Beeping reverse and performance - Vibe GT owners

[Jay]

Does the beeping tone when your engaged in reverse drive you crazy? Is there any way to disable it? Also, if you have test drove the 5-speed manual base... what is your general impression of the power differences between it and the GT? (I realize on the GT the valve lift kicks in at high RPM... but I'm curious as to the overall feel when your driving in all conditions).Thanks

[d_m_kolb]

The 1ZZ is my opinion is a better choice for all around driving. It's got great low and mid range torque for being a 1.8L engine and gets great gas mileage. It's also in my opinion easier to modify performance wise because of the lower compression ratio. The 2ZZ is made for high RPM operation. To really enjoy what the 2ZZ will do it needs to be driven high into it's RPMs and driven hard. Many GT owners will tell you they have no problem with this but I have also heard they wish it had more low end power. The 1ZZ has what the 2ZZ doesn't. Low end grunt! The vis versa is the same also. The 2ZZ has what the 1ZZ doesn't. Lots of high RPM power.They both have there positives and negitives. You need to know what your wanting to do with the vehicle? Are you looking to tow anything? Are you concerned with gas mileage? Do you want to add any kind of force induction on your vehicle in the future? Are you ok with running your engine between 6,000 and 8,200 RPM to get the best performance from it? Also you should ask a Vibe auto owner, Vibe 5 speed owner and Vibe GT owner what they like and don't like about there vehicle.You should be able to figure out what you want then.

[Jay]

Thanks for your feedback. I dont plan on making any mods or doing any towing. I test drove the base and it seemed to have enough power (although I didnt beat on it). I'm going to test drive the GT this week. Its funny... before I really payed attention to these small high rev engines I would hear and see cars drive by me (like the Toyota Celica) that were revved up so high they sounded like they were ready to explode (even though they were only doing like 20 MPH). I would think to myself "dang, that guy isnt very good at driving a stick".My '91 Buick Riviera prides itself on not making much noise. I dont think I've ever seen the tach go past 4K. Definately not a high rev engine (although it does have good pick up with a 3.8 V6).

[d_m_kolb]

If you never saw the tach go past 4000 RPm sounds like you never drove it very hard. If that's your style of driving (and there is nothing wrong with driving that way) then I'd go with the 1ZZ. When you test drive the 2ZZ your going to want to get it way past 6000 RPM to feel the lift kick in and expirence the 2ZZ that way it was designed to be driven.If you drive the 2ZZ and keep the revs down you might feel it's under powered. As with the 1ZZ wouldn't feel this way as much.

[Vibester]

Yes the beeping in reverse *WAS* driving me nuts. I felt like I was driving a local sanitation truck. And, I could understand the implementation if it warned people outside the car that I was going in reverse, but--no--seems it was there to warn ME that I was in reverse. I believe the current response is: "DUH". One would assume that any person able to use a manual transmission would know how to locate REVERSE. IMHO the REVERSE gear has sufficient lockout to prevent accidentally shifting from second gear into reverse. Plus, you can tell you are driving in reverse because everything in front of you is getting further away (smaller for those in Palm Beach County) Anyway, my service manager found it equally appealing and during a recent service of my GT a wire connected to my transmission became detached. Since I had given no permission to repair it, he left it detached. AHHH, the sound you hear is ONLY the sound of gears and wheels rotating in reverse.

[ShotInTheDark]

what is really funny is I bought the car for my wife because she thought it looked cool. She "had" to have the GT because she wanted a stick and the moones and tunes package. She drives it every day to and from work. Yes she does hit the brakes a little to hard. Yes she does go through the corners a bit to fast. But it's only when I drive it does it really shine as a GT. Unless it's 5000 rpms with the exhaust screaming I ain't happy

[mu_ohio]

I've been thinking a lot about this debate and I wanted to through out a couple things. First, the power difference between both cars varies slightly in the typical driving ranges. The gearing on the manuals are also different which allows the GT to rev faster. Plus driving the GT has not presented any problems in daily driving since it has enough grunt. I can easily get onto the freeway without going above 6k and I'm not getting ran over by other cars.Second, when you buy a GT you are investing in items which are more expensive to replace. The 6spd is a great tranny and it is going to last, but if something did go wrong, it will cost a lot more to fix. The same goes for the engine. I wonder how the pin will hold up or how forcing oil through the cams will work once they are older.Third, the insurance is more on the GT. I noticed about a 15-20% difference between the two.Fourth, the GT does have better brakes which does help, but replacing rotors does cost a lot more than turning drums.Fifth, the GT will get you less MPG than the base, plus it has to be at least 91 octane. I can average about 30 mpg in my GT, but after you factor in the cost that difference will grow.In summary, you are going to be happy driving either one daily and I'm sure the difference isn't that great. You will get a car that is capable of higher performance, but you have to consider in future costs. I love my GT because I can have fun in it and suprise a few people. I don't plan on doing anything special to any car I buy so this is the best thing from the factory IMO. In the end though, you have to decide what is best for YOU.

[Jay]

good observations... they do reinforce that the 5 speed is a bit more practical... and I agree. The $2-3K price difference does seem a little steep considering the engines arent THAT different... but I guess the rear discs/abs/suspension is worth something too.I test drove a GT today and had a lot of fun revving it up. We got it up to about 7500K rpm. It also seemed to drive well under normal conditions too. I do have to say though... I didnt notice a big power band over 6K rpm... I felt a little something... but I'd like to try the 5-speed past 6K rpm and look for a difference. Maybe I was expecting too much... after reading reviews that said it felt like turbo boost.Well, as long as the dashboard doesnt rattle itself apart after revving it up like that for a year or two... we'll be in good shape!All in all its a great little car.

[mu_ohio]

I can really feel the kick in first through third gear after hitting 6k. It's even more than the 50 shot of nitrous that I've experience in the past on a CRX. You are jumping about 30-40 hp instantly which is a lot in any n/a car.

[GreyFixer]

quote:What's the thing about the beeping in reverse????I don't have a beeping in reverse!!!! The beeping is only with the 6 speed.

[NSimkins]

quote:Is it to notify you that you engaged the reverse gear?That is correct.quote:Anyways, there must be a way to deactivate the beeping!Found this from MatrixOwners.com forums. Of course, use at your own discretion:quote:The actual beeper is inside the instrument panel. If you want to silence the reverse beeper (but keep all other beeping), cut the wire in pin 5 of the instrument panel wiring harness. It is a red wire with a thin black line. To do this you need to remove the instrument panel. First simply pull out the chrome trim ring panel. Next remove the single (!) screw right above the speedo. Then use a screwdriver to push down the 2 tabs that hold the panel in below the tach and below the temp guage. Then carefully pull the panel out. Disconnect the wiring harness. You can look on the back of the panel where the harness plugs in to see where pin 1 is labeled. From there find pin 5 and pull it out or cut it (be sure to leave enough to reconnect it if you need to). If you just want to make all your Matrix beeps quieter, don't cut any wires. Instead remove the back cover of the instrument panel. The beeper is round, black, and about 5/8 inch in diameter, located at the bottom center. I imagine you could just cover it with some foam tape or something. It is definitely nice to be rid of that annoying beeping!

[NovaResource]

quote:Is it to notify you that you engaged the reverse gear?Yes. It's because on the 6-speed trans, the gates for reverse and first gear are so close that it's easy to mistake reverse for first. That wouldn't be good for the guy behind you at the light.This isn't a problem with the 5-speed because the reverse gate is different. It's also not a problem for the automatic for obvious reasons.

[Jay]

I test drove the 5-speed and GT again back to back (yes im obsessed when im ready to spend 20K). I felt the lift this time... and really noticed more of a difference at higher RPMs. The 5-speed is easier to drive (more forgiving clutch)... but the GT is more fun. As far as the low-end... I didnt notice much of a difference... they both seemed to be maybe a little peppier than your typical 4 cyl stick. I did find out that the dealer is putting low octane gas in the GT... which im sure is happening at a lot of dealerships. As far as the beeping in reverse... i didnt mind it. maybe it would eventually get on your nerves though.

[QWIKGTA]

This GT vs. Base is going to go on forever... just like in a few years people will ask us why we have a forum and im sure soon a club for the Vibe. Some buy the car for performance some for transportation. You get a GT because you want the extra performance and handling. if you dont want it, then get the base.... I drive it to the max almost all the time, thats why i bought the GT. if you dont have the money or want the extra ponies get the base, and get the auto trans too.

[stewballs]

Doubt that the average driver would notice much difference around town. I live in Arizona with some good mountains and the difference is noticeable when passing on a grade. Side note - anyway to adjust the altitude compensator? I get much better mileage at 5-7000 feet than at 1000. I am driving the Matrix Xrs - anyone want to sell their Pontiac installed roof rack?