The gruntiest Saab 9-3 in Hungary
Three years ago, when I first started this blog, that headline would have prompted a “they have Saabs in Hungary?” kind of line. Such was my ignorance about the various pockets of Saab popularity around the world.
Hungary’s got a very serious bunch of hardcore Saabists and this could be the beefiest amongst them. Now that the Viggen’s insurance woes are over, maybe I can start thinking about such things again?
So how beefy, I hear you ask? How about 100-160km/h in around 5 seconds? How about 412hp and around 475Nm? And how about all that 5 doors and serious load-lugging capacity?!
That’s serious beef! The tuning was primarily achieved via some Maptun modifications. You can see the Mitsubishi air duct that’s been incorporated into the 9-3’s hood, as well.
The car belongs to a friend of Ivan’s (he of the famous Saab T-shirts) and to Ivan’s knowledge it IS the most powerful Saab in Hungary right now. I’d say it’s in the upper echelons of Saabs around the world, but that’s just me (how many Saabs over 400hp would there be around the world, anyway?)
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“(how many Saabs over 400hp would there be around the world, anyway?)”
Haha, you obviously haven’t spent much time browsing sites like garaget, etc. After seeing what’s been done to Volvos and Saabs in Sweden I’ve come away with the attitude that no matter what I do to my car, there are dozens of guys in Sweden with cars that make our cars look like a 2.0 NA.
I’m curious what he did to his transmission, and if the 6-speed conversion was part of the “maptun modifications” his car has. I’d also like to find out if he has a quaife or not. Whether he has a B234 or a B235 as his base engine also makes a big difference, iirc the B234’s have no problem handling that kind of power on stock internals thanks to their all-forged internals. The B235’s on the other hand need new pistons if you want to go above ~320-330 hp thanks to GM cheapening out on Saab and using cheaper cast pistons in those engines. Finally, the question I’m sure we all want to know, what kind of snail is he using to make those numbers?
412 wheel horsepower or (estimated) crank horsepower? I mean that’s a lot of power. Is it a Viggen or just a 9-3? (2.0 or 2.3L?)
looks like fun, would love to know what all has been done to it and get some more pictures.
As far as I know:
It’s a B205E engine originally.
The wheel HP is 335.5, the loss of the transmission is estimated to 76.3, the corrected power is 421 HP.
Modifications are:
- Garrett GT 2860RS ball bearing turbocharger
- Siemens Deka 630cc injectors
- Walbro 255/LH fuel pump
- SPEC stage2 clutch 500NM+
- Proex custom pipe for the turbo
- WÖSSNER pistons
- VERDI connecting rods
- Quaife limited slip differential
- new bearings and synchro rings in gearshift
- Maptun Stage 6+ ECU upgrade
- SPAL cooling fan
- 3˝JT exhaust system with racing catalyser
- Genuinesaab engine and transmission mounts
- Forge intercooler
- Forge air intake pipe
- Forge bypass valve
- Koni dumpers
- HR springs 35mm lowering
- Goodridge breaklines
- D2 8 pistons racing breaks
- Genuinesaab rear anti-roll bar
- Genuinesaab steering rack clamp and brace
- KN air filter
- Powerflex bushings
- Mitsubushi EVO VIII air duct
The Saab F25 gearbox 6-speed synchromesh Quaife gearkit is the next project