1979-1993 & 94 Conv [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
<disclaimer>
who am i to tell anyone what to do!? please, do whatever mods make you happy. want 9k brakes? go for it!
no sarcasm intended, seriously. the whole point is to have fun, right? :-)
</disclaimer>
</pukes out amateur saab-hobbyist opinion on brakes>
it annoys me that aftermarket companies sell "big brake kits" that offer *zero* performance advantage to street-driven cars; may as well be adding a big wing. (i mean, c'mon, did the cars' engineers really spend their time playing solitaire or surfing for pornography when they shoulda been spec'ing brakes?)
saab uses the same brake specs for cars bound for markets with much higher speed limits than ours; it stands to reason, then, that stock is plenty good.
that folks seem to be interested in doing DIY 'big brake kits' on saabs with 9k stuff is prolly an extension of the big brake kits being sold. i'll bet you a nickel, though, that 9k calipers, rotors, & Aeros will yield a measurable decrease in acceleration (to me, it's noticeable w/just Aeros). and i'll bet you a dime that the car won't stop any faster. and maybe handling, too, is affected; i wouldn't be too surprised.
problem is, for anyone not driving their car on a track, there’s no benefit to big brakes. on the street, saab brakes are plenty decent (okay, ’88 on, but more cuz earlier are a pita with the front e-brake & tool req’d for pad swap). (though, my '86 autocrosses just fine with old-style brakes).
0.02
PS
yes, greater thermal mass will give more longevity on the track but that may be more the larger rotors and not the calipers; i don't know. then again, most people don't track their car.
stiffer, lighter, multi-pot front brakes way better than the 9k are available with only minor mods to fit. a rally car builder i know of fits 4-pot aluminum RX7 calipers to saabs; you could also shell out for Wilwoods, etc., but, well, you'd be shelling out a lot. (but, again, if it makes you happy, do it! :-)
there are also better stock-sized pad choices for hard-chargers; they're designed for higher temps.
imho, a mod is not a mod if its benefits are never utilized, especially if high cost and effort are involved. i am reminded of an article i saw on $1000+ WRX fancy brake ‘upgrade’ kits, some of which only *barely* outperformed stock – and that was on the track!
</pukes out amateur saab-hobbyist opinion on brakes>
posted by 65.101.15...
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