Page 31
an
Suspension
Since the weight of the engine rests on the
front driving wheels, the Saab 99 has good
directional stability and a firm grip. Long-
term practical tests have fed to the springs
and shock absorbers being well-matched to
the needs of the car, thus providing good
roadholding and a high level of riding com-
fort, be it on smaoth or bumpy roads. The
low unsprung weight of the car allows the
wheels to grip the road firmly even when the
surface is not smooth,
The unusually wide track, 54.7 inches, at the
front and 55.5 inches at the rear and on the
EMS, $5.1 inches, at the front and 55,9 inches
at the rear, the widely spaced springs and
shock absorbers, and the wheel suspension
geometry in general contribute to the
negligible tendency of the Saab 99 to roll
when exposed to lateral forces. The distance
between the roll axis of the car and its center
of gravity is comparatively small, and the
moment arm of the lateral forces is thus
short when taking corners,
The front wheels are suspended on double
’ V-shaped wishbones and have pivot-
mounted coil springs, The springs, therefore,
always operate linerarly (cylindrically) and
absorb bumpy and uneven road surfaces
smoothly but firmly. The coil springs have
very good progressive action by being pro-
vided with substantial buffers inside the
springs. This arrangement prevents
“bottoming'' when driving on very poor
roads,
At the front, the shock absorbers are
) actuated by the lower wishbones, and the
springs by the upper wishbones, The wish-
bones are mounted in rubber bushing and the
steering gear is secured by means of per-
manently lubricated ball joints, thus ren-
dering the front wheel suspension completely
maintenance-free. The absence of an anti-
roll bar makes the suspension softer and re~
duces the risk of wheel spin when taking
sharp comers at speed.
The rear axle is entirely free from bulky and
+ heavy transmission components, and is
designed as a light, rigid tube, which will
always maintain the wheels parallel and
prevents any changes in track width. The
rear axle js secured to the body by means of
rubber-bushed arms. The two forward-
facing arms take up the springing forces. A
voil spring is located between the arm and a
seat in the body, as is the double-acting cele-
scopic shock absorber. Two upper rearward
arms and the lower arms absorb longitudinal
forces and the braking moment. Finally, the
transverse forces are absorbed by a Panhard
rod, The rear axle is well guided, to say the
least. In addition, it is designed and
suspended so that the good roadholding pro-
perties of the car will not be affected by
changes in load. The pattern of movement of
the arms and the hardness of the rubber
bushings are adjusted so that the resistance
to rolling of the rear axle is decreased some-
what as the rear springs are compressed, i.c.
as the load is increased.
Lines joining the bearing points of the wish-
bones converge close to the rear axle, even
slightly behind. This geomentry is one of the
reasons responsible for the car displaying
negligible "diving" tendencies when braking.
> All models of the Saab 99 LE are fitced with
1S inch wheels of pressed design. The wheel
and tire dimensions have been selected so
that the car will not feel bumpy on an uneven
road and will not display a ’yawing"’ ten-
dency, The large wheels ensure better
mobility in snow, sand and on ather loose
surfaces, and contribute to the good ground
clearance of the car. The springing of the car
is calibrated for steel belted radial tires.
16SSR15 (steel-belted) cubeless tires are fitted
as standard equipment.
The EMS and WagonBack have Sin. wide,
cast aluminium wheels.
The tires are provided with a ''tread depth
indicator’. When the tire has become so
worn that it should be replaced, wide stripes
will become visible across the tire tread,
Page 33
Steering
The engine and gearbox are mounted at the
front of the car, 60 % of the total weight
of the car is supported by the front wheels,
and these wheels are thus generally in firmer
contact with the roud than the rear wheels.
The center of gravity of the car is therefore
closer to the front axle than the rear axle. A
greater proportion of the weight on the front
wheels is one of the prerequisites for direc-
tional stability and insensitivity to cross-
winds, two characterisitics for which the
Saab is renowned, The greater weight on the
front wheels has enabled us to design the car
with just the correct amount of understeer,
The steering geometry at the wheels is de>
signed so that changes in the power trans-
mitted to the wheels will not have a notice-
able effect on the steering. The steering ratio
has been selected to make the car easy to
maneuver. This is an important characteristic
when parking. The turning radius is 17.2 feet
and the number of steering wheel turns lock-
to-lock is 4.1.
5 ALOE OE MAA BF
When cornering, the car takes a slightly
wider line than that exactly corresponding to
the movement of the steering wheel. The
turning radius increases with the speed,
unless the driver compensates by turning the
steering wheel, This characteristic is due the
weight distribution, and provides good direc-
tional stability, as well as reducing the risk of
rear-end break-away, Moreover, this feature
reduces the steering wheel effort under prac-
tically all driving conditions.
The oil-filled steering rack is located at the
rear of the engine compartment and is well
protected by the engine. Significant collision
forces would first have to displace the engine
before contacting the stecring rack and
column assembly,
In addition, to protect the driver in the event
of an accident, the steering column is tele-
scopic and jointed, so thar it will fold” ifa
high load is applied. If it is subjected to an
axial load beyond a certain limit, it will
collapse, at the same time as the mounting at
the body gives way.
Steering design is rack and pinion, [t has
inherent resilience and a minimum of lost
motion. The location of the tie rod and the
angle of the front wheels are practically un-
affected by the wheels moving up and down
in the suspension, As a result, the driver need
not constantly correct with the wheel when
the car is being driven on a bumpy road,
Power-assisted steering is available on both
the Saub 99LE and the WagonBack in con-
junction with automatic transmission. Power
assistance reduces more than 50 % of the
steering wheel effort necessary to maneuver
the car at low road speeds and during
parking.
Page 35
34
Brakes
The front and rear wheels are both fitted
with disc brakes. Braking is smooth and the
braking effort is proportional to the pedal
pressure. The four disc brakes are self-
adjusting and are fitted with highly heat-
resistant pads, which are practically fade-
free, even after repeated heavy braking.
The Saab brake system features split, in-
dependent hydraulic circuits, Saab first in-
troduced the dual-circuit system in early 1963
and is thus one of the pioneers of this safety
feature which is now fairly common and
required by U.S, law, But the Saab systern is
still unique. Contrary to usual practice, It is
not divided so that one circuit serves the
front brakes and the other circuit serves the
rear brakes. Instead, the brake circuits of
the Saab are arranged so that the front wheel
on one side of the car and the rear wheel on
the other side are actuated by one circuil,
and the other pair of wheels by the other cir-
cuit, In the event of failure of one circuit, no
less than 50% of the normal braking effort
will still always be available, If two-wheel
braking is employed on slippery roads, it is
advantageous to have one front wheel and
one rear wheel which cannot be locked by the
brakes, and will thus help to keep the car on
course,
SS
oS
The master cylinder actuates both circuits
simultancously, although independently of
each other, The brake cylinders of the front
wheels are of a larger diameter than those of
the rear wheels. Asa result, the front wheels
exert more than 30% of the braking effort,
and the rear wheels — which carry a lower
load — will nor tend to lock too early in the
event of heavy braking.
The risk of a fault occurring in the braking
lines is negligible, The brake lines are pro-
tected from physical damage and corrosion
by heing located inside the car, on the left
hand sill beam.
The handbrake acts on the front brake dises.
In practice, this will therefore provide a third
brake circuit. This braking effort is about
50% of that exerted by the foot brake, The
hand brake is applied to the front wheels so
the car will remain on course even if only the
handbrake is used. The handbrake system is
designed so that it is automatically adjusted
every time the foot brake system is actuated,
Ared warning light in the left-hand instru-
ment cluster will light up if the brake pedal is
excessive, ¢.g. if a leak should develop in any
of the brake lines,
In order to protect the brake dises from road
dirt, the wheels ere provided with radial ven-
tilation holes. These holes also contribute to
better cooling of the brake discs.
The foot brake system is equipped with a
9-inch vacuum servo which significantly re-
duces the pedal effort necessary to achieve a
certain braking effort.
When the brakes have become wort to such
an extent that they must be replaced, the
driver’s attention is drawn by a higher pedal
effort being required. This advance warning
is designed to avoid damage to the discs.
Page 37
4]
rz)
Luggage and storage
space —Sedan models
The Saab 99 LE and EMS have an
) expanding" luggage compartment. The
conventional trunk can be simply converted
to a semi-station wagon design which allows
the area behind the front seat to be used for
transporting bulky items by folding down the
rear seat. In the Saab 99 WagonBack, the
luggage compartment can be used in three
different versions, the station wagon version
in fact provides a flat floor of over six feet in
length and a maximum capacity of $3 cubic
feet.
Ordinary trunk space in the sedan models
can accommodate 12.3 cubic fect of luggage
according to the SAE standard which
employs a set of items of luggage of sti-
pulated size, The actual total volume is just
over 23,3 cubic feet. The maximum load-
carrying capacity of a 2-door or 4-door
sedan, with manual gearbox, is 815 pounds,
with only the driver in the car. The spare tire
is located at the extreme rear for easy re-
moval even when the trunk is full,
The luggage compartment has a flat, wide
floor, The floor is covered with a wear-
resistant plastic covering. The channel
around the trunk lid will effectively drain
rain water, even during the heaviest down-
pour. The spring-loaded lid will open auto-
matically when the opening button is de-
pressed. A light will automatically illuminate
the luggage compartment when the lid is
opened. The trunk sill is only 20.9 inches
from the ground in the WagonBack modet.
The Saah 99 LE-sedan can be converted toa
semi-station wagon in about half a minute by
folding the back seat forward, and then
folding the backrest foreward and down-
wards. The continuous flat floor will then be
67.7 inches long (A) and $1.5 inches at its
widest (B) and 84,7 inches long dia-
gonally (C). The car can be converted back
to a conventional 5-seater in a few seconds,
For safety reasons, the seat back is secured in
an upright position by sturdy catches,
O}) The doors are provided with spacious
“packets for maps, newspapers, and eight
track cassette tapes.
| | The door trim design of the Saab 99 EMS
and WagonBack allows for even greater door
pocket storage.
« The lid of the glove compartment will remain
“i in the horizontal position when open, and
has a number of circular recesses which can
be used as holders for cups during a break
on 4 long trip,
({2 Atay-like surface, on top of the dashboard,
WD is provided for sunglasses or other items.
The surface has a slight forward slope, to
prevent small items from rolling off.
oi The ashtray is of ample size, and tucks in
© neatly under the dashboard. Ashtrays are
also incorporated in the two armrests at the
back seat,
& Provision is made on the Saab 99 for fitting
) a trailer hitch. The highest permissible trailer
weight is 2000 pounds,
Page 39
38
Luggage and
storage space
WagonBack
The Saab 99 WagonBack is an unconven-
tional car which incorporates the best
features of the conventional sedan and
station wagon.
& Jarge passenger compartiment with first-
rate comfort
© sporty appearance and aerodynamic
design
© large and easily convertible load-carrying
area
The luggage compartment can be converted
to three different versions:
© conventional trunk with parcel shelf and
room for five occupants
© conventional trunk without parcel shel?
and room for five occupants
© station wagon capacity and room for two
occupants,
©) The large rear door allows for convenient
loading, even of very bulky items. There is
no sill whatsoever, and the height of lift is
thus only 20.9 inches. The rubber covered
bumper can be used as a support when
loading heavy and long items. The rear door
is hinged at the edge of the roof and the
height of the rear door opening is 32 inches.
The width of the door opening is 46 inches at
the widest point,
} The trunk (with seat up) is 46.8 inches long
> and can accommodate 13.4 cubic feet
according to SAE standards. If the parcel
shelf is removed, the rear of the car can be
loaded up to the roof.
> The WagonBack configuration can be
obtained by folding down the back seat and
its backrest forward, This can be done in less
than half a minute. No tools are required.
The floor is completely flat and is covered
with a plastic-backed nylon carpet. Thespare
wheel is located to the left, and is easily
accessible even if the luggage compartment is
toaded, With the back seat folded, the length
of the floor is 72.4 inches. The total volume
is 53 cubic feet,
A well-protected light is activated auto-
matically when the rear door is opened,
Acompartment with the maximum volume
of 3.2 cubic feet is available under the trunk
floor. The floor in this compartment is
covered with a nylon carpet, This compart-
ment is practical for the storage of a spare
fuel can, warning triangle, tow-rope, jack.
The wheel housings and side walls are
lined with moulded panels of 3/8 inch thick
foam material, covered with & .080 inch
thick layer of touch vinyl, The material is
impact-absorbent, sound and heat insulating,
and fire resistant. [t is oil-resistant and casy
to keep clean. The rear door is also lined with
the same material,
Page 40
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