[fliptopbin]

Hi all,

My brother is looking at getting the suspension tightened up on his '00 9-5 2.3 LPT as it's a bit soggy.

He's happy with the ride height and is looking at changing the shocks to stop the rolling and make it corner flatter. He's been pointed in the direction of Eibachs and told they will be £700 or so to supply and fit.

Does this seem like good advice and is the price right? It cost me about the same to get shocks AND springs done on my T16S a couple of years ago.

 

[Kermit]

If he's happy with the ride height he won't like the Eibach setup, which lowers the car about 30mm. See my car below for ride height of Eibach Pro setup...

 

[fliptopbin]

But if it's just shock absorbers it won't affect the ride height will it? It will be on standard springs!


These are the shocks I think:

http://tinyurl.com/27n8mr

 

[Kermit]

Ah, didn't realise he just wanted shocks. I think it may still roll a bit in corners with the standard springs but not as bad as an OE setup. They will however prove to be quite a bit harder than the Sach's fitted shocks. Is ride comfort a big issue with your bro?

 

[fliptopbin]

Not hugely - doesn't want to compromise it too much, just wants to lose the wallow and understeer I think...

 

[Chris 9-5]

Why dont you / he think the springs are just as worn as well then

Perhaps the Saab roadholding kit (aero spec) which includes roll bars would make sense?

http://www.partsforsaabs.com/product_info.php?cPath=2_189_207&products_id=295

These seem to be well rated....................top brand too!

http://www.partsforsaabs.com/product_info.php?products_id=3493

 

[fliptopbin]

Don't think the shocks are particularly worn - it's just the standard non-Aero wallow-matic ride

 

[AdrianB]

Having got an aero i'd like to point out the Sachs shocks in it aren't special either and still wallow. Whilst i know it may be tempted to but the Aero road holding kit it's as far as i see not worth it.

That's why i'm bolting in some Bilsteins HD/B8s on my standard aero springs (which i've been told by my mechanic are still in good order)

They'll last a lot longer, ride not too much harder than the aero springs and get rid of most of that nasty body roll.

I think a few other people ride on this setup and would agree with that point!

Of note im getting mine from Shox.com because its about half the price of buying and shipping compared to buying them in Oz! (700 AUD vs 1400AUD!)

 

[fliptopbin]

Hi folks,

My brother's been doing a little research on getting the Aero suspension fitted to his car.

Pricing it up he found it on PFS and also with Neobrothers. NeoBros are a lot cheaper, I suspect because it's second hand or off scrapped cars. Personally I wouldn't touch the latter - if it's second hand it could be clapped out or have been banged up and down kerbs, and if it's from a scrapped car you've no idea whether it was badly damaged before scrapping. Comments?

Links here :
http://www.partsforsaabs.com/product_info.php?cPath=2_189_207&products_id=295

http://www.neobrothers.co.uk/product_info.php?products_id=679

Interestingly, whereas PartsForSaabs specify four different 9-5 kits -
two kits for Saloons (strut type 3 (kit A) and strut type 2 (kit B))
and two kits for Estates (strut type 3 (kit A) and strut type 2 (kit
B)), NeoBros sell only one kit and say it's for Saloons AND Estates
with no mention of strut type at all!

And the part number of the kit which NeoBros sell, corresponds with
Kit A (strut type 3) for Estates!

His car has strut type 3, which means he need Kit A for saloons. Irrespective of whether you trust kit of dubious heritage from NeoBros I wouldn't be confident that they were supplying the correct stuff in that case.

What do people think?

 

[MacNoob]

Considering how crappy the factory rear shocks are, used shocks are a non-option.

Considering that wagons/estates and sedans/saloons have completely different weights and front/rear weight bias, swapping used suspensions between the two would be a non-option.

Considering that the OP is happy with the ride height then his yr 2000 springs are still OK.

Considering that shocks only control body roll on short term transient maneuvers - going around a cloverleaf (what do you call that in American or UK English) you will eventually still get the same body roll regardless how stiff the shocks are.

Considering that Aero rear suspension (or lower...) can be problematic in terms of getting the camber just right to avoid rapid rear tire wear....

I think the OP needs a good sway bar upgrade (eg. genuinesaab.com package) to cut body roll as well as a set of Bilstein or Koni shocks/struts to kill the wallowing, installed on the standard springs.

Personally I really don't mind the lower height and stiffer ride of the Aero springs but it was a major PITA to get the post-switch alignment issues resolved on my '01 estate/wagon.

 

[saab95lpt2l]

I just innstalled a set of konis with lesjøfors springs (It has a really good price on pfs). but it lowers the car a couple of cm`s . but it is well worth the money. and even cheaper than the saab road holding kit.

 

[fliptopbin]

Mods, I appreciated that E??parts are a competitor to your very own PFS, but munging that link I put in earlier doesn't help anybody. I'm sure most of us are aware of and have used both companies and have no complaints about either. There's no need to censor something when it's just illustrative - we're all adults here and can make our own purchasing decisions!

I fully expect this post to be deleted or edited as well...


MacNoob - interesting that you mention camber change problems. Given that the Saab roadholding kit is essentially the standard Aero suspension, surely there should be no issues with camber etc.?

EDIT : Was the standard Aero suspension on the 9-5 any good? I remember people criticising the 9000 Aero suspension saying it was far too harsh and not actually that good!

 

[Kermit]

Mods, I appreciated that E??parts are a competitor to your very own PFS, but munging that link I put in earlier doesn't help anybody. I'm sure most of us are aware of and have used both companies and have no complaints about either. There's no need to censor something when it's just illustrative - we're all adults here and can make our own purchasing decisions!

I fully expect this post to be deleted or edited as well...

Haven't munged any links. The forum software does it automatically, the same as E L K Parts forum software does if PFS is mentioned over there. :nono;

Why would we delete or edit this post? As far as i can tell it doesn't break any of the T&C's of the site, and as such there is no problem with it.

And PFS are not "my very own", i'm a forum moderator not a representative/spokes person for PFS. I also shop around for parts for my 9-5 and don't use PFS exclusively. (and yes i have bought from E L K Parts)

 

[MacNoob]

MacNoob - interesting that you mention camber change problems. Given that the Saab roadholding kit is essentially the standard Aero suspension, surely there should be no issues with camber etc.?

EDIT : Was the standard Aero suspension on the 9-5 any good? I remember people criticising the 9000 Aero suspension saying it was far too harsh and not actually that good!

Re Aero suspension: camber issues seem mainly to crop up on wagons/estates, even with factory Aero suspension. Factory rear camber settings are very aggressive, combine that with any bushing wear/heavy loading/towing etc. you end up with rapid tire wear (inside of tread). Wagons also end up with low rear ride height that looks goofy. And the stock rear Aero shocks are short lived and soft.

My solution was

* Saab roadholding kit
* Eibach camber adjusting bolts in front struts
* Genuinesaab shims in rear suspension (2 of .6mm in each side)
* homemade 1cm spacer under each rear spring to make ride height more level.
* KYB shocks after a year to replace the rear Aero units. (note: these are sold as a stock replacement, yet they are FAR stiffer than the Aero shocks and have higher gas pressure as well).

Now I have about -1.3 degrees camber on each side at the rear and am happy with ride quality and height.

RE: 9k Aero suspension:
I had a 1993 9k Aero prior to my 9-5 wagon. The suspension was rock hard on our cratered third-world roads, yet still managed to combine excessive body roll with tire grinding understeer.

It did sit low and look nice though. I actually got a set of 1997 CSE springs to install on it, but never got them on before I sold the car to get the 9-5 wagon.

 

[fliptopbin]

So is the standard Aero suspension setup the same as the Saab roadholding kit? He might be doing a bit of towing (trail bike on a trailer) but nothing too heavy. I'm guessing the shocks should be more long lived then.

Is the 9-5 Aero suspension good as standard then?

Re: editing - I suspect somebody edited my post by hand. I went to a lot of trouble to use to get the link past the forum software, but still it has been expurgated (unless the forum software automatically screws up /makeashorterlink/etc. in case somebody is trying to get an E L K parts link into a post :roll: ) A bit pointless and disingenuous if you ask me.

EDIT: ah yes, it seems that the forum software now deletes T I N Y U R L too :roll:

 

[MacNoob]

So is the standard Aero suspension setup the same as the Saab roadholding kit? He might be doing a bit of towing (trail bike on a trailer) but nothing too heavy. I'm guessing the shocks should be more long lived then.

Is the 9-5 Aero suspension good as standard then?

Roadholding kit = Saab sport chassis kit = 2001 Aero OEM suspension.

The rear shocks will toast themselves in short order unless the car is left parked in the garage. Mine were incredibly soft right out of the box, and I'm not the only one to complain.

Not sure what you're asking with " Is the 9-5 Aero suspension good as standard then?"

 

[fliptopbin]

Well, erm, is it good!? Is it crashy and understeery and generally not very good like the 9k Aero, or is it what my brother is looking for (decent ride with good roadholding and a lack of standard 9-5 wallow, and not too much understeer)?

 

[Chris 9-5]

Re: editing - I suspect somebody edited my post by hand. I went to a lot of trouble to use to get the link past the forum software, but still it has been expurgated (unless the forum software automatically screws up /makeashorterlink/etc. in case somebody is trying to get an parts link into a post :roll: ) A bit pointless and disingenuous if you ask me.

EDIT: ah yes, it seems that the forum software now deletes T I N Y U R L too :roll:

Ok this really annoys me :roll:

If you have an issue with forum censoring take it up directly with admin please via PM.

Circumventing the forum censors is a breach of the T&C's and continuing to do so will result in the temporary or permanent removal of posting privilages.

If these simple rules are a problem then please refrain from posting here.

 

[fliptopbin]

OK Chris, will do.

Sorry if I have annoyed you - but this is something that annoys me!

I respect the rules of forums that I post on - however censoring innocent websites such as the one I mentioned earlier that condenses long links is pointless and counterproductive. As you will see from my earlier post I was just trying to illustrate the shocks I was talking about. The censorship prevented me doing that to the detriment of the thread and made it harder to demonstrate my point.

IMHO this sort of thing is pointless and spoils the site.

============================================

Anyway, can we talk about suspension please?

 

[SaabKen]

Like Chris 9-5 said, if you have a problem with SC's terms & conditions, don't post here. Or at the minimum, discuss it via PMs directly with forum administration, not here.

Thank you.

IMHO this sort of thing is pointless and spoils the site.