Date: Mon, 05 Jul 2004 12:54:15 GMT From: Bob <nonamenospamace.com> Subject: Re: 900NG handling improvement suggestions
On Sun, 04 Jul 2004 13:20:09 -0400, Hans L <hplnospam> wrote: >I think I will >start with the Koni shocks then do wheels when my tires have worn a bit >more. & then we'll see after that. Will the shocks make a significant >difference in cornering or would I want to look into the springs for >that? I suppose lowering always helps in corners (but probably not in >snow). The shocks will make a big tremendous difference in the corners. Strictly speaking, shocks do not matter in the corners since the springs of a car are what holds the weight, the shocks just slow the action of the springs. However, on a practical basis, you'll find that a stiffer shock will make a big difference. I think it has to do with the fact that you car is never going into the corner flat and the shocks do come into play as soon as you start to change the balance and fight gravity and centrifugal force. But, I've never studied it at that level. It works, that's all I can say :) The only major point of consideration is that you will be doing the same labor. If you decide you want stiffer, you will pay for the job again. If I (you :-) had the money for the springs, I'd buy the Eibach set and have them installed. They are progressive so the ride should be "normal" until you start to push them when they should push back harder. They also drop you about an inch. I would not do one of the stiffer kits. MHO. If you don;t like them, you can always pay the labor to pull them out. I guess it depends on how much "handling" you really want. As to the snow, the Saab is already a fairly high car. Installing the Saab factory sport exhaust will buy you a bit more clearance (no center muffler hanging down) on a turbo. I don't know if that works on the V6 so you'd need to check. Still, when the snow gets deep, the extra height is nice. All the kits out there will drop you .75 to 1 inch (18-25mm). Your decision. >Also, do you have a rough idea how many hours of labor I should budget >for changing the shocks? I probably wouldn't do that project myself. >And lastly, after changing the suspension will I need to have my wheels >re-aligned? I think the fronts are probably a 3 hour job (total) in the book. If you DIY, budget 4 hours and if you've never done strut cartridges before,budget 6 with a lunch break and time to run out and buy a tool or two you don't have. There might be a few minutes more labor if you change the front springs but it is literally a few minutes more, like, 15 at the most. The only thing you have to do is remove your spring compressors from the springs, crank down the new springs, and use them instead of the old ones. The rears shocks are a breeze. You can DIY in a half hour without a jack. The only catch is that you have to open up a little plastic interior panel in the trunk area with a razor to get to the top of the tower (at least on the convertible). I can give you better directions to that if you are going DIY for that part. Takes all of 15 seconds once you see where to cut. The rear springs are also DIY if you want. A lot of folks have done them and had a pro do the front. I'd guess an hour should handle both rear springs.
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