Supercharged 5-Speed Vibe

[tbm34]

I must say, the Vibe now truly is the perfect little car. I think we all love the Vibe’s styling and versatility, but what it was always missing was some extra hp for that daily commute, and some additional low end torque (will post dyno’s later) for getting it over the passes when loaded down with camping gear and a couple of bikes on the roof. The supercharger, unichip, magnaflow cat-back is a perfect combination. Much smoother power throughout the whole rpm range, and no more hesitation flooring it from stops. I don’t know about the base autos, but the 5 spd manuals have a real nice sweet spot in the power band from about 3500 rpm to 5500 rpm, especially in 2nd and 3rd gear. This spot is oh so much sweeter now, and kicks in much lower. The SC and magnaflow exhaust sound doesn’t exactly suck either. So for those of you that are sick of dealing with GM and want to save some cash, this is the way to go. After all the past BS from GM, I decided on principle they were not going to get any more of my hard earned coin. The Toyota folks are actually pleasant to deal with, Ted Roach at toyotaautoparts.com is definitely the man, and Jack from Unichip was a huge help as well. Cost for the Base TRD supercharger (ie NO piggy-back ECU) $1575. Non-tuned Unichip $685. Total $2260 and plenty left over for installation, tuning, Magnaflow exhaust, TRD high flow air filter etc. Like I said, I think this is the way to go, (and use manual folks, still the only way) because of the very rich factory fuel setting of the TRD/GM piggy-back ECU, most SC folks are either adding a split second fuel controller or Unichip anyway. These can also be tuned for specific mods (exhaust, CAI, headers etc) for maximum performance, which the TRD/GM piggy-back can’t.

[Mavrik]

I'm about to let Toyota do this as well, already done some research with the dealers here.I'm sooo jealous of your ride heh. I like that sweet spot to between those gears.. Supercharger does sound even sweeter. Show pics

[Faultline]

Quote, originally posted by tbm34 »I must say, the Vibe now truly is the perfect little car. I think we all love the Vibe’s styling and versatility, but what it was always missing was some extra hp for that daily commute, and some additional low end torque (will post dyno’s later) for getting it over the passes when loaded down with camping gear and a couple of bikes on the roof. The supercharger, unichip, magnaflow cat-back is a perfect combination. Much smoother power throughout the whole rpm range, and no more hesitation flooring it from stops. I don’t know about the base autos, but the 5 spd manuals have a real nice sweet spot in the power band from about 3500 rpm to 5500 rpm, especially in 2nd and 3rd gear. This spot is oh so much sweeter now, and kicks in much lower. The SC and magnaflow exhaust sound doesn’t exactly suck either. So for those of you that are sick of dealing with GM and want to save some cash, this is the way to go. After all the past BS from GM, I decided on principle they were not going to get any more of my hard earned coin. The Toyota folks are actually pleasant to deal with, Ted Roach at toyotaautoparts.com is definitely the man, and Jack from Unichip was a huge help as well. Cost for the Base TRD supercharger (ie NO piggy-back ECU) $1575. Non-tuned Unichip $685. Total $2260 and plenty left over for installation, tuning, Magnaflow exhaust, TRD high flow air filter etc. Like I said, I think this is the way to go, (and use manual folks, still the only way) because of the very rich factory fuel setting of the TRD/GM piggy-back ECU, most SC folks are either adding a split second fuel controller or Unichip anyway. These can also be tuned for specific mods (exhaust, CAI, headers etc) for maximum performance, which the TRD/GM piggy-back can’t. this is great that you got the SC for 1575.00...!!! ''cause it fits already,..!!.I had mentioned earlier, that I thought you could get an eaton roots style sc for around 1300.00 t0 1400.00, and then go custom, but this will fit our car for 1575.00!! no custom fabricatiing..this is good!....does this still come w/ the 5th injector at this price??.....If I was going to go SC...I believe this is what I would do..

[AKLGT]

i'll tell you... i kinda wish i'd gone w/ my orig plan to get a base 5 spd. then add the s/c... just seems to me that you can do so much more w/ the engine than the 2zz.

[noginsk]

This is one of the reasons why I went with the base versus the GT. PLEASE PLEASE give us more info! One thing I am curious about is gas mileage. Do you have to use premium fuel? Did you track your mileage before the s/c install? And, are you tracking it now? What is the difference you have found, if any? Did this install void any parts of your warranty? Did you install it yourself in oreder to get such a cheap price, or was that the price with install included? Thanks man!

[Mavrik]

How much HP and torque with those mods do you have is what I wanna know lol DO TELL!

[AKLGT]

you will def have to use premium fuel. anytime you have a turbo/s/c.

[savedbyzero]

I wouldn't be disappointed. I think of it like this, you buy the base and push it close to it's limits on stock internals and just meet the performance of a STOCK GT. You buy the GT, and you've got more a much better mill to push higher than the 1ZZ could ever go.

[Mavrik]

Supercharged Vibe has more torque and lower end HP then the Vibe GT. Include a chip, exhaust system, CAI and all that and your looking well around if not over 200HP on the base engine alone.

[Devlop]

Quote, originally posted by savedbyzero »I wouldn't be disappointed. I think of it like this, you buy the base and push it close to it's limits on stock internals and just meet the performance of a STOCK GT. You buy the GT, and you've got more a much better mill to push higher than the 1ZZ could ever go.Actually, pushing a base to its limits would blow a GT out of the water. From what I know, you can run the 1zz up to ten lbs of boost safely on stock internals and be pushing around 210-220 to the wheels. That, is very quick. Look at Faultine's Vibe, he's running seven lbs and I believe he's pushing around 200 hp.

[tbm34]

Quote, originally posted by noginsk »This is one of the reasons why I went with the base versus the GT. PLEASE PLEASE give us more info! One thing I am curious about is gas mileage. Do you have to use premium fuel? Did you track your mileage before the s/c install? And, are you tracking it now? What is the difference you have found, if any? Did this install void any parts of your warranty? Did you install it yourself in oreder to get such a cheap price, or was that the price with install included? Thanks man! Here’s the story. Once I got sick of getting the GM run-around and delays, I gave up on them and started looking at the TRD supercharger for the 5-speeds, which was released almost a year ago. The problem, as we all heard, was that the GM and Toyota ECU’s were different, and that the piggy-back TRD ECU would therefore not work for the Vibe. I don’t know if anyone has really confirmed this. I than started looking into the Unichip which was supposed to really improve the SC performance. The Unichip actually replaces the ENTIRE GM/TRD ECU piggy-back, so now, in theory, one could install either the GM auto SC or the TRD SC. This was still an expensive alternative, because the GM SC kit is $2995, or TRD for about $2500. Either way, you’d still have to throw away the piggy-back ECU and spend another $685 on the Unichip. I then found out that the TRD SC is technically sold as two kits, the Main SC assembly kit (part #00602-17620-120) This fits all years of Matrix’s and Corrolla’s and contains everything (5th fuel injector, actuator, etc.) but the piggy-back ECU. The second part of the TRD SC package is Vehicle install kit, which is the piggyback ECU programmed for the specific vehicle and year. This could be completely replaced with the Unichip. Ted at toyotaautoparts.com (a great guy, about all the matrixowners go through him) sold me the TRD base SC assembly for $1575, and Jack the Unichip for $685. So now for $2260 you have an upgraded SC which can be custom tuned for additional mods and to correct the rich factory fuel setting of the TRD piggy-back. The down-side of the Unichip is that it must be properly tuned by a Unichip certified tuner, and if there is not one in your area, you’re kind of screwed. So here are the details;$1575 TRD SC (toyotaautoparts.com)$45 TRD hi-flow air filter (toyotaautoparts.com)$25. Shipping for above (not only are Ted’s parts cheap, he barely charges for shipping)$685 Unichip for SC’d 1ZZ-FE engine$350 Magnaflow true cat-back exhaust including Tax and install. (Local shop)$40 IK-20 Denso Iridium spark plugs (1 heat range colder than stock)$125 Custom tune of Unichip (Modern Garage SCL, Utah)$2845 Total, less than the cost of the not yet orderable GM SC alone!!!Priceless- The look on peoples faces as they are blown away by a Wagon.

[tbm34]

Quote, originally posted by Devlop »Actually, pushing a base to its limits would blow a GT out of the water. From what I know, you can run the 1zz up to ten lbs of boost safely on stock internals and be pushing around 210-220 to the wheels. That, is very quick. Look at Faultine's Vibe, he's running seven lbs and I believe he's pushing around 200 hp.Lets not turn this into another GT vs. SC pissing match, they are both damn fun to drive. I love the 6-speed high-revving GT engine, and the way the clutch grabs is awesome. One the other hand, the instant power surge from the extra torque of the SC is great for zipping around traffic. Both engines are going to have similar HP outputs, just at different ends of the powerband.

[AKLGT]

ya, let's not get into a war on gt vs base....i've watched larry's video's of him annihilating an xrs w/ cai and unichip (same as my set up) w/ his super s/c xr! of course his is pushed to quite a bit and he's done more than just the s/c. when i say i'd have been better off w/ the base and gone turbo or s/c i mean more bang for the buck. you can turbo the gt, but with great cost... as it stands, we've already spent more money on the gt than a base. i coulda got a much better deal on it in the first place and would then have only spent w/ a s/c and other items the same as i did for my gt to start with. i've calculated i've spent about $4K on a/m parts and accessories on mine! it adds up very very quickly

[BaseVibeDriver]

Quote, originally posted by tbm34 »$1575 TRD SC (toyotaautoparts.com)Did you install the S/C yourself ? Any idea how much a speed shop will charge?

[tbm34]

Quote, originally posted by BaseVibeDriver »Did you install the S/C yourself ? Any idea how much a speed shop will charge?Most shops will go by an hourly charge, and speed shops seem to charge a premium. I’d just find a good mechanic familiar with Toyota’s. For both the SC and Piggy-back ECU, 6 hours of labor would be a real fair deal. Check out matrixowners.com, they have a whole thread on SC install prices under their forced induction section.

[AKLGT]

the piggy back ecu will take 30 mins to install. i installed my unichip in about 30 mins myself. very very easy. and i'd prob install the s/c myself too since there are enough folks here who've done it w/ a great how to install in the tech forum. i love genvibe!

[BaseVibeDriver]

Quote, originally posted by tbm34 » The down-side of the Unichip is that it must be properly tuned by a Unichip certified tuner, and if there is not one in your area, you’re kind of screwed. Just wondering, can Unichip upload your piggy-back ECU data and download it to another Unichip Vibe ECU with identical engine upgrades like yours ? I would think that this will not require visiting a Unichip tuner.

[AKLGT]

well, they have preset maps, but for custom tuning, yes, it bites there is not a place here locally that i can take mine in for custom tuning. so i have to go w/ a more conservative tune... or map. but after i get an exhaust system, i'll send it in for retuning. like the xrs they showed, i'll have the exact same mods and hopefully same kind of results.

[ebslopp]

tbm34, do you have any pics of the final product? It sounds pretty nice! As far as I know you're the first Vibe to get an SC.

[Mavrik]

Sounds like a great deal you got there. What did it do to your warranty? I will have to check into Toyota here for their CAD prices.

[Faultline]

Quote, originally posted by tbm34 »Here’s the story. Once I got sick of getting the GM run-around and delays, I gave up on them and started looking at the TRD supercharger for the 5-speeds, which was released almost a year ago. The problem, as we all heard, was that the GM and Toyota ECU’s were different, and that the piggy-back TRD ECU would therefore not work for the Vibe. I don’t know if anyone has really confirmed this. I than started looking into the Unichip which was supposed to really improve the SC performance. The Unichip actually replaces the ENTIRE GM/TRD ECU piggy-back, so now, in theory, one could install either the GM auto SC or the TRD SC. This was still an expensive alternative, because the GM SC kit is $2995, or TRD for about $2500. Either way, you’d still have to throw away the piggy-back ECU and spend another $685 on the Unichip. I then found out that the TRD SC is technically sold as two kits, the Main SC assembly kit (part #00602-17620-120) This fits all years of Matrix’s and Corrolla’s and contains everything (5th fuel injector, actuator, etc.) but the piggy-back ECU. The second part of the TRD SC package is Vehicle install kit, which is the piggyback ECU programmed for the specific vehicle and year. This could be completely replaced with the Unichip. Ted at toyotaautoparts.com (a great guy, about all the matrixowners go through him) sold me the TRD base SC assembly for $1575, and Jack the Unichip for $685. So now for $2260 you have an upgraded SC which can be custom tuned for additional mods and to correct the rich factory fuel setting of the TRD piggy-back. The down-side of the Unichip is that it must be properly tuned by a Unichip certified tuner, and if there is not one in your area, you’re kind of screwed. So here are the details;$1575 TRD SC (toyotaautoparts.com)$45 TRD hi-flow air filter (toyotaautoparts.com)$25. Shipping for above (not only are Ted’s parts cheap, he barely charges for shipping)$685 Unichip for SC’d 1ZZ-FE engine$350 Magnaflow true cat-back exhaust including Tax and install. (Local shop)$40 IK-20 Denso Iridium spark plugs (1 heat range colder than stock)$125 Custom tune of Unichip (Modern Garage SCL, Utah)$2845 Total, less than the cost of the not yet orderable GM SC alone!!!Priceless- The look on peoples faces as they are blown away by a Wagon.If you dont have unichip, you can use the split second units , they have a couple of air/fuel controlling ones , and these are between 200.00, and 300.00 if i remember right. The Fuel timiing contoll unit..FTC-1-costs in the mid 500.00....this latter unit is all anyone needs ...and you just need to find some one to tune it, It will only take a couple of hours of tuning...I bellieve it just needs to hook up to three sensors....MAF, cam sensor, and crank sensor....Any how I would like to also add that on my turbo set up, I have not done anything to the timing...and I am running around 8psi for over a year now....my A/F ratios are just under 12/1 thru most of the power band during boost all the way to red line..and I have stock plugs as well...I plan to switch to IK 20's one of these days.I can confirm that the ecu's of the vibe and matrix are different. My fuel setup is the SF one , and it is mechanical in nature. Recently they put a little black electronic box on my car to fine tune the a/f ratios. It is the one that they use on celica gt...Anyway the connections to the celica ecu, matrix and Vibe, are all different....The spyder guys are using Greddy E manage...for their piggyback, and it is just 3oo.oo something. Monkeywrench racing sells them...They pre tune them for the spyders, but you can get them un-tuned as well, ...and of course their is the Stand alone Power FC for around a grand, but if my memory serves me, XS engineering could not get that to work on a Matrix XRS. so who knows if you could use it on a Vibe.....Finally, the 2zz does have stonger rods, than the 1zz, but its high compression ratio , and wider bore /shorter stroke, makes it pre ispossed for predentonation......There is a guy in town out here who is running 9psi with alcy injection , using power fc on his 2zz celica...Its the sf kit , and it is putting down 250 hp..his goal is 270hp but that is on stock internals...anyway, 250whp is maybe what??280 at the crank??...any way SF put down 250hp at 12 psi on a 1zz celica....Everyone, be happy! each motor has its advantage!

[tbm34]

Quote, originally posted by Mavrik »Sounds like a great deal you got there. What did it do to your warranty? I will have to check into Toyota here for their CAD prices.Warranty? Oh, you must be referring to the limited 12 month, 12,000 mile lame (removed) only if installed by a certified GM dealer on an overpriced supercharger that you can’t even order anyway warranty. I suppose the same thing that happened to Faultline’s warranty when he installed the turbo. Ask him how much he regrets driving around with un-warrantied forced induction the last year. OK, sorry for the sarcasm, but putting this thing together I have so many GM is the schitz stories I could go on and on. The parts on the supercharger should be covered under warranty, but not labor. If the thing blows up your Vibe engine, there isn’t a chance GM will cover the warranty. The thing to remember is that this is not really a Pontiac. It is a well proven Toyota engine for which the supercharger was specifically designed for and extensively tested. Besides, it’s not like I’m the first, the Matrix guys and gals have been running these things hard with lots of extra mods for almost a year, with very few problems.P.S. No offense Mavrik, don’t you work for a Pontiac place? The idea that you can’t get any better inside info on GM stuff than the rest of us smucks makes it even more frustrating

[tbm34]

Quote, originally posted by BaseVibeDriver »Just wondering, can Unichip upload your piggy-back ECU data and download it to another Unichip Vibe ECU with identical engine upgrades like yours ? I would think that this will not require visiting a Unichip tuner.Yes, the Unichip can be sold plug and play. If you gave Jack your Vibe info, I bet he could preprogram it to about 90% of what you would get from a custom tune.

[tbm34]

Quote, originally posted by ebslopp »tbm34, do you have any pics of the final product? It sounds pretty nice! What do you want to see pictures of? The car or the SC. The car looks like a basic mono-toned Shadow with some cheap (but light) aftermarket alloy wheels. The SC looks like crap because I haven’t trimed the engine cover yet, so the it is still bare. There are some nice photos of the installed SC on the matrix site with the TRD carbon fiber engine cover.

[tbm34]

Quote, originally posted by ebslopp »tbm34, As far as I know you're the first Vibe to get an SC.No, ilquikgtx installed a GM one on his AWD auto which he than sold to teammonkeys who installed it on his AWD auto. So I don’t know it that counts as one or two. It is kind of ironic though that the two SC’d Vibes, 5-speed and AWD, are the ones that GM hasn’t released SC’s for.

[ebslopp]

Quote, originally posted by tbm34 »What do you want to see pictures of? The car or the SC. The car looks like a basic mono-toned Shadow with some cheap (but light) aftermarket alloy wheels. The SC looks like crap because I haven’t trimed the engine cover yet, so the it is still bare. There are some nice photos of the installed SC on the matrix site with the TRD carbon fiber engine cover.When you're done detailing the engine bay, post some pics. I bet it looks pretty sweet.

[tbm34]

Quote, originally posted by Faultline »If you dont have unichip, you can use the split second units , they have a couple of air/fuel controlling ones , and these are between 200.00, and 300.00 if i remember right. The Fuel timiing contoll unit..FTC-1-costs in the mid 500.00....this latter unit is all anyone needs ...and you just need to find some one to tune it, It will only take a couple of hours of tuning...I bellieve it just needs to hook up to three sensors....MAF, cam sensor, and crank sensor....Any how I would like to also add that on my turbo set up, I have not done anything to the timing...and I am running around 8psi for over a year now....my A/F ratios are just under 12/1 thru most of the power band during boost all the way to red line..and I have stock plugs as well...I plan to switch to IK 20's one of these days.I can confirm that the ecu's of the vibe and matrix are different. My fuel setup is the SF one , and it is mechanical in nature. Recently they put a little black electronic box on my car to fine tune the a/f ratios. It is the one that they use on celica gt...Anyway the connections to the celica ecu, matrix and Vibe, are all different....The spyder guys are using Greddy E manage...for their piggyback, and it is just 3oo.oo something. Monkeywrench racing sells them...They pre tune them for the spyders, but you can get them un-tuned as well, ...and of course their is the Stand alone Power FC for around a grand, but if my memory serves me, XS engineering could not get that to work on a Matrix XRS. so who knows if you could use it on a Vibe.....Finally, the 2zz does have stonger rods, than the 1zz, but its high compression ratio , and wider bore /shorter stroke, makes it pre ispossed for predentonation......There is a guy in town out here who is running 9psi with alcy injection , using power fc on his 2zz celica...Its the sf kit , and it is putting down 250 hp..his goal is 270hp but that is on stock internals...anyway, 250whp is maybe what??280 at the crank??...any way SF put down 250hp at 12 psi on a 1zz celica....Everyone, be happy! each motor has its advantage! Hey, Thanks faultline, these controllers and chips sound like some good options. You, along with the SC’d guys at matrixowners, were definitely my inspirations for doing this. Just remember though, if you go with the way I set my SC up, that is starting with just the base SC assembly, that your chip/controller will have to replace everything that the TRD piggy-back ECU has. This includes a driver module for controlling the 5th fuel injector and boost, as well as two leads that run through the fire wall and into the engine compartment. One lead connects to the pop-off valve/actuator, and the other to the fifth fuel injector. The nice thing about the Unichip is that it included all of this. It is really a well put together product, all the included connectors perfectly matched the OE ones. They literally just snapped right on.

[tbm34]

Quote, originally posted by trdvibe »the piggy back ecu will take 30 mins to install. i installed my unichip in about 30 mins myself. very very easy. and i'd prob install the s/c myself too since there are enough folks here who've done it w/ a great how to install in the tech forum. i love genvibe! The Unichip for the supercharged engine is a bit more involved to install. It includes a driver module for controlling the 5th fuel injector and boost, which sits behind the glove compartment with the stock ECU and the rest of the Unichip. It gets pretty crowded back there. There are also two leads that run through the firewall and into the engine compartment, which are than run through the factory loom. One lead connects to the pop-off valve/actuator, and the other to the fifth fuel injector. Unichip provides clear instructions with color pictures, so it is pretty straight forward, just a bit more time consuming. The kit also includes some nice little extra’s like a little syringe funnel to get the wires through the fire wall, and extra fasteners to keep wires from rubbing against parts of the vibrating engine. All the connectors are also 100% compatible with the OE ones, and just snap right on.

[greenfire]

Very nice work tbm. I remeber you figuring if it all would work out. Nice job. Any wheel hop problems??

[russ257]

grrrr all this talk make me really want one. Now i just need a job. Anyone looking for someone with Ag business managment major?

[AKLGT]

awww.... i see. ya, spose it would have to be alittle more complicated! lol. but sounds like an awesome set up!