[Knifemundo]

Hi all, i get paid two days from now and the saaby is in the shop for it's servo at the moment. Just wondering what upgrades you guys think i could do to the car to make it run a little smoother and happier. Already looking into ordering that open air intake from genuinesaab. What else should i look into. I'm still new to the SAAB life. I have an 03 V6, i know theres not much out there for the 3.0t model out there. Oh, and i posted this on the workshop thread too but then realized it should have been here instead. If a mod could delete it that would be great, i couldn't find an option to do it myself.

 

[Chris 9-5]

As you know there's not much available for the engine, but suspension and brake upgrades will allow you to make more of the power that you have

 

[Knifemundo]

Yea, what a shame =\, anything i can do for my exhaust? I wanna make it sound deeper without any real performance gains. I don't mind having to be the fastest, i just love engine and exhaust sound. I owned a harley, need i say more. I know this will never sound like one, but i like hearing machine noises, so i'm ordering that open air kit and planning to do something to make the car make a little more exhaust noise. Nothing hona-ish though, gag.

 

[Kermit]

Get a 3" cat back system fabricated by a local shop for a nice deep burble as opposed to the raspy wasp like noise the ricers emit.

 

[Chris 9-5]

Get a 3" cat back system fabricated by a local shop for a nice deep burble as opposed to the raspy wasp like noise the ricers emit.

Drill holes in the back box

PS Koni's are not hard :nono;

 

[Kermit]

PS Koni's are not hard :nono;

Not as hard as Vinnie Jones you mean? :roll:

 

[stipud]

Nordic does offer the stage 2 upgrade for your car.

http://www.genuinesaab.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=47_49&products_id=175

An extra 40hp is no joke, especially with nearly 60ft.lbs extra torque.

The packaged Simons catback may not have the sound you are looking for... it is as quiet as stock, but much deeper sounding.

See here for a sound clip:
http://photo.stipud.com/v/saab/exhaust/

Alternatively you can have something fabricated by an exhaust shop, as Kermit suggested.

CTI offers a custom built 3" magnaflow exhaust:
http://www.customtubesinc.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=21_38&products_id=88

And here's a sound clip:
http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-8253902424916969344

After tuning, an improved intercooler will help keep your performance up to spec on hotter days:
http://www.genuinesaab.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=47_53&products_id=478



Now if you're going to do all this, please upgrade your suspension and brakes to cope with the extra power.

Due to the added weight of the V6 I am not sure what springs to recommend. Perhaps the H&R springs would work best, because they tend to sit very high in the front anyways. After that the choice of shock is up to you. Bilstein HD's would be comfortable but slightly underdamped for performance driving, Bilstein Sports would be aggressive but soft, and Koni sports are also a great option.

For brakes, you can get the caliper carriers from an Aero in a junkyard, that puts your calipers out a bit further, and then you can fit on the bigger Aero disks. Add a good set of pads and your braking performance should be sufficient.

 

[Chris 9-5]

Doesnt the V6 already have the larger brakes?

 

[Knifemundo]

Wow, that custom inc one sounds nice. But the whole system is rather pricey. I don't really feel like spending much since i'm planning to save starting now for an 08 93 aero, so if the chance ever comes up i'll be ready to jump on the offer hah. *Dreams* I guess i'll drive him down to the muffler shop and see what they tell me. I get paranoid when letting local shops touch the car though heh. Some tire shop said they couldn't align the car cuz it needed a new cam board kit. I just looked at em like..... what the hell. Needless to say took him down to the dealer to find out that doesn't exist and they're full of ****. Last time i do business there.

 

[stipud]

If you want to have a local shop go at it, have them remove the center resonator (that gives the exhaust more burble, which you should like), and install a new free flowing muffler and tip. You can get the muffler to suit your tastes, from quiet to loud. Altogether that should only cost $200-300 instead of $500 for a full 3" setup.

 

[MacNoob]

Some tire shop said they couldn't align the car cuz it needed a new cam board kit.

Cam board kit = camber kit. Commonly available set consisting of a pair of offset bolts that go in the upper bolt holes at the lower end of the front struts, and allow adjustment of front wheel camber.

Alternatively to adjust rear wheel camber you can install shims available from genuinesaab.com.

Typical dealer won't understand either of these options.

 

[mt.aero]

PS Koni's are not hard :nono;

 

[Knifemundo]

Cam board kit = camber kit. Commonly available set consisting of a pair of offset bolts that go in the upper bolt holes at the lower end of the front struts, and allow adjustment of front wheel camber.

Alternatively to adjust rear wheel camber you can install shims available from genuinesaab.com.

Typical dealer won't understand either of these options.

hah, guy couldn't pronounce it. Well i'll be damned, a camber kit eh? But dang, 89$ for a kit just to align it? Yeesh. Thanks for the advice on the muffler thing, i think i'll look into that. Local shops here aren't too pricey, hurrah for our low economic status.

 

[MacNoob]

89$ for a kit just to align it? Yeesh.

Considerably less...

http://www.genuinesaab.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=415

http://www.genuinesaab.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=439

I have both of these installed. And I know that the first item is available for about $20 rather than $35 if you really shop around.

 

[Teckniec1999 9-5V6]

The open air kit wont change the exhaust at all but it makes an almost equally exciting noise i think you'll like

 

[stipud]

The open air kit wont change the exhaust at all but it makes an almost equally exciting noise i think you'll like

Surprisingly enough the open air kit does also make the engine sound quite a bit gruntier as well. I always miss the grunt of the engine when I go back to the snorkel setup. I wish I could get that sound, without the turbo spool, but alas that seems to be impossible.

 

[Teckniec1999 9-5V6]

O I didn't notice but I do love the sound of the turbo especially in the cold. I play it for all my friends. I don't even need a stereo anymore lol

 

[Knifemundo]

Yup, i can't wait till it comes in so i can install it. Right now though, the only noise i love hearing is that damn pulsating noise. Like frum-frum-frum-frum getting faster as i speed up and slower and deeper as i slow down. It's not big, but i can hear it. I hope it's not the bearing. The wheels didn't seem to have much play, although today when jacking it up and putting it on wheel stand i noticed my left wheel seemed to be slanted a bit. Maybe thats the problem.

 

[Teckniec1999 9-5V6]

That sounds like what happend to my friend like a week ago. His car kept make a niose and we noticed his wheel was slanted. It turns out some bolts came off the wheel and he had to replace the struts becuase they got messed up. It wasn't cheap to fix either

 

[valbowski1980]

Surprisingly enough the open air kit does also make the engine sound quite a bit gruntier as well. I always miss the grunt of the engine when I go back to the snorkel setup. I wish I could get that sound, without the turbo spool, but alas that seems to be impossible.

Why do you go back to the snorkel set up?