JZW Stage 5 Saab 9-3 v6 Aero

[griffin dai]

A pic of the 3 point subframe brace & a few of the new front powerflex bushes



I've been looking into the Ultra Racing braces (the white ones) They make a front, middle & rear for the 2.0t 9-3 but struggling to find out if they also fit the 2.8t? Not sure if the front one replaces this 3 point or sits further back, and no idea where the middle & rear braces go! Doesn't seem to be a popular mod on these cars.....could be time to be the guinea pig again

Has anyone on PH used the Ultra Racing braces before? Any good? I've read some problems with fitment in the past so bit of a gamble dumping £450 on the unknown!

[bakerstreet]

Greetings from a fellow Saab owner. I'm currently running an 05 9-5 Aero Estate Auto. Also had a 9-3SS Vector TID in the past.

I'm liking what you've done there. Tell us more about the stereo upgrade. I thought the 05 had a system you couldn't do anything with apart from upgrade the speakers?

I keep saying that next car won't be another Saab. but I really do fancy a 9-3 convertible V6T Aero running 300bhp ish

[griffin dai]

bakerstreet said:

Greetings from a fellow Saab owner. I'm currently running an 05 9-5 Aero Estate Auto. Also had a 9-3SS Vector TID in the past.

I'm liking what you've done there. Tell us more about the stereo upgrade. I thought the 05 had a system you couldn't do anything with apart from upgrade the speakers?

I keep saying that next car won't be another Saab. but I really do fancy a 9-3 convertible V6T Aero running 300bhp ish

Hi, it's doable but a right pain. If your thinking about a v6 I'd probably go for a facelift 07 onwards and just stump up the extra tax, that's got a double din fitted and miles easier to upgrade! The £200 extra a year tax is worth it for no headache!!

The 03-06 cars have a fibre optic system, depending on what systems in the car it could have the basic 4 speaker set up (just dash 3.5" mids & 4" rear shelf mids) or 7 speakers (4 plus a 4" center dash mid & 6.5" door woofers) or 13 with the 7 mentioned plus tweeters in the dash, tweeters in the shelf & 6x9 subs also in the shelf. That's the saloon version, I think estates have 6.5" instead of 6x9's and the verts have 6x9's behind the rear seats? (Not 100% on the estate & verts set up though?)

So with the 4 speakers it's just ICM1 'stereo' in the dash with no display just buttons (except it's just a control panel, the actual head units hidden in the dash)
ICM 2 had the small green LCD display & ICM 3 is the satnav.

For the 7 speaker system you'll have AMP1 under the passenger seat & this powers the door 6.5's & center 4" speaker

For the 13 set up there's also a amp in the boot AMP2 and this powers the subs and I think the tweeters?

All speakers are 4ohm bar the 6.5 doors which are 2ohm, so you could just upgrade these for a nicer sound and not change the Headunit, little bit of deadening in the doors & shelf will make it sound miles better even with the standard kit fitted.

To run a new Headunit you've basically got to remove the CD player and fit a single din HU, by pass the fibre optics but keep the fibre optic loop in place so you get the warning times & indicator noises, and run an independent system, so the ICM1/2/3 isn't really in use now and everything's controlled from the new single din unit. Speaker wires cut and new speakers running to either the new HU or new amp.

It's a right pain tbh!!! I'm still doing mine but had a break for a while to get the performance & handling sorted. Back at it in October! Just have to fit the amps & speakers and it's should be done

[griffin dai]

Forgot to get a pic when it was up in the air but it's now decatted. No vid yet but safe to say it sounds pretty bonkers now



Standard cat welded onto an interchangeable pipe



Having a slight issue at the moment with boost cut, not sure what's causing it yet but will be getting the HP Tuners software from JZW this weekend then get some logs off to him. When you accelerate under load it's just slowing right down and venting as it does when your WOT & changing gear. Slight turbo flutter, loads of exhaust noise then whoosh and sometimes a massive shotgun bang out the pipes.

Fingers crossed it's nothing major and just needs the map adjusting to suit. I'm not sure if this has a 19t map loaded that has to be toned down for the 18t. 19t's meant to get 415bhp & 532ft/lbs so maybe it's dumping the boost here (I'm a fair bit off 19t's power & torque)

Either that or could be the fuel pump on its way out (good for circa 500bhp but it's 10 years old now) or a coil about to die, or the boost control solenoid (brand new though so doubtful)

Ditching the sports cat has helped a bit with the boost cut busy still there slightly.

Clutch & Quaife going on in a couple weeks, got that 500 mile break in period then I can get cracking with it via HP Tuners.

Sounds evil now though!! Bit more oomph with the decat but the pops & bangs are ridiculous

[griffin dai]

Exhaust vid with the decat

http://youtu.be/157eJOCUIR0

DS2500's squeal like crazy reversing!!! Work well with the Vectra VXR 345's though

[Heaveho]

I wouldn't provoke it too much under load while it's not happy. Recipe for disaster on a turbocharged car. If the pump's on it's way out, it'll melt a piston pretty sharpish while on boost. I've had a nearly new 3 port boost solenoid go bad, so don't be too surprised if it's that, what make is it?

[griffin dai]

Heaveho said:

I wouldn't provoke it too much under load while it's not happy. Recipe for disaster on a turbocharged car. If the pump's on it's way out, it'll melt a piston pretty sharpish while on boost. I've had a nearly new 3 port boost solenoid go bad, so don't be too surprised if it's that, what make is it?

Yep really can't afford a new engine here or get this rebuilt ££££

Problem here is I can't get any decent logs sent to the tuner with the clutch slipping, I'm hoping to have the new one fitted in a couple weeks the there's the break in period so realistically looking at mid Oct until I can get this sorted and running nice.

Do you mean what makes the boost solenoid? Not sure? but it's a standard GM part from the Insignia VXR (insignia turbo fitted)

[Heaveho]

Ah right, sorry, I thought you meant it had a non-standard solenoid, which was what I had problems with. Best of luck sorting things out.

[griffin dai]

Heaveho said:

Ah right, sorry, I thought you meant it had a non-standard solenoid, which was what I had problems with. Best of luck sorting things out.

I've got the HP Tuners scanner coming now. Hopefully this'll find the problem then JZW can sort it if it's something in the map.
http://www.hptuners.com/products/vcmscanner.php

I was hoping Dash Command could help here but it doesn't have the parameters he needs so I've ended up getting this scanner a month or so early, another expense that I didn't see coming but best to be safe & get it sorted.

This should be here next week so it's going on asap then sending the logs of to him. Clutch/Quaife fitted a week later or as soon as its here, then this 500 mile break in period and then really get cracking with it.

[griffin dai]

I've had word the new clutch & SMF are ready, they've been testing it this week so should be here Thursday and its booked in for the following Monday to get fitted along with the Quaife (I think it's gonna need it!! Bit of a handful now) Just trying to source some new diff bearings now but can't find any SAAB ones anywhere....so might have to get mine rebuilt. I'll keep looking though! Are all these f40 boxes the same inside? I've found a bearing kit for the Vectra but nothing for saabs

HP Tuners scanner also on its way from the states so I'm hoping that's here next week then I can get some logs off to jzw to alter the map and at least get it running right. He hasn't confirmed this yet but I think this has the 20T map loaded and he's going to tone this down a bit for the 18t turbo, said its pointless going for the 18t tune as the 20T isn't much bigger anyway, so we'll see how it goes. I'm over fuelling here big time though (using a st load of petrol!!!) Did 1/4 to empty in around 10 miles the other day! And that was just taking it easy, so this needs sorting asap. Maybe this is causing the throttle cut. Doesn't happen all the time but definitely needs the map tweaked.

Still no real clue where I'll end up here power/torque wise as he likes to push things a little further than the other Saab & VXR tuners but still keep it safe. I've used dash command to measure the old stage 1 map in the past and it was pretty close to within a few numbers of what that was mapped for, tried it last week at stage 5 and got 420bhp & 540ft/lbs torque (feels like it too!!) No idea how accurate DC is with this stuff but that kind of ties in with his stage 5 20T tune and what he's said about the mapping so far. So I'll let him do his thing and get it dyno'd once the clutch has settled in.

Almost there! Just hope this HP Tuners scanners worth it & tells us what's happening, I think it's just the map needs altering though, plugs have done around 9-10k and good for 60, hasn't been misfiring so the coils seem ok, fuel pumps good for 500bhp so that should be ok, boost solenoids brand new. No CEL codes have flashed up. I'll see how it drives after the remap.

Still have the short shifter to fit and its in need of a good bath! Filthy

[griffin dai]

The clutch is here & cars just been dropped with the garage, collecting it Friday



Hope to Christ this holds or it'll be an expensive experiment!! Looking forward to trying the Quaife out!!

My HP Tuners scanners here, has anyone used these before? Who do you have to kidnap or kill to get the key code!!!! Softwares installed, drivers installed, all up & running but I'm stuck at the activation stage! I've tried emailing, phoning, contact page, joined their forum etc but just can't get hen to reply to me!!! 300 quid well spent so far

[griffin dai]

HP Tuners software now activated (that was a challenge and half!!) But they've been great once the comms issue was sorted.





Pid's downloaded from my tuner so just needs a few 3-6k runs logged in 3rd then he can adjust the map. But before that the clutch needs to be ran in around 500 miles, I'll have to get a log to him of the throttle cut though so he can fix this, and then crack on with the fun stuff.



The new flywheel was too big and fouled the block, so they've sent out a new re machined one, just needed a couple mm taken off, also needed new flywheel bolts as these are too long. That should be fitted Friday/Saturday.

Quaifes installed, new diff bearings/seals fitted and fresh redline gear oil, box is back on. Just the flywheel & clutch to fit and it's done

[Shadow R1]

Making real progress with it now.

[griffin dai]

Shadow R1 said:

Making real progress with it now.

Getting there mate

Just hope this throttle cut is down to the 20T map being too full on for the turbo and not the fuel pump or coils. Going off that dash command app it's putting out way more than I expected so it could just need taming a bit.

Need to finish this audio side off, been ages

[griffin dai]

Still no car

The replacement flywheel wasn't sent out in time so it's put the job back another week (garage had it booked in for yesterday, diffs fitted but it's been on the ramp all week waiting to be finished so this is messing them around now) so it's still stuck on the ramp and getting done next Thursday and I'm off to London for a fortnight with work so looking at least 3 weeks until I get it back

But have had another map to try with a few improvements, mainly added a 3 bar map sensor. Some of the stage 5 guys are running right on the edge of the standard map sensor and this has sorted out the throttle cut issue & stopped it dumping boost early (same issues in having with the 18t) fingers crossed this'll sort it.



There's also talks of some new tubular manifolds getting built That's definitely on the cards for next year if the testing goes ok



Standard ones are pretty small and restrictive so all going well these should liven things up a bit

Pics off google:

[djgritt]

Tubulars look a bit tasty...

[djgritt]

Tubulars look a bit tasty...

[griffin dai]

djgritt said:

Tubulars look a bit tasty...

Sure do

Here's the place in the States mate:

https://sites.google.com/site/cbmotorworks/home/sa...

5" DP sounds interesting!! Kicking myself for not thinking about this, the standard pre cats massive so could have had a chunky DP built there instead of 3"

Some nice kit on there

[Nath88n]

I'm really enjoying the progress here, keep up the good work.

griffin dai said:

And a Short Shifter ready to fit from BPS, fitting sometime next week

Do you have a picture of the short shift fitted? Do you use the standard leather gator?
I was thinking about getting a new oem gear knob assembly to replace my slightly worn one, however the short shifter works out at a similar price. Mine does have the facelift dashboard though, if that makes a difference?

[griffin dai]

Nath88n said:

Do you have a picture of the short shift fitted? Do you use the standard leather gator?
I was thinking about getting a new oem gear knob assembly to replace my slightly worn one, however the short shifter works out at a similar price. Mine does have the facelift dashboard though, if that makes a difference?

It's still in the box mate, the cars been with the garage getting the diff/clutch upgrade but it'll be fitted as soon as its back home

Shouldn't matter if it's the facelift budd, also 5 & 6 speed are the same kit. Is it just the gear knob you have to replace or full assembly? This came in pretty expensive when you add in the shipping costs plus import duties....plus they sent the wrong knob out and had to ship another a few weeks later....got stung again with import duty on that one I did go for the clamp & bushes though, but still pretty expensive!

Another choice is TWM which is pretty similar, or Mtec which replaces the part on the gearbox turret, looks a right ball ache to fit going off the VXR guys!!! Or there's a short shifter from JamSaab which is the same as the GenuinSaab one in the states. That ones just a reduced up & down throw not left & right like the others and you keep the original gearknob.