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Engine swap

Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2017 6:57 pm
by ProHitman2062
What would be a good engine swap for a 2009 vibe 1.8L VVTL-1? Iv been told either a vtech or a h22a. Need some opinions..

Re: Engine swap

Posted: Mon Aug 07, 2017 11:06 pm
by SeattleJeremy
What are your goals for this car? Faster daily, road race, autocross, drag.
What transmission does the car have?
How invested in this car are you? Money and emotionally invested.
Can you do the work yourself? If you can't Where are you located? Do you have a good relationship with a shop?
What is your budget?

Is this your second car, or do you need it to get to work/school on Monday? I ask this because common engine swaps take time to work out the bugs, and any swap you do to a 2009 Vibe will not be common.

Honda associates the word "VTEC" (no H) with many of it's cars/engines. Your car is a Toyota (despite the Pontiac logo,) and Toyota has the similar technology in "VVT-i" and "VVTL-i". The H22a was great in the 90's when it was in Preludes, but now the K20/K24 swap is more common. Here is an example of a K series swap in to a similar (but older) car. http://www.monkeywrenchracing.com/k-ser ... nd-toyota/

Swapping the engine is normally more work than it's worth with cheap FWD cars. In the end it will be easier to bolt on a turbo, and double the HP of the stock engine. http://www.monkeywrenchracing.com/produ ... rix-09-13/ However, this is not to say it's easy.

Re: Engine swap

Posted: Tue Aug 08, 2017 4:54 pm
by ProHitman2062
It is my everyday car and my street racer right now. I won it in a pink slip race with my rx5 twin turbo. Im trying to build it up as well to use it for street races. Its a automatic 2wd. I am verry invested in this car right now and want around 5 grand+ to be put into it. I can do some stuff by myself and others i need a shop.

Re: Engine swap

Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2017 11:34 am
by SeattleJeremy
ProHitman2062 wrote:I won it in a pink slip race with my rx5 twin turbo.
Didn't realize this was still a thing real people do.
ProHitman2062 wrote:Its a automatic 2wd
The automatic will be the limiting factor here. I can't imagine Toyota tested this transmission with anymore than about 200 ft/lbs. So if you're looking to do a swap, or put turbo power in to it, you'll want to do the 5 or 6 speed conversion while you're at it. Thankfully, Toyota does make this car with a 5-speed, so you should be able to source some of the parts you need (peddle box, shift lever) from a wrecked one. Toyota used the C59 (5-speed) in the first gen Vibe and the second gen Vibe. The C60 (6-speed) is really similar, but you'll need to do some research to find out the differences. There are a few threads around talking about the swap.

If you are serious about a swap, I recommend finding a wrecked Vibe GT or Matrix XRS, and swapping the 2ZZ and 6-speed. It's the most straightforward swap, and I bet you could do it for around $5000.

Edit: Check http://www.car-part.com/ to search for an Engine for a 2003-2005 Vibe Vin L engine (GT/2ZZ motor) in your area.

Re: Engine swap

Posted: Wed Aug 09, 2017 3:17 pm
by jayoldschool
Just put an LS in it. Easy.

Re: Engine swap

Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2017 10:22 am
by SeattleJeremy
jayoldschool wrote:Just put an LS in it. Easy.
Yea, get the engine tray from a LS4 W-platform, and bolt it up.

Re: Engine swap

Posted: Thu Aug 10, 2017 1:22 pm
by ImUrOBGYN
:shock: :? :) :D :lol:

Re: Engine swap

Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2017 11:58 pm
by Ugetmyvibe
I agree, a k series is what is use . But i wouldn't. You won't win many (if any) races in these, especially a auto. Mine handles turns and curves much better and surprisingly flat. My advice is either use it as your daily since you already have race cars. Or sell it and get something a little better like a RSX or GTI (if you still want to live the hatch life). Out of curiosity, what city are you near?

Re: Engine swap

Posted: Thu Aug 17, 2017 10:26 am
by ProHitman2062
Nashville TN

Re: Engine swap

Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2017 8:50 pm
by Ugetmyvibe
No way, same here. Ever go to cars and coffee in brentwood?

Re: Engine swap

Posted: Sun Aug 20, 2017 8:22 am
by ProHitman2062
Nah but i would love to