Russki1990 2009 vibe GT manual

[russki1990]

hey guys this is my second vibe gt.
ive owned a 1st gen 2003 vibe gt 6 speed. that i loved but had compression issues on cylinder number 2 had to get rid of it.
now i have a 2009 vibe gt 5 speed manual ( i really miss LIFT though)

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as of today i have changed couple things on it due to maintenance.
replaced the shifter mechanism for an OEM unit ( helped with slop but did not get rid of it all) if any one has any ides what to do to fix all the slop let me know.
also got some wheels for the winter that i like more then the OEM wheels so i might get some different tires and use them as summer wheels.( OEM wheels for sale)
i will be making an air intake myself, because it is way overpriced for the once that are sold online.
i am considering about doing a lift kit ( around 2-3 inch lift) for the vibe platform and selling them ( let me know if you are interested)

[53Bowtie]

Looks like a good start! Where are you located? May be interested in the GT wheels if your close to SE Michigan.

What kind of lift kit is made for our cars? I have heard of the TRD lowering springs but haven't heard of a lift kit......

[vibenvy]

Welcome to GenVibe! Nice looking 2nd gen GT !

[russki1990]

im actually located in Indianapolis.

Looks like a good start! Where are you located? May be interested in the GT wheels if your close to SE Michigan.

What kind of lift kit is made for our cars? I have heard of the TRD lowering springs but haven't heard of a lift kit......

[russki1990]

its official im using the Sparco 16x7 as summer tires and will get steel wheels for winters.
installed 205 55 16 Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 tires. they look and handle amazing

Can any one suggest some lowering springs for the car?

[tpollauf]

installed 205 55 16 Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 tires. they look and handle amazing

Looks great Handling ??? You likely have a smoother/softer ride but when it comes to hard cornering you probably roll a bit more. I really like the factory 18" for summer and we ride on 16" steelies for winter. Keep the mods coming

[russki1990]

i had some 6 year old tires on the car they where all dry. it handles so much better. needs a little more suspension balancing. does any one know what you can adjust in the rear suspension settings?

next mod will be headers.

[russki1990]

i got a Strup header for my vibe gt, hope to install it soon.

[russki1990]

installed the header.
reused the old gasket and doughnut just sprayed them with copper spray.
needed to add a spacer for the oil dipstick about 3/4 inch thick.

soak header bolts in PB blast

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remove heat shield and all bolts

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[russki1990]

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[russki1990]

my next mod will be a short shifter.
this is a TRD knockoff by OBX from Ebay ( 35$ )

[russki1990]

this weekend i installed that short shifter. and it feels amazing. but when i was in their i found out one of my bushings on the shifter was warn out and moved about 1/8 inch and it caused a lot of slop in the shifter mechanism. i found out that the 1st gen brass shifter bushings will work on the second gen vibes. at least it did on my 09 GT.

[russki1990]

for 35$ its great buy on ebay.
just look up the item name
OBX Racing Short / Quick Shifter Toyota Scion XB 08-11 Manual Trans

[russki1990]

easy to install.

[russki1990]

just bought a intake for a Scion XB it looks really similar to the intake on a Vibe.
will be trying out this intake hopefully it will fit.
its a lot cheaper then the intakes that are marked as vibe specific intakes.
bout this for just 43$

[russki1990]

the intake got installed, and it fits nice. it was a cheap way to get some cool sounds from the engine.

[trb]

the intake got installed, and it fits nice. it was a cheap way to get some cool sounds from the engine.

Nice! Any pics? I might have to try this on my twin boy's new 09 GT for that price.

[russki1990]

It fits good but i did have to make a bracket, otherwise it rubbed on the intake housing mounting.

[russki1990]

Also did a hardened engine mount for the front of the engine.
i was getting a lot of play so i decided to try out how this would feel.
i got some shore 30 rated silicone and filled it in.
will be installing it in a couple days due to it needing about 3 days to dry.

[russki1990]

does any one know what this is and can i get rid of it ?

my guess is that its a clutch damper ( it has an orifice inside that slows down how fast you can dump the clutch)

has any one ever deleted that from the system and just ran a SS hose to the slave?

[russki1990]

drove the vibe today for the first time with the new engine mount.
it feels amazing, you dont get any vibration from the engine at idle or when starting off ( does vibrate a little when the engine first fires on start up) but the response is much much better now. i think i will try and do the rear engine mount too.

[russki1990]

whooops i installed the engine mount too soon, seems like you will need more then 4 hot days to cure the stuff.

[russki1990]

Had to make a O2 sensor thing to fool it that it still has a cat.
side note it needs to be longer then this / further away from the exhaust stream.
ohhhh and just a straight adapter like the spark plug fouler would not fit in this spot due to hitting the sub-frame

[russki1990]

what do you guys think of my new / (old because i did this a long time ago) shift knob?
took some aluminum and turn it on my lathe.

[JetBlack]

Looks beautifully minimalist, Hows the super strengthened engine mounts feeling?

[russki1990]

Looks beautifully minimalist, Hows the super strengthened engine mounts feeling?

the engine mount gives off a little of vibration at idle but other then that not really noticeable. ( i do need to redo the filling due to me not waiting long enough for the polyurethane to dry)

[russki1990]

Running a 1 inch spacer to bring the wheels out just a little. make them flush with the body.
is any one else using spacers?

[Misanthrope]

Thinking about it myself. But I may buy some aftermarket 18''s with the offset built in. It seems like matrix owners do more mods than vibe owners. You ever check out their forums?
Like the mods BTW.
You got the last short throw shift "kit". Can't find it anywhere but did find a true metal short throw shifter for like 160.00.
Found and ordered the same SRI you did. Keep in mind that CAI's get better and more consistent gains. There's a thread somewhere with links to an RSX dyno test with results for various setups. Like you, I'm doing it mostly for sound and a little "(removed) dyno" tweak. Plan in wrapping mine with heatwrap to minimize heat soak.
Your car looks cool. I'm sticking with 18" wheels myself though. Just has a better wheelwell ratio to my eyes.
Nice work!

[russki1990]

got my winter shoes on the vibe.
shes looking a bit cold.

[russki1990]

Thinking about it myself. But I may buy some aftermarket 18''s with the offset built in. It seems like matrix owners do more mods than vibe owners. You ever check out their forums?
Like the mods BTW.
You got the last short throw shift "kit". Can't find it anywhere but did find a true metal short throw shifter for like 160.00.
Found and ordered the same SRI you did. Keep in mind that CAI's get better and more consistent gains. There's a thread somewhere with links to an RSX dyno test with results for various setups. Like you, I'm doing it mostly for sound and a little "(removed) dyno" tweak. Plan in wrapping mine with heatwrap to minimize heat soak.
Your car looks cool. I'm sticking with 18" wheels myself though. Just has a better wheelwell ratio to my eyes.
Nice work!

I do get quite a lot of head soak during summer. i noticed the power start to fall off after driving in traffic.

[russki1990]

the cheap ebay air filter broke and fell off while i was driving.

[zbyers]

I'd snag a quality K&N filter for sure for that.

Also if you're bored, I see your in Indy, head on up to Charter Township in Michigan for the GV meet this weekend. There is a post on here somewhere, as well as on Facebook about it. They'll be at CJ Barrymore's Go-Karting Place.

[russki1990]

its sad but finally sold my 2nd vibe.
moved on to a 2014 TDI wagon
ive got a roof rack for sale that i have left over after my sale.
180$ plus shipping