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... put decent tires on (and that -excludes- all kinds of 'all-season' tires, lower-than-V-rated tires, private labels - only the top-of-the-range tires of the better known performance tire mfgs are worth considering), go for a more aggressive alignment (+/- 1.3-1.4 deg negative camber, toe-in close to zero), swap shocks for Koni or similar and lose the front sway bar if you have one. A stock 900T shouldn't spin its wheels at just over athmospheric pressure in dry conditions, unless you're coming out of a 90 degree, second gear kink on full throttle. There's loads more front end grip to be had with the c900 front suspension, as evidenced by any number of high powered (~280-300 hp) 900 turbo's succesfully used on track lapping days and such (right, damien? :-) ).
Re-engineering the c900 for RWD might cause some concern with inspection (in most European countries it will mean you need to apply for a single vehicle approval, major PITA - don't know how it like is in the various states of the US) and will almost certainly lose you the excellent all-weather ability which is a major 'raison d'etre' of this kind of car.
Moreover, I don't think the architecture of the c900 lends itself especially well to a proper RWD conversion. As it is, the engine sits mere inches from the firewall, and still at least 2/3rds of the weight is in front of the wheelbase. For handling, RWD makes sense if you can relocate the engine so that (most of) its weight sits behind the axle line.
Furthermore, the rear is built around a light dead-beam axle. Getting anything more than a simple cart axle in there will be difficult and at least invovles relocating the fuel tank as well as reshaping most of the floorpan in this area. Going to a live axle would be a retrograde step in terms of handling IMO.
I guess it would all make sense for a very high powered dragstrip special - but for a street application that involves cornering as well as straight line performance I feel a homebuilt RWD conversion of a Saab will pose more questions than it answers. I think you'd be better off looking at the Saab's performance potential being more in the mould of say, a MINI Cooper S, than that of a big RWD muscle car or a Supra. A light(ish) well set up FWD car will enable most drivers to use more of the performance more of the time in safety, and thus make a great point-to-point car on real roads or the more daunting/unfamiliar race tracks.
posted by 82.169.6...
, Mon, 16 Feb 2004 23:00:37, Sun, 15 Feb 2004 19:18:16, Tue, 17 Feb 2004 07:16:42
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