1999-2009 [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
I went through this last year with my Gary Fisher wagon. The back was sagging something awful - like we were always carrying around several hundred pounds in the cargo area (we weren't).
From what I could tell, the Nivomat self-leveling shocks in the back do most of the actual load bearing, and the little spring is more of an assist. This differs from a typical suspension (in the base model or Aero wagons) where the spring does most of the load bearing and the shock dampens the rebound. So since the rear Nivomats were wearing out, the car started to sag. It actually affected tire wear. The list price on those shocks is a breathtaking $575 apiece (you'd need two). You can't just swap in any other shock either, since the wimpy spring would not be able to carry the weight by itself, so not you're talking springs AND shocks - and it still wouldn't necessarily match up with what's in the front.
After spending weeks comparing springs and struts and shocks and build codes on the nameplate (under the hood on the top of the driver wheel well) and spring stripe colors and all that, I decided the best course of action was to order the Saab "SportsChassis" roadholding kit. This is front and rear springs, shocks, and swaybars that gives your wagon a full Aero suspension. It all matches up, it's all designed to work together, and it fully fixes the problem (rides awesome too). The part number from Saab is 400126983 for this, and it costs about $600 - or the cost of ONE of those special rear self-levelling shocks. I ordered it from EEuroparts (a site sponsor) and it came direct from Sweden with free shipping.
Installation of the rears was not too bad. Installation of the fronts was a challenge. I still think it was worth it.
Hope this helps!
-John
1996 9000 Aero 5sp
2000 9-5 Gary Fisher wagon
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