1st Road Trip - no power

[Lorin]

(This sortof belongs in the racing forum, but it has to do with power and mods, so I'm posting here.)I completed my first road trip today - Philly PA back to Harrisburg on the turnpike. In 6th gear at 80 mph on a very SLIGHT grade, you can floor it and not get ANY acceleration. I got wasted by three different civics and a NEON! I dropped to 5th gear to try to catch the Neon, but still not enough beef...and by then it was too late for a re-match. How humiliating! And, in Valley Forge I got smoked by a Ram Air trans am as the guy's attractive girlfriend chuckled through the window as they blew by. I feel like covering over the GT emblem with a piece of duct tape until I complete my modifications.....

[coratz]

should have droped it to at least third gear/at least!!!!!!!

[MrRich]

quote:should have droped it to at least third gear/at least!!!!!!! That's right!And Don't race with Trans Ams.They got lots of power.And with the ram air even more(LT1).Keep pacticing!

[Flip-Side]

quote: In 6th gear at 80 mph on a very SLIGHT grade, you can floor it and not get ANY acceleration. I got wasted by three different civics and a NEON! I dropped to 5th gear to try to catch the Neon, but still not enough beef...and by then it was too late for a re-match. How humiliating! :crook5th and 6th gears are "Overdrive Gears". They are made for fuel economy and low rpm cruising. They are not for acceleration or going up grades. You need to drop to 4th or 3rd gear to get passing power. The GT is made for real power above 5000 rpm, so you need to choose a gear that keep you in that sweet spot. Otherwise it will be slower than the base, which has more low end torque. I'm betting if you downshifted even to 4th gear you would have taken them.

[PBFlash]

You have to drop to at least 4th if your cruisin in 6th to have a a chance at beating anything. I went to pass a civic and when I dropped to 5th he blew me away. On the next run I dropped down to 4th and roasted him.

[DopeVibeGT]

Yes! Dont try to race in 5th or 6th!! If you got beat by a Civic, or worse, A NEON, thats why. Drop it down to 4th or 3rd so you can get the RPMs up into the 'sweet' zone, 6K+. You would smoke a Neon and a Civic easily (Unless they have some serious mods). I've went to 70 MPH to 120 in a flash doing this. Remember, the GT loves to rev to 8K. Just try down shifting to get the RPM's up next. The GT fly's. And dont even think of messing with a RA Trans Am, if it's a newer one. They have 300+ HP and will smoke you. LOL

[Lorin]

I've got another road trip coming up - this one 1000 miles round trip (Harrisburg to Indiana and back). I'll try 4th or even 3rd next time I get challenged! The best use for the Trans Am's is to leat them run ahead and get all the speeding tickets!

[QUIKAG]

At 80mph, drop to 3rd and you'll get to 90mph at redline, shift to fourth and you'll quickly be passing 100mph. Dropping to 5th or even 4th at 80mph won't get you any good acceleration. You have got to be above 6000rpm to get any good acceleration, you'll be on the high lift cam at that point. Shift just past redline, trust me, your motor can take it.Concerning the Trans Am. No mod is really going to help you against an LT1 or LS1 T/A. I have an LS1 Corvette and there is no way in hell my Vibe would ever be able to beat it. I still love my Vibe though!!

[savedbyzero]

Match REV's at the speed you're going for 3rd gear and drop it. Good-bye.

[DopeVibeGT]

Oh, now. I wouldnt say there is no Mods that would make a Vibe beat a TA or Vette. That Dodge Minivan would smoke both. And thats a Dodge! LoL Imagine the look on a Vette owner as a woodgrain Caravan hands him his (removed).

[DopeVibeGT]

LoL!!! "My Daddy's Van beat your Car!" LOL I like that, but one shouldnt race with children in the car. But, it would be funny just thinking of the results.

[mu_ohio]

quote:That would be something, a Woody beating a Vette, have the kids in van in the height chairs waving to the guy/girl in the Vette and smiling while doing it, not that is a Kodak memory. And then a bend in the road. Another ugly Kodak moment as the family meets the divider wall as the Vette moves safely by.

[Triton]

quote:I've got another road trip coming up - this one 1000 miles round trip (Harrisburg to Indiana and back). I'll try 4th or even 3rd next time I get challenged! The best use for the Trans Am's is to leat them run ahead and get all the speeding tickets! Definately dropping to 3rd or 4th gear would get you past those Civic's and God awful Neon's. DON'T let that happen again! (Just kidding ) As far as the Trans Am's go...don't waste your gas. Our Vibe's are no match for those. Play with them a bit and then when they run ahead, they will get those tickets!

[QUIKAG]

Sadly enough, the new Neon SRT-4 will slaughter our cars BAD. Luckily, they're not quite out yet.

[Triton]

quote:Sadly enough, the new Neon SRT-4 will slaughter our cars BAD. Luckily, they're not quite out yet. That may be true, but it's still a Neon. You could put a jet engine in it and go 0-60 in 1.5 seconds, and I still wouldn't buy one!

[QUIKAG]

I'm definitely not a fan of Dodge vehicles, but I think this is going to be a decent car for under $20k. The motor will be strong, the NV tranny is strong, the seats are out of the Viper with different material, it'll run 14.0 1/4 times at nearly 100mph out of the box.I definitely think the Vibe is higher quality than a Neon and an overall better car, but I wouldn't get too high on the horse as we're basically driving enlarged Corolla's which compete in the same category at the Neon. Again, the quality isn't comparable, but then again neither is the performance.

[DopeVibeGT]

Only because of the turbo. You cant really place a turbo charged car and a non turbo car in the same class. Just wait until the S/C and turbos come out for the base and GT's.

[HIGHREV]

It took mr a while to get used to dropping to third or fourth, try it on your own first. You will be extremely red if you miss a shift or pick the wrong gear while racing.

[Triton]

quote:I definitely think the Vibe is higher quality than a Neon and an overall better car, but I wouldn't get too high on the horse as we're basically driving enlarged Corolla's which compete in the same category at the Neon. Again, the quality isn't comparable, but then again neither is the performance. I knew about the Vibe being built on the same frame as the Corollla, but it is not a Corolla. I'm not getting too high on the horse, I'm just saying that a Neon is still a Neon no matter what you do to it. Yes, it will be faster than the Vibe, but it is probably smaller and lighter than it also. You are right about the quality and the performance not being comparable especially when they are putting a turbo in it. Like DopeVibeGT said, wait until the supercharger and turbos are available for the Vibe, then we'll check the performace. It may not be as good as the Neon, but it will be better. I don't think the quality of the Neon will ever be as good as a Vibe though.

[QUIKAG]

Save for mild boost on the 1zz, our motors were not designed for turbos or superchargers. The TRD/GM blower for the 1zz motor will run maybe 4-5psi of boost which will help performance noticeably, but not dramatically. The 11.5:1 compression ratio of the 2zz motor makes it basically impossible for forced induction with any reliability whatsoever for the Vibe GT. The Neon motor was designed for boost and has a low CR and internals designed to handle the 14psi of boost or whatever it's going to run.We need to enjoy our cars for what they are, but they are never going to be sports car or fast without serious and expensive modifications. If you're going to do that, just sell your Vibe and get a car that is fast to begin with. Any car in the 15 second range in the 1/4 mile has okay acceleration, but they are dozens of family sedans that will take our cars out. I like my car for what it is and enjoy driving it, but I know for a fact it's not fast by any stretch of the imagination.

[DABEAR95]

quote:We need to enjoy our cars for what they are, but they are never going to be sports car or fast without serious and expensive modifications. If you're going to do that, just sell your Vibe and get a car that is fast to begin with. Any car in the 15 second range in the 1/4 mile has okay acceleration, but they are dozens of family sedans that will take our cars out. I like my car for what it is and enjoy driving it, but I know for a fact it's not fast by any stretch of the imagination.

[Triton]

quote:We need to enjoy our cars for what they are, but they are never going to be sports car or fast without serious and expensive modifications. If you're going to do that, just sell your Vibe and get a car that is fast to begin with. Any car in the 15 second range in the 1/4 mile has okay acceleration, but they are dozens of family sedans that will take our cars out. I like my car for what it is and enjoy driving it, but I know for a fact it's not fast by any stretch of the imagination.I agree 100%. Even though there are a lot of cars out there that can beat the Vibe in a race, they can't take the love I have for my car.

[DopeVibeGT]

You seem to try and counter everything I say. LoL Just because a car has a high compression does not mean it can not be turbo'd. There are several ways to lower compression significantly enough to add a turbo. The point that they are working on one for this engine should be proof enough. Anything can be turbod, if you have the patience and the resources to do so.

[QUIKAG]

It's not cost effective to do forced induction on a high CR motor. You are correct that you can lower the CR of the motor, but then you lose power. Of course, you gain enough power back to compensate for the loss and then some, but why mess with a reliable setup? I've always wondered why people did FI on DOHC VTEC motors from Honda cars. You're defeating the purpose of the high lift cam with the forced induction and majorly compromising reliability. Even using the best parts money can buy, your motor flat won't last as long as had you left the motor internally stock with no FI. I like the fact my stock motor makes over 100hp/ltr (with intake mod) and can do it forever and rev to the 8350rpm fuel cutoff over and over again hundreds of times. Try to do that to a turbo or supercharged 2ZZ.

[Lorin]

quote:We need to enjoy our cars for what they are, but they are never going to be sports car or fast without serious and expensive modifications. If you're going to do that, just sell your Vibe and get a car that is fast to begin with.... This is so true. What I appreciate about the Vibe is I think it is the best in its class. It makes a great platform for my (new) hobby of performance tuning. I do computer systems work all day long (and most evenings) and it is nice diversion to work on something mechanical. I'll never beat a Vette in real race, but (once I learn to downshift enough) Neon's and Civics should be fun but easy pickin's.

[HIGHREV]

quote:I knew about the Vibe being built on the same frame as the Corollla, but it is not a Corolla. I'm not getting too high on the horse, I'm just saying that a Neon is still a Neon no matter what you do to it. .Sorry to burst your bubble but the first car I drove was a Matrix. It says "Corolla" right on the window sticker.I think in actuallity it is a Corolla platform with a Celica drivetrain, and its own body.

[QUIKAG]

The Vibe GT has the Corolla chassis and Celica GT-S drivetrain. The base Vibe has the Corolla chassis and Celica GT drivetrain (minus 10hp) or the Corolla drivetrain (same horsepower).

[Frosty]

quote:The Vibe GT has the Corolla chassis and Celica GT-S drivetrain. The base Vibe has the Corolla chassis and Celica GT drivetrain (minus 10hp) or the Corolla drivetrain (same horsepower).The Jury is still out on the true 1zz hp question. See http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=976

[QUIKAG]

Interesting. Doesn't surprise me at all that Toyota is playing with the numbers as a marketing exercise. From that post, I fully believe, the motors make the same power, both 140hp.