This is my new daily driver and sensible car. Please visit my S2000 and Monte Carlo pages for more info on my other cars. Yes, I do still have them and no, I never plan on retiring them. Enjoy!
This Saab has the largest engine of all of my cars, but the least horsepower and torque. In the future, expect things to change...
5.3L V8 300 hp 330 ft-lbs 2007 Saab 9-7X (hp and tq at the crank)
3.4L V6 325 whp 350 ft-lbs 1995 Chevy Monte Carlo Z34
2.2L I4 443 whp 363 ft-lbs 2004 Honda S2000
06/09/2009
I just finished installing LS1 efans in place of the stock mechancial (electro-viscous coupled) fan. It clears up a TON of room in the engine bay. This is a very common mod for the Trailblazer SS. Dyno charts show anywhere from 10-20 whp gain from the removal of the stock mechanical fan. I used a kit from PCMforLESS to install the fans. It includes mounting brackets and wiring. You also have to reflash the stock PCM. It is setup for a PWM fan output to the stock fan. The LS1 efans are either 100% on or 100% off (discrete). I took my stock bin file and copied over the data needed for eFans using HPTuners. Then I reflashed the stock computer. Currently, the PCM is 100% stock except for the eFan programming. Note the IEATSRT8 intake in the pictures below.
04/16/2009
The stereo is done. There is a new Pioneer AVIC-F90BT headunit, new JL Audio C5 series speakers all around, a JL Audio stealthbox, and JL Audio amplifiers. Check it out in all its glory on page 2. Teaser Pics below.
10/23/2008
I evened the car out yesterday. Now I'm sitting at 31" from ground to the fenders in front and between 31.25" to 31.5" in the rear. The drivers side rear had been over 1" higher than the passengers side. You can really see it in the picture below which was taken from behind. I also synced the TPMS system so that the check tire pressure light went off. I'll post new pictures of the newly leveled car once the new centercaps come in.
10/21/2008
My new wheels finally arrived. They are 20" Euromax 942's in chrome. They are paired with Hankook Ventus RH06 tires sized 275/45R20. The tires weigh about 36 lbs each and the wheels in their packages weigh around 37.5 lbs each. I'm guessing they each corner will be around 72 lbs once they're mounted and balanced.
10/17/2008
I installed a rear hanger for the Magnaflow exhaust today. GM part number 15786935. This is the rear exhaust hanger kit from the TBSS. It includes everything you need (bolts, hanger, rubber bushing). It makes the exhaust sit level and centers it in the bumper cutout. The looks are 10x better. See the pictures above.
11/30/2007
Today, I had the Magnaflow Trailblazer SS exhaust installed. The exhaust bolted right on. There is one extra hanger at the rear that the 9-7X doesn't have, but otherwise it's a direct swap. The exhaust is 3" straight through from the cat back. It sounds great, but you can hear the 4-8 cylinder changeover.
(Yes, in the pictures below I did have a trailer hooked up. it was the largest trailer U-haul rents. This car has spent over 10% of its mileage towing!)
9/29/2007
I did my first performance oriented mod, the IEATSRT8 TBSS intake. The good news is that the TBSS and Saab 9-7X 5.3i are virtually identical as far as bolt ons. The intake fits perfectly and looks great. It is quite a bit louder than stock at WOT, but at idle and part throttle there is very little change. I'm not sure if/how much my power changed, but I don't expect much. I had wanted to do a stock dyno and then a dyno with the intake, but the local AWD dyno isn't open yet.
9/16/2007
Today I installed the lowering collars. They fit perfectly. I used both spacers. They lowered the front almost exactly 1.5" over stock. That's roughly 2.5" down on the normal Trailblazers and Envoys. In the rear, I did the airbag mod to drop it about 1.5" as well. The look is much improved and I can easily go back to stock height if I want. Handling and ride are roughly the same as stock.
If the rear end feels bad, raise it up a bit more- you went too low. On mine, it took a few tries to get it to a good height for both looks and ride/handling. When I got an alignment, the front had over 2 degrees of camber. After the alignment, we were able to lower it to roughly 1 degree.
Initial height: 32" F 33-33.25" R
Final height: 30.5-30.75" F 31.25-31.5" R
8/31/2007
The second set of mods has begun. I ordered lowering collars today. I believe I may be the first 9-7X owner to try this mod. They're the same collars the TBSS guys use and they only work on the stock Bilstein shocks (which are different, but I'm hoping have the same OD).
8/26/07
The first mods have begun. Today I installed the SIR-GM1 adapter that allows the stock radio to play Sirius instead of XM. I also ordered a PIE iPod adapter for the stock stereo. Update: The iPod adapter has been installed and works quite well.
