Date: Mon, 26 Apr 2004 11:00:35 -0300 From: Dexter J <lamealameadingdongnospamlamelame.org> Subject: Re: Montreal resident thinking of dropping '99 9-3
Salutations: On Mon, 26 Apr 2004 13:45:02 +0100, MeatballTurbo <carl.robsonnospamcing-czechs.com> wrote: > In article <5tNic.179$OU.10482nospam20.bellglobal.com>, > c.kallianisnospamatico.ca says... >> Hey people, >> I have a '99 9-3, and thinking of lowering it with the eibach pro-kit >> and >> the koni shocks as reccomeneded on few saab sites. I need some insite. >> I'm >> concerned about winter driving and the horrible pot holes we have in our >> beautiful city. I'm also considering new rims to go along with the >> modification. 16 inch or 17 ? What tires are reccomended? >> Thanks, >> Costa >> >> >> > If the roads are as bad as you say, go with the shocks and springs, but > stick with 16" wheels and slightly higher profile tyres. > > They will give more cushioning than 17" and you won't get as much bump > steer, or tranlining through the pots. You will lose a little of the > possible steering accuracy on smooth tarmac, but you will gain more > smoothness on average across all potential road hazards. Well - after spending almost $100 each to take the bends out a used set of factory wheels following someone else's adventures on low profile tires - I was advised that I should consider a taller sidewall profile than factory on NG/GM SAAB's by at least an inch. It was explained at the straightening service that the factory wheels I picked up (three spoke 5-bolt) where 'almost as soft' as after market wheels they'd fixed and thusly if you are considering moving to after market 17" wheels - I have to think you are even more likely to bend them. I'm an ex-Montrealer myself, I understand the problem - bet the Ville Marie still looks like it's been shelled. Anyway, the NG SAAB line is *very* sensitive to wheel condition and will quickly beat out it's control arm bushings and steering rack seals if you are feeling any serious vibration in the wheel. So in operation - you are stuck repairing the wheels or paying way more to repair the damage done once your wheels are bent. The thinking at the shop was that I could go to a very high profile tire without loosing any 'real world' handling - if I just spent some time shopping for a thick/stiff sidewall. This advise is supported by the fact that the NG steering rack usually needs to be 'braced' to really exploit stiffer springs and shocks. Frankly, while I am now the first to admit that the overall performance characteristics on the NG SAAB are in fact better than the c900 and in some ways the 9000 lines, the trade off appears to be that the suspension was generally lighter built to achieve it. Less agricultural, less durable = snappier handling at greater speeds. The reason I dug deep and fixed up a used set of three spoke factory was to try and improve the handling over the factory steel wheels the machine came with - which it actually did - once I dug a lot deeper and had the three spoke rims really properly straightened. Bon chance whatever you decide mon aimee. -- J Dexter - webmaster - http://www.dexterdyne.org/ all tunes - no cookies no subscription no weather no ads no news no phone in - RealAudio 8+ Required - all the Time Radio Free Dexterdyne Top Tune o'be-do-da-day Andrews Crosby Haymes - Anything You Can Do http://www.dexterdyne.org/888/094.RAM
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