Another noob w/a Vibe!

ballrub · Post by **ballrub** » Tue Apr 27, 2004 8:16 am

Hello everybody (he says in his best Dr. Nick voice)! I don't think anybody knows me on this site, so that would mean I'm a noobie! I've posted on numorous other "forum" sites for years (even worked for a couple), but because of my recent business association with Pontiac, got turned on to this site, and look forward to posting and interacting with all of you (even though it might be on a limited basis, as I have been extremely busy of late).I bought my Vibe GT back in July of `03, and because I am currently engaged as associate publisher for a car magazine, have turned it into a long-term project vehicle, where we have added (and will adding more) accessories and performance enhancements (along with the testing of theses enhancements), which I hope to share with you other members with your encouragement.Just a little background on me...I'm turning 50 next month, and have been in the automotive aftermarket for almost 30 years now. I have liked cars since I can remember! "Cut me, and I bleed 30weight!" I grew up in Flint Michigan, my grandfather was head doctor at Buick, my aunt was head doctor at the Chevy engine plant. My next door neighbor was a teacher at GMI...I could go on for days about my automotive background, but won't right now.I also just celebrated my 25th wedding anniversary, and have two kids in college, and the youngest is a jr in highschool. I currently reside in Whittier California, and came out of retirement to work out of my house for a Detroit based magazine.Before I go into any details on the car yet, some of which I can't post yet until it has gone to print for obvious reasons, but will be glad to share info, pictures, and test results on what has already been done, and can hint at future plans.And on that note...any help from you moderators on how to post pictures and such, would greatly be appreciated. This computer stuff is still new-fangled with me!I look forward to being a member of this community!

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Tue Apr 27, 2004 8:50 am

welcome to the site, anxious to hear what you've done and what you plan to do to your Vibe.be sure to let us know when there's Vibe coverage in you magazine, and put in a shameless plug for genvibe too if you can see http://forums.genvibe.com/zero...14857 for info on uploading pictures

ArcsVibe · Post by **ArcsVibe** » Tue Apr 27, 2004 8:52 am

Welcome aboard! Enjoy your stay with us!

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Tue Apr 27, 2004 9:07 am

welcome welcome welcome!!!yes, fantastic! we're all ears for development of new or additional a/m parts for the vibe, especially performance parts for the 2zz engine! (guess what model i have?)and be sure to tell your friends who are designing or looking at parts for the vibe that we want a body kit more similar to the GT-R!!!! and something preferably that will replace the front bumper all together and not just cover up a part.

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Tue Apr 27, 2004 9:31 am

HI DOC NICK!heh welcome to Genvibe and yes, the demand for a body kit is far higher then companies are claiming, guess they are not askign Vibe owners. I was talking to TRDvibe about my desire for a Vibe GTR body kit last night. It looks like this for those unfamiler with the GTR kit.

scherry2 · Post by **scherry2** » Tue Apr 27, 2004 10:59 am

Welcome to genvibe!!! it will be interesting what you have to report. will you have any contact with NUMMI?I work for GM in Reliability at the Ft. Wayne, Indiana plant 27 years.

ballrub · Post by **ballrub** » Tue Apr 27, 2004 1:43 pm

well...I tried attaching an image of my Vibe per the instructions in your link joatman, to no avail. Is there a download page for this site? Or do you guys link to images downloaded with other hosts? I'd love to post some images of my car, but also need to know size restrictions for your signature too. Thanks.

Attached files

ballrub · Post by **ballrub** » Tue Apr 27, 2004 2:09 pm

While waiting to figure out how to post some images, here's a little info on my Vibe as to when I picked it up at the dealership:Selected Style: GT 1.8 Liter DOHC engine with 173 horsepower Six-speed manual transmission Four-wheel antilock brakes (four-wheel disc brakes) Colors: Exterior: Shadow (charcoal) Interior: Graphite Cloth Seat Type: Seats, front bucket includes vertical adjust head restraint Options & Packages: Emissions, Federal requirementsEngine, 1.8L VVTL-i, 4-cylinder, (173 HP [129.0 kW] @ 7600 rpm, 127 lb.-ft. [171.5 N-m] @ 4400 rpm)Power Group Value Package, | includes (AU3) Door locks, power, (AU0) Keyless entry, remote, (A31) Windows, power and (K34) Cruise controlPremium Monotone Appearance Package, | includes body-colored lower cladding, front and rear fascias, door handles and rear lift gate trim. Available with all 8 exterior colors.Protection Package, | includes (AJ7) Air bags, seat mounted side-impact, driver and right front passenger and (UA6) Theft-deterrent alarm systemRegular production accessory, Cargo box, | rear, gear (SPO-supplied, dealer installed)Regular production accessory, Cargo convenience nets, | rear, 2 (SPO-supplied, dealer installed)Regular production accessory, Storage, | seatback with first aid kit (SPO-supplied, dealer installed)Sound system, ETR AM/FM stereo with DVD-based navigation system, includes 6-disc remote-mounted changer, programmable equalizer, Radio Data System and 6-speakersTransmission, 6-speed manualWheels, 17" (43.2 cm) cast aluminumPricing: Base MSRP*:$20,115.00Options Total:$3,510.00Total MSRP*:$23,625.00I paid $21,000 out the door!

Celtic_Curse · Post by **Celtic_Curse** » Tue Apr 27, 2004 2:33 pm

Welcome to the forum it's going to be cool to see what's cooking from an inside perspective. With that said give us some info on whats coming up that we can know about.

ballrub · Post by **ballrub** » Tue Apr 27, 2004 2:34 pm

Since purchasing this car back in July, the first thing I did was tint the windows witha medium titanium metallic film all the way around (looks good on the charcoal color!), but used a dark non-metallic film across the windshield, so as not to interfere with the GPS sensor on the dashboard.After doing some research on wheels, came up with Axis's 19"x 8" Spider wheels, which weigh in at only 24-lbs each! The wheels are covered with Bridgestone 245/35ZR19 S-03's, and average weight of each tire/wheel combo is 43.3-lbs! the factory 17" alloy wheels with 215/50ZR17 Dunlop Sport 9000's averaged 44.2-lbs--almost a full pound heavier!With Hotchkis Tuning's help, we went to the parking lot of the California Speedway, and set up a 600ft slalom, and skid pad area for the "before & after" testing of the tire/wheel combinations with stock suspension. the next day, went to hotchkis's facility, and installed their lowering springs, front and rear anti-sway bars, and their upper strut tower brace/camber adjustment plates.With the car lowered about 1.5" in the front, and 1.75" in the rear and 0.5 degrees of negative camber, went back out to the track to get the "after" test results:Stock w/ stock TiresSlalomPeak = 66.4mphAve = 65.76Skid padPeak =0.81 lateral G'sAve = 0.79Stock w/ 19" TiresSlalomPeak = 65.69Ave = 65.07Skid padPeak = 0.833Ave = 0.82Hotchkis Suspension w/ Stock TiresSlalomPeak = 68.81Ave = 67.47Skid padPeak = 0.849Ave = 0.84Hotchkis Suspension w/ 19" TiresSlalomPeak = 71.92Ave = 70.80Skid padPeak = 0.858Ave = 0.85The stock suspension is set up to perform optimally with the optional 17"x 7" alloy wheel/tire package (Dunlop Sport 9000-P215/50ZR17's), which is why the 19"x 8.5" Axis Spider wheel/tire (Bridgestone S-03 245/35ZR19's) package with the stock suspension performed slightly worse in the slalom. The stiffer sidewall, plus wider stance (means more grip) actually overloaded the suspension to the point of "kicking out" or letting go because of the harsher input. Note that the wider and stickier 19"s did however improve the skid pad numbers with the stock suspension, which would be expected. Using the 19â€ tire/wheel combination on the Hotchkis suspension, they showed a marked improvement over the stock tire/wheel combination. The Hotchkis suspension is designed for vehicles using better tires than stock. The benefits of the better tire/wheel set-up can be used to their maximum potential when the suspension is upgraded from stock. Bottom lineâ€”the car handles like a slot car on the curves and feels solid and secure driving down even on the worst of roads. Whatâ€™s the downside? The ride is a lot stiffer (which I personally like), and you have to really watch out for those potholes on un-maintained roads (itâ€™s easy to bend the lip of a wheel when on 35-series tires).To give you some reference on the above numbers, here are some other vehicles that Hotchkis has worked their suspension magic on in the 600ft. slalom:`95 Mustangâ€”stock = 64.2 mph / Hotchkis = 67.5mph.`03 Mini Cooper---stock = 66.9 mph / Hotchkis = 69.8mph.`03 Subaru WRX---stock = 62.5mph / Hotchkis = 67.8 mph.`03 Acura RSX---stock = 66.4 mph / Hotchkis = 69.7 mph.`03 Audi A6---stock = 62.5 mph / Hotchkis = 67.8 mph.(Hotchkis said it was the second fastest car they had ever done--their highly modified Celica, which holds a world record at 76.4mph through the slalom!!!---71.9mph through the slalom...not bad for a Vibe, eh???)That's all we did for "part 1" of the article that will be appearing in my magazines July issue. I'll keep you posted, and let you know what we have in store for "part 2" soon.For now, I just want ot post some of the pictures taken during the tests and installation, so give me some suggestions on where to download some images. Thanks.

Jahntassa · Post by **Jahntassa** » Tue Apr 27, 2004 3:16 pm

Let us know where to find your article. I'd love to post it up in my Roadshop! (I work at a Circuit City in GA).Aah...another GT with a Nav system. It brings a tear to my eye. It sounds like you're mostly doing performance work, but if you want any info about the Nav system / audio system, let me know! I've added three true-aux inputs to mine, with Sirius, XM, and an external MP3 player.Welcome to GenVibe!

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Tue Apr 27, 2004 8:04 pm

Your ride brings drool to the corner of my mouth lol *wipe* looks GOOD and sounds AWSOME.

Triton · Post by **Triton** » Tue Apr 27, 2004 9:02 pm

Welcome to GenVibe! Your Vibe looks awesome. Thanks for posting those stats of the before and after Hotckis products. I have yet to add my Hotckis sway bars, but I do have their springs and love them.

ballrub · Post by **ballrub** » Wed Apr 28, 2004 1:20 am

Thanks for the warm and fuzzy welcome from everybody!I was confused at first when everyone was replying that my car looks nice, until I checked my earlier attachment, and to my amazement, the image was there! All day yesterday after posting I couldn't get an image to appear. Does it take a while to download or something?Anyways, how do you guys get the image to appear in the thread? Let me know!Marvik...This is embarrassing, but I've never seen that GTR kit before! Do you have any links to the people that offer that kit? (yeah, I could probably do the "search" thing, but I'm too lazy right now, and have to get some work done today!)I just got word that the factory gfx kit arrived at my local dealership today (sent from corporate pontiac), but I've never really liked the kit, except for the rear spoilers.Here's a couple more images of the car:

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ballrub · Post by **ballrub** » Wed Apr 28, 2004 1:24 am

Oops...I guess I can only attach one file per post, eh?Here's another shot of the car:

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ballrub · Post by **ballrub** » Wed Apr 28, 2004 1:26 am

...and another:

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ballrub · Post by **ballrub** » Wed Apr 28, 2004 1:40 am

scherry2...I doubt I will have any contact with NUMMI. As associate publisher for my magazine, one of my duties is to get advertising, and just landed Pontiac on our back cover for the next 4 issues. I'm dealing with Chris Ayotte, Marketing Manager for small cars at Pontiac. He's the one who got me the factory gfx kit for my Vibe, and is helping me track down the guys who did the "one-off" air dam and projector headlights from this Vibe:

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joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Wed Apr 28, 2004 1:55 am

Quote, originally posted by ballrub Â»Anyways, how do you guys get the image to appear in the thread? Let me know!There is a bug in the forum software, or perhaps some obscure configuration , but either way, the forum does not allow you to have your uploaded images show up in the thread. If you try it just quietly deletes the reference. It used to work, but at some point it stopped working. I miss it You can do it if the image is on the web on some other host, by putting the URL to the image between [IMG][/IMG] like this

Mavrik · Post by **Mavrik** » Wed Apr 28, 2004 1:56 am

The thing is no one makes the GTR kit, it was like a special make. Its not for wholesale which if it was mine would have it already. So unfortunatly I don't have a link other then to pics of it and GenVibe has an article about it.So if you know someone who can make custom ones to look like it, let me know please, we all want one!

ballrub · Post by **ballrub** » Wed Apr 28, 2004 1:57 am

Jahntassa...To answer your question (and moderators...this is not a shameless plug!) I currently work for Speed, Style & Sound magazine (you were correct joatman!!), and "part 1" of my long-term build-up of my Vibe will appear in the July issue (which hits the newsstands 1st week in June).In "part 3", we will be installing a killer sound & video system, and may take you up on your offer!"Part 2" we will be adding a K&N Typhoon air intake, and a Magnaflow exhaust system. We will do a "stock" dyno first, then add the K&N and do another dyno. We will then take off the K&N and put the stock intake back on, install the exhaust system, and do another dyno. Finally, we will put the K&N back on, and do one more dyno to get our combined results. To go with the K&N, we will also be installing this hood, which has functional air scoops that direct cold air to the intake area:

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CaCathy13 · Post by **CaCathy13** » Wed Apr 28, 2004 2:26 am

Why not just do a CAI versus the ram air hood? I have heard that a CAI, such as the one AEM makes, makes more power than the functional ram air hood.But I only bought my hood for looks anyway Also, check out my website (link below) for my dyno results. Would give you a good indicator...at the time, I had the AEM CAI, Thermal R&D exhaust, and the K&N filter.

Psychobroker · Post by **Psychobroker** » Wed Apr 28, 2004 5:26 am

Welcome to genvibe! I like what you've done with your GT. It's also great to see another SoCali Viber on genvibe

Merzbow · Post by **Merzbow** » Wed Apr 28, 2004 5:40 am

If someone would just simply release the insert to replace the roof racks I'd be completely satisfied

SWiRv · Post by **SWiRv** » Wed Apr 28, 2004 6:46 am

Welcome! It's a great crowd here. Thanks for your interesting insight in the automotive and magazine business. I really appreciate the quantifiable data on the suspension/wheel set-ups and look forward to the air intake results.

redlava · Post by **redlava** » Wed Apr 28, 2004 7:47 am

Welcome to Genvibe. Looking forward to hearing all the cool gossip. By the way those are some sweet rims you got .

Fialchar · Post by **Fialchar** » Thu Apr 29, 2004 3:48 pm

Welcome to the site, and even though you've owned it for a while, congrats on your choice of car Any ideas on what type of sound system you'll be installing? Specific details if possible ~.^

ballrub · Post by **ballrub** » Mon Jun 28, 2004 3:58 am

Well...Sorry for not posting for a while, but as mentioned at the begining of this post, I get pretty busy for long stretches of time, and can't post as much as I like to these days.Anyways, the article in my July issue of Speed, Style & Sound magazine should be hitting the newsstands now, with the Project Vibe Part 1: Suspension Tech in this issue. I am a member of another webiste (Speed-Society.com) and here is a link to the un-edited version that appears in the magazine ( http://www.speed-society.com/f...x.php ).(if any moderators would like to have this article posted on this site, please private message me and I would be willing to FTP the whole article for display on this site.)We have just finished Part 2: Horsepower Tech, with the installation of and dyno testing of the K&N Typhoon intake, and the Magnaflow exhaust system, and got another 20+ hp added! This will appear in the August issue of S3 magazine.And...we've already started Part 3: Styling Tech, with the prep of the new Pontiac ground effects kit (front air dam pieces, side skirts, rear valance and the two rear wings, along with the Advanced Composite hood). We will also be adding some Hose Techniquese hoses under the hood (red to match the Typhoon intake and hotchkis camber plate caps), along with a red-top Optima battery and red Hella air horns.For Part 4: Sound Tech, we will be adding some components from Visonik (amps, speakers, and dvd player and screens), along with some other goodies for the interior!If you guys have a spot that I can host images on, I would be more than happy to post for this thread! Let me know!Again, thanks for being patient!Steve

joatmon · Post by **joatmon** » Mon Jun 28, 2004 10:24 am

nice write up. You need a genvibe sticker for that vibe I can't imagine trying to drive a car with that little bit of rubber on the wheels around here though. Roads too rough. What pressure did you inflate those 19's to?

ballrub · Post by **ballrub** » Mon Jun 28, 2004 12:23 pm

I'm running 40-lbs of nitrogen in the front, and 37-lbs in the rear. It's a little rough, but I don't have to stop and change anything if I'm in a sprint up hwy 18 to visit my brother-in-law in Lake Arrowhead! Nice little twisty road to test the limits of a car!

Devlop · Post by **Devlop** » Mon Jun 28, 2004 12:42 pm

Welcome. I got a quick question. I submitted my car a couple of weeks ago to S3 and haven't gotten a response. Just wondering if the email was ever recieved or if you guys just get a lot of emails. Nice lookin car by the way, I like those wheels. Are those the Spyders?

ballrub · Post by **ballrub** » Mon Jun 28, 2004 12:59 pm

Thanks for the welcome!To answer your first question, yes, they've been swamped with submittals for Reader's Rides, but don't despair, they're devoting more pages to that section, and will be giving more space (due) for the rides too! Just be patient.As for your 2nd question, yes, they are 19"x8" Axis spider's in hyper black. We're talking 2.5" lips here!!!!! These wheels really look even nicer in person!

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Mon Jun 28, 2004 5:03 pm

thanks for the update. sounds like your project is coming along well. and 20+ hp for the k&n sr and magnaflow exhaust? wow! wonder how much the full cai and exhaust would add!

ballrub · Post by **ballrub** » Tue Jun 29, 2004 12:38 am

yes trdvibe, it is coming along! But maybe one of us is confused.The K&N Typhoon CAI is a complete kit, and the Magnaflow exhaust is a complete cat-back system, so I'm wondering about your remark "wonder how much the full cai and exhaust would add!" means?The only thing we're adding that might enhance this "complete system" is a new hood with snorkel air-scoops that will direct cold air from the outside of the hood to right over the K&N filter element, but this would be hard to quantify on a dyno.

AKLGT · Post by **AKLGT** » Tue Jun 29, 2004 1:25 am

is the K&N typhoon system not the short ram? i don't recall it being a full cold air intake. altho if you make that ram air hood functional (if you haven't yet) then i'd imagine it'd work more like a CAI.so yes, now i am confused! i'm quite positive the typhoon is a short ram and not a cai.

ballrub · Post by **ballrub** » Tue Jun 29, 2004 6:07 am

My bad...the Typhoon is a short ram intake, and my mistake for adding the "CAI" in the sentence. But...since we left the factory cold-air hose which directs cold air from inside the front bumper to where the factory airbox was, I still called it a "CAI". The short ram intake will make a couple of hp more than a true CAI on the dyno (because of all of the fans used and open hood during dyno testing). With the addition of the hood with the air-scoops, I should reap the benefit of both a short-ram and CAI while actually driving!

Devlop · Post by **Devlop** » Tue Jun 29, 2004 6:21 am

Quote, originally posted by ballrub Â»Thanks for the welcome!As for your 2nd question, yes, they are 19"x8" Axis spider's in hyper black. We're talking 2.5" lips here!!!!! These wheels really look even nicer in person!I bet they do. I've never seen them in person, but have seen them on anther Vibe before, looks nice.

satur9 · Post by **satur9** » Tue Jun 29, 2004 8:49 am

that blue vibe with the body kit was at the michigan vibe meet we had this saturday.its sweet inside and out.however as a little tip... youll want to do something with the fog light wires.they were just left dangleing off that car.heh!!!!is the mag affiliated with speed and style website

ballrub · Post by **ballrub** » Wed Jun 30, 2004 1:17 am

Unfortunately, I had nothing to do with the blue concept Vibe from Pontiac, but it does look like Pontiac may use my car for some shows and p/r soon.Yes, http://www.speedstylesound.com is our magazine's website. For those of you in the midwest, you might want to check this event out: http://www.s3triplecrown.com . I'm thinking of driving out from California to participate myself!Oh...and if any of you are into bikes, you might want to check out our new sister magazine at http://www.2wtmag.com too!

ballrub · Post by **ballrub** » Wed Jul 21, 2004 7:04 am

For any of you interested, here's a link to the un-edited version of Part 2: Horsepower Tech, that will be appearing in the August issue of Speed, Style & Sound magazine:http://www.speed-society.com/f...art_2/Let me know what you folks think!

scherry2 · Post by **scherry2** » Wed Jul 21, 2004 10:21 am

excellent articles! I'll be checking out your next articl and the website. now i'm depressed, i only bought a base vibe.

kostby · Post by **kostby** » Wed Jul 21, 2004 4:02 pm

Nice articles! Ballrub, that 'inflationary' signature pic in your SSS Profile is hilarious! 'Mature' content warning to parents before clicking the link below!http://www.speed-society.com/f...u=148

hesredbird · Post by **hesredbird** » Wed Jul 21, 2004 10:56 pm

Hey ballrub, I still live in Flint. It is pretty much a GM ghost town. GMI is now Kettering U. and they own most of the land where Chevrolet Mfg. use to be (the hole). There is only one (plt4) building still standing down there and it is empty. The only other GM plants still operational in Flint is Metal Fab, Truck plant and a new L-6 plant (replaced old V8 plant) on Van Slyke Rd. Plant 38 (Flint Tool & Die) on Stevenson & 2nd St (where I work) is still in operation, also. Buick City is a flat spot and the old AC Sparkplug complex (Dort Hwy) is a Delphi concern. It's a shame. Downtown Flint is also a ghost town. The best business going is the lumberyards that sell 4X8 sheets of plywood to cover smashed windows.

Another noob w/a Vibe!

Another noob w/a Vibe!

Re: Another noob w/a Vibe! (ballrub)

Re: Another noob w/a Vibe! (ballrub)

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Re: Another noob w/a Vibe! (ballrub)

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