New vibe member / owner 2009 gt

[izzy96]

Hey vibe lovers lol.. I'm new here and just wanted to see how the forums .. This is my vibe

[vibenvy]

Welcome to GenVibe! Props on posting pictures of your Vibe right away! I see you already have some mods done as well. Very nice! What wheels are those? What size are they? The grilles on the front look nice as well. What happened to the small grilles next to the fog lights though? I notice they're missing. Do you have any other mods done? Do you have anything else planned for the future?

[izzy96]

Thanks.They are drag wheels dr 34.....offset =35 mm. Idk if you've ever heard of em.. 18x8.. Tires nitto motivos asymetrical tires I'm running 235-40-18.. .. Outstanding grip and longevity on tread.. Barely got them so I'll follow up on how they really perform..I am missing the front side grilles .. I got the car like that.. Anyone know where to get them or how to make some?no mods yet.. Only drop in k@n filter.. I have aftermarket fog lights.. My next mod is going to be lowering it and from seeing a couple of forums .. It looks like I am going to have fun finding the right springs.

[trb]

Welcome to another nice red GT! Looks good with those wheels. I noticed the missing fog light grilles too. One thing I've thought about was trying some front marker lights from a Ford Edge where those grilles are. They look to be about the same size and that might be neat.

[lowincash]

Welcome and nice wheels! It looks like the front bumper might have been replaced since the paint is a bit off compared to the rest of the car. Probably that's why you're missing the side grills and fog light.

[vibenvy]

Outer grille – left: #88975668
MSRP: $10.95 | GMPartsCenter.net: $7.88

Outer grille – right: #88975667
MSRP: $10.95 | GMPC.net: $7.88

Fog light – left & right: #88975670
MSRP: $165.73 | GMPC.net: $119.33 (per light) *I figured I'd throw the info for the fog lights in as well in case you would prefer to get factory fog lights.*

*NOTE: GMPC.net offers free shipping, but does add $8.95 per order as a “handling charge”. Also, check out their Facebook page as they frequently post discount codes on there.*

If you ever get tired of the K&N drop in, I highly recommend the K&N Typhoon short ram intake (#69-8613TS). Myself and many other 2009-2010 2.4L Vibe owners here have this intake and it's a great mod for sure. Easy to install, looks great and sounds even better! Once you get over the initial period of stepping on the gas to hear the new sound of the engine, it can actually net you an extra 1-2 MPGs as well.

Good luck with lowering it. I've driven a couple lowered cars in the past and have moved beyond that stage in life. The Vibe GT suspension is plenty stiff enough for me. I can't imagine how it would be lowered .

One thing I've thought about was trying some front marker lights from a Ford Edge where those grilles are. They look to be about the same size and that might be neat.

This is a project that Tim (tpollauf) has talked about tackling (putting LEDs where those grilles are). The Scion xB also has what appears to be similar sized lights that go in that same area on the front bumper. Could check those out as a possibility too.

[izzy96]

Yeah I have been thinking about the intake but have been a little tight on money .. I've just been doing mantinance on her. Has anyone notices any horse power gains with the k&n?..

Unfortunately yes the front bumper is a slightly different color from the car.. It was in an accident and the last owner took it to a Micky mouse body shop:(. You can really only notice it in the bright bright sun. Also from pervious owner scraped almost the whole bottom of the bumper from going into drive ways a little too fast..

Tom thanks for giving me the idea about the ford fog lights.. I think I'm going to leave it for you so you can have the original vibe with awesome side marker lights.

Thanks vibenvy for finding and posting the parts and all if the info. Thank you.. I'll check em out and probably order them next week.(the side markers)

And about the suspension, I haven't changed the shocks (has 70k) but do you think they are worn out already?
I want to lower the car for looks and performance. Yes the oe suspension is pretty stiff but when I really put it to the test, I receive a lot of body roll. Do you guys know if it has a rear sway bar? I'll check later .. Haha.. I wanna lower it but only an inch or two.

Oh and another thing when u post pics of my car like on forums and stuff should I cover my licence plate? Just woundering

[lowincash]

Eh don't understand why people cover up their plates when they post pictures on forums. It's not like people might look you up or something haha Plus, driving on the streets everybody sees your plate

I'm not sure there's any lowering springs available for the GT, there are some for vibes without the independent rear suspension tho, I think they're matrix or corolla parts. Haven't seen any sway bars for this car either =/

Oh yeah, I had a red honda accord coupe before and it was also involved in a frontal accident so the bumper was replaced or repainted. Color did not match the rest of the car and it drove me crazy lol Mine was more noticeable tho =(

[vibenvy]

I would just set a little money aside from each paycheck until you have enough for the intake. You can get a brand new K&N intake on eBay for about $230.00.

That sucks about the accident and all . I can't believe they didn't even bother to replace the fog lights or outer grilles .

No problem ! That's why I'm here !

The suspension could be worn out if the Vibe was driven hard (which it kind of sounds like it was). A reputable mechanic should be able to tell you whether anything's worn out or not. I'm not sure if the GT has a rear anti-sway bar, but I know it does IRS (Independent Rear Suspension) which is part of what makes the ride so stiff.

I never blur out my license plate. I figure everyone on the road sees my license plate, so why should I worry about people online seeing it .

[09vGT]

Welcome to the site!

My struts/shocks are still good at 116,000 miles. I was going to have them replaced due to it feeling like it was starting to dip when stopping but the dealer said they looked fine and did a "bounce test" and it performed like it should've. I'm a pretty spirited driver.

[izzy96]

Well I'm glad that us suspension is running good and strong... And the intake .. I think I'm gonna wait a little .. I wanna do exhaust fist .. I might do a custom cat back exhaust or just a muffler.. Or does anyone have the direct fit magna flow for sale?