"new" 1.8 engine ?

[capecodbeachfront]

As an owner of a 2003 Vibe with the original 1.8 engine I always said my next car would have more horsepower and would be QUIETER on the road. The wind noise of the 03 has tortured me for 5 years.Now I find myself ready to buy an 09 Vibe. I tried a Tucson but the horror stories of poor gas mileage scared me off. Loved the new Malibu but couldn't get used to not having a mini suv... I like the high seating and storage you get with the Vibe.BUT I need to know a couple of things...Has the 1.8 engine been re-worked to perform better than my 03 version? Maybe I do not need the 2.4??Are the 09's really finally quieter on the road ? Wind noise? Tires?BTW are there other OEM tires than the GYEAR RS-As ? They are LOUD!Do you think I could get the dealer to swap them out???Are the tires now 205/45/16 instead of the 205/55/16 on my 03?Thanks for your help !

[northvibe]

the new 2009 1.8l has been updated to have dual variable valve timing. Seemed to up the hp/torq a tad, but mileage doesnt seem as great imo. I cant comment on noise as I havent driven one, but they are more boxy than the 03-08 so I would assume on wind noise and/or feel the car being pushed around by wind, the same... Econo box cars will not be ultra quiet they have to skimp some places, I think the 09 is slightly quieter inside but not by much. swapping tires...prolly wont happen unless its a deal struck between you and that specific dealer.

[SeattleJeremy]

As for swapping tires I went to a Goodyear store after getting my Vibe and asked them about swapping them for some trippletreds. At the time I had 1000 miles on the car, and they said, "If I you had less than 100 miles on the car we might be able to treat them as new, but a 1000? no way."

[djb383]

Don't know about the '09 Vibe but our '09 Corolla 1.8 definitely has more pep than our '05 Vibe 1.8 and is much quieter.

[bull77]

Best advice is to go and test drive a new 09 with a 1.8 and 2.4. My experience with several test drives is the new engine/cabin is quieter and the engine felt peppy --- soft gas pedal. engine noise has gone down alot with the new vibes. the rsa are standard on the vibe but you might be able to swap with your own -- provided you don't get the 2.4 (different bolt pattern)gl and have fun!

[lowincash]

there is a bit of wind noise coming from the driver side a pillar but it's nothing annoyingly bad...stock tires were noisy and i changed mine only after a month of owning the car lol the ride is a lot quieter and smoother on the fwy maybe that's why i noticed the wind noise since the road noise was cut down. but all in all this car is pretty quiet...i have the 2.4L engine and it's a smooth quiet engine too. not sure about the 1.8...the only 1.8L i tried was in the 09 scion xd which my cousin got. it was very responsive and i was shocked how well it took off. maybe because it's a lighter car? idk lol

[Caretaker]

capecod: check the signature plate at the bottom of my note. Take it from me, the 09 is a far superior car. It handles a whole lot better. I can corner on the crappy Goodyears at reasonably high speeds before the stability control kicks in. I can't wait to start cornering when I put on the Michelin Primacy MXV4's. The car has more safety features and is MUCH quieter, especially in city driving. On the highway the car gets louder. The engine is more refined and gets 29 in town, and 35 on the highway; better than the sticker and pretty satisfying when you go to the pump. The "Corolla-Vibe" is under appointed however. Radio controls on the steering wheel should have been made available, along with sunglasses holder. Otherwise, it is a great car, and far better than the first generation. The stock tire size is exaclty the same, and you can even insist that the dealer tell NUMMI to swap the tires for something better if they build your car from scratch. You'll have to pay slightly extra. However, as long as you don't have lots of snow and ice, the stock Goodyears will be fine for two years.

[jake75]

Any idea what the swap for triple treads would have cost? I'm betting retail on new, wholesale credit on old, plus $20 a tire to mount and balance.

[ned23]

I suggest that you test drive both on the highway. I drove a 2009 1.8 L and it was a noticeably quieter than my 2004 was. That said, it's still not THAT quiet. The 2.4L is much quieter than either of the 1.8L cars. So, you really want quiet, I'd suggest going with the 2.4L. There are two issues at work here:1. the first problem is that sound-deadening adds a lot of weight to the car, which reduces performance. It also adds cost. So, they added more sound-deadining to the 2.4L because it has extra power and they can charge more, but generally minimized it on the 1.8 to keep costs down and mpg up. 2. a smaller engine has to rev higher on the hwy, so you not only get more wind noise, you also get more engine noise and gear noise. Not only does the 2.4L have more power but it has a 5-speed auto which revs slower on the highway and is much quieter. The cost is about 4-7 mpg depending on which 1.8L you get.

[capecodbeachfront]

The drop off of 4-7 mpg was a bit of a shocker...I guess I had expect 2mpg or so...Did some talking with the dealer yesterday...but we did not get too far.They didnot want to deal much on the 2.4,plus a lot of 'package stuff' boosted the price.Ugly wheel covers (1.8) vs wheels was an issue.Plus I wanted them to upgrade the GY RS-A tires...Wind noise I always speak of WAS still there but 25% quieter.NO sunroof or rack on the 09 so it must be mirrors or weather stripping? BTW I hear it mostly with my passenger side ear.