2008 SAAB 9-3 ABS

248 Car care
Uniform Tire Quality GradingQuality grades can be found where applica-
ble on the tire sidewall between tread shoul-
der and maximum section width. For exam-
ple:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA
Temperature A
The following information relates to the
system developed by the United States
National Highway Traffic Safety Administra-
tion, which grades tires by treadwear, trac-
tion and temperature performance. (This
applies only to vehicles sold in the United
States.) The grades are molded on the side-
walls of most passenger car tires. The Uni-
form Tire Quality Grading system does not
apply to deep tread, winter-type snow tires,
space-saver or temporary use spare tires,
tires with nominal rim diameters of 10 to 12
inches (25 to 30 cm), or to some limited-pro-
duction tires.
While the tires available on General Motors
passenger cars and light trucks may vary
with respect to these grades, they must also
conform to federal safety requirements and
additional General Motors Tire Perfor-
mance Criteria (TPC) standards.
NOTEWide wheels and tires with side walls that
are too low can:
be damaged in potholes, etc.
cause springs, shock absorbers and
wheel bearings and body mountings
to be overloaded.
affect the function of the ESP
®.
The speed and load limits of the tires
must not be exceeded; see page 253.
Wheels larger than 17" must not be fitted
on the Saab 9-3 for reasons above. The
permissible offset is 1.61 inch (41 mm).
WARNING
Mixing tires could cause you to lose con-
trol while driving. If you mix tires of differ-
ent sizes or types (radial and bias-belted
tires), the vehicle may not handle prop-
erly, and you could have a crash. Using
tires of different sizes may also cause
damage to your vehicle. Be sure to use
the same size and type tires on all wheels.
It’s all right to drive with your compact
spare temporarily, it was developed for
use on your vehicle. See “Compact
spare” on page 260.
WARNING
If you use bias-ply tires on your vehicle,
the wheel rim flanges could develop
cracks after many miles of driving. A tire
and/or wheel could fail suddenly, causing
a crash. Use only radial-ply tires with the
wheels on your vehicle.
93_US_M08.book Page 248 Friday, May 11, 2007 11:37 AM
ProCarManuals.com

266 Car care
Safety beltsCheck the function of the safety belts regu-
larly as follows:
Hold the diagonal strap and pull it sharply.
The safety belt should lock and it should
not be possible to withdraw it further.
Check the anchorage points in the floor.
They must not have suffered rust damage.
If a belt is worn or has any fraying edges, it
should be replaced.
Safety belts must not come into contact with
substances such as polishes, oil or chemi-
cals. If the belts get dirty, wash them with
warm water and a detergent or have them
replaced.
Upholstery and trimTo remove fluff and hairs from the seats,
door armrests and headlining, use a
vacuum cleaner, a moist lint-free cloth, or a
clothes brush. Remove spots and dirt using
a cloth moistened with lukewarm soapy
water.
When using a stain remover, always work
from the outside towards the center to avoid
leaving a ring. If a soiled ring or spot should
remain, it can usually be removed using
lukewarm soapy water or water alone.
Spots left by liquids, such as soft drinks or
thin oil, must be removed at once with an
absorbent material, such as kitchen towel-
ling. Then clean with a stain remover.
White spirit is recommended for removing
grease and oil stains. A medium stiff brush
may also be used.
WARNING
If the car is involved in a crash, the safety
belts, belt pretensioners and other asso-
ciated components must be inspected.
We recommend that you contact a Saab
dealer.
Never make any alterations or repairs to
the safety belts yourself. We recommend
that you contact a Saab dealer.
Tightening sequence, wheel boltsGrease the surfaces indicated with a thin
layer of grease93_US_M08.book Page 266 Friday, May 11, 2007 11:37 AM
ProCarManuals.com

293 Technical data
Suspension
Steering
Brake systemSpring type, front and rear_____________ Coil springs
Maximum deflection of springs:
Front ____________________________ 7.0'' (178 mm)
Rear ____________________________ 8.3'' (212 mm)
Dampers, front and rear ______________ Oil and gas-filled
twin-tube
Steering___________________________ Power-assisted
steering gear of
rack-pinion type and
telescopic jointed
steering column
Number of turns, lock to lock ___________ 2.97
Oil type ___________________________ Power steering fluid
CHF 11S or
CHF 202
Foot brake (ABS)____________________ Hydraulic disc
brakes with vacuum
servo unit. Diago-
nally split circuits;
ventilated discs on
front wheels (some
variants also have
ventilated rear
discs). EBD function
(see page 173).
Park brake _________________________ Acts on rear wheelsBrake fluid _________________________ To DOT 4.
Do not use DOT 5.
Disc diameter:
Front ____________________________ 11.9 in.
(302 mm) **)
Front3 *) ________________________ 12.4 in.
(314 mm) **)
Rear ____________________________ 10.9 in.
(278 mm)
Rear3 *) ________________________ 11.5 in.
(292 mm) **)
Total friction area of brake pads:
Front ____________________________ 9.30 in.² (60 cm²)
Front3__________________________ 9.61 in.² (62 cm²)
Rear ____________________________ 4.96 in.² (32 cm²)
*) 15" wheels and 16" aluminium wheels
must not be fitted to these variants since
the diameter of the brake discs does not
allow this.
**) ventilated93_US_M08.book Page 293 Friday, May 11, 2007 11:37 AM
ProCarManuals.com

303 Index
Index
AABS brakes
____________________ 173
ACC
_________________________ 108
Adjustment, steering wheel
________ 120
Air filter
_______________________ 211
Airbag
_________________________ 32
Anchorage eyes, SportSedan
______ 141
Anti-corrosion treatment
__________ 271
Antilock braking system __________ 173
Anti-spin
______________________ 175
Ashtrays ______________________ 136
Autochecking of lights, warning and
indicator lights
__________________ 87
Autodimming
_______________ 125
, 126
Automatic climate control (ACC)
____ 108
Automatic closing of moonroof
_____ 131
Automatic closing of windows, SportSedan
and SportCombi
_______________ 122
Automatic transmission
___________ 165
Automatic transmission, sport mode
_167
BBattery
_______________________ 216
Bedding-in of new brake pads
_____ 163
Before towing a trailer
____________ 193
Belt height, SportSedan and
SportCombi
____________________ 14Brake fluid, grade
_______________ 295
Brakes
________________________ 172
Braking _______________________ 172
Bulb changing
__________________ 222
Bulb table
_____________________ 236
Buying new tires
________________ 247
CCabin lighting, Convertible
_________ 78
Cabin lighting, SportSedan and
SportCombi
___________________ 133
Calibrating front electric windows with
pinch protection
________________ 78
Calibration of windows, SportSedan and
SportCombi
___________________ 123
Car alarm
______________________ 56
Car transport ___________________ 199
Care of air conditioning
___________ 274
Cargo guard
___________________ 150
Cargo guard, SportWagon
________ 150
Cargo net, SportCombi
___________ 147
Change of address notification
_____ 282
Changing a tire
_________________ 262
Changing bulbs _________________ 222
Changing the battery, remote control
_54
Changing wiper blades
___________ 220
Checking the number of remote
controls
_______________________ 53
Checks before towing a trailer
_____ 193
Child safety
_____________________ 24
Child safety locks, rear doors
_______ 52Child seats
______________________ 24
Cigarette lighter
_________________ 136
Cleaning the engine bay
__________ 267
Cleaning upholstery
______________ 266
Closing the soft top manually,
Convertible
____________________ 68
Closing the soft top, Convertible
_____ 64
Clutch interlock
_________________ 164
Comfort opening of moonroof
______ 131
Comfort opening of windows,
SportSedan and SportCombi _____ 121
Compact spare
_________________ 260
Compact spare wheel fitted, driving
with
_________________________ 260
Compass
______________________ 129
Convertible _____________________ 61
Convertible, washing
_____________ 268
Coolant
_______________________ 212
Cornering headlights
______________ 99
Crash memory, see EDR
_________ 284
Cruise control
__________________ 171
Cup holder
_____________________ 134
DDate codes, tires
________________ 257
Deactivating rear windows,
SportSedan and SportCombi
_____ 123
Deactivating the passenger door
window button, Convertible
________ 77
Deactivating the rear window
switches
_____________________ 123
93_US_M08.book Page 303 Friday, May 11, 2007 11:37 AM
ProCarManuals.com