1979-1993 & 94 Conv [Subscribe to Daily Digest] |
Hello
Well here in germany many people drove there 900´s longer streches on the limit. The first 99T and 900T had some problems with that, mostly leading to blown headgaskets, cracked exhausts, boileded up batterys.
However within the 82/83 Year that droped to occasionaly reports and since the APC engines the 900 where solid enough for full load untill you run out of gas ( Well at last my 900 Aero with some engine tweaks made maybe some 25 000 km at 90-100% WOT, I had that car for over 120000 km´s and used it sometimes to tow heavy stuff as well )
Most people here in germany used there Saabs like they would use a BMW or Mercedes and the 900 is a terrific high speed mobile.
Now when i was in the Saab Scene i knew maybe some 100 Saab Turbo owners & there cars ( mostly 900 / 9000 ) and most from them used the car for high speed cruising, ( some 25% even had tweaked the engine ) and i never had withnesed such a failure or even heard a rumor about it. Compared to the in germany usuall brands BMW, Mercedes, Audi, VW the Saab still had some more issues but was still very close and Saab keept bugfixing, developing and progressing. ( Compared to the american, italian, british,,, Saab & Volvo where as good as german cars, In that time the japenese didn´t played a role as they didn´t offered comperable cars to the marked )
So i don´t think this failure is caused by the highspeed-cruise. Now engines who didn´t where reved and loaded while break in can develop some issues if later user push them to the limits. But normaly this leads to excessive compression ring/pistongroove wear.
If you are a senstive driver you can "feel" that and just back off.
( 90% Load keeps pulling at much lower consumption so thats the normal drivestyle mostly curently the gasprice in germany is at 2,20 euro/L so flying gets more competive ;) )
That engine had a light "choked" feeling at topspeed. If "driven in" intelligent you can free up the high rev zone but that needs more then 500 kms.
Now if you like to talk about american (domestic) cars in germany..... those GM/Ford/Mopar V8 had only some 3 Liter engineoil and that vapourized "somehow" after some 10-15 WOT on the highway ;)
But those engines where dirt chip ( Comperable costs on a Saab was a complete cylinderheadrebuild ;) so i guess they couldn´t afford to construct & build them correct ( however if you bought a swiss/german delivery domestic it had mostly other engines, tranys and brakes then the US Sibling f.e. on GM the technical Z28 optionkit was standard delivery for europe )
Most GM engines in germany who survived that had worn up camlobes or other maladies so you had only half the power and WOT at the highway made them comuting with slower traffic, thelike 50 HP econoboxes ;). Finally that was the safe speed there brakes allowed them anyhow.
( Sorry for the RANT but SAAB´s where very good engeneered and solid cars not sure how that is today but some people i knew who owned a 900 switched then to 93 now sit in other brands )
Grüssle
posted by 80.139.38...
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