[sbeattie1975]

i have a 1990 9k carlson 195 bhp i believe however i wish to increase this and am wandering wether abbott is the best route to take for my upgrade, and how big a difference will this make. also will it affect my mid torque or top or bottom and does anybody know where i can get the go faster stripes for my carlson in particular the lettering, before i go and pay a very expensive sign writer thankyou in anticipation

 

[mark e]

There are two basic ways of significantly increasing the performance- by reprogramming the software or physical alterations.

Within limits, the former is generally the most reliable and easiest to do. However there are very few tuners that offer reprogramming for your year of car. Although they don't specifically advertise it on their site, I believe that Abbott are indeed one such company. Most of the other tuners only seem to offer upgrades for Trionic based cars.

Aside from software reprogramming there are a number of simple mechanical things you can do which will give smaller gains in performance. If you do them in conjunction with a software upgrade, they will be of greater benefit:

- cat bypass pipe (eg Speedparts SP60-20)
- sports air filter
- 3" downpipe (eg Speedparts JT60-1)

The first two are relatively cheap at about £40 each, the third about £150.

Can't help with the stripes though I'm afraid

 

[cdcarlsson]

The other thing, and much maligned, is the Manual Bleed Valve (MBC). This has a limited safe potential compared to a proper ECU upgrade but the possibilty is there. (I'll just duck and run for cover now...)

Nick.

 

[mark e]

No, Nick, you make a fair point... an MBC can be used to good effect, and if not abused is relatively safe as long as everything else is in tip top shape.

One of the beauties of the Saab APC system for turbocharging is that it is so safe- standing for Automatic Performacne Control it makes sure, with a fairly generous safety margin, that you can't boost do dangerous levels. Naturally any interference with that lowers the safety margin, and that's why many shy away from recommending it.

Having said that, with the rest of my engine sorted and in good form, I was comfortably making over 280 hp with an MBC...

 

[1989agoodvintage]

For DI/APC cars the software options are limited anyway, there are only a few companies who will still reprogram pre-trionic APC boxes. Upgrades for the Bosch Jetronic fuel injection CU's are harder to find still. But there's some info here.

http://www.scotsglen.com/saab/ecu/

MBC is probably the best way to go to get cheap horses, just don't get too carried away. It's best to obtain a calibrated boost gauge in conjunction with the MBC so you can set the boost to a specified level. 1 BAR is a safe bet IIRC. But as Mark says it's best to upgrade the mechanical components that affect aspiration first and work from there.

 

[wrighar]

As for the stripes, I've heard somewhere that someone took details/a copy of them once and could be able to reproduce.

I'm not sure if that was the Foxleys.. (99T - here).

Do a search on the 9000 or 900 forum (and possibly the perf one) and see what it throws up.

Andrew

 

[sbeattie1975]

ok so suppose i decide to fit an mbc exactly what parts would i need or is it as simple as: 1 mbc and 1 boost guage. and how do i know which of the 3 pipes to insert it into, any advice would be appreciated as i am a complete novice, can i do it myself or would i need a pro to do it.

 

[ylee coyote]

nothing simpler.....
mbc fitting is a 5 minute job
however adjusting it will take you a bit longer
it is a trial and error job...
the good thing is there are safety cut-outs to protect the engine
Fitting the boost gauge takes a little longer as there is some dash dismantling involved....
but is just as simple ....

 

[Mark in Ireland]

http://www.saabscene.co.uk/cgi-bin/ultimat...ic;f=3;t=000743

This was the previous posting about it. I can supply the tel number if required.

 

[cdcarlsson]

Originally posted by stupot:
[qb]ok  so suppose i decide to fit an mbc  exactly what parts would i need or is it as simple as: 1 mbc and 1 boost guage. and how do i know which of the 3 pipes to insert it into,  any advice would be appreciated as i am a complete novice, can i do it myself or would i need a pro to do it.    [/qb][/b]

No pro required, just the gentle guiding hand of Saabscene . Seriously though, as with any mods you really should inform your insurance company, it's in the contract. If you didn't and have an accident and you get found out, then it's bye bye insurance, hello court.
OK talk over, on with it.
You can install the valve in several ways. This is the way mine is installed...

If the three hoses are pulled from the APC and the valve is attached then the maximum boost will be totally controlled by the valve. Find out which of the 'ports' on the valve you've bought allow the air to pass through freely with the valve fully shut. These ports should be attached to the hoses marked 'C'(compressor or turbo) and 'W' (wastegate). The boost pressure will now pass through the valve to the wastegate, showing the wastegate the actual pressure from the turbo. The wastegate will fully open at its' base boost setting with the valve fully shut. Now attach the third hose marked 'R' (recirculate?) to the third port on the valve. If the valve is opened a little the boost pressure will now flow through the 'R' pipe (back to the air intake) as well as to the wastegate , so less pressure is present at the wastegate then earlier, this makes the wastegate open less for a given amount of turbo pressure so more boost is present at the inlet manifold. Take the car for a spin (not literally now ) and adjust until you have the boost at the optimum level.

If a graduated boost gauge is inserted into the dash, use a three way tee piece to splice it into the pipe feeding the boost gauge on the instrument panel. Setting the boost to one bar (14.8 psi) is no problem as long as the rest of the engine is healthy. I've currently got my Aero set to 1.15 bar. However a with the head off at the moment it appears that the replacement gasket was only just in time, one more track day might have done it in.

Remember that the more

you have the more you are stressing all the other components of the engine, gearbox and drivetrain in general. Don't be surprised if a bit more

gives rise to a couple of extra bills in the long term.

Enjoy!

Nick.

 

[sbeattie1975]

im begining to sway to the idea of waiting till ihave the funds to see what they guys down at abbott recommend i wouldnt want to risk causing any undue strain to my little baby at this stage in our partnership a big thanks for all the help and advice guys