Kudos to the Saab tuning community
Sometimes you don’t know what you’ve got until you lose it….or go looking over the fence.
As some of you know, I’ve got Alfa fever. I’m looking at a 16V late model Alfa 33. I’m accustomed to at least having around 170hp available and a fair amount of torque as well. The 16V 1.7 litre boxer engine in the 33 makes around 140hp on a good day, so obviously I’ve been looking around the web for tuning guides, advice, or even vendors of Alfa tuning products online.
I’d like to bring the car up to at least 150hp if I get it, which doesn’t seem like much, but I’m having trouble finding advice or products that can achieve even that small increase.
One of the many things that’s great about Saabs is that there’s a rich online resource available with regard to tuning. There’s some brilliant forums out there (SaabCentral’s always been my forum of choice) as well as some great online vendors who provide information and advice as well as products. Between the tuner crowd at SC and the product descriptions at Elkparts and Abbott Racing, even a goose like me can learn how to get a bit more grunt out of their Saab.
The most important part, of course, is that Saabs are so easily tune-able. It’s been the case right from the first APC system. The Trionic engine management system has proven to be quite versatile and perhaps more importantly, quite protective of the engine even in a tuned state. Saabs have great power and torque to start with and a quick tweak of the ECU can improve that great base by a phenomenal amount.
In contrast, one of the few chips that I’ve been able to find for the Alfa boosts the output by around just 10hp. Luckily the car weighs in at only about 1,000kg so the power to weight ratio is still very good, as is the handling.
Kudos to the Saab tuners for all the work they do, and kudos to Saab for making a car that’s so easily tuned.
——
There’s a Saab parts and performance section in the sidebar to the right and it’ll give you all the good links for Saab tuners around the web.
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Swade, this may be stating the bleeding obvious but…… couldn’t the $$ that you are looking at using here be directed to the Viggen ?
Sorry, if Ive crossed the line here. Although I’m guessing that you are hanging on for the insurance on the Vig,
I’m fortunate to have a Saab authorised service centre (not dealer, although they do sell a few) a few miles from my house. The owner is a complete Saab freak, having tuned his 9000 to over 515bhp and their “testbed” 93SS to 325bhp (I had a go in it when it was at 285 - what a rush!) The guy really knows what he’s doing. He has very close links to the guys over at Maptun.
If it wasn’t for him being just down the road from me I very much doubt I would have tinkered with my SS. He informed and encouraged. We decided which combination of bits and pieces would work best and would future-proof me if I wanted to take things further. I’m currently at Stage1 (250bhp) with a few other non-performance additions.
As you say, Swade, it’s great being able to do things like that to Saabs. I got the Stage1 and other bits because my wife got a new car (it’s not any better than mine, it was just new) and felt mine needed a bit of a lift. Now that I’ve cancelled my TurboX order I’m very much looking forward to doing a bit more tinkering, probably Stage4 (285bhp) to give me the power that I would have had.
It’s definately a good way of finding a new found love for your car. Relatively inexpensive too.
It’s a pretty short clip, but take a look at Ranalds 9000…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_I8xmXZYMA
PT, it’s not totally dependant on a favourble outcome with the insurer in that I’ll likely sell the 900 so that I can scratch the itch with the Alfa while the Viggen’s getting fixed. Selling the 900 will likely give me some money left over after the Alfa purchase to add to the Viggen account.
If the insurance decision is favourable, then it’ll be a little bit easier to do.
Fair enough and apologies if I was prying. I still think the 166 is the one. ……..but that involves serious cash, not silly stuff.
No problemmo, cobber. The Alfa I’m looking at is around $3K. I could get 10 or so of them for the price of even an older 166
Swade,
Does this car not have the same silloutte as the viggen? It seems the itch is an obsession. Sell the other Saab, take the money you are prepared to spend on the Alfa and fix/tune the Viggen. You are a bean counter, use less of your heart and more of your pocket book. Viggen wins hands down, imagine 300bhp! vs maybe 150bhp! Parts that reqiure replacement could be upgraded tuning parts!
Brian, I’ve been an Alfa fan for longer than I’ve been a Saab fan. It’s just that in terms of ownership, I took the Saab route.
The Viggen repairs will be picked up by the insurer, all going well, and if they’re not then the Alfa’s just a temporary replacement for the 900 while I save the money for the repairs myself (but I’m quite optomistic they’ll be covered by the insurer).
It’s a long-term itch
About the Alfa tuning: I’m only aware of local tuners, but you might want to get in touch with http://www.madeno.nl. Their core business is Alfa, and I believe they even have their own racing team (with Alfa’s). They might be able to tell you where to look in Australia.
Swade.. Go to this page http://www.alfapower.nu
Or directly to their friends from abroad page
http://www.alfapower.nu/viewthread.php?tid=22896
Maybe someone in the land of rust (Sweden) could help you with tips on tuning etc.
Cheers/Tompa
Swade,
I understand the Alfa lust, but what I don’t understand is directing that lust towards a 33. If you are going to get a project car (and let’s face it, any 15 year old $3,000 Alfa is a project car, not basic transportation), you should go for something other than the entry-level model.
At least get something with that awesome V-6, or with the classic twin-cam 2l 4 cylinder motor.
You need to have something nice to look at while you are waiting for the tow truck to arrive…
Thanks for the tips, gents. Bernard, if the budget allowed for it I’d be all over a classic GTV6, but it doesn’t at this stage.
The idea is to have an Alfa as my older car for club days and a Saab as the daily driver.
I have to say I have no experience with the 33. Have you considered a 75 verde or a 164? both around 200hp and I believe they would be on the cheap ( to buy…..) I don’t know how common those cars were in your neck.
P.S. I LOVE my Alfa however I would hate to admit how much $ I have spent to keep it running……. just be warned
The picture looks nice. But I’m wondering how the Alfa compares to your current 900? Is the performance similar? worse/better? You know how it goes:
BEFORE: “I’ve gotta have one!”
DURING: “I finally have one!”
AFTER: “Maybe I shoulda kept the Saab.”
I ran an Alfa 33 for a few mnoths in 1989. Nice engine, horrid steering and clunky suspension. Torsional rigidity of a croissant.
Your are a big bloke Swade- can you afford the osteopaths bills once you have sat in those awful seats with the short leg, long arm, neck ache, no lumabr support agony design?
Do you really want one of these thing mate? Really?
RE: Saab Tuning… one word… TURBO! You will find that most NA factory engines, especially in sportier cars, are already near their limits without doing really radical stuff. Saabs have very sophisticated computers but more importantly have turbos. Tunability of turbos is always better than for non-turbo cars.
Factory Viggen is 230 HP/350 Nm, mine with Nordic software (and software only!): 280 HP/410 Nm.
It tells everything.
Saab 900 T16 1991-93 with Lucas 14.1 EFI, from 160hp/255Nm to 205hp/310Nm by turning two potentiometers @ 5 min. Cost - none.
Actually Saab has been pioneer in OEM tuning. They offered tuning kits for 96 already and turbo models (APC units mainly) got quite nice hp jumps, like 25 hp extra in eighties.
This is something I love about Saabs. You can buy “power” officially from a dealer.
If you´ll gain 10hp/10Nm extra, it is actually impossible to tell the difference. You´ll actually get much more if you drive T16 on a cold day vs hot day!
Scandinavian design, you see