[saabpulse]

Im fairly new to the Saab scene, and I've only been on these forums for about a week. I have a NG 900 and am not familiar with the 9000 cars. I think i saw someone talking about a 2.3 turbo in a 9000. Is this stock? If so, is it the same 2.3 that is in the naturally aspirated NG 900? I can see an engine swap for me in the future if all this is true. Or at least the head and bottom end out of the 2.3. Does anyone know of a person that has done this? Also, if I upgraded my trionic, would upgrading to a bigger turbo after be a mistake? Once again, all help is appreciated.

 

[maartenvandorst]

It's possible to fit a 2.3 turbo in a NG900, but it's only necessary if you're aiming at more than 300hp.

Buying an upgraded ECU is an easier way to get more power. Even with the stock T25 turbo, it's possible to get 260hp, like Eric B does.

A bigger turbo, like a TD04, T25/28 hybrid or T28 will give even more power. Drawback is the increased lag. Bigger turbo's will not spool up as fast as the T25.


This picture shows a 9000 engine in a NG900.

 

[Schu]

Some more pics and a story about that NG900 (at least I think its that NG900)

 

[zeke]

Interesting job with that ng900. That doesn't look like the 9000 intake manifold, and the exhaust/headers are another story - they don't look like the headers I've seen on the Speedparts site. If the brakes from a 9-5 Aero can be fit to this ng900, why wouldn't they work on my 9000? They may not be AP's but I bet the salvage yards would sell them at a reasonable price.

 

[StanleyB]

Posted by Maarten:

A bigger turbo, like a TD04, T25/28 hybrid or T28 will give even more power. Drawback is the increased lag. Bigger turbo's will not spool up as fast as the T25.  [/b]

Speaking from personal experience, that lag can be overcome through a combination of appropriate ECU re-mapping and airfilter selection. My TD04 springs to life far faster than many T25 equipped 9-3's I have tried out.

 

[saabman]

I hope that the TD04 will be better than the original on my 2.0lpt?,I would say it must be otherwise It would not be part of the upgrade? we will wait and see!

 

[1989agoodvintage]

Originally posted by Saabman:
[qb]I hope that the TD04 will be better than the original on my 2.0lpt?,I would say it must be otherwise It would not be part of the upgrade? we will wait and see!      [/qb][/b]

With the TD04 peak boost will arrive later so you may notice more lag (and less low down grunt) but there'll be much more torque available higher up the rev range. When I have the money (or if my turbo expires earlier) I'm going to opt for a TD04 (or a hybrid thereof) myself.

 

[sgould]

Clint,
What engine have you got in your car at the moment? You haven't said whether you have a turbo or not.

 

[saabpulse]

2.0 turbo. i also have a garrett turbo off a dodge shadow. i think its a T4 but im not sure. Its physically bigger than the T25 thats for sure. only thing it says on the casing is A/R .60 . That has to do with the compressor wheel though.

Well now i know its possible to convert to 2.3T....but it'll be alot cheaper to go with an upgraded ecu and bigger turbo. Im just worried I'll get the ecu...then upgrade to a bigger turbo and the ecu wont be compatible somehow. Is this something to be worried about?

 

[mark e]

Originally posted by clint:
[qb] Im just worried I'll get the ecu...then upgrade to a bigger turbo and the ecu wont be compatible somehow. Is this something to be worried about? [/qb][/b]

Yes, in terms of performance. The ECU mapping is normally tailored for a particular turbo to take account of it's dynamic properties. In my case, I've ended up with quite sluggish response below 3000rpm, but absolutely screaming above that. I'm happy enough to live with that for now as it makes the car very driveable in the lower rev range, and when I want the extra performance, I simply drop it down a gear or two...

 

[saabpulse]

So what kind of car/engine/ecu/turbo are you running, Mark?

 

[James]

Yeah, Mark, where's your Forecourt entry?

(says James, who still hasn't done his yet )

Clint, one option if you want to use your bigger turbo (and, if you have it lying around, why on earth not? ), would be to get your ECU custom-programmed rather than buying one off the shelf. It'll be more expensive, but probably more satisfying.

Maptun offer this service, I think, and I gather Abbott used to but I'm not sure if they still do. If you do go this route, make sure you stick to a reputable Saab tuner who knows how to tune / programme Trionic, not just any old generic ECU outfit.

Cheers

James