TurboRush

It pisses me off to see what GM is doing to Saab.  Having all these rebadged GM cars is a disgrace to the Saab company.  Just when I thought it could be getting better by seeing the 9-3 sportcombi, now I hear talk about another Saabaru.  GM needs to learn to keep the Saab heritige alive which means:

a) Creating their own original models, not rebadged ones.

b ) Not putting those GM badges on Saabs (which I hope they wion't do, anybody know?)

[post="42597"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

as far as I thought I knew, GM's partnership with Subaru (fuji heavy industries) was "no-more" but I'm not shure if that terminates any of the plans they had to build vehicles together for Saab....... hope it has put an end to it and hope they'll give Saab the green light to come up with stuff of their own and once again put value behind it's brand!

http://driving.timesonline.co.uk/article/0...1868180,00.html

key point:

But the winner here, the least cockish car that money can buy, is actually the Saab 9-3 estate you see above. If you put a Hummer H2 or a Dodge pick-up truck at one end of the scale, then this is at the other. It’s not a Hawaiian Day-Glo tank. It’s a special forces sniper.




Quiet. Unassuming. And invisible. Until you pull the trigger.

Saab was actually the third car maker to start using turbocharging but no other has persevered for quite so long. There have been some mistakes along the way. In the Eighties, for instance, your Saab would get from 40 to 70 faster than a Ferrari Testarossa, but so bad was the torque steer when that mountain of torque hit the front wheels, you had no real say where you’d be when 70 was achieved. Oh, and if you put your foot down in the wrong gear, the lag was so bad, you wouldn’t move at all.

That’s all ancient history now, though. The car I drove had a brand new Australian-built 2.8 litre V6 engine that will one day find its way into various Vauxhalls, Opels and even the next generation of Alfa Romeos. In the Saab, of course, it’s turbocharged to give monstrous potency in the mid ranges, but now all the drawbacks are gone. Now you can put your foot down wherever and whenever the mood takes you, and whoomph, everyone within range will be left wondering why the car they never noticed in the first place has just disappeared.

It’s good this. I really did fear when Saab was bought by the huge pensions and healthcare company called General Motors that some of the turbo individuality would be lost. And I was really scared when I found they were putting the 9-3 on a Vauxhall Vectra platform, but I’m happy to report that silent forced-induction kick in the back is still there. And some.

Speed, however, is only part of the Saab’s appeal. Style’s another and I have to say this is a good-looking car, in the same way that Benicio Del Toro is a good-looking man. It’s an especially nice place to sit. The seats are stunning, the dash works like a dream, especially if you know your way around the cockpit of an F-15, and the steering wheel’s half silver. The only real drawback is the most dim-witted, slothful and complicated sat nav system I’ve ever lost my temper with.

You should have seen the route it selected from Notting Hill to London City airport. An ant with ink on its feet could have come up with a better solution. And more quickly too. And it was a £1,200 option.

But this, really, is my only complaint. The boot’s vast and comes with another load space under a flap in the floor that is just about big enough for badly behaved children.

The handling’s pretty good, too, considering that under the floor it’s a Vauxhall Vectra. But the best thing is the price. The range starts at less than £18,000. And even the 2.8 litre Aero model I tested, which comes with pretty well all the toys, is less than £29,000. You’d struggle to put a similarly sized, similarly fast German car on the road for less.

And what if you succeeded? What if you did end up with a BMW or an Audi estate car? You’d be constantly aware that no cockometer was fitted because if it was it’d be constantly hovering around Defcon 1. It’d be constantly reminding you that you’d been a sheep.

The Saab has no cockometer because it doesn’t need one. You’ve deliberately gone your own way, deliberately bought something that isn’t a BMW or a Merc or an Audi. And in the process you’ve ended up with something that’s not only a little bit different, but also rather good.

BV, like wyldman said, I'd take it to shop class...... talk to you shop class teacher and make it a project to figure out whats wrong and then they can fix it. Schools can get prety good discounts on parts and you get the teachers knowledge...... Personaly, I've thought this whole time that the ticking is probably a bad valve (bent, lifter is not lifting or whatever...) and now this.... I believe you also have a failed head gasket and is allowing coolant to seap into the combustion chanber, thus raising temp due to lack of lubrication, then raising coolant temp and coolant pressure goes u and dumps more coolant in the combustion chamber.... vicious cycle that will toast your engine in a jiffy if you don't have another serious look at it before even thinking of driving it again...... If I were you, I'd do an oil change today/ tomorow THIS WEEK END to see what is up.... you could also remove a spark plug and flash a light in there to see if you can possibly notice liquid on top of the piston...... other than possibly an engine related problem.... would a clogged cat converter possibly cause the engine to overheat? I know it backs up exhaust and of course everything will get super hot and performance would diminish.... but if he doesnt find anything in the oil, could checking the cat converter also be in the books?

Ok, good because I'd hate my dad to just go an buy it then realize its junk ....... And yea, the new hoods are realy nice the way they bulge up at the front (kinda like a 3/4 ton pickup's hood on the comercial chev's) And those rims...... aaaaaahhhhh

hey z28Luvr01, is that hypertech thing worth it?

The rims were an option for the truck...... 20 inchers...... :) that was one of my first questions. hehe

Hey guys! My dad just got an '06 Silverado and is already planning on a new dual exhaust system. One day we were waching "Powerblock TV" on Spike and Stacey was tuning some truck and was showcaising a little gadget that you could "up" the hp of the engine if you were towing or you could lower hp and save gas mileage...... anyone know of this device, where it could be found or any other suggestions for engine management tuning?

Thanks!

here's the subject that will be used :)

I liked the old saturns.... the new ones scare me........ Bring back Olds!

>>"we each have our own tastes.... :cool:"<<

For some reason, I am getting increasing responses telling me my opinion is just my opinion. Wonder what's going on there?

Took a long look at this site: >http://www.autosite.se/sonett/Sonettguide/kopguidesonett.htm<
It was one of the 'flippfront' ones I saw once:

It scarred me for years afterward. It was something new to me, I certainly gave it an open-minded walkaround (numerous times), yet could not find a redeeming line on it anywhere.

Somewhere in Sweden, 1956:


Somewhere in the U.S., 1956:

[post="41692"][/post]

Those are nice pictures....surprised you took the time to look for them....



the MFI 13 (sonett II) in yellow that you have pictured above was apparently the first "production" model and isnt my favorite either....... but I do find it has a nice rear waistline..... it flows a bit better on the last production model (Sonett III).

As for your comparison, those are 2 totaly different monsters you are comparing.....

that's like putting the corvette z06 against the solstice..... different handling different drive.....


the sonett is way lighter, has totaly different choice of engine(s) (over the years) and is different caracter.... you look at lines, I look at the overall car and what it will do for me..... each car has their own caracter..... you seem to have picked yours.... I havent picked any..... I don't like buicks, you dont see me Buick bashing, now do ya <_<



To add to the nice pictures, this guy fully restored his Sonett 3 and swaped out the V-4 engine for an I4 Turbo 16v mounted on the rear and slightly extended the rear to "finish" the nice flowing lines of the car:

what the hell was she saying? couldnt make out 90% of the words..... the other 9.99% was screaming... and 0.01% was ... um.... jesus?

I had never heard or seen the '50s sonett until these boards in the past year. In that it was hand-build outside the factory without factory involvment, the '50s sonett was not a saab- by what definition could it have been?

IMO, the '60s sonett is one of the most kit-car-ish looking 'creations' I have ever walked around. I find it very difficult to believe that there is any degree of vocality calling for another based on how that one turned out... but then again there is probably a club somewhere for yugos and there is no accounting for taste. Again personally, I find it nearly induces blindness....

[post="41158"][/post]

Personaly, I find we all have our own taste and what you like and hate is not necesarely the same for your other fellow human beings........

the unreleased sonett that never made to production, I find is not all that great (this was in the 50's and styling was different)

The sonett II that this the "MFI 13" I found to be unamusing.... but what Sason created... the "Catherina" was a beauty....




The Sonett III is decent but by far, the Catherina is awesome and I'd have one in my driveway if I could get my hands on one....

again, we each have our own tastes.... B)

source: http://motoring.iafrica.com/carsinaction/shootout/477628.htm


Sven meets the Huns
By: Mario Lupini; Images: Ciaran Nunan




Almost everyone knows that the horse-drawn carriage was the progenitor of the convertible automobile. In fact all cars at the turn of the 20th century were convertibles, but the death-knell of the convertible was dealt by the Dodge Brothers Victory 6 with its revolutionary all-steel monocoque body affixed to a normal ladder type chassis.

The convertible has since become the playground for designers who have taken the shape to ever-exciting heights. In fact the convertible became the powder-puff segment of the car market.

However with its inherent weakness due to the lack of its tin-top it has lagged in suitable stiffness without its structural support and stiffness.

So any arch-car-enthusiast schooled in the ways of top road holding will discern the variances between the tin-top sibling and the open-top version as soon as corrugations are traversed on the road surface. But after all is said and done, wind-in-your-hair enthusiasts will still mumble: "To hell with all that technical jargon… I want a convertible."

And they're right. Perhaps the wind-in-your-hair and starry skies above are far more important, not to mention the knock-you-over effect convertibles have on the beholder.

Scuttle-shake eliminated

Cars now suffer minimally with the 'scuttle-shake' syndrome due to the amount of R&D that has been put into them. The recently arrived Saab 9-3 2.0 TS Aero seems to have almost eliminated 'scuttle shake' with only slightest amount discernible and this only by checking the offending minute vibration on the inside rear-view mirror on the windscreen.

To better evaluate the Saab 9-3 Convertible we managed to rustle up two of its most natural rivals, the BMW 330Ci Convertible and Audi A4 3.0 Cabriolet. To the observer there is little to choose between these beautiful, sun-seeking machines with the choice coming down to whether you fancy the now-ageing Bee-Emm over the classic, understated form of the Audi or the sleek, swooping lines of the Saab.

Due to the Saab's high waistline its standout feature is the treatment of the comparatively high rear deck with those two, neat 'streamline bulges' behind the rear seat headrests that are suitably hidden from view. They assist in hiding the protruding headrests so obvious on the Audi A4 and even more unsightly on the 330Ci.

Superb cockpits

The cockpits of the three are superb. And even though the Bee-Emm is the earliest in design terms it still stands out with the fine flowing shapes that ring the interior. The Saab is almost as delectable but the dash lacks flair and the overall interior feel has less flow in it. The Audi A4 is refined but oh-so Audi conservative.

Naturally sun-seekers will mostly be driving with the hood down and to them it should be of interest to know that the Saab soft-top can be raised and latched in 20 seconds, the Bee-Emm's in 25 and the Audi's in a more leisurely 30.

Road-holding is of a high quality on all three with the Bee-Emm having the edge with the Saab not far behind with its great improvement over its stodgy predecessors in this area. Whatever is said to the contrary, a finely balanced rear-wheel-driven car such as the BMW 330i is better disposed to road holding tuning.

The Audi instead is roped with the extra weight of the front-wheel-drive portion of its all-wheel-drive leading to it being less responsive than both rivals.

The Saab has overcome the negative idiosyncrasies of its front-wheel-drive set-up with a suspension layout that has been extensively upgraded, in particular the addition of ReAxs self-steering rear end on its advanced multi-link suspension.

The Saab is somewhat lighter than its two rivals as both house bigger and heavier 3-litre 6-cylinder mills while the Saab uses a much lighter 4-cylinder 2-litre 16V DOHC motor… with a turbo. And that offers a wonderful power-to-weight ratio, which in turn assists in attaining better dynamic results. As a matter of interest the Aero is some 30kg lighter than the Bee-Emm with 14kW more power.

Comparing fuel consumption

One need only check out the fuel consumption figures to see the results. At 9.7 litres per 100km it gains a huge amount over the BMW's 11.5 and 11.3 of the Audi. It should be remembered that a turbocharger effectively adds the equivalent 50 percent of cubic capacity and power to an engine while being so much lighter. And when you consider the gains in test performance terms they are particularly pleasing. The Saab 9-3 Aero comes out tops. And as neither the Bee-Emm nor the Audi open-tops has the latest-generation engines under their bonnets they will continue to play second fiddle to the quick Swede.

The best way to compare performance is over the standing quarter mile where the Aero's elapsed time of 16.1 seconds and top speed of 147km/h make it a sure challenge to the evergreen 330i's 16.3 and same exit speed.

But where the Saab scores well over its rivals here is its EuroNCAP 5-star safety certification gained in June 2004. Its DynaCage rollover system with heavily reinforced windscreen and active pop-up bars that assist interaction with airbags, belts and other features is a big plus factor.

Plenty of extra features

The three have a host of features to long to mention here. Some of the more interesting on the Aero are the CargoSet Self Expanding Trunk, SAHR (Saab Head Restraints) that assist in reducing serious neck injuries by 75 percent, AVR (Advanced Voice Recognition) and foldable exterior mirrors. To take care of its top performance a Sports Chassis Kit is in also in place with a 10mm lowered suspension and stiffer shocks.

At R459 000, the Saab Aero 2.0T Convertible 6-speed competes well in price terms when compared to the R476 000 of the BMW 330i Convertible AT or the R483 000 of the Audi A4 3.0 Cabriolet AT. And with the Saab Convertible you have something else that wind-in-your-hair buyer seeks. The two Germans are old-hat in terms of the market and with the sort of individualism open-top exhibit the rarity value of the Saab Aero is another factor they will find to their liking.

And perhaps there has been some turmoil in the Saab market of late, but with the muscle of GM behind this fine marque these minor problems are now a thing of the past.

original source: http://motoring.independent.co.uk/features/article325419.ece

If you think the Saab Sonett is a late 1960s-to-1970s fibreglass-bodied coupé that embodies a forgotten, sportier side of Saab, think again. The Sonett actually started life in 1954 as one of the most revolutionary and advanced examples of post-war car design. It was a uniquely constructed open-topped two-seater that looked like a cross between an MG and an Alfa Romeo. Yet it was years before this stillborn wild child of a Scandinavian design group actually became the Saab Sonett.

In Swedish "Sa natt" means "How nice", which is what the legendary Swedish car-designer Sixten Sason is supposed to have said when his first body for the car was finished and mounted on its chassis with a smoky two-stroke engine.

Unlike its 1950s contemporaries, the original Sonett did not have a tubular steel fabricated body nor a floppy monocoque with more shake than a jelly. Instead, the Sonett boasted a unique body made from a blend of aluminium sheets and plastic moulded panels weighing only 70kg, that were bonded together to form a stiff, aviation-style, stressed hull. It would be years later that Colin Chapman created the original Lotus Elite's fibreglass unitary monocoque body, and decades before a car-maker made an aluminium car.

The original Sonett 1 was dreamed up by Rolf Mellde - Saab's suspension and engineering genius. Along with Sason, the Saab team included Lars Olov Olsson and Olle Lindkvist and Gotta Svensson. With them, Mellde created an alternative Saab to the firm's teardrop-shaped 92-93 range of steel-bodied family saloons. They cooked the car up in a barn at Asaka, half an hour's drive from Trollhattan, mostly in their own time. Saab management let the geniuses get on with it, without actually being officially involved. On seeing the Sonett, Saab whisked it off to become an official motor-show prototype of their new sports car: the ultra-light Sonett could do 130mph from 57bhp.

Despite various plans and projections, and despite a great reception from press and public - including in America - Saab's exquisite little car never made it to production life: At one stage Jensen were to build the bodies in the UK, but Saab faltered. Only 6 were made before the idea died.

But, in 1966 the idea of a sporty Saab coupé came to the fore again. By this time Sason had designed another pretty, fibreglass, Italianate coupé - the Catherina - that showed the world a lift-out, stowable, targa-style roof for the first time. Saab decided to push a coupé into production, yet the Catherina design was not chosen: instead the work of Bjorn Karlstrom with another Swedish aircraft company named Malmo Flygindustri was taken up by Saab's management. Karlstom's car was called the MFI 13. Given that it had a plywood rear floor, the "MFI" tag seems apposite, but it became the Sonett II.

Premiered at the 1966 Geneva motor show, the two-stroke-engined car had a steel chassis with conventional tubular reinforcements. Draped over the top was a delicate looking fibreglass shell with an early use of a large, wraparound, glazed rear window. From 1966 through to 1970 the pert little Sonett II evolved with typical Saab product-development. In 1968 it gained the V4 engine from the Saab 96.But, by 1970 the car was looking odd, with scoops, engine bulges and stylistic fiddlings: only 4,000 were sold.

So Saab commissioned a revised Sonett. This Sonett III was a long-nosed coupé with overtones of Italian exotica - as penned by the Milanese designer Sergio Coggiola. Saab did however get its own in-house artist Gunnar Sjogren to style much of the new Sonett's plastic body-details.

The spec included moulded seat-pans, and trim items from the Saab 96 and 99 ranges - including the alloy wheels from the 99EMS. The Triumph-style flip-top bonnet of the Sonett II had gone, and, despite the addition of the new Saab corporate grille and US-style bumpers, the Sonett had an elegant style and sold well - notably in the eastern seaboard states of the USA. The Sonett III survived until 1974, with the final cars mostly being sold in racing colours; many remain in use and for sale at cheap prices in California today. In the USA Sonetts scooped up many sports-car racing wins in the 1980s, with Jack Lawrence and his tuned V4 injection Sonett proving that the it might not have rallied, but it could race. A one-off soft-top was also created.

The Sonetts also had a strong following in Britain and Europe. Many enthusiasts dream of another Sonett - a sports coupé that would revitalise the company, yet most know that it would, in light of recent dictates from Saab's owner, end up being a General Motors marketing lash-up.

How sport combi first started.... info directly from saabmuseum.com

The Saab 98 project, originally referred to as X14, began just two years after the production of the Saab 99 started. The X designation conjures up a mystique in the project that was never really there, but it did serve to open motor industry eyes to a new concept termed by Saab as Combi Coupé.

The Combi Coupé was essentially a hatchback that was a cross between a comfortable family saloon and an estate car. Just into the new year of 1974, the Saab 99 Combi Coupé had been introduced and Saab was debating the merits of applying the same concept to the Saab 96.

The design, led by Björn Envall, was based on the floorpan of the Saab 95. The prototype was assembled by Italian Sergio Coggiola who had also worked with Saab on the styling of the Saab Sonett III.

The Saab 95 was already a practical family car positioned in the market just below the Saab 99 and as such Saab decided that the Saab 98 was not worth putting into production.

The only ever example of the Saab 98 sported a plastic grille and was finished in a new colour for that model year, Sienna Brown.

NICE!!!!! hard to make out what is what with all the chrome but very nice!!! This one would be my trim model of preference if I were to buy one and if they produced the Turbo model./

Sweet.

Josh, SAAB might be dead in the water, but GM has only invested a very minimal amount in it, namely the 9-3 and the badge-job 9-2X and 9-7X.

If GM actually puts some money into SAAB and gives it new product, it might do very well.

[post="36410"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Dido, Right on the money......


Once GM has the time to truily focus on Saab (probably after its done with Cadillac, followed by Buick and Pontiac), then they will be able to build Saab back up the way it should have been a long time ago..... Let's hope that when they get around to Saab that it won't be too late!

Sales are already up this year (especialy in europe) and the 9-3 is selling decently..... that's just the beginning...

I'd like to meet prety much everyone on here.... very interesting bunch..... Wouldn't mind meeting up with Sixty8, BlackViper, and other diy'ers in this forum so we can share some knowledge and prolly help eachother diy projects.... (too bad we all live like 800 miles apart or something) Harley earl, Croc, probably be able to shoot an interesting conversation....... I don't post enough on C & G for you guys to realy be able to know me..... (used to be Dans900 before C & G's down time) All in all, most of you guys are all big car buff's like me and would all be interesting to meet! (GM car buffs realy)

I think the VQ Nissans have the most Godawful exhaust notes this side of rice. It sounds so mechanical, so synthetic, and almost whiny. Very irritating. There's a clear distinction between an FX35 and 45.

Honestly, I like the Northstar exhaust. Pleasant, subdued, and composed at idle and under moderate acceleration, but give 'er the guns and she sound beautiful.

[post="33522"]<{POST_SNAPBACK}>[/post]

Oh god, that's exacly what I think of the infinity burble...... it sounds like a computer generated sound.... so artificial... :angry: Nothing like a true american/european v-8.... they're the only ones who seem to be able to make a decent sounding engine..

-The original Jeep Cherokee -Ford Bronco II -GMC 1500 (Yukon? not shure if it was a yukon or a blazer or something) I'm actualy getting back in the groove of wanting an old truck....... I'm sort of inclined towards a bronco with their inline 6 and possibly adding a turbo to it or something.... that's in my dreams though....not shure if it will reach production in my driveway... hehe

All these changes help the driver feel more in control of the car on challenging roads, and not at the expense of the 9-5's excellent ride quality. It remains a great long-distance traveller and offers greater ride comfort than its rivals from Audi BMW and Volvo.

This is the part that got me the most..... all in all, I was sorta blown away at the good review.

I realy like the idea of stainless steel bed rails in the cargo area for tie-down of your load..... I'd have to say the car is growing on me too.... Can't wait to see the fully redesigned one in 2009 or 2008...whenever it will be

Ummmmm yeaH I think I fall in this category........ in order of first car to current... 1. '99 olds alero - lease in 2002 2. '88 boneville - bought in 2003 3. '93 cutlass supreme - bought in 2004 4. '02 saab 9-3 SE - financed in 2004 5. '92 saab 900 - bought 2005 6. '89 saab 900 Turbo - bought 2005 (2 months ago) and I'm 21. number 4,5 and 6 are still in my driveway but only two are being driven (number 4,6). I may buy a 4th saab next summer......... possibly next fall...... HELP!

Check out the review on this site...... I find it to be a prety comprehensive review...

http://www.parkers.co.uk/choosing/carrevie...x?model_id=1428

I say throw a turbo on the 3500 and make it an ss

I don't realy like the 2.2.......... it's lackluster...... the 2.4 on the other had has better low end grunt and is a much nicer engine to drive...

I like the new 9-5 but the headlights bother me. Why do they have to extend so far down the side of the car? If they stopped the headlights b4 they got to the side of the car it might look better. The interior looks...ok, but overall its a good design.

However, I'd still buy a 9-3. It looks better and less awkward.

[post="22545"][/post]

Dont know if some of you guys have noticed but on a Saab, when you put the car in reverse, the extension of the headlights to the side is designed to illuminate around the car so you can see what is beside you.

Look closer on the older 9-3's and 9-5's and you'll se that the lights have an ofset that sticks out and when reverse engaghed, the whole side of the headlight lights up the curb and then some.... mucha safer and kinda neat if you ask me!


Check it out: