RITmusic2k's 2000 Saab 9-3 Viggen **dyno day results 12/6**

[FDSpirit]

I wouldn't be able to sleep . Its always nice to bring a car in to get work done and notice the HUGE difference afterwards. Not as major as your work, but when my Corolla got the o2 sensor and old exhaust replaced, my car felt brand new. I couldn't stop smiling.

[RITmusic2k]

OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD.

SO f**k AWESOME. DETAILS TOMORROW!

[FDSpirit]

your wordgasm broke the page

this

[RITmusic2k]

Okay, so here's the scoop on the new goodies.

First and least significant, I had two uprated motor mounts installed previously, leaving one stock. The third mount is now uprated and my engine/tranny are nice and tight with the rest of the car. It adds a small measure of cabin vibration when stopped, but nothing uncomfortable.

Now, the big stuff. I rolled up to the shop last night and my guy had the car out front ready to go. He told me to take it for a spin around the block and put my seal of approval on things before coming inside to square up. So, I get in the car like usual, and depress the clutch pedal to start the car, and damn near push the pedal through the firewall

Since I bought Carmen, she's had a very very heavy clutch. In my usual exaggeratory style, I'd say its clutch was as heavy as a tank's clutch is, if only tanks had clutch pedals. Without exaggerating, I'd say pedal effort was on par with my rommate's Ram 1500 turbodiesel. Heavy.

Not so anymore.

Now the pedal effort is feather light and has been the hardest part of getting used to the car's new driving dynamics. So, I started her up and she definitely idles slightly more lopey... but still pretty smooth. So far so good. Now time to try to get her to move. The combo of race carbon clutch and flywheel that weighs half as much as the old one means that the car is much more touchy, but blessed with Viggen low-end idle torque, I found I could still just about no-gas launch without stalling. I definitely got it close to stalling a couple times, but all in all, it was much less of an adjustment than I thought it was going to be. The clutch bites pretty hard and it's kinda crunchy-feeling if I engage it gently, but it's silent. No screech, no chatter, no nothing that I was warned about.

The fresh transmission fluid was a godsend, it turns out; I used to have trouble pulling the shifter out of each gate; the feeling is like synchro blocking on the way in from a poorly-matched shift. Well, that's gone. I can shift with one finger now, into and out of any gear. Beautiful.

So, how does she drive? LIKE A GODDAMN CRAZY PERSON. BUT IN A REALLY GOOD WAY. I have to relearn my shift timing because the engine revs up and down so much more freely now; it reminds me of a BMW straight 6. Which is to say "awesome". Because of my crazy double-clutching regimen I'm already intimately aware of my target RPMs during shifts, and there is just about no slip at any time. If I'm off by a bit (and I will be until I learn how quickly to shift or how gently to blip), it doesn't matter because the engine syncs up so easily now. It snaps up and down like a DSG, I swear.

The entire car has felt like it has lost weight, and not just the seven pounds I shaved off my flywheel. The shifts are done RIGHT NOW and I can accelerate RIGHT NOW after completing a shift; it's like this new setup just negates inertia. The car really seems to speed up and slow down more urgently all the time. It's such a delight and it's buttery smooth and it's everything I knew I'd love before I even got it done, and now that it is done I see that it's even more than I thought it would be. I'M SO HAPPY RIGHT NOW! Everybody drop what they're doing and get these parts installed in their cars. NOW!!!!!!!!

[RITmusic2k]

Another thing I thought of after driving back from lunch today... it was good for me to have the loaner car that I did, because it reminded me of how tight and powerful and how well-maintained my own car is. I was in a 9-3 SE that was a year or two older, but had fewer miles than Carmen. It was still alright, but it was clearly a mechanic's car. The interior hasn't held up, the suspension was so swoopy and droopy, and it just couldn't pull forward like I think it should. I am so fortunate to have found the car that I did.

[watkins]

Since I bought Carmen, she's had a very very heavy clutch. In my usual exaggeratory style, I'd say its clutch was as heavy as a tank's clutch is, if only tanks had clutch pedals. Without exaggerating, I'd say pedal effort was on par with my rommate's Ram 1500 turbodiesel. Heavy.

Are you on crack? Ive used a lot of clutches and I can say without a doubt that the factory Viggen clutch is absolutely perfect. A Mustang cable clutch is a tank clutch. Theres nothing overly heavy about a Viggen clutch. It feels sturdy.

[ElectroGhandi]

Without exaggerating, I'd say pedal effort was on par with my rommate's Ram 1500 turbodiesel. Heavy.

You can get the Ram 1500 with a diesel?

[RITmusic2k]

Since I bought Carmen, she's had a very very heavy clutch. In my usual exaggeratory style, I'd say its clutch was as heavy as a tank's clutch is, if only tanks had clutch pedals. Without exaggerating, I'd say pedal effort was on par with my rommate's Ram 1500 turbodiesel. Heavy.

Are you on crack? Ive used a lot of clutches and I can say without a doubt that the factory Viggen clutch is absolutely perfect. A Mustang cable clutch is a tank clutch. Theres nothing overly heavy about a Viggen clutch. It feels sturdy.

Maybe there's nothing overly heavy about a Viggen clutch, but my understanding is that there was something wrong with mine, and that it was not supposed to be as hard as it was...

And EG, yes, the 1500 could be fitted with the Cummins beast. That truck is crazy.

[watkins]

Maybe there's nothing overly heavy about a Viggen clutch, but my understanding is that there was something wrong with mine, and that it was not supposed to be as hard as it was...

Perhaps. Yet I would think that more issues would be caused by or related to such a condition.

[ElectroGhandi]

And EG, yes, the 1500 could be fitted with the Cummins beast. That truck is crazy.

What year is it? It might be an old one, since I had previously thought only the 2500 and 3500 could be had with the Cummins.

[RITmusic2k]

I'm saying this from memory, as I'm at work right now and can't look at it to double check... but yeah, even the wikipedia page says that there were no 1500 diesels. Hmm. Anyway, his truck is the 1994-2001 body style, quad cab w/ suicide doors and a longbed, 2X4, Cummins. Maybe it was a bastard child, because what he has doesn't sound like a typical configuration.

[ElectroGhandi]

I have no idea what type of car I want to get after the Rodeo. The Ram 2500 with the 6 speed and Cummins is a possibility, as is the Ford Focus. You can see the diversity.

[RITmusic2k]

Get both, put the Focus in the bed of the Ram, drive whichever one you need to for each occasion

[FDSpirit]

Hey, I was just watching that video on the 1st page. What CD deck do you have? I'm pretty sure you and I both have the same Alpine deck

[RITmusic2k]

Don't really know which model; it was there when I bought it and I haven't done anything with the sound system.