So....looks like winter has arrived early this year :roll:

This'll be my first winter owning "extreme performance" summer tires - Toyo R1R, 140AA. I have the stock wheels and S. Drives with which I'll park the car for the winter. The question I'm trying to have answered is exactly when is it a good idea to move the 140 tires inside so they don't turn to shit. No one I've asked seems to have a concrete answer.

This is what Toyo says:




So, it seems like anything 15F or under and they'll be physically damaged. So....its ok to say, drive a couple more times on them before storing around thanksgiving/start of December? What I've read is that they'll generally suck/border on dangerous under 40F, but I'm more worried about physically damaging the rubber.

What say you?

Snowing where you are? Big doggin' it here. The road is actually covered. Me and my little jeep are gonna to try to wreak ourselves if it gets any "worse."

I know we have quite a few Jeepers on here now. I have a 99+ 4.0L intake manifold that I need to get rid of. I paid $75...guess what I am asking for it? I have bead blasted it and clear coated it and it looks newer than new. Completely bare and ready for your injectors and rail. Direct bolt on for 97-98 Wranglers, XJ's etc. and mods required for 96 and older such as a different PS pump bracket. Supposedly flows better and complements other intake side and head work.

1 15in steel rim for XJ or Wrangler - I paid $30 for this for some reason at a Junk Yard. If I could get $15 it would make my day. Great for a spare.

So I had to change the oil in this thing recently and figured I would write up a project/review/why the hell did I/we buy a SAAB.

Backstory:
My wife used to own a Mazda CX-7, and well it was a great car, Casey loved the size of it, but it had shitty mechanics, literally, the mechanics that worked on the car were retarded. The turbo seals blew on the car, which the engine was famous for, ask any Mazdaspeed 6 owner. Once the seals were replaced, the cam shaft was cracked at some point and time, during disassembly/reassembly, WTF ever happened. DonÔÇÖt take your car to WHITTEN BROTHERS IN RICHMOND/MIDLOTHIAN. Casey was sick of the car and ordered the Focus, as soon as the CX7 was fixed it was dropped off at the Ford dealer and traded. Since she was traveling a lot for work the MPG bump helped, and her dads FORD employee discount.

So she missed the size of the SUV, and with me getting the Hatchpile, I am thinking tow vehicle. So we checked on what we owed/trade-in on the Focus, turned out we owed less then trade in. I was thinking, new focus will be out soon, thus our focus's value will drop like a rock, so we started looking.

Options/Requirements:

Casey wanted an SUV, I needed V8s for towing, we wanted some nice options, leather, heated seats, HIDs, etc etc.
Casey doesnÔÇÖt like the size of a Tahoe/Denali, so that severly limited us to a smaller SUV with a V8.

BMW X5- Could be had in our price range but I read of transmission issues in the mileage range we could afford

Grand Cherokee- Read of transmission problems here too, and well, itÔÇÖs just not that nice on the inside.

Saab 9-7X ÔÇô Casey and I both liked it, obviously, GM reliability, GM Power, nice Swedish styling, nice upgrade in interior over the Denali

Envoy Denali ÔÇô Same as above, but preferred the styling/interior of the SAAB

V8 Pathfinder ÔÇô Rare find, since they just started producing the pathfinders in V8, and not many have hit the used market.

V8 4runner- OVERPRICED

So WHY A SAAB!?!?!?!

GM 5.3L V8 = Proven powerplant
6500lb tow rating.
Thats all I really have to say about why..
But seriously, this car shares the GMT360 chassis with the GMC Envoy, Chevy Trailblazer, Buick Rainer, Isuzu Ascender.(I donÔÇÖt think I left anyone out.) So parts are easily found/available/cheap. ItÔÇÖs a proven platform, it was around from 02-09, my parents have an Envoy and it has 200k on the clock, and have yet to have a single issue. The GM engine/tranny combo is hard to beat, it looks great, and was very affordable.

SAAB FOUND:
We looked around and found 2-3 in the area for a descent price, two 5.3i, and one Aero (6.0L LS2 version). The Aero was a little out of our price range unfortunately. Sowe went to the better mileage/priced 5.3i at a Lexus dealer. We went, took it for a spin, and Casey loved it, but wouldnÔÇÖt admit it, the V8 Gas mileage scared her, but she doesnÔÇÖt travel for work anymore unless Wells Fargo is paying.

Slept on it and went back the next day to sign the paperwork.




SPECS ON THE WHIP:
54k Miles
Black, SAAB 9-7X 5.3i
GM 5.3L V8 with Displacement on Demand (17/20MPG)
All Time AWD
Rear LSD
Rear Self Leveling Air suspension
Tan(Cashemere) Leather Interior
Dual Climate
Heated seats
Sunroof
6-disc Bose sound system
HIDs
20in RIMMZZZZ
Tow Package (standard)

Only option not on the car was the rear entertainment system.


REVIEW:

So far so good, we did have 2 hiccups when we first got the car.

#1 one of the TPS went bad, thus the Tire Pressure light came on during the test drive, replaced by the Lexus dealer we purchased from.
#2 was a bit more serious, when I am driving, and turning left, but ONLY left the car would completely shut off. Like someone reached over and just turned the key to off. This never happened to Casey, EVER. So the Lexus dealer we purchased it from told us to take it to SAAB. SAAB mechanic, could get the problem to repeat every single time, Casey went in to check on the status and talked with the Tech, mentioned it never happened to her. He had a smaller tech try and repeat the problem, nothing happened. Found out, when my fat ass was driving and turned left, my weight would shift and lean against the center console, where the ignition is. THERE WAS A LOOSE PIN IN THE IGNITION HARNESS. Shake the console the car would turn off, lean against it same deal. Mechanic fixed the pin, Lexus paid for the work, has never happened again.

So anyways..

Handling: Handles well, for an SUV, the suspension on the SAAB is ÔÇ£EuropeanÔÇØ tuned, has bigger swaybars and sits an inch lower, also slightly stiffer spring rates. It definitely handles better then the Envoy, without sacrificing ride quality.

Power: the car does not have a problem merging on to the interstate, with 300hp and 330lb-ft, you have to watch your speed or else your going well beyond the speed limit in no time.

The car is very comfortable, aside from the shitty tires on the car now, Nexens. There is little road noise, the seats are nice, and seem to have worn well, there are very few rattles/squeaks. Lots of room, for us and the dogs. So far we have put about 6k miles on it since we got it in August, lots of weddings/trips to the track this summer.

Only towed an empty trailer with it, but it wasnÔÇÖt even noticeable back there, I know adding another 2k lbs to the back will make me notice, but I have talked to numerous people who have towed 4k lb boats, and car trailers without an issue.

MPG is to be expected, we have an Avg of 17-18. I have gotten as high as 20 with HWY cruising, and as low as 13 when I left my foot in the gas.

Overall we love the thing, has power, looks good, and makes the wife happy. Plus I love the looks/comments of WTF I get from people, A SAAB SUV? I didnt even know they made one. Im anxious to see how well it does in the snow, assuming we get some this winter.

No plans for major mods, I cant sell Casey on a cam and dual exhaust. So, the only thing I am considering is getting the ECU reflashed for better towing, a trailer brake controller, maybe a larger transmission cooler, and an OBD2 gauge to hook up to monitor the transmission temps when I am towing. But, all of that ainÔÇÖt happening until I get a trailer. I plan on getting this thing detailed hopefully next month, so actual pics of our car will show up then.

The GF's car needs some bodywork and I'm trying to shop for a good place to get the work done withing about a 2 or 3 hour radius of Nova. I'm thinking she can get a much better deal outside of Nova but I want to see if anyone knows of any reputable body shops. Got any recommendations?

I'm just throwing this together for now but anywayyy, all prices are mm pricing

2x brand new oakley gascans in black 85
1x ALMOST brand new oakley gascans in white 85
1x Oakley batwolf's with changable o's 190
1x Electric charges 150

Sti stuff

Sti wing already painted silver 230
Wingless trunk, a bunch of dents from ups fucking me hard. I'm looking for 200... i paid 300 shipped for it and ups wouldnt take it back (long story)

pics:



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Inspired by my latest food endeavor, I created this thread. Where are your favorite places to eat around Harrisonburg or whatever town you live in? No chains allowed in this thread. Hole in the wall, mom and pop shops only. I am a foody and always looking for new places to eat. I know I'm not the only one who likes to eat so let's see what ya got. No pics? Don't post. No one likes to read about some amazing food they can't see.

I'll start this thread off with my lunch today. Took a trip to the taco truck off Resevoir St (near the intersection of Cantrell). I got 3 tacos. 1 Carnita, 1 Spicy Pork, 1 Chorizo. Cilantro, onions, and red salsa on top. Damn they were good. My friend got a quesadilla with chorizo. Only got a picture of mine but his looked damn good too.

So there is a CDC autox on Saturday and a Test and Tune on sunday.

Saturday is 6 runs
Sunday is however many runs till you get tired (literally I end up just stopping even though I could get more)

I am looking for a co-drive for both days and offer to pay your entry fee both days. Thats right, you let me co-drive your car, I COMPLETELY pay for your weekend. I dont care what it is, as long as its not automatic (or has to be something ridiculously awesome in which case I would).

You will also get the ability to co-drive my M3 on another autox weekend. However, I wont have it available at this one, its still at the cage shop.

So the other thread can die I figured I would start this one so that I can chronicle my journey with this car. Because it has been an interesting one already. :lol:

Story: Traded in the keys to my TL-S, negotiated what I thought was a fair deal for my trade in and this car. Searched high and low to find a properly optioned, low-mileage, CPO example with a 100k warranty. It turns out it was in California.

Car ships in just over a week. Take delivery and immediately make the 400 mile round trip to Atlanta. Without going into all of my impressions and raves about how much I enjoyed the car on this trip, the one glaring thing I noticed was a wet rear interior rear passenger airbag panel after a hard rain that night. Dropped the car off at Cadillac of South Charlotte as soon as I returned and picked up a bawlin DTS loaner. Looks like the car will be in the shop for about a week, the entire sunroof needed to be taken out as there was a TSB on one of the drain lines and the auxiliary drainage line was clogged. Insert jokes about American vs. Jap engineering here <------------------

Option Packages:
Engine (optional, 3.6L DI): RPO code LLT 3.6L V6 VVT SIDI with 304 horsepower @ 6400 rpm and 273 lb.-ft. of torque @ 5200 rpm
UAV - Audio system with HDD-based Navigation, AM/FM stereo, XM Radio capable, CD/DVD/DVD-A/DVD-V player, MP3 playback, Bluetooth, Bose 5.1 Cabin Surround Sound 10-speaker system, Radio Data System (RDS), 40GB Hard Drive Device (HDD), USB connector, 3.5mm auxiliary input jack, 8" pop-up hi-def touch screen, Nav/Infotainment Voice Recognition, XM NavTraffic & XM NavWeather capable
Y40 - Luxury Level One Package (aka Sight & Sound Package in Canada) - Includes in-dash 6-disc CD changer, MP3 playback, theft-deterrent system with audible/visible alarm, Rainsense wipers, interior ambient accent lighting
Y41 - Luxury Level Two Package (aka Comfort & Convenience Package in Canada) - Includes heated and ventilated front seats, split-folding rear seatbacks, power tilt and telescopic steering column, universal home remote, ultrasonic rear parking assist and keyless access system with remote vehicle starter system
Y43 - 18" Summer Tire Performance Package - Includes performance handling suspension (FE3), automatic rear-level control, performance braking system, speed-sensitive steering, limited-slip differential, 18" x 8" high-polished aluminum wheels, P235/55ZR18 Y-rated summer performance tires, fog lights and Xenon High-Intensity Discharge (HID) headlights with adaptive forward lighting system and headlight washers, performance cooling system included with automatic transmission



Immediate plans for the car upon its return:
- Hyperwhite LED license plate lights (like I had on the TL). This is such a frivolous, ricer thing to do but oddly I can't STAND the yellowish glow of OEM license plate lights now. Especially on this car, it looks awful
- Chrome grill inserts. This sounds ghetto but it is a really inexpensive upgrade and looks very OEM once installed:


- Hardwired install for the 9500ix. I did this myself in the TL but the interior panels never all lined up right when I finished. I know this is something only I would notice, but I didn't want to have to deal with it on this car, plus this installation and remote panel mounting is going to be more complex than the last car because there isn't an obvious place to put it. The kit should arrive shortly!

- Tint
- 4 bumper plugs for the holes the dang front license plate holder is going to leave. Why 4 mounting points (and rivets no less so that I have to have a body shop drill them out) were necessary I don't know.

From there I will probably leave the car mostly stock for once! There really isn't a huge aftermarket, and with the FE3 suspension the car handles extremely well. There is a slight chance I will paint the stock wheels black, but for once I like the car just the way it is

Some initial pictures, hopefully update this more whenever I actually get the car back and can drive it!

Looks like me, Shea, and John (Chapin) did it, but I'm wondering if any other MM'ers happened to go down there? Seems like there were a lot of JMU students (not too many UVA students though ).