
190 Car care and technical informationHood The hood release handle is located under-
neath the instrument panel. To open the
hood:
1 Pull the release handle.
2 The front of the hood will now spring up,
providing access to the secondary
safety catch.
3 Push the catch upwards, pushing the
hood downward a little bit at the same
time. The hood can now be lifted right
up.
To close the hood, release it from a height
of about 8 - 16 in (20-40 cm). Do not press
down on it.
Check that the hood is now closed securely.
WARNING
Never hold your fingers between the hood
and safety catch if lowering but not clos-
ing the hood.
IB3890
IB3889
Hood release handle Hood secondary safety catch
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227 Car care and technical information
Wheel Alignment and Tire Balance
The wheels on your vehicle were aligned
and balanced carefully at the factory to give
you the longest tire life and best overall per-
formance.
Scheduled wheel alignment and wheel bal-
ancing are not needed. However, if you
notice unusual tire wear or your vehicle pull-
ing one way or the other, the alignment may
need to be reset. If you notice your vehicle
vibrating when driving on a smooth road,
your wheels may need to be rebalanced.
Wheel Replacement
Replace any wheel that is bent, cracked or
badly rusted or corroded. If wheel nuts keep
coming loose, the wheel, wheel bolts and
wheel nuts should be replaced. If the wheel
leaks air, replace it (except some aluminum
wheels, which can sometimes be repaired).
See your dealer if any of these conditions
exist.
Your dealer will know the kind of wheel you
need.
Each new wheel should have the same
load-carrying capacity, diameter, width,
offset and be mounted the same way as the
one it replaces.
If you need to replace any of your wheels,
wheel bolts or wheel nuts, replace them only
with new Saab original equipment parts.
This way, you will be sure to have the right
wheel, wheel bolts and wheel nuts for your
vehicle.
Notice:
The wrong wheel can also cause
problems with bearing life, brake cool-
ing, speedometer or odometer calibra-
tion, headlamp aim, bumper height, vehi-
cle ground clearance and tire or tire
chain clearance to the body and chassis.
See “Changing a wheel” on page 236.Used Replacement Wheels
WARNING
Using the wrong replacement wheels,
wheel bolts or wheel nuts on your vehicle
can be dangerous. It could affect the
braking and handling of your vehicle,
make your tires lose air and make you
lose control. You could have a collision in
which you or others could be injured.
Always use the correct wheel, wheel bolts
and wheel nuts for replacement.
WARNING
When fitting just one new pair of tires,
these should be fitted to the rear wheels,
as these are more critical to the direc-
tional stability of the car (e.g. on braking
or in a skid). The existing rear wheels
should therefore be moved to the front.
WARNING
Putting a used wheel on your vehicle is
dangerous. You can’t know how it’s been
used or how far it’s been driven. It could
fail suddenly and cause a crash. If you
have to replace a wheel, use a new GM
original equipment wheel.
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229 Car care and technical information
Tire Sidewall LabelingUseful information about a tire is molded
into it´s sidewall.
Tire size: The tire size ia a combination of
letters and numbers used to define a partic-
ular tire´s width, height, aspect ratio, con-
struction type and service description.
Department of Transportation (DOT):
The Department of Transportation (DOT)
code indicates that the tire is in compliance
with the U.S. Department of Transportation
Motor Vehicle Safety standards.
Tire Identification Number (TIN): The let-
ters and numbers following DOT code are
the Tire Identification Number (TIN). The
TIN shows the manufacturer and plant
code, tire size, and date the tire was manu-
factured. The TIN is molded onto both sides
of the tire.
Tire Ply Material: The type of cord and
number of plies in the sidewall and under
the tread.Uniform Tire Quality Grading (UTQG):
Tire manufacturers are required to grade
tires based on performance factors: tread-
wear, traction and temperature resistance.
For more information see “Uniform Tire
Quality Grading” on page 226.
Maximum Cold Inflation Load Limit: Max-
imum load that can be carried and the max-
imum pressure needed to support that load.
For information on recommended tire pres-
sure see “Lowest recommended tire pres-
sure, cold tires” on page 267and “Loading
Your Vehicle” on page 231.
Tire SizeThe following illustration shows an example
of a typical passenger car tire size.
Tire Width: The three-digit number indi-
cates the tire section width in millimeters
from sidewall to sidewall.215/55 R 16 93 H
| |||||
abcdef
aTire Width
b Aspect Ratio
c Belt Rating
d Rim diameter
e Load range
f Speed rating
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230 Car care and technical informationAspect ratio: A two-digit number that indi-
cates the tire height-to-width measure-
ments. For example, if the tire size aspect
ratio is “55”, as shown in item “C” of the illus-
tration, it would mean that the tire´s sidewall
is 55% as high as it is wide.
Belt Rating: A letter code is used to indicate
the type of ply construction in the tire. The
letter “R” means radial ply construction; the
letter “D” means diagonal or bias ply con-
struction; and the letter “B” means
belted-bias ply construction.
Rim Diameter: Diameter of the wheel in
inches.
Load range: The load range represents the
load carry capacity a tire is certified to carry.
Speed Rating: The maximum speed that a
tire is certified to carry a load. Speed ratings
range from “A” to “Z”.
Tire markingsAn example of the meaning of the different
markings in a tire size is given below for a
tire size of:
215/55 R16 93 V 215 Tire section width, mm
55 Aspect ratio, i.e. the section height
is 55 % of the section width
R Radial ply
16 Wheel rim diameter 16 in at bead
seats
93 Tire load code
V Speed marking
Tire load index
91 Tire approved for max. 1355 lbs.
(615 kg)
93 Max. 1433 lbs (650 kg)
94 Max. 1477 lbs (670 kg)
Speed ratings
Q Tire approved for speeds up to
100 mph (160 km/h)
S Max. 112 mph (180 km/h)
T Max. 118 mph (190 km/h)
H Max. 130 mph (210 km/h)
V Max. 150 mph (240 km/h)
W Max. 167 mph (270 km/h)
Y Max. 186 mph (300 km/h)
TIN-codea Manufacturer´s Identification Mark
b Tire Size
c Tire Type Code
d Date of Manufacture
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231 Car care and technical information
Loading Your VehicleThis is an example of what your vehicle´s
Tire-Loading Information/Certification label
might look like. It is located on the B-pillar
and shows how much weight your vehicle
may properly carry. The label tells you the
proper size, and recommended inflation
pressures for the tires on your vehicle. It
also gives you important information about
the number of people that can be in your
vehicle and the total weight that you can
carry. This weight is called the Vehicle
Capacity Weight, and includes the weight of
all occupants, cargo and all nonfac-
tory-installed options.
Tire Terminology and DefinitionsAir Pressure: The amount of air inside the
tire pressing outward on each square inch of
the tire. Air pressure is expressed in pounds
per square inch (psi) or kilopascal (kPa).
Accessory Weight: This means the com-
bined weight of optional accessories, for
example, automatic transmission, power
steering, power brakes, power windows,
power seats, radio and air conditioning.
Aspect Ratio: The relationship of a tire´s
height to its width.
Belt: A rubber coated layer of cords that is
located between the plies and the tread.
Cords may be made from steel or other rein-
forcing materials.
Bias Ply Tire: A pneumatic tire in which the
ply cords that extend to the beads are laid at
alternate angles substantially less than 90
degrees to the centerline of the tread.
Cold Inflation Pressure: The amount of air
pressure in a tire, measured in pounds per
square inch (psi) or kilopascal (kPa), before
a tire have built up heat from driving. See
“Inflation - Tire Pressure” on page 222.
Curb weight: This means the weight of a
motor vehicle with standard and optional
equipment including the maximum capacity
of fuel, oil and coolant, without passengers
and cargo.DOT Markings: A code molded into the
sidewall of a tire signifying that the tire is in
compliance with the U.S. Department of
Transportation motor vehicle safety stan-
dards. The DOT code includes the Tire
Identification Number (TIN), an alphanu-
meric designator which can also identify the
tire manufacturer, production plant, brand
and date of production.
GVWR: Gross Vehicle Weight Rating see
“Loading Your Vehicle” on page 231.
GAWR FRT: Gross Axle Weight Rating for
the front axle, see “Loading Your Vehicle”
on page 231.
GAWR RR: Gross Axle Weight Rating for
the rear axle, see “Loading Your Vehicle” on
page 231.
Intended Outboard Sidewall: The side of
an asymmetrical tire that must always face
outward when mounted on a vehicle.
Kilopascal (kPa): The metric unit for air
pressure. There are 6.9 kPa to one psi.
Light Truck (LT-Metric) Tire: A tire used
on light duty trucks and some multipurpose
passenger vehicles.
Load Index: An assigned number ranging
from 1 to 279 that corresponds to the load
carrying capacity of a tire.
This label can only be found on vehicles
sold in the U.S.
Vehicles sold in Canada have the tire
information label in the glovebox, see
page 268.
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237 Car care and technical information
To jack up the car, apply the jack to one of
the special jacking points under the sills.
If a floor jack is used, it can be applied to the
standard jacking points used by the dealer.
A floor jack can lift both front wheels or both
rear wheels off the ground simultaneously.
A jack stand must then be applied under-
neath the front of the engine subframe (at
the fixing point for the towrope-attachment
eye) or to the rear towrope-attachment eye
(or under the trailer hitch, if fitted).1 Put the car in 1st gear (automatic trans-
mission: move selector to the P position)
and apply the parking brake.
2 Wind the jack up to a suitable height
before placing it under the recess in the
sill.
Make sure that the jack fully engages
the recess in the sill and that the base of
the jack is steady and flat on the ground.3 Remove the wheel cover (where appli-
cable).
Remove the wheel bolt caps and loosen
the wheel bolts by half a turn.
4 Wind the jack to raise the wheel clear of
the ground. Remove the wheel bolts and
lift off the wheel.
NOTICEApply the jack only to the jacking points
indicated on the body.Position for jack
IB3917
IB1130
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258 SpecificationsGeneral Overall length, including bumpers:
9-5 Sedan _______________________ 190.4 in (4836 mm)
9-5 SportCombi __________________ 190.6 in (4841 mm)
Overall width, including door mirrors ____ 80.4 in (2042 mm)
Maximum height:
9-5 Sedan _______________________ 57.3 in (1454 mm)
9-5 SportCombi __________________ 57.7 in (1465 mm)
Wheelbase _______________________ 106.4 in (2703 mm)
Ground clearance at gross vehicle weight approx. 4.6 in
(116 mm)
Tr a c k :
Front __________________________ 59.9 in (1522 mm) *)
Rear ___________________________ 60.2 in (1528 mm) *)
Turning circle (curb to curb) ___________ 37.1 ft (11.3 m)
Turning circle (measured at vehicle extremi-
ties) _____________________________ 39.0 ft (11.9 m)
Number of seats (incl. driver) _________ 5
*) Specified track applies to wheel sizes:
6 x 15 & 6.5 x 16
VIN on cars sold in
USAVIN on cars sold in CanadaPermissible load (in addition to driver) = GVW minus curb weight
The maximum permissible axle load, front or rear, must not be exceeded.
The maximum permissible axle load, front or rear, must not be exceeded. Chassis number in engine bay Weight ready for driving (i.e. with full fuel
tank, washer-fluid reservoir, standard tools
and spare wheel) ____________________ 3430–3750 lbs.
(1555–1700 kg)
Gross vehicle weight (GVW) ___________ 4380–4680 lbs.
(1980–2125 kg)
Maximum axle load:
Front ___________________________ 2590 lbs. (1175 kg)
Rear, 9-5 Sedan ___________________ 2310 lbs. (1050 kg)
Rear, 9-5 SportCombi ______________ 2480 lbs. (1125 kg)
Weight distribution:
Curb weight, front/rear ______________ 60/40 %
GVW, front/rear ___________________ 50/50 %
Maximum roof load __________________ 220 lbs. (100 kg)
Maximum luggage compartment load§ ___ 176 lbs. (80 kg)
Maximum combined load, luggage
compartment and roof ________________ 264 lbs. (120 kg)
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