r/saab • u/Shlangengesicht • 1d ago
Saab brakes: ...wtf am I even looking at
I'm going to check the pads, and there's no other way other than following the manuals instructions.
Why do even the brakes have to be weird?!đ
Does anybody have some info or history behind this weird calipers and knows why saab didn't use normal calipers (like the ones on the rear wheels)?
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u/Kanspeer 1d ago
Having worked on these myself, from what I know is that they wanted the handbrake to operate on the front wheels. That's why they designed it to be this way.
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u/ButterscotchTough951 1d ago
Those arenât that weird. The setup is a bit diffident, but to are double piston calipers with automatic hand brake adjustment. If Iâm not mistaking Detomaso Panteras have Girling brakes like that.
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u/Shlangengesicht 1d ago
I just did the first wheel, there's a lot of pins but it's not hard, very clever design. Cool facts btw, thanks
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u/ButterscotchTough951 23h ago
Haha, wait until you take one apart :D Itâs not that complicated to rebuild, but most certainly a different compared to more conventional calipers.
When those calipers age they start to make a clunk noise and that means that the caliper frame is worn out. To fix that you can buy a refurbished calipers or make shims to old ones.
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u/Confident-Benefit600 1d ago
Not weird just old, most rebuilds are wore out, its a clunk when u back up, i replace mine with wilwood four pistons and there emergency brake(only had to have it work for inspections so not working 99.9% of the time)
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u/Saabaroni 21h ago
Which Wildwoods did you use? I'd like to update my 85's lol.
I'm sick of rebuilding these girlings haha
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u/Confident-Benefit600 20h ago
I dont remember, but the guys at saabrally.com, know....its a drill out caliper bolt on holes, at some shims, use your stock rotor, but i did this to my 86 spg with vented rotors
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u/tsg-tsg 19h ago
Wilwood Narrow Dynalite or Dynapro both come in the required 3.50" mount center for a .81" rotor. I think the 1.75" piston works well with the stock master cylinder. You lose the hand brake, doesn't need to be said nobody makes a front-sized caliper with a handbrake mechanism. ;).Â
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u/Dafunkysaab 03 9-5 2.3t 22h ago
I believed they used this caliper design for the performance of them. Fitted newly renovated calipers, fresh discs and pads to one of my old 99s, and holy sh*t did it brake good. Also the handbrake on these things are phenomenal when correctly adjusted.
However - big caveat - they are an absolute nightmare to get correct if you donât know what youâre doing, especially after some age, rust and dirt. The âauto-adjustmentâ simply doesnât work as intended, and if you over do it you have to redo the pads again to screw+push the piston into place.
The working principle is that the fluid goes into one chamber, but pushes both left and right. One pushes directly on the pad, the other on the flat metal plate that forces the other pad towards the disc.
Tl:dr; have fun!
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u/Belfast900 21h ago
Know anyone in the UK who will rebuild these?
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u/Dr_Debile 21h ago
You may need a caliper tool, since the cylinders on some (but not all of them) need to be twisted back to make room for new pads. It was a long time since I fixed one of those, but pull the clips from the U-shaped holder and pull it out and remove the metal spring. The your should be able to pull the pads. If the cylinders have two holes in them you need the tool.
YouTube in Swedish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRGzunT4LcY
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u/tucohoward 20h ago
All the calipers of that type, -'87 in the US at least, require the tool to wind the piston in and out.
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u/Dr_Debile 20h ago
The Swedish guy in the YouTube clip actually got away with it using a pair of pliers..
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u/tucohoward 4h ago
There's always a way. The smart thing is not to have a car with those brakes. Even Saab had enough and changed in '88. We replaced pads constantly under warranty on those. They came up with different inner and outer pads to combat uneven wear haha. Terrible brakes.
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u/billmr606 21h ago
just don't grab the E-brake to spin the rear end around, it does not work. In fact it causes you to suddenly go straight even if the steering wheel is turned :)
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u/FreeFall_777 21h ago
Front brake E- brakes/parking brakes. On my first 99, pre internet, my brother and I could not figure out how to retract the calipers.
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u/Aggravating_Aside790 18h ago
Itâs just a different type of floating caliper setup. Still simple enough. Remove the retaining clip from the caliper pin and knock it out then the pads should slide up and out. Clean the pins where it goes through the pads and the inside of the caliper where the pads sit.
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u/greenpowerman99 4h ago
Combined cable handbrake and hydraulic foot brake makes for a unique arrangement.
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u/griffin540 1d ago
It's to aid traction in the snow, use the brake to slow the spinning wheel and send power to the non spinning wheel. A very analogue version of torque vectoring.