Payoff for Vibe GT?

[LoveMyPontiacs]

Ok, I know there have been numerous posts asking about the Vibe GT and the premium fuel requierment, so I don't need to ask about that, but what I would like to know is this:1.) With gas prices so high, how is the payoff between your gas milage in a Vibe GT compared with the price of premium fuel.2.) The gas milage that most of you get with your GT's is what? 3.) How do they perform in snow, compared to the other Vibes?Thanks guys .

[DavidPIL]

hi...um... I think if you read through the many posts you'll find people rather upset about the higher cost of premium fuel. But to state it simply... It's only about 7-10% more than regular fuel. Better for your engine and will keep the high compression engine working properly. Additional 7-10% isn't that much to give the engine what it needs. So, to answer...#1. The pay off would be not having to have major engine repair work in the near future. Keeps the Horse Power where it should be and from experience with pumps marked wrong, a quieter engine and about 2 mpg better economy (6-7%) So, take that into the 7-10% higher fuel cost for premium and the cost is really 0-3% more, not even factoring in probable engine repairs along the way.#2. Easily 30-32 mpg in Summer. 5-7 mpg lower in Winter.#3. Get decent tires and you'll be ok. I had the Dunlop Summer tires but replaced them with Continental ExtremeContact A/S tires. These are great for Summer/rain or dry traction and good for snow. Yes, I said GOOD. Not excellent, not flawless, but good. You could buy a Winter tire for the Winter for better traction but a good M/S (all season) will help get you through the Winter. Dave

[goodvibe]

Other than the lack of all wheel drive and clutch life, there are no additional shortcomings to a GT other than costs. In this case, you get what you pay for.

[Stang2Vibe]

1. I currently get about 25-27 MPG with my GT, but my snow tires are lowering my gas mileage a little bit. In summer, I've typically gotten in the low 30's if I drive it easy. Since the Vibe is the most fuel efficient car I've owned, it is far more economical than anything I've had previously, depite it being the only car I've had so far that requires premium fuel. It is great for me because I demand performance. So I get great fuel economy and this is the second most powerful car I've owned.2. already answered that above.3. With the original Continental tires, any more than about 1 inch of snow and I was spinning all over the place and could only climb hills by letting it basically burn off the tires to get uphill. I put on a pair of Bridgestone Blizzak WS-50 snow tires on the front and some cheap Wintermaster snow tires on the back, and I can go in the snow now. It's not great, but I can get where I need to go. Overall, the only car that I've had so far that was worse in the snow than the Vibe was my 2000 Mustang. The Vibe, I feel, is not great in the snow--as is true with most small cars, particularly the Japanese ones because they are lighter.I can't really compare the GT to the other Vibes in the snow because I haven't driven anything other than the GT. I would imagine that the GT and the base models would be similar in the snow, and I always read here that the AWD Vibe does really well in the snow.

[MJN2]

I don't complain about the premium fuel requirement a bit. But, that's because I've owned one other car with the same requirement, and it's mileage was about 17 city/25 highway (downhill with a tailwind lol).I get 30mpg or so in fair weather. Been getting 25-27mpg this winter.Snow - after replacing the Dunlop Sp9000's with a set of Sumitomo HTR+, I haven't had any issues.

[Nik]

I havn't driven in snow yet so I cant anwser that one. All my driving is in the city so my milage is a bit lower but still better than my last car (96 Pontiac Grand Am, v6).When I was picking out my vibe I drove each of these for a 3 days before picking the one I wanted:05 Automatic Vibe04 Automatic Vibe05 5 speed Vibe04 6 speed VibeGT (the one I picked)The amount of performance you get out of the Stock GT is heads and tails above the base engine. I fell in love with this GTa fter driving it for 2 days. And I'll still pay less for the GT in premium gas than I did with my v6 GrandAm on medium grade.

[StampedeVibe]

I think everyone talked about the mileage about GT's enough, so I won't add anything there.As for handling in the snow. The only thing that I would add is that the base and GT's handle similarly in the snow, the only difference would be the tires. The AWD will help you start faster, but it won't help you stop any faster! And stopping, if you ask me, is much more important!

[drunkenmaxx]

Quote, originally posted by StampedeVibe »And stopping, if you ask me, is much more important!that wont be a problem if you get stuck.

[StampedeVibe]

Usually not a problem if I stay off the sidewalks!

[Puckman27]

actually, since 4 disc brakes w/ ABS is standard on the GT, i bet it stops better than base and awd in snow if u really had to step on the brake. But back to how it handles in the snow, i got some new BFGoodrich Traction T/A's on my GT for christmas and got to drive through a lot of snow in chicago and michigan. it handles a lot better than my old grand am did that had traction control. My cousin was shocked when i told him that it wasn't all-wheel or 4 wheel drive, of course he's used to his firebird formula goin everywhere when snow falls.