Saab 9-5 Aero - Hybrid Turbo and 9000 Bottom End - 350 bhp

[HybridAero]

Picked up this 2002 9-5 Aero manual a couple of months back for £650 with 163k miles, with a view to turning it from a shed into something a bit more purposeful.




After a tidy up, involving a proper clean inside and out, along with a wheel refurb in gunmetal/anthracite, she was looking pretty tidy and stealthy:






Following a stage 1 remap in September (takes them from 250 bhp/258 lb ft to 275 bhp/309 lb ft), there was a bottom end failure, which is a known issue on the b235r engine (the pistons in these were built to a cost, whereas on the previous 9000 they were more robust Mahle pistons). The bottom end itself on a 9000 is much stronger, and following recommendations from forum members at UKSaabs, my engine tuner Tony, and remap specialist Noobtune, I decided to rebuild with a 'hybrid' b234 bottom end.

With the following modifications, the 2.3 turbo 16 valve lump is capable of 350 bhp and 540 NM / 398 lb ft. When you take into consideration that an e39 M5 weighs 200 kg more (1520 vs 1720 kg), and has 369 lb ft (and has to rev higher to deliver that much torque), it doesn't take a genius to realise this will be a fairly swift motor once complete. Throw in the fact that front wheel drive configuration results in less power loss between crank and wheel, on the road performance will be surprisingly brutal.

I am currently in the process of running the engine in, and will be conducting first oil change at 400 miles. For the first 1000 miles I will not be revving the car above 4000 rpm, then she will be mapped.

Current build spec is as follows:

b234/b235r hybrid engine - installed and begun running-in period
td04 19t turbo with 7cm exhaust housing - Not yet installed
Less restrictive, freer flowing king cobra intake from the 2006 onwards 9-5 Aero - Not yet installed
Kinugawa turbo actuator - Not yet installed
Maptun recirculating dump valve - Not yet installed
BOSCH Green Giant 465 cc injectors - Not yet installed
Abbott Racing 3" exhaust system including downpipe - Installed and much louder, but only when you want it to be
JR air filter - Installed at the same time as the downpipe and intercooler so can't attribute any difference to this in isolation
do88 intercooler and pipework - Installed, car seems to pick up much better now at low revs
550NM Maptun clutch - Installed (bit grabby in 1st but has a purposeful feel to it)
Polybushed all round
Uprated pads (Ferodo)
Vredestein Ultrac Sessanta tyres at the front, Uniroyal Rainsport at the back
Enlarged air intake snorkel from 3.0 v6 diesel 9-5
Considering Bilstein B12 suspension (which includes revalved Bilstein B12 shocks/dampers and Eibach springs)

All-in, the project has set me back around £4k, which includes £650 for the car (which was in a state when I bought it).

Here are pics of her at present:

Edited by HybridAero on Saturday 18th February 12:27

[HybridAero]

TotalControl said:

That's pretty decent. And here I am still considering a Noobtune remap on my auto 9-3 vector. I'll need to call Carl soon.

Not that fuel efficiency is at the top of your list with mods like that, but what kind of mpg can you expect after this has been done?

Can strongly recommend Noobtune, he's a real wizard at tuning these things, mine is currently a stage 1 but after running and mapping it will be considered a stage 5.

Fuel economy is unaffected from stage 0 to stage 1, might even have improved.

In its current state (without mapping), it gets 32 mpg combined, that includes the odd blast and a mixture of A, B and M roads, running on Shell V-Power. I'm more than happy with that, considering the performance. They're also incredibly comfy. 38-40 mpg is doable on a cruise.

Edited by HybridAero on Saturday 23 January 00:09

[HybridAero]

And a few more pics:

do88 intake:



Standard 15t turbo blade vs 19t:



(This is just an example - the above 19t blade is clipped, which mine won't be - Clipped is better for low down grunt but I (and my gearbox would) prefer a vicious top end and cruisy, gentler power delivery at low revs).

Few more pics of recent machine polish:

Edited by HybridAero on Saturday 18th February 12:24

[HybridAero]

poing said:

That's going to surprise a few people!

Someone at work has a 93 2.8t and he says the overtaking power is just silly, it has less power than you are going to have so I can only imagine the fun. These old SAAB's, especially the fast ones, are developing a nice cult following.

Yeh the torque the 2.8 can produce even with a few light mods is unreal, 442 lb ft is achievable with just downpipe and better induction. Amazing how fast you can go not revving past 4k in these boosted Saabs.

Edited by HybridAero on Thursday 31st December 10:15

[HybridAero]

qwertina said:

That really floats my boat! Looks like an excellent build, bet you can't wait for the run in period to be over.

Glad it isn't a peaky revvy car as I can't rev it! Plenty of rev variation though as I've heard that's necessary when running an engine in. I will increase max revs to 5k at 1000 miles then 6k at 1500 miles, but really on the road you never need more than 4k.

[HybridAero]

Master Bean said:

We'll have to race. And you need some bilstein b12 suspension gubbins.

Edited by Master Bean on Wednesday 30th December 22:27

She is a bit floaty, much better than before with the polybushing, but plenty of room for improvement. Bilsteins definitely next on the list.

Edited by HybridAero on Wednesday 30th December 23:00

[HybridAero]

AntiLagGC8 said:

I love it! This is what we would call a sleeper!

My Impreza is a modded 2.0t and makes 355bhp currently but only has 340lbft so quite a bit less than this monster! I find the parallels in the engine configuration interesting. I'm going for 450bhp this coming year which is easily achievable with a bigger turbo and remap. Still my build has cost more than double yours so far, so its great value!

I'm curious how traction will be with it being FWD and that much torque. Are you doing anything special in that area?

Also any plans for track days?

That must absolutely fly! What model year is your Impreza? I went out in a friend's 3 door white Type-R import with 300 bhp and that was savage both in-gear and from a standing start.

Traction-wise I am planning on getting a Quaife LSD, but no traction issues so far; the torque is limited in 1st gear to protect the gearbox and 2nd gear is fine in the dry, which I guess is down to the tyres.

I'd love to give some trackdays a go, but would have to get a baffled sump first. Various UKSaabs members suffered engine failures due to oil surging to one side of the engine and starving the other, on long and fast sweeping bends.

Of more interest to me are VMAX type events, from a rolling start.

To give y'all some context:

Here's a 9-3 Aero with similar engine spec racing a Lamborghini Gallardo from a rolling start: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzbdkP85uco

Also while I'm on YouTube, back to how I was talking about the strength of the b234 lump, here's one running a reputed 618.7 bhp: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GU6mKshHTpo

Edited by HybridAero on Friday 1st January 15:49

[HybridAero]

griffin dai said:

Nice mate The 19t's a great bolt on swap to get decent power out of the 2.3, nice & responsive too so should catch a few out here kinda wish I'd done this on my old 9000 instead of spending loads on the gt28rs & gt30 build.

Definitely look into the Quaife though. It's made a MASSIVE difference in my v6 aero.

Thanks yeh the plan is to create something that is still driveable, with an OEM feel, sort of like an Aero R had Saab ever made one.

Will a Quaife diff put less stress on the gearbox? This is the weak point with these once heavily boosted.

Does the diff make any difference in day-to-day driving?

Edited by HybridAero on Thursday 31st December 10:37

[HybridAero]

The Spruce goose said:

There's another Aero on here that is around your figures.

Sounds good, have they done a thread on it?

[HybridAero]

227bhp said:

It doesn't take a genius to point out the obvious lack of grip an over powered FWD will have compared to a RWD either, but nonetheless I like a bit of Nordic Noir. It looks great in that colour with the black wheels, watching with interest.

They look black in some of the above pics, but are actually anthracite wheels (see below in a better light), shot-blasted and powder-coated at Total Wheel Works in Nottingham, can strongly recommend them.



Yeh FWD is always going to be a weak point, would be awesome with RWD, but in the dry at least, once in to 2nd gear it just grips and goes.

Edited by HybridAero on Saturday 18th February 12:28

[HybridAero]

wormus said:

Love this and I admire you spending a small fortune on a car that's worth nothing just to make it better. Should be fast and comfy for not very much outlay.

I'd be tempted to do similar to mine but it would almost certainly end in disaster.

Thanks, well I plan on keeping it as a long termer, and most 4 grand cars on the market are dull as dishwater, and still require work, so would rather have a cheap base car with potential, with new underpinnings.

Edited by HybridAero on Tuesday 26th April 21:11

[HybridAero]

Evoluzione said:

Hmmm, hate to mention it, but that there is rolling start.

Nevertheless, keep up the good work. Impractical though the colour is I like a black car, sadly just sold my black Fiat Coupe turbo.

Oh yeh ha they make a lovely sound, was your standard? Black looks good for a day or 2 after cleaning then looks rubbish.

[HybridAero]

Few pics of the parts I have ready to fit after the running-in period:

0.8 bar / 11.7 Psi Kinugawa Adjustable Turbo Actuator, alongside a standard one:




BOSCH Green Giant 465 cc injectors:

Edited by HybridAero on Saturday 18th February 12:31

[HybridAero]

griffin dai said:

Have you upgraded the fuel pump & map sensor? I had to on the 9000 when going above stage 3 to stage 4 with the bigger IC & GG's (roughly 310/315bhp....standard td04 was maxed out there though)

There's was some info on a cheap(ish) LSD on UKS but I can't find the thread.

Thanks for the heads up, funnily enough I emailed Noobtune earlier to check if a Walbro 255LPH fuel pump would be required for a reliable and efficient 350 bhp.

Which MAP sensor would you recommend?

[HybridAero]

Bigphatcgar said:

It's great seeing what a Saab can do , my old 9-5 aero was nicknamed the dirty dog , was standard but did like upsetting other cars .

Many moons ago I had a 9000 Carlsson 2.3 plus a bleed valve , which gave it a little more go.

Haven't had chance to upset any cars yet, but Noobtune has a similar spec to what I'm tuning to and it keeps a c63 or v8 r8 honest from a rolling start.

Carlssons are awesome pretty rare as well!

[HybridAero]

griffin dai said:

Are these what your after?

http://www.genuinesaab.com/catalog/product_info.ph...

That's them, but $95 postage! Will drop Neos an email, thanks.

[HybridAero]

griffin dai said:

Try Tim here mate, he might be able to get them?

http://www.sasautocustoms.co.uk/injectors/27-bosch...

^^^some tubular headers on there aswel

Thanks will give him a try, Noobtune said they should be available as cap head bolts, or hex head.

Tempted by tubular manifolds, but they're only needed when going for more than 350 bhp, to combine with a gt3071 type turbo.

Do you know whether a tubular would help the engine run more efficiently, and more importantly would it give the engine more of a raspy engine note? I remember fitting a tubular 4-2-1 manifold to my 1.8 Zetec Focus back in the day and it transformed the engine note.

Since first oil change from mineral running-in oil back to 'Genuine Dexos2 GM 5W-30', the engine is running much more efficiently. Just went for a big motorway run and averaged 34 mpg with a few WOT runs. It isn't even mapped yet so hoping it will be even better. I heard from various sources that the b234/235r hybrid is less efficient due to lower compression ratio, but this doesn't seem to be the case .

Edited by HybridAero on Sunday 3rd January 18:50

[HybridAero]

griffin dai said:

Standard manifolds are good for up to 500 mate so not really needed but they do look nice fitted! I was probably around 480 when I scrapped mine, had a tubular from Tim ready to fit but sacked it in the end and just changed cars, would have been a fair bit over 500 then though

I'm sure a couple 9-3's on UKS have fitted the tubular with their 19t's but not sure how much extra oomph you'll get here, seem to make decent gains with the GT30/Holsets though. Probably in the project forums. A mate had a Maptun tubular on his 9000 and that sounded different to mine, more of a nice burble to it. Needed a few changes though like a thinner fan etc

I want a couple for my v6 but will have to go custom again just nothing available in the UK for mine. Albert on UKS is also making a few up (his work looks awesome btw!!)

How much are Holsets/GT30s? Do you need a custom manifold or downpipe for them?

If it wasn't for the gearbox I'd tune the hell out of it, like this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lFwNRl4mno

[HybridAero]

bakerstreet said:

Good effort from the OP.

I have an 05 9-5 Auto Estate and I quite like it. Mine is completely standard and currently on 206k Should see 220k before I sell it at the end of next year.

When I bought it in March last year, I did contemplate remapping it to 275, but having now lived with it for 9 months I probably won't bother unless I was going to re-fresh the suspension and some of the steering components to sharpen up the handling. I know mine is carrying quite a bit of wear and tear, but it still doesn't feel that sharp. I wanted the auto for waftyness, but in hindsight I think the manual would have been a bit more engaging. Also mine understeers a lot if you try to push it. My guess is that it's just down to worn suspension and the Event tyres on the front.

I think you should experience stage 1 at least at some point, best 80 quid I ever spent! Noobtune totally transforms the power delivery. I guess though if your suspension is knackered then might not be worth doing, but for smiles-per-pound it's great value.

[HybridAero]

Quick update - mineral oil drained out and replaced with gm 5w30 fully synthetic at 400 miles, running a lot smoother now, mileage now at 700 since rebuild and next weekend the 19t-7 turbo, kinugawa actuator, king cobra inlet and green giant injectors will be installed, followed by a remap. Excited!