New member from Texas..Any advice?

[TheMastrmind]

Newbie here. I have a base '06 Vibe and its all stock. I wanna get some nice wheels for it that preferably match the paint. Any ideas? and maybe drop it an inch or so.

I'm just a kid with a dream to work on cars. I'm 14 and this is my grandma's car, but it'll be mine in a year and I truly think the car is freakin' awesome, and I tend to listen to music loud so the 6-speaker audio system isn't too shabby either.

I'm just looking for customization ideas really. Suggestions, anyone?

[tpollauf]

Welcome to GenVibe young Mastmind. You have a very kind & generous Grandma. On the other hand I'd say she's a bit foolish Don't take that comment negative BUT if I had a reliable car as the Vibe I would hang onto it and tell everybody else to go out and find their own Vibe On a serious note, you'll be inheriting one of the most reliable cars out there and they're easy to work on and modify if you go that route. Congrats and keep up those grades so your insurance will be somewhat affordable. FYI ...... I'm likely the same age as Grandma

[joatmon]

No particular recommendation on wheels, and unfortunately, advice I could give sounds like a sermon, so sorry about that up front

Don't know you, your family, your money situation, but you should probably first make sure you can pay for gas, for registration, and for insurance, and the maintenance of the car before you spend much money on upgrades. Be cool, don't make someone else pay for the essentials while you spend money on optional embellishments.

When you get the car, and your license, keep in mind that the car is an expensive thing, and don't risk what you can't afford to lose, whether that is the material thing of a car, or more so your health/life. My kids fit the statistical evidence that new drivers are not good at it. Always remember the absolute first rule of driving is "Don't hit anything" All other rules, techniques, behaviors derive from that. Even with more than a few years of driving, I still find it hard to keep that rule as priority #1 when I am behind the wheel. But please try to be safe and a responsible driver.

Sounds like a momentous gift, be grateful. A lot.

[TheMastrmind]

Its alright..I'm not gonna get my family to pay for anything...my granddad is opening a little restaurant in the small town of Madisonville, TX, and it'll be my first job and I'm gonna work hard for the money for maintenance and(sooner or later) upgrades. And gas. Definitely gas.

My granddad also taught me how to drive on a dirt road in his ole '97 Toyota 4Runner and taught me how to be a responsible driver. Thanks for the advice. I appreciate it.

And I really appreciate the fact that I'm getting a car. I think its awesome. The fact that its a Vibe makes it even awesomer

[trb]

Welcome from a fellow Texan and congrats on getting the car - when you do get it! I bought my son his 06 Vibe when he was 17 and it has been a great car for him these past 6 years. He just used it to move back home and had plenty of room for all his stuff. He hopes to keep it running for a good 10 more years or so. I drove right by you to buy my second Vibe from the Ford dealer in Corsicana.

Take care of it, drive carefully, and you should get plenty of life from it. Good luck with the job and post up details on the restaurant. Next time we are heading to DFW, I'll see about stopping by!

[vibrologist]

Hi Mastrmind:
You already got a bevy of good advise. And hardly anything had to do with the car. It had more to do with how to set priorities and how to treat people, financial responsibility and so on. I completely agree with that.

Now about the car: keep up with maintenance. Keep it out of the ditch. Do not listen to the music loud, but look for quality of the sound. That way your hearing will suffer less. At your age you should be able to hear the sounds of bats. At 40 that is over. If you expose yourself to high volume sound you will risk hearing a hissing sound all day long, no matter what: it is called tinnitus.
About the color: your car is black (if my screen doesn't fool me). Therefore you will have no problems with color: anything goes with black. I personally prefer not to change things or to make very subtle changes. The kind of changes that make you wonder why this car is so nice compared to the one parked next to it.

And one more thing: DON'T TEXT AND DRIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[NascarXprt]

Welcome fellow Texan! the vibe is an awesome first car for anyone, it was my first car back in '04, its a blast to drive, very reliable, and good lookin lol.

as far as mods go, Wheels, a lot of wheels come in black or even dark gray( Gun metal) so your possibilities are endless, the only thing you need to consider when getting wheels, is what size wheel you are wanting to go, then tires, and when getting tires, for aftermarket wheels, can get pretty pricey.

For suspension mods Springs, Struts, Strut tower braces, and sway bars you have quite a few options out there.

Since you stated that you are wanting to go down about an inch, there are a few springs out there, any spring for the Matrix will work, so you have Tein H-Techs, which are roughly an 1.5" drop, TRD Springs are also roughly an 1.5" drop, Eibach have an 1.5". Or if youre feeling a bit adventurous there is Tein S-Techs which drop the car about 2.3" or if youre really adventurous you can do Coil overs, but the coil overs are why more expensive than your normal spring set ups.

There are also some engine mods for the vibe, i do believe there is a thread in here by BlueCrush that lists a "Poor Man's" Mod list or guide if you are on a strict budget.

[Nasmfell]

Here's some good advice, whatever you want to spend on wheels or whatever, put that money in a Savings account and watch it grow. You'll be glad you did, Whatever you choose it is your money

[lannvouivre]

If you expose yourself to high volume sound you will risk hearing a hissing sound all day long, no matter what: it is called tinnitus.

It's more of a ringing noise. It's a common problem in my family. I've had it all my life and sometimes the ringing is so loud that it hurts and is disorienting. My grandmother doesn't use hearing aids because they also amplify the ringing.

[vibrologist]

If you expose yourself to high volume sound you will risk hearing a hissing sound all day long, no matter what: it is called tinnitus.

It's more of a ringing noise. It's a common problem in my family. I've had it all my life and sometimes the ringing is so loud that it hurts and is disorienting. My grandmother doesn't use hearing aids because they also amplify the ringing.

I know what you are talking about. Whether it is a rumbling, ringing or hissing is a question of the affected frequency range. I acquired mine most likely in my youth working in a factory that produced baby food jars, pickle jars and such. Imagine thousands of jars coming along on a steel conveyor belt. At that time nobody uses hearing protection.

[lannvouivre]

I know what you are talking about. Whether it is a rumbling, ringing or hissing is a question of the affected frequency range. I acquired mine most likely in my youth working in a factory that produced baby food jars, pickle jars and such. Imagine thousands of jars coming along on a steel conveyor belt. At that time nobody uses hearing protection.

I know loads of people who recommend it, but no one who does it. I have worn earplugs trying to fall asleep with the washing machine running, and the ringing sound combined with my heartbeat sounding irregular every time I took a breath was almost unbearable.

I didn't know it could be other noises. Right now my ears are ringing louder than my music/game. I just have to say that if you can do anything to prevent tinnitus, please do it. I didn't even know you could damage your ears and develop it, that's horrible. I'm sorry that you also have to put up with it; as you know, it sucks pretty bad sometimes.

[TheMastrmind]

Do not listen to the music loud, but look for quality of the sound. That way your hearing will suffer less. At your age you should be able to hear the sounds of bats. At 40 that is over. If you expose yourself to high volume sound you will risk hearing a hissing sound all day long, no matter what: it is called tinnitus.

I don't listen to it THAT loud, I usually listen to it halfway, or maybe a little more, but not too loud, I try not to be ignorant thank you for the advice, I appreciate it.

Oh yeah, I also don't listen to my music really loud for other reasons. I am a fan of most hip-hop/rap music, and i usually play music w/ the windows down, and I also know a lot of people don't wanna hear that stuff, so I try to be considerate.

[bobho]

I can understand that you'd like to do things to the car that makes it a little different. Watch Craigs list for used Toyota 5 bolt wheels. I like to take most of the badges off my cars. Thats easy stuff. Suspension and engine mods can be tricky. For any suspension change theres usually a negative trade off. My advice is to drive the car for a year and then determine what you'd like to change.

BoBHo

[vibenvy]

Welcome to GenVibe! As others have said, you are definitely getting a great little vehicle from your grandma! It definitely sounds like you will appreciate it and take good care of it. Remember, driving is a huge responsibility so don't take it lightly.

As for wheels, I would recommend browsing Tire Rack. They have tons of choices and you can search by your exact make, model, etc. so you'll be sure everything will fit properly. They also have a feature where you can see what the wheels will look like on your vehicle, so be sure to check that out when you find some wheels you like. My suggestion for buying something like wheels and tires is to save a little money at a time. I am 30 and this is what I do when I want something on the more expensive side for my Vibe. Set aside, say $50.00 a week and before you know it, you'll have the amount you need and you won't go into debt or anything. Plan on spending $700.00 - $1000.00+ for wheels and tires depending on the size, etc.

Be sure and let us know when you get the Vibe and if and when you do any upgrades to it !

[lannvouivre]

Oh, and I'm also from TX, but probably far enough away that we might as well live in different states.

[TheMastrmind]

Oh, and I'm also from TX, but probably far enough away that we might as well live in different states.

which part of Texas? I just moved here not too long and I don't know much about Texas other than it can get hot and it dosent rain as much as my hometown of Jacksonville, Florida

[lannvouivre]

Odessa

[NascarXprt]

YAY Texas Folks! lol