Notes on rear shock replacement with Bilstein HD.... - Saab 9-5 Bulletin Board - Saabnet.com
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Notes on rear shock replacement with Bilstein HD....
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Posted by TonyJ [Email] (#407) [Profile/Gallery] (more from TonyJ) on Sun, 20 Mar 2011 21:08:40 Share Post by Email
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Continuation of an earlier thread...
2004 Aero Wagon 9-5, 17" wheels (hate them) and 95K miles. The rear was hanging low, causing tire wear, So I added camber shims. Then the right rear Sachs damper leaked out most of its fluid, so it had zero damping. When it hit a bump it was like someone back there dribbling a basketball! Searching Saabnet, I decided to go with Bilstein HD and 1" spacers from JJJ Performance (see link), but keep the original springs. The spacers, very nicely machined and finished aluminum, didn't quite sit flat on the Bilstein aluminum spring seats. I sent the spacers and seats to Jeff at JJJ Performance so he could measure them to modify the spacer design slightly. Everything was quickly returned with a custom solution-rounded edge on the seats- that works at no additional cost. I can post or send photos if anyone is interested. If you need to do this operation in the future, Jeff would likely do the same again, or you can wait for the new Bilstein-compatible spacer design.

Here are the results (full tank and only the usual spares and tools in the tire well): Ride height increased by 1 3/16" on both sides to 23 5/8"-23 3/4", almost on spec per the JJJ Performance website. The 3/16" is due to the high pressure gas in the Bilsteins. It may be more, as noted by others, if your old shocks have lost their gas pressure. Interestingly, the right shock, which had lost its oil, still had gas pressure. The biggest surprise was how much the camber changed: -2.5° to -1.0° Left, -1.7° to -0.7° Right, as measured by SmartCamber.

Ride is much better controlled and not harsh. I may need to re-aim the headlights.

http://jjjperformance.110mb.com/

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