Turbo, T5, Notchback...

[mike d]

Going with my policy about not making threads before progress has started, I have now made enough progress to justify a thread




The car is from georgia, i purchased it with a blown transmission, for very cheep, then had it shipped up, There is no rust, even the rear axle still has OEM paint on it. realistically shipping a car up is cheeper than rust repair, so i think its worth every penny

after the rust related death of my red turbo hatchback, i removed the drivetrain from that car, which had a good 1993 trans, and strong bottom end, and placed it into here, so far the upgrade list is as follows

Trionic 5
2.1 head and intake manifold
91-93 9000 turbo clutch
walbro 044 fuel pump (stock pump failed, 044 is less than 12$ more than an OEM insert)




upgrades to come
-axel and brake swap to 88+ spec
-Aero wheels
-intercooler, front mount
-3 inch exhaust

and Suspencion,, Here is where i am having some debates,,, To start, has anybody used Kyb Gr2's on these cars? a full set is Very affordable. and i know they are better than what is on there, but are they anywhere near as good as the bilstien's?

Also looking into lowering springs, B&Gs are looking like a front runner, but i am open to other suggestions

Mike D

[Cark]

It looks way cooler with louvers and no cop lights... what was wit the Carlisle pics of no louvers and blues on the roof?

Black trim those windows if you can.

And I vote for SPG springs and Koni's!

[oliversexpedition]

AFCO 5 1/2 Inch x 9 1/2 Inch Front Springs - Speedway Motors, America's Oldest Speed Shop

AFCO 20191 Adjustable Extended Coil Spring Spacer - Speedway Motors, America's Oldest Speed Shop

I have them on the vert.

[Daven]

I've been tempted by KYBs in the past because of their price but all the SAAB mechanics I've asked about them have warned me away. They each referenced the anagram, "KYB stands for Keep Your Boges." BOGE and SACHS were the standard equipment on older 900and 9000s and I guess were more reliable and provided better performance.

On our Walmart joy ride in Carlisle I witnessed the speed your car is already capable of...very impressive! Based on that, I'd say go with Bilsteins but I appreciate how expensive they are. With decent shocks, lowering springs and stiff swaybars you may not need to go with HD shocks like Bilsteins.

[g96nt]

KYB are perfectly fine, and have served me better than any sachs set I've had, including the crap-tastic (sachs racing) eibach pro dampers.

They are not precision pieces like ohlins, but they're worth every penny of their price.

[oiledsaab]

I have the kybs in my 87, they are not on par with Bilsteins. I've ridden in a few c900s with Bilsteins, one just the other day.

[mike d]

i know they are not on par with the bilstien HD's, but just as a reference, KYBs are 140$ for a full set, Bilstein HDs are 400$ the closest price comparison to kybs are the bilstien tourings (around 200$ for a full set) so really this is competition. between Gr2's, and bilstein tourings.

[g96nt]

I, unfortunately, have never riden on tourings. Id imagine they're more or less stock feeling, while gr2 is generally a little stiffer/sportier. Neither is meant to be lowered, But the gr2 does handle it...

[86notchback]

thats sexy as a C900 turbo notchback owner I want those louvers soo bad...

[Cark]

are the louvers the same 4dr to notch or are they body specific?

[mike d]

notchbacks, and sedans used the same rear window, hence the same louvers, i like the way they look quite a bit, they look much more at home on the notchbacks, then they ever did on sedans

Also, i ended up ordering shocks today, i found KYB gas-a-just for super cheap (160$ a set brand new) they are a great monotube shock, that is 95% of what a bilstien HD is, for 1/3 the money

[Saabeh]

Originally Posted by mike d

Also, i ended up ordering shocks today, i found KYB gas-a-just for super cheap (160$ a set brand new) they are a great monotube shock, that is 95% of what a bilstien HD is, for 1/3 the money

Considering you will probably run the cheapest tires you can buy, I'd say there will be no differences in the shocks.

[Cark]

Funny cause it's true

[mike d]

i dont mind spending a few extra $$ on tires, i just am happy i dont have to do it after just purchasing suspencion, brakes, and wheels

[mcrowley]

I've got the Bilstein tourings in my NG, not bad, about the same as stock I'd say. I know its not the same as a c900, but they're fine with the B&Gs that are on the car as well. The HDs are a whole different world altogether...

[Geoff]

I'll be interested to hear what you think about those "gas-a-just" KYBs. I put them on my '85 SPG (with SPG springs) and they were super harsh on compression. The car would "BANG!" on Heald Street. I didn't feel like they provided much damping control. I ended up swapping to Bilstein HDs and the car felt so much better.

My dad had the GR-2s on his '85 SPG (stock turbo springs) and they worked pretty well for the cost.

[mike d]

there is barely a cost difference between the gas-a-just, and the Gr2's i will as well be interested to see how they ride

i got a little bit of work done in the last few days, of which was swapping in a non cracked dash board, Turbo guage cluster, and 3 spoke steering wheel. It makes the interior a much better place to be!

i also put the B&G lowering springs in, the shocks have no arrived yet, and these did, so why not! they are nowhere near as low as i expected. In reality i have seen SPGs sit lower after a few years of wear and sagging!

[Cark]

Were those BG's brandy new or used? If new they should settle a good bit...

[dave24]

The springs do give it a better stance, and the dash looks nice. I got to get to this on my car.

[mike d]

the springs were brand new, there was a huge difference in height in the front springs, but barely anything in the rear,, Did notchbacks have specific rear springs?