SAAB of the week – Moscow Edition
November 27, 2011 in Hirsch
It is quite a long time since a SAAB of the week of presented here on SU. Please welcome Sergei and his 9-5 Aero fully loaded by Hirsch – 280+HPs, 19”rims, exterior/interior, everything!
Now Sergei is casting different spells on the engine – new custom made intercooler, blow-off already installed and more to come!
Enjoy the pictures!
More after jump!
NC said on November 27, 2011
A true Saab fan. Many people here own OG9-5s, but very few even keep them in a decent condition, not to mention proper modifications. Much respect to Sergey.
Wish we had the luxury of some “Bring Hirsch to Russia at last, and please do not make crooks distributors this time” campaign. But, without a proper Saab importer itself and with the whole situation as it is now, it may just be not the best time.
ValS said on November 27, 2011
All of us wait for the resolution – and the distributor for Russia and CIS also.
Henrik said on November 27, 2011
nice car and very very nice pictures, amazing!
mike900 said on November 27, 2011
Beautiful car and photos!
I’ve always been a 900 / 9-3 hatch man personally…. but your car makes me want to own a 4 door sedan one day
Aeropilot said on November 27, 2011
I really love those rims BUT I must warn you they are NOT made for the 9-5 !
I tried once on my Aero but these Hirsch 19″ rims have ET 41 mm where normal 17″ rims for the 9-5 have ET 49 mm.
The rims are also 1″wider with 8″ so total you need 20,4 mm (half inch + 8mm)more space outwards in the wheel arches. This is NOT available in the rear unless you modify the car body !
The tires will touch the the body with load or passengers in the car.
Furthermore I got a reply from Hirsch that the rims was certified for the 9-3 only, and NOT for the 9-5, -so I had to return them to my dealer
BTW 19″ with 235 /35 ZR19 tires ruins the comfort. -it’s sport only !
OliverH said on November 27, 2011
I think there will be no such different to the 18” rims on the Troll/ TrollR or the so later called Saab-Performance modells. My Saab-Performance 95 has the 18” Hirsch rims. With the Hirsch springs and dampers the car is more comfortable than i wish the car to be. So if fitted with stronger springs the car would be a blast and i think the problem with rim to body could be avoided.
I don’t think 19” rims are so bad. But 280+ HP will be to much for the car. I get rid of the front tires in about 14.000 km or so. The wheels keep spinning in the 2nd gear if you push the 95 – and also has grip loss in 3rd.
Ladeef said on February 10, 2012
it’s called rolling the fenders, not a big deal really
A-RO 95 said on November 27, 2011
@Aeropilot – Thats the (dis)advantage of those of us who live where such things are strictly regulated and controlled! With the offset being less than for the 9-5 there is meat in the wheel hub and in some countries it is a case of just machining this away!
On the otherhand I thought the 9-3 and 9-5 had different PCD as well which would make an adapter necessary which in turn reduces the offset further!
Aeropilot said on November 27, 2011
A-RO.
Well I was not prepared to do any machinery on the the rims.
If I did they would only fit my 9-5′s !
Alternatively:
Owing 2 x 9-5 Aeros I would have to modify the Wheel arches on both my cars, and dropped it because of the inner plastic arches mounted inside which are hold in place by the steel arches.
I was thinking of mounting the Nivomat dampers (for the wagon) as well in my sedan’s but dropped that too.
So ended up with 17″ (Alu 36) for normal and winter driving (Alu39) and 18″ (double three spoke) for fun
The Pitch Circle Diameter on the 9-3 and 9-5 (98-09) are the same:
5 X 110mm, hub 65mm.
older Saab eg. 9K = 4 x 108 and you need adaptors for 5 bolt rims.
Btw my favorite rims on OG 9-5 are the 18″ New Inca’s.
Hmm.. it’s nearly christmas
Lundin said on November 27, 2011
Wow,that’s some really cool pics! There is something “raw” about the OG 9-5 pre face lift that makes it sharp and iconic.
Thanks for sharing.
Peter, Sweden said on November 27, 2011
I agree, it’s a stunning design. But it actually is the face lifted version (the first face lift, whereas the second face lift is the Dame Edna-version).
Lundin said on November 27, 2011
Oops, thanks Peter, i only had the Dame Edna thing in my head! =)
Remdu67 said on November 27, 2011
Golfhunter said on November 27, 2011
Those photos are gorgeous ! And this 9-5 looks awesome
JohnA said on November 27, 2011
Sergeiiiiiiiiiiiiii………………..;)
tcastaldi said on November 28, 2011
Very cool pics, but am I the only one that noticed how fake some of these pics look? Again very cool, but very fake.
gunteman said on November 28, 2011
I believe it can attributed to HDR effects and a bit of post processing. Not fake, just augmented.
Jeff said on November 28, 2011
When I look at these pics, I’m reminded how much I love black paint, and the first thing I think is “wow, beautiful.” The second thing is, “ugh, swirl marks.”
Baver said on November 28, 2011
Isn’t that the truth. My first 9-5 was a ’99 SE with a rear spoiler, Black. Beautiful….until I washed it. Then, I couldn’t take my eyes off the damn swirl marks. Swore that day, no more black cars. Now, I live on a gravel road where silver is, unfortunately, the only way to go. Granite Gray on the NG 9-5, turns out to show way more “crud” than standard silver. Oh well…..
gunteman said on November 28, 2011
I think the OG9-5 Sedan is absolutely exquisite! A brilliant design by Mr Hareide, which deserved a better fate than the face lifts it received.
Even if it’s a common car here in Sweden, I often get comments like “Damn, that’s a good looking car!”. My 9-5 is a vanilla spec 9-5 SE -00 Cayenne Red. It still looks new and interesting, compared to many modern cars.
dickerin said on November 28, 2011
Nice! Great photography.
StateofNine said on November 29, 2011
Awesome looking 9-5! Nice job!