GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Is it that hard to build a turbo vibe?

1zz or 2zz? With the open deck block, even with rods and pistons, they can’t hold much power without aftermarket sleeves which can be pricy.

Probably better off doing a lotus take-off supercharger

Here are links for you:

http://www.corollaforum.com/threads/200 ... uild.5823/

https://www.turbokits.com/Toyota/Corolla/Turbo_Kits/

The first link is the easy motor combo to turbo charge. It will give you an idea what is needed and the price of doing it. Remember that the prices listed are close to six years old now so it is going to cost more then that. Any other Vibe motor will require custom one off pieces to be built for a turbo install $$$$. The tune is very important as you can easily damage the turbo and/or the engine if not done properly. If you think you are going to get big power from the 1.8L, you will be blowing head gaskets and damaging the block with to much boost. Talk to the people at Turbokits about your plans. You put enough time and money into it and you can almost do anything; even put a man on the moon. Now is it worth it, that is up to you.

If you have copious amounts of money, it's not hard.

If you're trying to do it cheaply, it's difficult to stay reliable.

I'm thinking 1zz. I'm wondering why it's not done very often. I'm like it if I was going to do something like this I have a friend who's incredibly mechanically inclined

I'm wondering why it's not done very often.

You take a Vibe that is…. say 12 or more years old, with xxx,xxx miles on it, and not too many people are willing to spend over $6,000.00 for parts, plus all the time and labor, to add a turbo. To take a Vibe that has a resale book value of 4 to 8 thousand dollars and then spend another 6 thousand on it does not make sense. The insurance company, if the car has full coverage on it, will only pay out what the book value is on the car if it is totaled out in an accident. You just lost all your labor, time, and money for the turbo. I have had this happen to me when I was young and had more time than money to spend on a car. Someone runs into to you when you are stopped and all that labor and new parts are gone. The car is only insured for book value unless you buy and pay for special insurance.

Adding to the power output of the engine is not just harder on the engine, it is harder on the clutch, transmission, drive-line, suspension, and tires. You can plan on replacing these parts a lot sooner than normal, the CV joints and wheel bearing too. The car was not designed or engineered to handle high power outputs.

You did read through that first link I posted. Read the whole thing. The prices are for parts and not the labor. That guy did a very nice job of his install.