A few edits to the original post: My car has the 205R engine with the High Output Turbo which stock has
205 hp (153 kW) @ 5500 rpm and 280 N⋅m (207 lbf⋅ft) @ 1800 rpm. I was 1,000 RPM's off on the RPM at which I experienced torque steer in 2nd - that figure has been updated. I also added a bit about low rpm driving.
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He (
saabtunerscott off Ebay) sent me an ECU that he reprogrammed, I think mine might have been from a 9-5 as the mounting holes were different and I had to drill a new hole to mount in my 9-3. I still have my original ECU in original unmodified condition.
Not sure about the MPG as it is not something I monitor. Per the SID, my current mpg is 19.2 and average speed is 20 mph. Most of my driving is around town and sitting at stop lights with occasional highway driving. I once reset the SID for highway driving and was getting about 30 mpg.
The upgrade also gives access to the OpenSID feature.
I received a chart with the ECU showing the projected torque and HP, but I doubt that my car hits these numbers because as a general rule cars tend to lose HP as they get older and mine has 110,000 miles:
Torque: sharp rise from 168 Nm (123 ft/lb) at idle to 365 Nm (296 ft/lb) from 2,020 rpm to about 4,000 rpm and then it falls off to 246 Nm (181 ft/lb) at 6,000 rpm
HP: 20 HP at idle with a smooth curve to 241 hp at 5,060 rpm then falls off to 207 at 6,000 rpm
I find that I hit the rev limiter a lot when in 1st and sometimes in 2nd. I have to be careful when starting from a stop to keep the wheels from chirping and I even occasionally get a wheel chirp when I floor it while in 2nd (all weather rain tires, not grippy sport tires). Even though I have the 6-point brace, steering rack brace, strut brace and rear sway bar all from GenuineSaab, I still get crazy torque steer when I floor it above 3,500 rpms in 2nd gear. I drive hard when I can but I shift slow and easy to preserve the clutch, so that above comments are from when after I have fully engaged the clutch (no dumping of the clutch or hard, high rpm quick shifts).
I have also found that the car is much easier to drive in traffic. I can go lower in the RPM range without having to change gears. For example, I can go down to 30 mph in 4th gear without the engine complaining so I can drive in 4th in a 35 mph zone where before I was in 3rd.
I am happy with the cars power with the Stage 1 tune and do not have any plans to go to a Stage 2 or 3. If I did upgrade further I am not sure I could safely handle or stop the car.
Hope that helps.