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Viggens come with 215/45-17 which can go up to a 225/40-17 with no trouble (bigger size knocks speedo/odo out by 2.2% roughly). Stepping out to a 235 is risking a lot of tire rub/damage. 9-3 models will go up to 18" diameter rims, but as you note they are a bit over the top in looks. I would stick to 17" max for street personally.
If you are not an aggressive driver I would recommend a nice set of 16x7 rims and simply go for a nice and grippy summer fun type of tire. While 17" would offer some better handling attributes, I'll guess you would not typically take the car to such an extreme. And as a trade off the 16" will offer a more compliant & comfy ride. Stepping up to a 17" with lower profile tires can prove hard on your fillings and vertebrae...
For a summer tire you have a good set of options available in the stock 205/55-16 size.
I would stick with Yokohama or Bridgestone as my primary choices on either size rim.
Bridgestone S-03, Yokohama's AVS Sport or ES100, Bridgestone RE-730 G2, or a Goodyear F1 GS-D3 all rank as very good choices for a summer tire. The Yokohama ES100 is pulling a lot of raves and seems to be a good contender for the money especially on 9-3s.
Kuhmo and Sumitomo both make some nice looking lower priced tires, I haven't had access to a set yet (at least of their recent offerings, their older tires were pretty good on the track). They do get a good amount of press here on SAABNET and most is favorable too.
Pirelli, Dunlop and Continetal are prone to many complaints about odd wear, belt separation, cupping, noise, etc. which makes one gun shy of their current offerings.
I run the Bridgestone RE-730 G2's. Primarily because of my past use where they proved to be a really good choice for wet/dry summer performance. They were noisy after 50% treadwear (although that was not the improved G2 version I now have), but their grip never diminished and they are very predictable when pushed in hard driving.
I think you'll find a good set of 16" tires the best combo for the 9-3 in daily driving. Just remember to check the pressure often as the treadlife of the higher performance tires and the overall performance of the tire is very sensitive to the pressure.
Hope my babbling helps your decision!
posted by 68.52.128...
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