SaabCentral Forums banner

Like a new car

531 views 2 replies 2 participants last post by  chopin1012 
#1 ·
So, after doing a laundry list of things, my Saab is running SO well. Major repairs were Koni FSDs all around, new rotors all around with Akebono Euro Ceramic pads (broken in by driving moderately for about 500 miles), and brand new Nitto Motivo tires (did not receive them for free, so this review is unsolicited). I haven't taken tight turns at really high speeds yet, but the car rides so well. It's smooth. I honestly never knew our cars could ride so smoothly. The brakes stop very well but are very linear and have great modulation. When stopping, whether hard or soft, they're very smooth. The Konis work the way everyone says: good handling without being jarring. The tires have eliminated almost all road noise. The noise level was the most noticeable thing. Also, the car feels like it's riding on a cloud, but it grips well, is very stable, and has very quick turn-in. I've spent several months taking care of multiple things that come with 10 yrs/130,000k miles, but it was worth it.
 
#2 ·
Congratulations on sorting everything (for now...this is a Saab :D) - I'm thinking about installing Koni FSDs as well. I have an '07 9-5 Aero SC with 65k on it, the original shocks are actually ok now but I don't expect the rears to last too much longer. I just installed some Moog swabar links, they made a pretty nice difference in steering feel and fighting roll a bit.

I've seen quite a few people on this forum praise the Koni FSDs quite a bit, but most of them went from a stock base suspension to the FSDs - I'm wondering how they compare to a stock Aero suspension, I probably don't want it to be too much stiffer than stock, but would love a better ride.

I'm also probably going to do pads and rotors sometime soon, which rotors did you go with? I'm thinking of just using the Brembos that are available from the Saab parts places, I can't really go bigger than stock as I have a winter wheel set that's 16".
 
#3 ·
For rotors, I went cheap: Centric from Rockauto for $33/each. I decided on the Akebono Euro Ceramic because of break squeal and dust with Pagids. You have to press harder on the brake pedal, but it's very linear and the car stops well.

As for FSDs, my previous suspension was stock (I have an '02 Aero). I don't feel I can compare it fairly to stock, however, as I bought the car with 99K miles so things were a bit worn. I replaced everything at 125k. It's also hard to determine what contributes to what being that I replaced so many components. What I can say is the car is very planted on the road and handles well. I don't have excessive body roll. It's also a little softer over jarring bumps than my previous setup, but, again, bushings and such were also replaced. Good luck on making your decision. I'm crossing my fingers that I get at least some respite from car repairs.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top