New to Gen Vibe

[Nniuq1979]

Hello Everyone,
I purchased a 2009 Vibe GT on March 1st. I have been thinking about buying a Vibe for about a year and therefore have been looking into them a lot over that time. I had originally thought of getting an older (less expensive) generation 1, but as I kept looking I increased my savings and in turn I became more and more interested in the generation 2 GT. So after many months of pondering and looking I finally bought a white GT. I am typically not a fan of white cars and have never owned one before, but something about the Vibe GT in white just looked awesome. The one I found had a great car fax report listing frequent oil changes and up to date maintenance. The interior and exterior are also in excellent condition, with only a small amount of the unavoidable paint chips in the front.

I have done 99% of all repairs and maintenance on all of my cars in the past and have driven junk most of my life, so I am sure I will be looking into doing minor modifications for performance and appearance. If anyone has any suggestions on things I might want to consider, I would welcome any feedback.

Thanks to all for your many posts in the past as I have been periodically reading posts over the time that I have been awaiting purchasing a my Vibe.

[09vGT]

Welcome to the site!

I originally never liked silver cars and wanted the Vibe in red. After seeing a silver and red side by side I couldn't resist the silver so I know what you mean on the color!

[kingcaff]

I had to buy the black one cause it was soo shiny at the dealer all buffed up, but black and white are the worst at showing road dirt... but you madee a good decision on going for the GT.... I havent gotten into any real modifications yet but if you ever think about a turbo please let me know how it goes cause I would love to have my turbo

[trb]

Welcome! I agree with you 100% on white cars. I've never owned one and never really thought cars looked good in white, but when I was looking for my 2010 GT, I saw a few nice white ones online. I decided to go for one in Austin that looked good, and probably would have bought it, but it sold before I could get there. Since then I've seen a couple in person, and they do look sharp in white!

[KITT222]

Holy cats, another member near me!

Hi.

Welcome to GenVibe! Enjoy your stay. Post pics, if you can. If you DO decide to turbo, kits are already made for that engine, since it is used do much in the Toyota Camry and Scion TC.

[Nasmfell]

Hi, Welcome.

[Adam24303]

Welcome it's great to see some more 09-10 Vibe owners making there way here!

[tpollauf]

Welcome to GenVibe. Another 2009 Vibe GT joins us here ......... AWESOME! Looks like we may have another candidate for this year's Vibe meet in June? Wise choice on the car. Looking forward to pics of this Frosty treasure of yours!

[vibenvy]

Welcome to GenVibe! As others have said, the 2nd gen GTs do look very sharp in white ! I'm looking forward to seeing some pictures of your "new" Vibe...

[Nniuq1979]

Thank you all for the very warm welcome!!

I have definitely been thinking about a turbo, and have seen the kits available, they are really not very expensive. I would love to do it and know that I am completely capable, but I do question whether or not I want to take on something that involved, if so it will be down the road a bit. I do worry about whether or not that would be too much stress on the motor though. I will definitely post on here any pictures of modifications that I do.

Has anyone here done a high flow cat back exhaust on their GT? If so, did it give a very substantial increase in horsepower? Also has anyone done racing strips, I really think that a flat black one would look great on my car.

First Picture is below, more to follow:

Vibe(2).jpg (126.14 KiB) Viewed 6560 times

[Rayven01]

This isn't an '09, but a white 1st gen with racing stripes that I think would look good on the 2nd gen.

[Nniuq1979]

Thanks,
That definitely helps me to visualize a bit.

[vibenvy]

Has anyone here done a high flow cat back exhaust on their GT? If so, did it give a very substantial increase in horsepower? Also has anyone done racing strips, I really think that a flat black one would look great on my car.

There was one member here who had the Magnaflow cat-back on his 2009 Vibe GT, but he handed the Vibe down to his brother and hasn't posted in quite some time.

As far as racing stripes, it's ultimately your vehicle and your decision, but I am just not a fan of large decals, graphics, etc. on a vehicle. I think it looks cheesy.

[Nniuq1979]

Thanks for the info, just looking to see what I could do for modifications.

[lannvouivre]

Thanks for the info, just looking to see what I could do for modifications.

You may also consider having the muffler replaced with a different, more flowing one. I had a magnaflow muffler, but it broke within 24 hours (one of the cores came loose) and I ended up getting a Thrush 17658 welded muffler that cost about or less than half as much and doesn't drone at 60+ mph. The stock muffler is surprisingly heavy, too. Installation of the Thrush was $80 at a local shop (automotive work down here costs a lot compared to other places).

I don't think all magnaflow products are bad or anything, but it seems that some models of muffler are prone to having the same failure over and over on warranty-replacements. I suspect that one could prevent the core from vibrating with clever use of metal bands, but it's already off my car, sitting on the fireplace and waiting to be sent in.

[Nniuq1979]

Hey, thanks for the info, that is definitely something a little less involved than the whole exhaust system. Could you notice the difference with then new muffler installed?

I do not have any experience with Magnaflow, just know the name well. Even the best manufacturers have their products that they have problems with.

[lannvouivre]

Hey, thanks for the info, that is definitely something a little less involved than the whole exhaust system. Could you notice the difference with then new muffler installed?

It felt like it, but that could have just been the noise tricking the seat-dyno. It's hard to tell since my car is DBW and so has a throttle about as reactive as an inert gas, not to mention whatever losses I'm having from worn piston rings.

Definitely it is louder and far lighter. It's not as loud as a truck, and with my $15 carpet padding sound-muffling mod I did today under the rear interior panel, it's really quiet. Today I'll try to get a recording or something of my cheap Thrush muffler, I guess.

[Nniuq1979]

Yeah, I've been checking them out, very inexpensive, doesn't look too involved to replace either. The DBW is definitely something to get used to having never had a car with that before. I just can't understand when it was decided that cable's were no good anymore.

[Kincaid]

Nice Vibe! Looks good in white - one of my favorite colors (when clean, haha).

[Nniuq1979]

Thanks! Trying to keep it clean, difficult this time of year.

[lannvouivre]

Yeah, I've been checking them out, very inexpensive, doesn't look too involved to replace either. The DBW is definitely something to get used to having never had a car with that before. I just can't understand when it was decided that cable's were no good anymore.

I believe that it was decided it's easier to set up DBW than the cables. I hate the way DBW feels. I may end up breaking down and getting some energy suspension motor mount inserts to help ease away the delay. DBW just feels really insensitive.

[Doug14]

I also have the DBW on my vibe, but I don't find the throttle as in sensitive as some do. Mine is a 5 speed though and feels fairly responsive to me