New member hello *with pics of my EcoVibe*

[Markmysite]

Hello all. I've been lurking on this sites for months now (just joined 3 weeks ago) and figured it was time to say hello. I did a lot of research before buying a Vibe and you guys all helped me make up my mind on one. It was a hard decision for me to make because I haven't been driving fuel eff. vehicles for years. My other cars are a 2001 Durango (13-15 mpg), and a 2006 Chrysler 300 SRT8 (425hp, 0-60 in under 5 seconds ... about 18-20mpg HWY). Although the 300 SRT8 is an amazing car that is a blast to take to the drag strip, it just wasn't cutting with gas at $4 a gallon. It was time to suck it up and go for something that could get better gas mileage. So, I found a 2007 base model with 7,062 miles for only $11,800!!! It was a great price since most around me are going for $15-$16 for an '07 with over 20-30K miles on them. I had to drive 3 hours to get it, but it was worth it. I thought I'd hate driving it compared to my 300, but it turns out I LOVE THIS CAR. It's fun to drive, holds a lot, and is perfect for what I need.Here is a picture of what it looked like when I got it 3 weeks ago:Here are some pics of what it looks like now:I hope to learn a lot more from you guys here. Any tips on other things I should mod for improved MPG, or any other mods in general are appreciated!

[bull77]

welcome and nice mods so far --- i like the double din setup i love the 300, especially the srt8 -- pics?next mod --- paint those drums

[Markmysite]

Thanks bull77. On painting the drums ... That's funny because my 6 year old just told the same thing. With these rims they stand out and he said, "dad your new car is very rusty, I think you need to paint that". Here's another pic of the 300 at the track that day with some buddies I race with: (no I'm not in the picture ... I took it)My engine:My sons favorite pic:

[Kamikaze]

Looking good... Nice Mods, glad you like the vibe!

[808 Vibes]

Welcome and congrats...you got a pretty insane deal!Quote, originally posted by Markmysite »I LOVE THIS CAR. It's fun to drive, holds a lot, and is perfect for what I need. Thrilled that you are in our big happy Vibe owner family!(and thank you for turning 'eco')

[coldmm803]

welcome to the board and thanks for the pics good to hear your enjoying the vibe

[jwalcik]

Welcome aboard! I dig the dark wheels.

[Markmysite]

Thanks. I decided to try black since I've always had chrome or stainless wheels. They ended up looking good and they are so much easier to keep clean.

[Mariachi]

hey nice vibe! likin the wheels. yep those calipers need to be painted. I need to do mine to. as for guel eff., just add a short ram intake and that will help. but sometimes it won't bcuz of that fact that you are goin to want to hear that intake more. lol. Welcome to the Forum. Glad you enjoy your vibe like everyone else here does.P.S. I like the SRT8

[Markmysite]

Thanks, Your Vibe looks tight mando.I have been thinking about doing a cold air intake. Would a short ram be better? Are you trying to get warm air in to improve FE???I have a CAI on my SRT8 and it did help improve FE on the highway. It hurt it in the city driving because you want to hear the growl.... then again I keep the windows down and AC off so I can hear it.... lolI've read up on here and Matrix and other Toyota forums and most people seem to think CAI doesn't help FE. I know it did help about 1-2mpg with my 6.1L engine, but perhaps the factory air intake is doing a good enough job on these cars ... or maybe it is because people just drive it harder because they like the growl. I'm still undecided on what I want to do for air intake. Would love to hear more thoughts on it.

[Mariachi]

the short ram that i have did improve fe for me. i tested it without and with. i got close to 1.5mpg gain. I was thinking about getting the CAI for the vibe for more performance. Even with my short ram, i hear that growl. lol. With the Eclipse's I previously had, I went CAI on all of them. 07 Eclipse GT with CAI was loud. lol. My 97 Eclipse GS was surprisingly quiet. And my 1990 Eclipse GSX you could hear the turbo breathe really loud. Anywho thats about it. lolThanks for the compliment on my vibe. I am really a big DSM'r but after my wife's friend took us for a spin in her vibe, I was talking to my wife about getting one bcuz they are spacious and smooth. I really like it til this day.

[tribalman]

for your radar detector how are you powering it? did you take the roof liner off and run a wire through? i'm looking to do the same for my gps, any tips or photos about that?

[Markmysite]

tribalman, Yes I direct wired it by running a cable up through the roof liner and down the window and door molding. I used a direct wire cable to run it down (not coiled). If you don't have a straight cable the best way to go would be to buy a hard wire cable. Here's a link to a similar one on ebay for my model ... Escort Passport ... http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...ZWDVWI also installed a 12v power outlet under my dash so I could power and external Garmin GPS unit that I already had. I like it better than the radio one I have and like to keep it separate from cutting into my music all the time.The 12v power source is mounted right above where the OBDII connector is (to the left of dash, near hood release ... the OBDII is what a dealer plugs a StarScan into to diagnose the car. I can get pictures of it later and post them up. It's hidden underneath and faces the engine. The of course you need power. I used those little blue splicer clips that you just press down onto a wire you want to tap into. I used a light tester to determine an ignition powered line and used that. It's pretty tight underneath the dash and there are few wires you can get to easily. I just tapped into the wire that is used for the cruise control switch on sticks. One my car it was just hanging there (has a plastic clip on it). I did end up having to use that wire later when I installed my cruise control and swtich (DOH).... but it doesn't draw much power so I have three things running off that one fuse (radar det, GPS, and the clutch switch).I also made a custom mount so I didn't have to use suction cups anymore (hate those stupid things). It's made out of .40 gauge aluminum and that I bent to curve up into the headliner. I then used 2 way tape against the window to keep it from moving around alot. Finally I put black rubber pads over it for looks. Hope that helps.

[bull77]

any pics of the front of your vibe?"ECO MODS = ScanGauge II, Perm. alum. grill block, Partial belly pan, Removed antenna, Tire pres. 44 psi"

[Markmysite]

Sure, I will put a link to gassavers that has the pics of the grill block and under belly I did. I see you are on that forum as well. http://www.gassavers.org/showthread.php?t=8738I took a lot of pics when I did that mod the other day. I am thinking of posting the whole installation with pics. I may do that today actually.

[bull77]

Quote, originally posted by Markmysite »Sure, I will put a link to gassavers that has the pics of the grill block and under belly I did. I see you are on that forum as well. ya -- but I'm not doing as well as you. How does covering the grill/underbelly help and what's CC?check out this vibe owner --- http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=34021Quote, originally posted by Markmysite »That's funny because my 6 year old just told the same thing.funny, my wife says i think like a 6yr old sometimes

[Markmysite]

CC = cruise controlBlocking the grill and covering the underbelly helps with wind drag. There is no need to have that huge opening on our cars (the older ones have a much smaller space there.... and it is major overkill now). The bottom of the new 2009 Vibes actually has a plastic underbelly now to help cut Cd (drag coefficient), but ours don't. I noticed they also have a larger wheel wind deflector too (something else I want to improve on my car). Otherwide the wind just has a parachute effect into the wheel wells. Our rear is a disaster too ... a lot of the wind is trapped into the back bumper causing major drag at speeds over 45-50mph. That's why I'm going to do a full belly pan eventually. My goal is to get to about 45-50mpg on the highway.The car is running at 185-190 deg. max which is fine. The stock therm. opens at 185 I think. So, I'm going to change that too (to prevent the elec. fan from coming on too early and cooling it down). An engine is more gas effiecient and emits less emissions when it runs a little hotter. I would like to keep it at about 195 deg. I'm not sure how much it's helping since I just did it last Sunday. I did drive about 160 miles this morning and the mileage seems better. I won't know until I fill up again to compare to the scangauge. I can't trust it because I just reset it and have to do the fill up at 1/4 tank to calibrate it. I was saying I averageed 48mpg ... lol ... although I was also drafting semi's the whole way.I'm using every hypermiler trick I've heard of too:Hypermiler Techniques UsedSlow acceleration from a stop (shift at 2000 RPM)Run the speed limit or under (55-60 on highway)Use Pulse and Glide in city and rural roads (haven't seen much benefit on highway?)Use stick to coast in Neutral as much as possible (time stop lights)Speed up down hill, coast up hillAccelerate at peak torque and low RPM's (about 60-70% throttle to shift into taller gear)DWB = Drive without using brakes as much as possibleTurn off engine at long lightsUse cruise control on flat highway stretches (saves avg. FE of about 7% according to Edmunds.com)Draft semis (1-1.5 seconds behind = 90-110 feet = ~12-15% increase in MPG)Draft SUV's and even cars convoy styleIncreased tire pressure to max PSIKeep perfect tire alignment on carReduced drag coef. on my car Use compressor to keep air cleaner blown clean of dirtUse ScanGauge II to monitor my current MPG, average fuel economy, digital speed, and engine temperature (sometime change that to DTE on trips)Only use AC at speed above 45mph (windows slightly down otherwise ... and I cycle the AC on/off on hwy)Ridge Riding = I try to drive to the right or center of the lane (out of the bumps and ruts from traffic, rain, snow in weather = smoother ride and less bounce and drag)Always keep engine tuned upI also have a 5-speed. Do you have auto or manual?

[bull77]

ah yes cruise --- I have an auto that came with ccdoing most of the techniques you're doing, except inflating tires/drafting/shutting off engine.Usually do 95% city driving at ~60-80km, but when on the highway i go 115km

[Markmysite]

Ahhh that's it then. You do almost all city driving where I am probably 80%+ highway miles because of work (outside sales/mgmt). The auto vs stick is probably not that big of a mpg change since you're hypermiling.

[ramenboy...]

that's what i'm talkin about! didn't waste anytime moddin the vibe!welcome to the family