Tweet
Yes you can put coilovers on a Malibu/G6, I have them on my SS right now. Of course there are some changes and parts needed to do this but it can be done fairly easily by anyone. I will try to break down my explanation into sections so hopefully it will be easier to follow and I will have pictures posted shortly that will also help. So lets begin:
1) The coilovers you need to get are for the Saab 9-3 Sedan (2004-07)
2) I know of three manufacturers of coilovers for the Saab 9-3. They are
KW ; Megan Racing; Ksport
3) The KW’s are by far the most expensive, the body of the struts and the rear shocks are made in stainless steel. KW coilovers for the Saab come in two versions which are called Variant-1 and Variant-2. They have only one difference. The V-2 has an adjustment feature for the rebound control. In other words you can vary how stiff the strut is. Both versions use the same springs, hardware and allow you to adjust the ride height in front / rear. The Megan and Ksport come in only one version as far as I know.
4) To install the KW’s (not the Megan or Ksport) in front you need to use the Saab 9-3 strut bearing and strut bearing plate. I will give the part numbers later as well as the photo.
5) The Megan and Ksport front coilovers come with upper “pillow-ball” mounts. Using these coilovers does NOT require you to use the Saab strut bearing and bearing plate since the pillowball mount replaces these items.
6) While the front units from all three companies are a true coilover, the rear is not. All three companies make a separate spring and shock for the rear. So its’ not a true coilover for the rear. They all do include an adjustment perch that mounts to their rear spring and allows you to adjust the ride height / amount of drop.
7) I will now tell you the biggest problem (actually it is not) and I have not yet gotten around to solving. The rear shocks that you will get in the coilover set (from any of the three) will not bolt up to our cars. While the bottom of the rear shock is the same as our cars, the Saab uses a different bracket for the top of the rear shock and cannot be easily adapted-YET. I am working on it. So I left the stock rear shocks on. But keeping the stock rear shock has been fine and I have no problems with my set up with the KW’s. I tried to get the companies to sell a coilover set without the rear shocks but none would brake up the set. You have to buy the whole kit. At worst you have a set of new rear shocks for a Saab 9-3 (maybe try to sell?). But more importantly, the rear springs and adjustable perch provided in the coilover set does mount right up to our cars. SO in the back the only thing missing is the shock.
Keep in mind that when you check each of these three brands out they will list a range of ride heights. In other words you will find measurements listed telling you what the minimum drop is and what the maximum drop is. For example the KW’s will lower the car a minimum of 1.2 inches to a maximum 2.3 inches in front. But the Megan coilovers can be set to give the stock ride height (a minimum drop that is actually no drop) to a couple of inches of drop maximum (I don’t know the exact maximum drop right now)
9) In addition to the Saab parts I mentioned you also need six bolts (three each side) to bolt the coilovers into the top of the strut tower (again I will post a picture). These bolts are used to bolt the Saab strut bearing plate (which is mounted on top of the KW coilover) into the front strut tower. The G6/Malibu uses a strut bearing plate and strut bearing but they are different than the Saab ones. So if you get KW’s you need to use the Saab parts as mentioned above.
10) You also need to enlarge two of the three holes on each side (the bolts mentioned above go here) that the front struts bolt up to in the tower. If you open your engine hood and look at the top of the strut tower you will see three bolts forming a “V” pattern. For whatever reason the Saab and the G6 have a slight difference in the spacing of the bolts. One bolt hole will match up, the other two will be slightly off and you need to enlarge the other two holes about one-eight of an inch. A “rat tail” file will make easy work of this and takes about 5 minutes to do each side. While I had to do this using the KW’s (which use the Saab strut bearing plate) you will have to do this step with the Megan’s and the Ksport too. Again I will post photos.
11) The final modification has to do with the rubber brake line in front and how it is mounted to the strut. The Saab and G6 use different little brackets which just hold the rubber brake line in place and I found an very easy solution that is best explained when I post the photo.
12) Keep in mind that coilovers are going to give VERY responsive ride and handling with a sacrifice in ride comfort. If you have a “home warden” that sits in the front passenger seat you best check on this.
13) I suggest that anyone who is seriously thinking of doing this that they research all three brands like I did. DO NOT JUST TAKE WHAT I HAVE POSTED ABOVE AND WHAT I POST LATER AS YOUR ONLY SOURCE OF INFO. This is only a brief explanation to get you started and help you decide if this is the route you want to go. How well this turns out for you depends on the install and what brand you choose (remember I only have the KW’s). Also research enough so you know what coilovers are!!! Don’t just slap these puppies on because you heard they are the “in” thing.
1) The coilovers you need to get are for the Saab 9-3 Sedan (2004-07)
2) I know of three manufacturers of coilovers for the Saab 9-3. They are
KW ; Megan Racing; Ksport
3) The KW’s are by far the most expensive, the body of the struts and the rear shocks are made in stainless steel. KW coilovers for the Saab come in two versions which are called Variant-1 and Variant-2. They have only one difference. The V-2 has an adjustment feature for the rebound control. In other words you can vary how stiff the strut is. Both versions use the same springs, hardware and allow you to adjust the ride height in front / rear. The Megan and Ksport come in only one version as far as I know.
4) To install the KW’s (not the Megan or Ksport) in front you need to use the Saab 9-3 strut bearing and strut bearing plate. I will give the part numbers later as well as the photo.
5) The Megan and Ksport front coilovers come with upper “pillow-ball” mounts. Using these coilovers does NOT require you to use the Saab strut bearing and bearing plate since the pillowball mount replaces these items.
6) While the front units from all three companies are a true coilover, the rear is not. All three companies make a separate spring and shock for the rear. So its’ not a true coilover for the rear. They all do include an adjustment perch that mounts to their rear spring and allows you to adjust the ride height / amount of drop.
7) I will now tell you the biggest problem (actually it is not) and I have not yet gotten around to solving. The rear shocks that you will get in the coilover set (from any of the three) will not bolt up to our cars. While the bottom of the rear shock is the same as our cars, the Saab uses a different bracket for the top of the rear shock and cannot be easily adapted-YET. I am working on it. So I left the stock rear shocks on. But keeping the stock rear shock has been fine and I have no problems with my set up with the KW’s. I tried to get the companies to sell a coilover set without the rear shocks but none would brake up the set. You have to buy the whole kit. At worst you have a set of new rear shocks for a Saab 9-3 (maybe try to sell?). But more importantly, the rear springs and adjustable perch provided in the coilover set does mount right up to our cars. SO in the back the only thing missing is the shock.
Keep in mind that when you check each of these three brands out they will list a range of ride heights. In other words you will find measurements listed telling you what the minimum drop is and what the maximum drop is. For example the KW’s will lower the car a minimum of 1.2 inches to a maximum 2.3 inches in front. But the Megan coilovers can be set to give the stock ride height (a minimum drop that is actually no drop) to a couple of inches of drop maximum (I don’t know the exact maximum drop right now)9) In addition to the Saab parts I mentioned you also need six bolts (three each side) to bolt the coilovers into the top of the strut tower (again I will post a picture). These bolts are used to bolt the Saab strut bearing plate (which is mounted on top of the KW coilover) into the front strut tower. The G6/Malibu uses a strut bearing plate and strut bearing but they are different than the Saab ones. So if you get KW’s you need to use the Saab parts as mentioned above.
10) You also need to enlarge two of the three holes on each side (the bolts mentioned above go here) that the front struts bolt up to in the tower. If you open your engine hood and look at the top of the strut tower you will see three bolts forming a “V” pattern. For whatever reason the Saab and the G6 have a slight difference in the spacing of the bolts. One bolt hole will match up, the other two will be slightly off and you need to enlarge the other two holes about one-eight of an inch. A “rat tail” file will make easy work of this and takes about 5 minutes to do each side. While I had to do this using the KW’s (which use the Saab strut bearing plate) you will have to do this step with the Megan’s and the Ksport too. Again I will post photos.
11) The final modification has to do with the rubber brake line in front and how it is mounted to the strut. The Saab and G6 use different little brackets which just hold the rubber brake line in place and I found an very easy solution that is best explained when I post the photo.
12) Keep in mind that coilovers are going to give VERY responsive ride and handling with a sacrifice in ride comfort. If you have a “home warden” that sits in the front passenger seat you best check on this.
13) I suggest that anyone who is seriously thinking of doing this that they research all three brands like I did. DO NOT JUST TAKE WHAT I HAVE POSTED ABOVE AND WHAT I POST LATER AS YOUR ONLY SOURCE OF INFO. This is only a brief explanation to get you started and help you decide if this is the route you want to go. How well this turns out for you depends on the install and what brand you choose (remember I only have the KW’s). Also research enough so you know what coilovers are!!! Don’t just slap these puppies on because you heard they are the “in” thing.
Comment