Mountain handling

[dirkee22]

Do any of you drive a Vibe GT in the mountains? I am debating on whether I should get the regular Vibe or the GT and I feel that the GT would handle better in the mountains, but it would be nice if someone could confirm that. Thanks!

[NovaResource]

Why would a GT be better in the mountains that a base? The only difference is the engine and the trans. The suspension, tires and wheels are the same (if ordered). The GT does have rear disc brakes but that only makes a marginal difference. Rear brakes only do about 30% of the braking. I believe the real question is: Is a manual or auto transmission better in the mountains? There I would have to go with manual. The base 5-speed is as good as the GT's 6-speed in my opinion.

[dirkee22]

Thanks for the reply! But I guess I thought the difference would be in the horse power of the GT versus the regular one. Do you see that making a big difference?

[Flip-Side]

I'll have to disagree with Nova on this. If you drive on mountains everyday, and I mean the ones with "Grade Warning" signs for truckers, I would definately go with the GT. The 6-speed will keep you in the high rpms for torque up hills, and the 4-wheel disc ABS will give better control and more even braking when descending, especially in wet conditions.I drive the Virginia's everytime I head home up north.

[NovaResource]

Unless you drive with the engine spinning above 6000-rpm, the base Vibe has every bit of horsepower (and a slightly more torque) than the GT. The GT only makes more horsepower above 6000-rpm.

[NovaResource]

quote:I'll have to disagree with Nova on this. If you drive on mountains everyday, and I mean the ones with "Grade Warning" signs for truckers, I would definitely go with the GT. The 6-speed will keep you in the high rpms for torque up hills,What's wrong with the base 5-speed? Plus the base Vibe has more low RPM torque so you don't have to keep the rpms high.quote:and the 4-wheel disc ABS will give better control and more even braking when descending, especially in wet conditions.I agree that ABS does help but I disagree that rear discs are that much better than drums. Drum brakes are actually a better design in that they apply more pressure as shoes bite. The downfall of drum brakes is that they do not dissipate heat as well as discs. As heat builds, their stopping power decreases quicker than disc brakes.Since the front brakes do 70% of the stopping (and generate the most heat) disc brakes are far better. However, the rears are not used nearly as much and therefore don't generate as much heat. For this reason, drum brakes are more than adequate while being lighter and cheaper. ABS is available on the base Vibe with rear drums.

[Iggy]

Hey dirkee22:In August, I went with my wife and 2 year old and 2 weeks of luggage from Alberta to Vancouver B.C. (3500 km or 2150 miles round trip). Most of the driving was in the mountains, some of it at very high grades. I have a base 5spd and never once had a problem with power. That is, once I learned that passing in third gear @ 5500 - 6000 rpm at 130 k/hr (80 mph) was O.K. and fun as well! As long as you keep the revs up and learn to shift into the power band there is no problem. The other plus of the base 5spd. is that with all the high revs and passing, we still managed excellent gas mileage on cheaper gas.Hope this helps.

[dirkee22]

Hi All!Thanks for all your responses to my question! It sounds like the standard Vibe would be just what I need. Thanks!