. Ultraleggeras in 18X8. At only 18 Lbs each they are lighter than my current 17s, so they can't be too horribly bad :lol:

Once those are done I will certainly do exhaust and whatever else I can afford after :lol: . Brakes are likely due as well; mine are not feeling very good anyway. What is the feeling on upgrades to Viggen kits as opposed to just getting ATE rotors and some good pads?

 

[Shirozina]

Don't take this personaly:lol: but if I was in your position I would do this;
Sell your car, add the 5K and buy something that handles and performs better in the first place without having to need all these mods. Even when fully loaded with mods it's barley acceptable as a either a rewarding driving experience or as something that compares well to many other competent European cars. Yes you can make it go fast in a straight line but again for the money there are cars that will do this just as well. On a financial angle the 5k you sink into it will be lost - it won't add that value to the car when you come to sell it unless you strip the parts out and sell them seperatley. I've had 18" wheels and they were horrible - they looked OK but the harshness of the ride from the lack of tyre give and the tramlining nature of the wide rubber on the p**s poor suspension design was unacceptable. They were also slowed braking and acceleration response due to the rotating mass concentration at the rim - others will disagree I'm sure but if you want opinions from someone who has had them there it is - all show and no go.

 

[99Saabnut]

Thanks for the info on the 18s Why would I take anything personally? You are only providing advice based on experience, and you don't know me from Adam so it essentially is impossible for it to be personal right? :cheesy: (Just picking at you a bit, no harm right?)


As far as buying something else goes; I have two issues with that. I would be more than happy to if I could find something suitable; but so far I have had no luck.



1. I commute 65 miles 1 way every day for my commute. That translates into 3 hours + in the car every day; far, far more if traffic gets bad (I have had commutes of 6 hours 1 way before...). I need a comfortable car that gives me the options I want so that long commute doesn't disgust me. I also need a car that will manage that commute with reasonable fuel consumption; so I can afford to keep driving it :lol:

The Saab gives me plenty of luxury and comfort for the drive, along with a convertible top for the nice days and 30+ MPG when I drive it nicely. Even top down most of the summer I still manage 27+ MPG with it.



2. I want a car that when I decide to put the hammer down it doesn't disappoint me in either performance or reliability. If I try to take off and the car breaks every time, it won't be worth much to me .

Even stock; the Saab provides me plenty of fun in this regard; and with some adjustments I assume it would become far more so. And I know that as long as I maintain it properly it will keep on going every time I want it to.



I have looked into getting other cars: BMW verts or even 540s, Audis, even a few mustangs, etc. But so far all either lack in what I find important; or cost more than I can manage with upkeep/fuel costs and initial cost of the vehicle factored in. I even looked at a few "unusual" choices such as a Hyundai Azera; etc. They just don't have the fit and finish that my Saab does; and keep disappointing me to date. Having said all that, believe me that your suggestion is still one option for my mods :lol: I just need to find something I like as much as the Saab so I can do it.

 

[Shirozina]

No Problems Jason - I was just worried that my advice may not have been what you wanted to hear.

 

[99Saabnut]

No worries, It is actually plan B if I manage to find a good deal then I may just do that. My questions here are along the lines of Plan A in case i can't

I do appreciate the opinions though, all count.

thanks again!

 

[Shirozina]

My advice then is to do it a bit at a time and you may find you can get what you want for much less that your budget. Wheels first as these don't sound ideal if they are heavy. Try to find some genuine Saab 17" items and some good rubber to go with them (don't skimp on this), next do the rear ARB and rack clamp. This should tighten up handling significantly. To go faster get a 3" DP and race cat and try an SMBC. Next you can fit the 6 point brace. Here opinions will differ but I would next replace all the rubber suspension bushes with polly ones - only then think about springs and shocks. After that you are looking at bigger IC's and engine software upgrades.

 

[Jaws]

Seems like Shirozina is a little down on Saabs today….

If you like the car, then you should drive it. I bought my Saab because my Integra got rear-ended, I was in the market, I liked the looks and best of all, I could get back into a turbo car. Yeah baby!

I really missed the power of my Eclipse GS (the Integra sucked) and the Saab had some practicality and some sportiness. Now, with an MBC, I can almost scare myself if I want to. The thing is fast man, maybe the fastest car I’ve ever owned, which may not be saying much, but it is no slouch and could beat that old 1990 Eclipse GS or that old ’82 Z28 or ’69 Fastback easily.

I don’t know what it is but I really love my Saab. The handling isn’t too great, but it makes up for that with torque and speed. Hammer the pedal down and it rewards every time – that is more fun to me than high speed cornering. As it is I can smash all speed limits way before I’m worried about the tires breaking loose in a corner.

I feel engaged when driving it, full of purpose, a little on the edge sometimes but that is where the fun starts. Putting the MBC on changed the character of the car from a mama’s car to that of Speedracer.

Just don’t expect it to ever handle like a RWD 350z.

 

[lowbudgethero]

I have found that the anti roll bar and steering rack clamp work well enough to please my handling desire since im not really road racing, and it's decent in auto x (could be better but a few seconds arnt worth the 6-700 dollars). I would say start with thoes and get some good tires and possibly the 6pt subframe brace since you have a convertable. Then decide if it is worth it to upgrade even more.

 

[9-3sleeper]

Build a bit of opwer firts, make your goal a staged tune and get all the hardware first, then go for the new software.

After that start building up the chassis.

Then add more power, new mounts to handle the power, and then at that point you should have a pretty good idea of how much you want.

 

[sejman]

Since you have a vert (like me), I would put the 6pt subframe brace near the top of your mods (with the rear ARB). These two have completely changed the car from a flexible mess to a tight and accurate machine - and have almost eliminated torque-steer (even with the MBC). I have done all my mods one at a time, and the brace had the single biggest impact on handling of all the chassis mods (inlcuding 17" wheels). I will eventually add the rack-brace/clamp for completeness, but I'm not expecting a huge improvement.

The MBC(+A) was the next biggest impact change. Having a little extra boost (tweeked up to 14-15psi) and this boost in all gears is a major jump in fun factor. I guess this isn't so easy with a T7, but with your budget, I'd skip this and go right to a real tune.

All the other things (intake mod, upgraded IC, Saabsport exhaust) are nice and I'm ready for a real ECU tune someday, but for improvements that really affect daily fun, the chassis improvements and a little extra boost and you'll have lots of money left over for other things (I personally have too many hobbies to support)

 

[9-3sleeper]

Thats a good point sejman.

You may want to do some handling mods first......

 

[KSpark]

Make sure to slap some performance brakes on that thing too...if you want to go fast you better be able to stop fast or you'll be in for some hurt.

PS: some painted calipers hugging slotted discs look quite nice peeking out from behind big rims. :cheesy:

 

[9-3sleeper]

Make sure to slap some performance brakes on that thing too...if you want to go fast you better be able to stop fast or you'll be in for some hurt.

PS: some painted calipers hugging slotted discs look quite nice peeking out from behind big rims. :cheesy:

Very good advice.

 

[99Saabnut]

Thanks all for the replies, so now we move back to my original questions then; as peeps seem to be along the lines I am as well (though I won't do an SMBC, not my cup'o'tea . I'll go full programming instead, even if I have to wait a bit to get all of it in.)

First off, on preparatory work:

-Oil. Just did a change to 0W40 (thanks for the info!) Anything more I need to do/watch for?
-Oil pan? how do I drop it, what do I look for? Should I?
-Fixes, modifications to any systems to make sure it is protected?
-Other systems, problems common to this year? I am reasonably competent around an automobile; but I haven't done much with Saabs specifically.

And expecially:
P.S. I found this link in a thread on oil issues. Is this necessary? and if so; how hard is it to install?

Next, on Ideas and anyone's thoughts on these upgrades?

OK; as I search and do more research I think my first order of business is:

-Rack Clamp and Brace
-22MM ARB
-6 Pt Subframe Brace.
I'll get the above 3 as a "package" from Nick, so no issues there. Everyone seems to agree this is order 1 yes?

I have a Vert; so these should sort the steering/handling well yes? Is there anything else I need to add to the list? Poly Bushes as was stated above, thanks!

Next will be suspension; likely a full Koni kit. Anyone for/against this one? Is there better out there or are they all pretty close? Suggestions or experience with Suspensions would be appreciated.

Once those are done I will certainly do exhaust and whatever else I can afford after :lol: . Brakes are likely due as well; mine are not feeling very good anyway. What is the feeling on upgrades to Viggen kits as opposed to just getting ATE rotors and some good pads?

Thanks again all; all input helps me toward a final product! :cheesy:

 

[Viggen Dave]

Though Shirozina may be a bit down on Saabs today, he's right that any money you put into performance mods is lost when you try to sell the car. That means if you want to spend serious money on mods, you need to feel comfortable with the idea of keeping the car for several more years.

When I was considering modding my car, I looked at what I could buy if I sold my car and put the proceeds, together with the modding cost, towards a new ride. After concluding that in that price range, there was nothing I'd rather drive, and that I was OK with driving the Viggen for another 100,000 miles, I went ahead and pulled the trigger.

Regarding suspension mods: A friend of mine put the Eibach springs and adjustable Konis on his 9-3, and he finds them quite stiff for a daily driver, especially considering that you drive it 3 hours a day. On my car, which I drive about 100 miles a day, I elected to use the Konis with the stock Viggen springs, and the highway ride is quite good. If you don't want a bone jarring ride, you might want to keep the original springs, or see if you can get a set of Viggen springs used.

 

[99Saabnut]

Thanks Dave, I'll look into the springs then. Are Viggen springs lower than SE?

As for mods; I know fully the effect they have on resale; as my previous vehicle was a Jeep Wrangler modded to the tune of about $35,000 in aftermarket parts :lol:

It was painful to let go at the price I had to, I assure you :cheesy: