Went ahead and installed some NGK BCPR7ES-11 plugs on suggestions above, and
this post from saabnet.com. Didn't use anti-seize as you mentioned above, and tightened them ball-park snug. I initially understood that the -11 plugs come properly gapped for this application, but I now wonder if that's not the case.
Interesting discussion from saabnet.com on which plugs, and gap:
Quote:
- Use the inexpensive regular copper BCPR6ES-11 (or BCPR6ES) for primarily city driving where the BCPR7ES-11 (or BCPR7ES) shows a lot of black carbon deposits on the plug tip. The use of the "hotter" heat range 6 spark plug will help reduce the black carbon deposits on the spark plug tip.
- Use the inexpensive regular copper BCPR7ES-11 (or BCPR7ES) for primarily freeway, sustained high speed, spirited driving, towing, or when using an upgraded ECU like Speedparts, BSR, etc.
- Replace the spark plugs every 10,000 to 15,000 miles, depending on your driving style. The BCPR6ES-11 and BCPR7ES-11 are factory gapped by NGK to 0.044". The BCPR6ES and BCPR7ES are factory gapped by NGK to 0.035". The Saab specification has changed over the model years but is generally 1.0mm +/- .1mm (0.040" +/- 0.004"). It is best to gap new spark plugs to the lower end of the tolerance, as the spark gap will wear and increase over the life of the spark plug. Therefore, all the NGK plugs need to be re-gapped to 0.036" before use in the Saab 2.0L and 2.3L turbo engine.
The NGK BCPR6ES-11 and BCPR7ES-11 copper core plugs were Saab original equipment from 1994 thru 1999. From 2000 thru 2002, the NGK PFR6H-10 platinum spark plugs were Saab original equipment, and the NGK PFR7H-10 was offered as an option from the Saab part department for "hard driving". The additional cost of the platinum spark plugs may be justified if you are paying someone else to do the installation and want to run 30,000-miles between spark plug changes. Otherwise, the regular copper plugs perform just as well for less money but need to be replaced more often.