Sport Exhaust - Amp+ Door Speakers + Carbon Fiber Dash Overlay and more to come

[Burnsside42]

The story - headed out to Reading to the EPL compound to meet up with Ethan, JLausch, Jeff, Paul and Ethan's friend Frank @ about 7pm from my house last night. About 17 miles out I heard a bang and I thought I must have hit something - but all seemed OK. About 18 miles out I had a vibration start @ 75mph - started to slow down and the vibration continued. I then pulled off onto the shoulder right before mile marker 180.6 under the overpass on 422E. Got out and walked around the back of the car and found this;


Then I walked to the front and saw this!


Ain't that some shit!

Nice elder guy with the AAA flat bed showed up about 45 minutes after the call....



Once unloaded Jeff and I found that with air - the tires still held air and inflated. The R/R was also nearly flat too at this point.

After getting to the Reading Compound we partook in the tour for Frank - went and got some Pizza in the Rover, Had beer and pizza (thanks again Jeff & Paul - I owe you) while watching the James Bond Car Edition of Top Gear BBC/UK. Post this we continued the tour some more followed by messing with Ethan's FO-SPG then pulling my car into the bay.

We determined that the wheel painting I had done had been done to the bead and MUST have cause this. I removed and broke down the wheels one by one and wire wheeled the beads clean. Remounted the tires and replaced the R/F tire with a used tire from the compounds stash of waste tires. Finally done around 1-1:30 I thanked them again and headed home.

Well sure enough not even 10 minutes out - doing 55mph the vibration started again! I realized when I let go the wheel I was pulling right HARD! I pulled off again and it was the same situation all over again. R/F had come off the bead and the R/R and the L/R tires had gone just about flat.

Calling Paul I asked for help - and a proper jack and some borrowable wheels with tires. After about 15-20 minutes they showed up in the PennDot truck ready to help yet again! Tossed on Jeff's old 9-5 wheels and tires with their help and I loaded up the now to be junked wheels and tires in my car. I made it home around 3:30am this morning tired, and feeling rather defeated. lol

The all season run flats will be going on this week and I am done PLAYING with tires on that car for now.

Thanks again Jeff and Paul - I owe you a dinner!

[nordwulf]

That's quite a story, I never even would think a little bit of paint would cause tire failure like that.

[Burnsside42]

That's quite a story, I never even would think a little bit of paint would cause tire failure like that.

not even 100% sure if that IS the cause. Such a strange event. The tires seem to loose air - reason unkown. @ speeds they get hot - and then I guess this caused the one to "blow out." and come off the bead. Either event I never liked STEEL wheels and this will just continue to back that up. lol

[Burnsside42]

Installing the door speakers from a 9-5 which had the Harmon Kardon system. Speaker part number: 4616934 from a 2001 9-5 SE 3.0t Upgrade Kit number: 400106764 I am hoping they will fit/clear the door panel in my 9-3 - as I'll learn tomorrow and post pictures later. The 9-3/ng900 correct "premium" speaker part number is: 4712642 or the Saab KIT number which includes the amp is number: 400101754 The ng900/9-3 amp number is: 4712626

I may be missing the needed cable 4232807 - I hope it's a pre-install in all cars - otherwise I need to source one out.

Post this repair I will either do the dash fascia as I haven't done so yet - or recondition/waterproof the top.

Future wants - Nick's GS 3 Piece brace kit, Bilstien or Koni shocks/struts for the Viggen spring install.

[Burnsside42]

So the door speakers are "in" - they fit good enough, the corner of the door panel doesn't sit flush on the door - but it closes and there's no inerferance problems.

R/S Door Panel Removed;





Then I Installed the AMP - and I DO NEED that cable I thought - not pre-installed.





So once I get the cable - I'll be all set with the door speakers!

I have some nice aftermarket dash speakers I may install - already have the Harmon Kardon's installed and am not impressed.

[Burnsside42]

Also - pics from today - car not washed.... but figured since this car rotates tires almost as often as they go around - here's what's ON it currently post the incident with my 15" snows. I forgot i had these wheels/tires - so rather waste them and let them sit around forever - the factory 16" wheels off our 2003 9-5 linear had some almost new Michelin's on them - so I just put those on. Again - ugly wheels tend to work on this car. Go figure. Ignore the blue tarp on the back seat - that's how I carry dirty objects which don't fit in the boot

[notanothersaabstory]

love the vert!.that was the direction i was going since i kinda have a thing for verts on double delta(double y's...whatever they call em now) i have been reading alot in the forums since i've missed out on alot since i last had any kinda active saab forum presents. keep hearing bad things about the factory HK audio systems in the 9-5 but im sure you'll have a solution for that pretty soon

[Burnsside42]

I got the audio cable for the amp - just need to install it now.

I also bought new Bilstien HD strut inserts and have them with the 5 door Viggen springs in my trunk. If today is slow - I'll be installing the struts and springs.

. . . . . to be continued!

[Burnsside42]

Bilstein's are installed as are the front Viggen springs. WOW - this car drives like a nice car for once.

OEM 87K Strut Assembly Before - Pushing the 12" Fully extended.

OEM 2000 9-3 Convertible Spring Not installed - Measures about 16" decompressed


Comparison of the OEM (on the right) Sachs Boge Strut Insert next to the Bilstein HD insert on the left. Massive difference in the piston size.


Decompressed Viggen spring from a 5 door - about 15"


Installed onto the Bilstein insert and strut assembly - measures about 11"



Overall ride quality is night and day! Car actually feels like a car now. Saab should have used these from the factory. They are not as hard as I was expecting either. They ride smooth and the car creeks and rattles less oddly.

Next up is the rear springs - not shocks yet. Then a 6 point subframe brace. THEN my 17" 2002 9-5 Turbine wheels will go on for the summer

[Burnsside42]

Rear springs installed tonight -
Viggen on the Left - Stock on the Right


Hard to judge by the photo - but the stock springs where 9" while the Viggen 5 Door ones are 8.5" Not a huge physical differance.

Installed - sitting level;



Ride is nice - but I can't see any change in ride height. Guess that's kinda good. Keeps it looking stealthy!

I attempted to install the amp/radio cable - but it ended up being a defective cable. Epartsland is parts warranty-ing it for me as we speak