[Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup
Just came in from a quick test ride with the new Viggen intercooler installed in the Abbottized '97 convertible.
Yes, without a doubt it's worth the $$ and installation time. Two things kept going through my head, "Holy Shit" and "Scary quick". When I first hit the overboost cutoff (22 psi-ish) at about 4500 rpm, I knew something was different. When I lit up a drive wheel in third gear while just accelerating hard in a straight line, again at about 4500 rpm, I really started to smile.
So what makes the Viggen IC different? Less bends. Something on the order of at least 215 degrees less. The Viggen IC is the exact same size, but it's crossflow (inlet on passenger's side, outlet on driver's side) vs the OE having the inlet and outlet on the driver's side. There is no heat soak from the turbo outlet pipe passing right beside the downpipe. It loses the minor restriction of going to a pipe before reaching the IC.
Conditions: 37 degress, humid, slightly damp roads (but not really wet). In other words, ideal turbo! boost conditions. Spool up is noticeably quicker. The Bosch/Viggen hooter valve is working audibly harder. Didn't have enough open road to really get a good feel for it, but in a couple of quick runs to or near the redline in 2nd and 3rd, I couldn't feel the power and boost fall off at high rpms the way it did before. I'm definitely a happy camper!
Installation was not at all difficult. About 5 relaxed hours total, including changing the thermostat, which might have been nearly an hour of the total (PITA!) and changing the front bumper trim strip from chrome to black (10 minutes, with the bumper off). I probably wasted 30 minutes cutting a nice clean precise hole in a plastic baffle beside the radiator, which I then broke the friction fitting for, so I didn't reinstall it. Doh! Gotta take the rear bumper off over the weekend to change that trim too. While the front end was apart, I took a couple of photos of my home made Home Depot airbox and intake. I'll post them on my site in a few days.
Once the turbo cools down, I've got to turn down the boost a tad. This is likely the last engine upgrade for me. At least until the hooter valve dies, and I replace it with a Forge or HKS. Still contemplating Viggen brakes, if Ed Abbott can find me some. They also have a rear axle replacement now, for improved handling.... Just kidding, not gonna do it! But I might just have to throw the summer tires back on until the next forecast calling for snow!
Dan
1997 900 SETC
Abbott trionic, springs, poly TCA bushings, steering rack mount
Homemade cold air intake and airbox with K&N cone
Saab sport exhaust
Viggen intercooler
, Sat, 3 Feb 2001 23:53:01, Fri, 2 Feb 2001 18:31:30, Fri, 2 Feb 2001 18:30:16, Fri, 2 Feb 2001 22:50:22, Sat, 3 Feb 2001 10:12:21
No Site Registration is Required to Post - Site Membership is optional (Member Features List), but helps to keep the site online
for all Saabers. If the site helps you, please consider helping the site by becoming a member.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
