[tedward]

Hello everyone

I am new to this so please bear with me.

9000 2.0t CSE Manufactured late 1993 but has DI and B204S series engine. I am guessing it is the same as the MY94 model for all intents and purposes.

After five happy years (apart from clutch replacement which had me living on baked beans for a good while

) with the car in standard spec time for an upgrade.

I have sourced a second-hand 9K intercooler and pipework, read up all the bulletin boards, sites etc I could (and saabscene is definately the best

). Still I have a few questions.

Should I bother connecting the Intercooler before I get an ECU upgrade?

Is there anything I need to do apart from fit the Intercooler + pipes if not upgrading ECU immediately. E.g I have the impression that different spark plugs may be needed as output increases but when?

Will Intercooler upgrade on its own create much difference in power output.

Is it desireable to fit a boost gauge and fuel pressure indicator at this stage.

My intention is to gradually improve the performance of the car but keeping it practical for daily use. This includes unmetalled tracks etc with a full load so are there options to improve handling without significantly reducing ride height?

phew!

Your comments/ideas?

 

[mark e]

Fitting an intercooler will be a worthwhile exercise, and will yield a slight increase in power/torque as it will cool the intake air, thus meaning it is denser and thus more fuel/air will be in the cylinders which means more power for any given intake charge presure.

You shouldn't go for an ECU upgrade before doing this, so why not do it now. There shouldn't be any extra pipework needed. A calibrated boost gauge may be useful as a preformance monitor when you get the new ECU, but is also useful to make sure that the base boost is set correctly (this will probably need adjusting for a new ECU). You don't need to worry about fuel pressure- that takes care of itself.

You will probably already be using NGK BCPR7ES-11 plugs, which are standard across the turbos, so you don't need to upgrade them.

The suspension question is interesting. If your shocks are original, they are likely to be tired, which won't be helping matters. Perhaps the best option for you would be to fit something like Konis, which are adjustable, and if you can stand a small drop in height (10mm) get hold of a s/h set of Aero Springs. Changing to 16" wheels/tyres will also sharpen things up.

Replace your rear ARB bushes will poly ones to help control body roll, and at the front you might want to consider using poly on the rear wishbone bushes. Lastly, a front strut brace does wonders for the sharpness and even gets rid of a few rattles!

Good luck, let us know how you get on

 

[tedward]

Thanks for the info Mark. Am I correct in assuming that the base boost pressure should be adjusted to the settings as detailed on BillJ's site for the 96 on cars which had an intercooler.

2.0 light-pressure turbo with intercooler ('96-on) 0.37 - 0.43

I seem to remember one site detailing Konis as adjustable only at the front?

The car park at work has a ramp which the front spoiler just grounds on when exiting. As the new suspension setup would be stiffer would it hold the front end up sufficiently if I went for the 10mm drop I could always reverse out so it is not insurmountable. On tracks 10mm should be OK as long as I take care to go round the rocks!

 

[kommando]

You should set the boost to the 93/95 MY's setting, it was dropped slightly for the 96 MY onwards to keep the HP the same as a non-intercooler car (LPT's got the intercooler in 96 but lost the APC). As you fitted it to a LPT with no ECU upgrade you could probably leave it as is or you will lose the extra 5hp you should gain if you use the 96MY settings, no harm in making sure its set to the higher end of the 93/95 MY setting though

as you do have the APC to protect the engine.

 

[billj]

Base boost on the '96-on cars is higher because there wasn't any APC to raise the boost above base. You could try that since with an intercooler, the higher base boost should be safe and you may get a better pick-up from the engine.

Strictly speaking, both the front and rear Konis for the 9000 are adjustable. In practice, however, the rears must be removed from the car to adjust them so if you're not prepared to do that then no, they're not adjustable once they've been fitted. They can be adjusted to suit the application, of course, prior to fitting.

 

[tedward]

Hmm. Does anyone know what the standard base boost should be for my MY93-95 lpt? I know it is not presently listed on your site Bill so it could be doubly helpfull.

I will have to think about adjustable dampers. Has anyone out there fitted Bilstein B6 dampers? These are more expensive but "designed especially for situations where lowering is not desired." or so the blurb says.

 

[SteveN]

Originally posted by tedward_9000:
[qb]9000 2.0t CSE Manufactured late 1993 but has DI and B204S series engine. I am guessing it is the same as the MY94 model for all intents and purposes.[/qb][/b]

Saab's manufacturer’s year run September-September so a car produced late in '93 is in fact MY94.

 

[Andy M]

If i'm not mistaken the pressure is roughly 0.48bar on non intercooler models or should be to compensate for the fact it has no intercooler in the first place.

 

[tedward]

Thanks Steve. I did not know about the "manufacture year" thing, useful to know.

Regarding boost it looks like a case of fit the intercooler and leave the boost as it is.

Case closed, thanks to all who contributed I'm away for a bit but will update you on the project on my return.