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by Swade

Does the Saab 9-5 V6 have more power than stated?

December 7, 2010 in Saabology

BSR are one of the Swedish aftermarket tuning companies that deal with Saabs (and many others).

They’ve released a tune for the Saab 9-5 V6 Aero and as part of their website documentation, they include their dyno results in both stock and tuned form.

The interesting part about this is that Saab quote the 9-5 Aero V6 as having 300hp and 400 Nm (295 lb ft) of torque. BSR’s dyno results tell a slightly different story.

The solid black line, to be measured by the axis on the left, is the standard power measurement. As you can see, it drifts well above the 300hp measurement.

The dotted black line – representing standard torque – also spends a reasonable amount of time above the 400Nm (295 lb ft) measurement.

The measurements BSR get for this engine in standard form are actually 317hp and 438Nm (323 lb ft) – a significant increase over the stated factory maxima.

Peter S, the guy who emailed me about this today, figures the following is the reason why:

My guess is that Saab indeed got the same induction and exhaust changes that the Insignia OPC received, but that the agreement with GM requires that the “official” numbers tilt in GM’s favor for some certain timeframe.

I don’t know any different and I assume BSR haven’t just cut n pasted the results from one car to the other. BSR’s test of the OPC definitely lends some support to the suggestion that Saab got the modifications, even if they can’t talk about it officially.

It’s good to see 9-5 buyers are possibly getting more for their money than they first figured, according to this Swedish test, at least.

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by Swade

New BSR badges – for when you really don’t give a crap about insurance

September 11, 2009 in Saabology

I’m always wary of advertising too much about the modifications done to my car. Yes, I have a little Hirsch deer’s head on the back of my 9-3 but it’s quite subtle and wouldn’t mean much to an Aussie insurance assessor.
I’ve got a feeling that even the thickest of insurance guys might get the meaning of these ones, though.
Be that as it may, they do look alright and if you’ve got a BSR tuned car and don’t mind tipping off the curious types then these might be just what you need.
Link – BSR website.
BSR badges.jpg
BSR badge2.jpg
Here in Australia, you have to advise your insurer of any modifications to your car. Naturally, those modifications usually increase your premiums if they’re aimed at increasing the performance, speed or capability of the car.
Don’t advise and you run the risk of the company discovering the modifications in the event that you have to call on their services. If they don’t have the modifications noted, you run the risk of not being covered.

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by Swade

Wednesday Night Snippets – Ashes to Ashes edition

July 8, 2009 in Archive

The away trip with the dodgy internet connection continues….
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The ruling Swedish government aren’t doing a whole lot to push the Saab-Koenigsegg deal at present, and Di.se report that the 22-member government ministry aren’t fond of Saabs on a personal level, either.
That goes for Volvos, too.
The Swedish Wire provides the news in English:

The Swedish government struggle to get the crisis-hit auto industry back on the road. But on a more personal level the commitment to support the local brands is somewhat shoddier.
Out of Sweden’s 22 cabinet ministers only three drives a Volvo or a Saab, business daily Dagens Industri writes.
Göran Hägglund, Minister of Health and Social Affairs, drives a Volvo V70 and Eskil Erlandsson, Minister for Agriculture, ownes a Volvo S80. Minister for Development Assistance Gunilla Carlsson is the only minister that drives a Saab.

Good to see a Carlsson in a Saab.
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Al Aero’s Trollhattan adventure continues, with the following seen in the Saab factory carpark.
It’s a little bit modified compared to standard, but absolutely magnificent. My dream Saab!
SaabFactory99Turbo.JPG
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The article by Ezra Dyer on GM’s sale of Saab, which I referred to via a scan a few days ago, is now online. It’s a satirical piece with Dyer writing from a self-depricating GM’s point of view.

While [Volvo] were rolling out a modern SUV and all-wheel-drive, turbocharged R models, I was busy killing Oldsmobile and wondering if a Saab grille would fit on a Chevy TrailBlazer. (You don’t even want to know about the badge-engineered Saabs that I didn’t build. Let’s just say that Pontiac Aztek tooling was available.)

Recommended reading.
Thanks Roger!
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I didn’t know Koenigsegg had a previous tie-in with BSR, who make the excellent PPC tuning module that’s popular amongst Saab owners.
The Koenigsegg transaction does make me fear a little for Hirsch as Saab’s factory tuners, but then again Hirsch do offer a lot more than just tuning upgrades.
Thanks Martin!
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The Ashes
All of you not from cricket playing nations, feel free to tune out now…..
I love test cricket. The 5-day game is the purest form of the sport and I curse the ADHD-afflicted munchkin who invented 20-20, which might just prove to be the demise of the gentleman’s game as we know it.
But for now, another Ashes series has begun. It’s lunch on day 1 as I write this and whilst I won’t post on the series again (probably), here’s just a few observations from the opening of the latest edition of one of the greatest rivalries in sport:

  • That funny looking Welshman singing the Welsh national anthem had a fine set of lungs!
  • Didn’t anyone tell the Welsh that cricket is traditionally played on an oval?
  • It feels pretty good to have three Englishmen back in the sheds by lunch.
  • Why are the commentators only referring to the 2005 series? It’s as if the 06/07 series never happened!
  • I believe former Saab mechanic, Matt the fudgepacker, is back in Wales on holiday. I hope you’re at the ground, Matt, and if so then I expect a streak!
  • Good luck to Ben Hilfenhaus, the second Tasmanian in the Aussie lineup for this test (and already rewarded with the first wicket of the match.)

Aussie Aussie Aussie! Oi Oi Oi!!

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by Swade

BSR tuning for Saab 2.0T XWD

March 3, 2009 in Archive

Swedish tuning house, BSR, have just launched a new PPC tune for the Saab 2.0T XWD range of vehicles.

An interesting side note: The standard output of the 2.0T is rated by Saab at 210hp of power and 300Nm of torque. BSR do their own testing prior to tuning, however, and they rated their XWD Saab at 217hp and 310Nm. You’re getting more than you bargained for!
Anyway, back to the point of this whole post….

The BSR Stage 1 tune for the 2.0T with XWD delivers maximum power of 247hp and boosts torque to a massive 388Nm.

PChart_x480y540_27_522655284.png

This gives you pretty close to 2007 V6 Aero performance for 2.0T money, with XWD grip as a bonus.

Power and control.

As with the vast majority of BSR’s tuning kits, this comes in the form of a plug-and-play PPC unit, which you plug into your Saab’s OBD connector, just under the steering column. It’s brilliant value for money.

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NOTE: Prospective buyers must consider their Saab’s warranty as tuning it by this method will render your engine warranty void. Tuning by Hirsch is the only way to boost performance and still maintain your warranty.

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by Swade

BSR tune the Saab Turbo X

April 26, 2008 in Archive

BSR have trumped Hirsch by being first to produce and officially market their tuning software for the Saab Turbo X or Saab XWD Aero.
The tuning upgrade produces 300hp and a massive 480Nm of torque. That’s up from the standard 280hp and 400Nm.
The tuning is via BSR’s ppc unit, which connects up to your car through the port just under your steering wheel. When you want to revert back to your factory settings, just plug it in again and wait.
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Hirsch’s tune for the Turbo X will also produce 300hp but will top out at 430Nm in the torque department. It’s believed that tune will consist of a larger intercooler only. Uprated parts are needed to take things further but they won’t be ready for some time.
Hopefully we’ll hear from Hirsch soon.

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by Swade

BSR tuning for Saab 9-3 TTiD

March 20, 2008 in Archive

Swedish tuners and makers of the easiest re-tune module going around, BSR, have added the new Saab TTiD to their list, to awesome effect.
In standard form, the Saab 9-3 TTiD produces 180hp and 400Nm. I drove one of these in Sweden last year at the 9-3 launch and it was pure joy with its dual sports exhaust growling like no other diesel I’d ever driven.
BSR tuneBSR’s new tune will boost the TTiD to 213hp and 450Nm. As you can see on the dyno chart (click to enlarge) the torque is all available down low where you need it.
This gives the TTiD driver a 20% reduction in getting up to overtaking speed, from 80km/h to 140km/h in just 9.1 seconds in fourth gear (vs 11.5 in standard tune). From 80km/h to 110km/h in third takes just 3.3 seconds.
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If you’re unfamiliar with BSR’s stuff, I’ve written about them plenty of times (here, for example). The beauty of the BSR system is that there’s no need to remove your ECU as a part exchange or send it away for re-flashing. The BSR unit connects to your car via cable and downloads the tune information directly. When you want to return your car to it’s original tune, you just hook it up again and away you go.
BSR do tuning for a huge rage of vehicles and their units are available at their own website, or Saab tunes only at Elkparts. There’s a video at the Elkparts link to show how the whole system works.
Thanks Turbin!

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by Swade

BSR tuning for Saab performance – an overview

August 26, 2006 in Archive

Here’s a little more about those BSR tuning kits at Elkparts.

An ECU upgrade is without doubt the easiest bang-for-the-buck power upgrade you can do. After that there’s filters, exhaust, downpipes, intakes etc. But in value for money terms the ECU is the one with the wow factor.

I’m not sure that I’ll go for the BSR unit just yet. I want to compare the HP and torque curves for all the available units. But the BSR unit does seem to be incredibly convenient, with no need to actually remove and replace your existing ECU, as you have to do with ECUs from Hirsch, Abbott, Nordic or Maptun.

One important thing to keep in mind with the ECU upgrade is that the car has to be able to handle to the extra power. In the case of my Viggen, for example, it’d be pointless adding 74Nm of torque to a car that has trouble reining in the current 342 Nm of torque that it was blessed with out of the factory. Hence I’ll be doing a Viggen Rescue Kit from Abbott prior to doing the ECU. If I want to add a heap more horsepower I’d also have to consider tougher pistons as the factory ones were only rated to around 300HP.

The point? You can’t just consider these things in isolation, you have to make sure you plan the upgrades so that the car retains it’s deriveability and reliability. For the 9-5 and 9-3 SS, an upgrade like this should be fairly do-able, but if you’ve got an old-gen 9-3 like mine then plan ahead.

Anyway, for those who are interested, Elkparts have BSR units for the following Saabs (as well as the V6 unit previously mentioned). I’ve organised them in model and then model year order, so you should be able to see the potential for your own car fairly easily. The numbers in the first lot of parenthesis are your factory numbers and the numbers in the second parenthesis are either modified HP, or HP and torque gained (should be self-explanatory).

All these units are well priced and are freaky good HP/$ increases. The links below will lead you to Elkparts’ page for the item with more details and the all-important horsepower and torque curves for the selected upgrade.

Saab 9-3 1998-2002

Saab 9-3 2.3 HOT Viggen M99- (230bhp/350Nm) Stage One upgrade (+44bhp/+74Nm) – click here

Saab 9-3 2.0 HOT Aero M00-02 (205bhp/280Nm) Stage One upgrade (+43bhp/+89Nm) – click here

Saab 9-3 2.0T M00-02 (185bhp/263Nm) Stage One upgrade (+47bhp/+117Nm) – click here

Saab 9-3 2.0t M01-02 (150bhp/219Nm) Stage One upgrade (+63bhp/+102Nm) – click here

SAAB 9-3 SS, Conv 2003 onwards

Saab 9-3 Sports Saloon 1.8t (150bhp) M03- / Sports Convertible M04- Stage One upgrade (204bhp/310Nm) – click here

Saab 9-3 Sports Saloon 2.0t (175bhp) M03- / Sports Convertible M04- Stage One upgrade (204bhp/310Nm) – click here

Saab 9-3 Sports Saloon 2.0T Aero (210bhp) M03- / Sports Convertible M04- Stage One upgrade (247bhp/388Nm) – click here

SAAB 9-5

Saab 9-5 2.3 M98-00 (170bhp/280Nm) Stage One upgrade (+64bhp/+98Nm) – click here

Saab 9-5 2.0 lpt M98-00 (150bhp/240Nm) Stage One upgrade (+65bhp/+113Nm) – click here

Saab 9-5 2.3 HOT Aero M99-02 (230bhp/350Nm) Stage One upgrade (+44bhp/+84Nm) – click here

Saab 9-5 2.3 M01-02 (185bhp/280Nm) Stage One upgrade (+44bhp/+98Nm) – click here

Saab 9-5 2.0 lpt M01-02 (150bhp/240Nm) Stage One upgrade (+70bhp/+120Nm) – click here

Saab 9-5 2.3 Aero M03- (250bhp/350Nm) Stage One upgrade (+24bhp/+84Nm) – click here

Saab 9-5 2.3 M03- (185bhp/280Nm) Stage One upgrade (+44bhp/+98Nm) – click here

Saab 9-5 2.0 lpt M03- (150bhp/240Nm) Stage One upgrade (+70bhp/+120Nm) – click here

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