Saab 9-3 Aero 2.0T Discs and Pads for more spirited drive?

Saab 9-3 Aero 2.0T Discs and Pads for more spirited drive?

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Discussion

IC3

Original Poster:

7 posts

77 months

Thursday 1st February 2018
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Hello all good people of the web, could you please recommend me front discs and pads for more spirited drive? The calipers are pretty weak and even under factory power the brakes can't handle the power/weight of the car. So hopefully with better discs and pads it'll improve a tad.

I've been looking at ATE and Mintex, I think fedoro pads migth be a bit overkill. The car is only used on the road, it won't see a track.


Car: Saab 9-3 Aero 2.0T Convertible 2002 (MK1)

E-bmw

9,242 posts

153 months

Thursday 1st February 2018
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Based on the principle that SAABs are pretty renowned for being safe I would guess that it sounds more like you have a problem which would be better to sort out rather than upgrade your way round.

When was the brake fluid last changed?

How old are the flexible hoses?

Have the pads any signs of wear/contamination?

Are there any signs of fluid leakage?

Are the discs in good order?

Have the calipers been stripped/cleaned/greased within recent years?

All of the above are normal service items, any one or combination of which would give reduced braking performance.

GreenV8S

30,219 posts

285 months

Friday 2nd February 2018
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IC3 said:
The calipers are pretty weak and even under factory power the brakes can't handle the power/weight of the car.
I don't know what that means. What problem are you trying to solve?

paulmakin

664 posts

142 months

Sunday 18th February 2018
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get hold of a pair of caliper carriers from a facelift 9-5 aero (no later than MY2002) or a 9-3 Viggen. earlier 9-5s shared their hubs with the OG 9-3s.

use the original calipers which bolt straight up the new carriers and you can now fit the 9-5 aero/9-3 Viggen 308mm front discs (standard are 288mm). just get the pads for the original vehicle. you could fit the dust shields from the same carrier donor or just bend the originals out of the way of the bigger discs.

not massively difficult to upgrade your rear solid discs to vented - again, the 9-5 aero can supply the necessary bits.

a common "parts bin" upgrade for not much money

paul

Rovinghawk

13,300 posts

159 months

Tuesday 20th February 2018
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I put braided hoses on all four of the Saabs I've had- they make a huge difference for a low cost and they should last the life of the car.

Try this first instead of discs & pads.