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Car Forum / Saab Cars / January 20051999 9-3SE Turbo handling (UK)
Hi all, just after a bit of advice from the group's collected wisdom... Just got a 9-3SE Turbo after changing jobs and losing my company Ford Focus ST170 (bit of a toy, high-revving rollerskate that handled like it's on rails) I'd always wanted another Saab, since selling my 1998 900i a few years back. So I picked up this SE which looks great, loads of power when the turbo decides to get out of bed, everything works despite it's 97k miles EXCEPT... It handles like an oil tanker. Admittedly I've been spoiled in the handling department by the Focus, but it just wallows. And if you get it wrong and the turbo comes on song in the middle of a damp corner, well, it's Say Goodnight to the Folks, Gracie. And now I've found out it's a bloody Cavalier underneath! Robbed! It feels like when Wile E Coyote puts on rollerskates and straps an Acme rocket to his back. Fine on the straight bits, not so good on the twisty canyon roads (OK, so there aren't any canyons in Norfolk, but you get the picture) What does the group think (sounding like a Radio 4 panel show) would be the most cost-effective solution to my handling woes? The car only cost me ?4000 so I'm not spending more than, say, ?500 on this. I saw a Koni spring & damper kit for ?425 which looked OK, but a bit of feedback from you guys would be great before I splash out my hard-earned wedge. Oh, and tyre choice, too, if it's not too much trouble. As this car is ex-fleet they put any old rubber on it, whatever the tyre depot has in the right size. So the rears have P6000s, but the front is a right old mixture. I think there's a Pilot Primacy on one side, and a different Michelin on the other. Come to think of it, I reckon matched rubber would probably help somewhat, but that doesn't solve the body roll! Thanks in advance guys Daniel > Hi all, just after a bit of advice from the group's collected wisdom... > [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > Michelin on the other. Come to think of it, I reckon matched rubber would > probably help somewhat, but that doesn't solve the body roll! Do all the bushings and all the dampers. Skip the springs. You won't need them unless you want it to ride rough. By the way, I don't know who told you it's a Cavalier underneath. It most certainly is not and I would doubt thast there are too many Chevy parts even though it was made by SAAB while it was owned by GM. MaltHound > Do all the bushings and all the dampers. Skip the springs. You won't need > them unless you want it to ride rough. > > By the way, I don't know who told you it's a Cavalier underneath. It most > certainly is not and I would doubt thast there are too many Chevy parts even > though it was made by SAAB while it was owned by GM. OK he got that wrong a little ... he should have said a Vectra (which is the successor to the Cavalier) ... which could be based on who knows what. Thanks guys for your input. Ok, they may have said Vectra not Cavalier, I'd personally prefer to think Calibra (at least a bit more sporty but still the same chassis) And what do we think about tyre choice? Apart from 17" Aero wheels (which I will certainly look out for), what's the consensus on 15" rubber? I suppose it's very subjective. My start point is the two decent P6000s that are already on it. I also rate Contis quite highly having fitted these to my bike - top quality on the UK shitty winter roads and not too pricey. Once again, any views/experience gratefully received. D :-) PS as I'm getting more used to it I can push the old barge a bit harder. I find if I keep the power on all the way round the corners it behaves much better than without (when it feels like the front wheels are disappearing under me!) >> Do all the bushings and all the dampers. Skip the springs. You won't >> need them unless you want it to ride rough. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > OK he got that wrong a little ... he should have said a Vectra (which is > the successor to the Cavalier) ... which could be based on who knows what. >PS as I'm getting more used to it I can push the old barge a bit harder. I >find if I keep the power on all the way round the corners it behaves much >better than without (when it feels like the front wheels are disappearing >under me!) You'll find that Saabs require a bit of different driving technique, as does the turbo. I actually find that my Saab gets _more_ stable as speed increases, in contrast to my nimble Japanese cars which are terrific at lower speeds. Buy Adjustable Konis. Worth every penny. You can do the springs if you want (it's the same labor). Most springs are rather stiff. Eibach makes a set that are progressive - normal ride under normal conditions, stiffen more as load increases. A nice compromise. You might find you can get a big improvement from just changing the wheels to Aero ones, if you can find some cheap. The SE has 15 inch wheels and the tyre profile is much taller than the Aero with it's 17 inch wheels. It really makes a difference to how precise the car feels when you get rid of all that wobbly rubber. The downside is that you'll notice a lot more tramlining with the Aero wheels. Cheers, Colin. > You might find you can get a big improvement from just changing the > wheels to Aero ones, if you can find some cheap. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > The downside is that you'll notice a lot more tramlining with the Aero > wheels. In the US the SE got 16" wheels, which I think are a good compromise. MaltHound |
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