2006 9-5 Brake Rotors

[CalLook67]

Hi all, new to the forum and looking for some answers about my recent purchase! I picked up an '06 9-5 SportCombi 2.3t a few weeks ago, it's a pretty high-mileage car at 182k and climbing, but it was sold by a very reputable and established Saab shop in my town, so I'm not too worried about it.

Being a high mileage car that I bought for relatively cheap, there are a few wear parts that I'd like to replace, first among which are the brake rotors, which look extremely old, if not original. The issue I'm running into is that I can't figure out which rotors will actually fit my car. The two size options for the front are the 308mm and the 288mm, and the rears show options of vented vs non-vented. Is there a way I could find out the correct rotors without having to take the car apart and measure them, or does anyone know which ones my car has?

On a related note, if I were to try and improve braking performance by replacing them with slotted rotors and better pads, where would I go about finding them?

Thanks!

[GeoffR]

The key to getting the correct parts is to use the VIN which can be found on the panel visible through the bottom of the windscreen (windshield to you) just in front of the driver (visible from outside). You should then be able to get a dealer to check the build spec for the car and find/order the correct parts.

[CalLook67]

The key to getting the correct parts is to use the VIN which can be found on the panel visible through the bottom of the windscreen (windshield to you) just in front of the driver (visible from outside). You should then be able to get a dealer to check the build spec for the car and find/order the correct parts.

I was wondering if I'd be better off just using the vin... thanks for the response!

[nordwulf]

2006 - 2009 models years for the USA should all have the 308mm 'Aero' discs.

Are you going to replace yourself? It's actually pretty easy to do and many tutorials available.

I often ordered parts for my 9-5 from eEuro. Interestingly, they show 286 and 308mm for the 2006 9-5.
https://www.eeuroparts.com/Cars/SAAB...6-Valve-Turbo/

Guess the only way to be sure is take of the front wheel and measure yourself.

[CalLook67]

2006 - 2009 models years for the USA should all have the 308mm 'Aero' discs.

Are you going to replace yourself? It's actually pretty easy to do and many tutorials available.

I often ordered parts for my 9-5 from eEuro. Interestingly, they show 286 and 308mm for the 2006 9-5.
https://www.eeuroparts.com/Cars/SAAB...6-Valve-Turbo/

Guess the only way to be sure is take of the front wheel and measure yourself.

I've been looking around on eEuro, among others, and they all show the same thing, both rotor sizes are listed, which is why I was getting confused. I did run it through a VIN decoder that shows it as having the Sport package, which was the closest they came to an Aero model in '06 so I'm leaning a little more towards them being the 308mm.

Having said that, I'm probably going to take your advice and just measure them with a wheel off before I wind up buying the wrong parts. I'm not in too much of a hurry, so it'll just be a good excuse to get under the car and get to know it a little better!

[GeoffR]

I've been looking around on eEuro, among others, and they all show the same thing, both rotor sizes are listed, which is why I was getting confused. I did run it through a VIN decoder that shows it as having the Sport package, which was the closest they came to an Aero model in '06 so I'm leaning a little more towards them being the 308mm.

Having said that, I'm probably going to take your advice and just measure them with a wheel off before I wind up buying the wrong parts. I'm not in too much of a hurry, so it'll just be a good excuse to get under the car and get to know it a little better!

There was most certainly an Aero in 2006 but possibly not in your market.
From experience the rotors last through two sets of pads. Depending on whether you drive a manual or auto and your driving style it is possible to get 70,000 miles out of a set of front pads.

[CalLook67]

There was most certainly an Aero in 2006 but possibly not in your market.
From experience the rotors last through two sets of pads. Depending on whether you drive a manual or auto and your driving style it is possible to get 70,000 miles out of a set of front pads.

You're definitely right, what I meant was in the U.S. there was no Aero in '06. Of course I, owner of a '67 Beetle, would blindly stumble my way into yet another one-year-only car.

[MI-Roger]

The rears get confusing too. A very few cars were built with ventilated rear rotors which use different calipers and pads. These are highly desirable but are oddball performance parts with fewer suppliers. There is a plate in the driver's door aperture which contains a string of 8-10 two digit codes separated by dashes. These codes identify the brake sizes, the spring rates, the shock absorbers, the sway bars, etc. Copy off this code and those of us with a WIS(Workshop Information System) can decode them for you. speaking of the WIS, you should locate a copy on-line and download it for your future reference. Very clunky software but invaluable for D-I-Y Service and sometimes parts info, although the detailed parts information is found in the EPC (Electronic Parts Catalog) also available on-line.

[CalLook67]

The rears get confusing too. A very few cars were built with ventilated rear rotors which use different calipers and pads. These are highly desirable but are oddball performance parts with fewer suppliers. There is a plate in the driver's door aperture which contains a string of 8-10 two digit codes separated by dashes. These codes identify the brake sizes, the spring rates, the shock absorbers, the sway bars, etc. Copy off this code and those of us with a WIS(Workshop Information System) can decode them for you. speaking of the WIS, you should locate a copy on-line and download it for your future reference. Very clunky software but invaluable for D-I-Y Service and sometimes parts info, although the detailed parts information is found in the EPC (Electronic Parts Catalog) also available on-line.

I've also noticed those wild ventilated rears, I'd love a pair of those too... Good to know about the parts info bit, I'll try and remember to look at that later today once I'm off work. I also need to remember to download the WIS software onto my laptop, that seems like it'd be more useful than just a parts catalogue.

[GeoffR]

There is a link to the WIS and EPC software downloads on this site.