GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I installed this throttle body spacer last Saturday and wanted to drive it for a while before commenting on it. I installed this at the same time as I did the TB coolant by-pass mod. So my results may be skewed a little bit. Here is the spacer:The install was fairly easy. It took about 1/2 hour. I had to modify my CAI by cutting off about an inch.The spacer is 1" thick and is aluminum. I purchased it here: http://wheelskin.com/Merchant2/merchant ... -97185Here is the spacer installed:I disconnected the battery after install as with any other mod to reset the ecu and then started and let it run for 10 minutes. Since Saturday, I have been driving it every day. It was idling rough for about 2 days. Then the third day it smoothed out and has been running better than any other time since I have had the car. The acceleration and pull is harder than with any other mod I have done. I know that spacers are typically to reduce the heat transfer from the engine to the throttle body. But this one has grooves on one side of the spacer and has a spiral thread on the inside. So, I am guessing that these two are the reason for the change by adding some turbulence to the air entering the engine. I am very happy with the increase in performance. I would recommend this mod along with the coolant by-pass mod especially since they are relatively inexpensive.EDIT: I forgot to mention there is only a listing for the 1zz engine.UPDATE: Six weeks later I have noticed that since I have had it on that I am now averaging 2-3 more mpg. That is when I am capable of driving grandma like. Otherwise, If I drive like I normally do then I am noticing more power and the gas mileage is staying the same as before.

Sweet mod! i guess you'd have to test over a couple tanks of gas but what about the mileage?

Did you need to adjust the throttle cable at all to compensate for the loss of 1/2" to 1" of travel?

Quote, originally posted by northvibe »i guess you'd have to test over a couple tanks of gas but what about the mileage?I will try an check the gas mileage. But it will be difficult since I'm flooring now it all the time. I need to just take it easy for a tankful and see what I get.Quote, originally posted by ragingfish »Did you need to adjust the throttle cable at all to compensate for the loss of 1/2" to 1" of travel?I didn't have to adjust the cable any more than I had done already a few months ago. There is still no slop in the cable. It's as tight as it can get. I figure I would have had to adjust it but its still good.

HELIX.....they use to be my Fav metal band when i was younger.lol

No Rest for the Wicked, Walkin' the Razor's Edge, Long Way to Heaven...I loved those albums! Nice to see a fellow metalhead on board.Back on topic, I thought the whole thing was to keep the airflow smooth. Wouldn't this hurt performance? Can somebody explain please?

Here is more info on the spacers: http://www.streetandperformanc...p.htm

Any word yet on gas mileage increase/decrease? Just curious.

Quote, originally posted by illusion »Any word yet on gas mileage increase/decrease? Just curious.I second this question

I have have had an increase in torque. I can feel quite a bit more pull.When I drive like a grandma I am noticing about 2-3 MPG increase. The gas mileage has stayed the same if I drive hard like I normally do. Which I guess can consider to be good for the increase in power that I have felt.

heck yes, im putting this on my list! thnx bluecrush!

Quote, originally posted by ragingfish »Did you need to adjust the throttle cable at all to compensate for the loss of 1/2" to 1" of travel?Rage, I think your going off the deep end. why would there be a loss of travel with the cable mount and bracket when they haven't changed in relation to one another. I'd like to see a dyno on this compared to stock to see what kind of difference your seeing.

interesting, i put one on my 01 tundra before the FIPK short ram. it screwed up something and threw a CEL. so i took it off and got my money back from the dealer. i did successfully install one of those tornado's on the car and i will say that it did help. how much? about 1-2 mpg gain with it than without (on my 01 Tundra). I'm thinking of getting one for both my and mav's car because they are relatively inexpensive and worth trying again.

if you get tornados let us know if they bump up mileage. I need anything that will help!!

Quote, originally posted by scherry2 »I'd like to see a dyno on this compared to stock to see what kind of difference your seeing. I would too, but I'm not going to get a dyno until I do a couple more mods. For now, we'll see if anyone else gets one and tries it out and tells us their results as well.

With my Helix, typhoon short ram, cat-bat magnaflow and royal purple.I did 110km/h straight. and the three times I accelerated I went hard. So, it will pay for itself. Distance travelled: 292 KmAmount of gas required: 16.2 LitresMetric (Canada) 5.55 L/100KMMetric (Europe) 18.02 KM/LUS Gallons 42.64 MPGImperial Gallons 50.92 MPG

Awesome!

any word on this for an 05 with DBW

Quote, originally posted by BlueCrush »I have have had an increase in torque. I can feel quite a bit more pull.When I drive like a grandma I am noticing about 2-3 MPG increase. The gas mileage has stayed the same if I drive hard like I normally do. Which I guess can consider to be good for the increase in power that I have felt.I think just installing ANY new plugs would give you a slight mileage increase, but you say it only really happens when you drive gently, so, really no milage increase? GM has/d their own multi-discharge plugs for years, Rapidfire, and we've never sold a set that didn't come back within a year. One thing to remember is that the more conductor(s) in the way, the more it messes up the atomazation effect within the chamber. When I used to autocross, we always indexed our plugs; that is, we would mark the conductor, and try to put it as far away from the intake valve as possible. (yes, this is an utter bear to do, but it does help with power and throttle response).

So this will fit a 05 AWD Vibe.

There is a black brace on the bottom of the throttle body. does this need removed and if so what is it bracing ?

Yes that bracing plate will need to be removed. From what I could see it wasn't really bracing anything.

Thanks for the info. your increase in mpg with both new plugs and the spacer is close to 5 mpg ?

If and only if I drive like a grandma and basically stay under 3000rpm as much as possible. It is too hard to do that.

lol, i tried to get good mileage...lasted about....10 min, rest of the tank was all pedal to the medal.

Do you have a stock filter still?

How much different is the 1zz and 2zz TB's?

idk how diff the TB's are but the spacer that fits the 1zz wont be direct fit for 2zz, as there are 2 bolts that are on the engine that do not come off like on the 1zz. if those were taken out and drilled through and tapped with threads then it would fit.

I just installed mine, and yea its idling a little rough, at first sounded like a air vacumm leak, but i think its smoothing out a little as i let it idle. blue did this happen to you too? ill post more about it later, i have a chevelle/taproot concert to attend!!!

Yup. Same thing happened to me as described in the first post. It will smooth within 1-3 days depending on how much you drive it.

well since drive after the concert, its smoothed out....along with freaking taking off from a stop better. i notice a more low end boost to it. not like a s/c but if it raises gas mileage and is a tad better froma start for 50 bucks im down. install was kinda a *****, stupid stock air tube/box got in the way but it took like 30-40 min and all was good. only thing that confused me at first was the top two bolts, they come out but are a pain, and you use your stock nuts that are already there.

Yeah you need to use a 5mm socket to loosen those top bolts. Glad to hear you got it installed and your already noticing results.

Hey Blue, What's this "coolant By-pass" thing you mention earlier?

There are coolant lines that run into and out of the throttle body mainly for cold weather climates to keep the throttle body from icing up in the winter. A line goes from the engine to the throttle body and then another line from the throttle body back to the engine. So you just bypass the TB and route it from the engine back to the engine. Here is a how-to w/pics from MO: http://matrixowners.com/forums...&st=0Look at page 2, post #23 by dnm12.

I just ordered an 06 Vibe and joined the group. Wow, not much in the way of real performance parts availble. On the subject of the Power Tower, I hate to tell you but this is nothing but a gimick. Ranks right up there with the Tornado and the fuel magnatizers as a complete waste of money. Trust me that there is plenty of turbulance behind the throttle body plate without adding this spacer, particularly at part throttle. Anyway, turbulance is only good after the fuel is added (like with a carburator) or in the combustion chamber just before ignition. By the time the air gets that far it has lost anything the Power Tower could have possibly done. The good news is that it probably doesn't hurt (unlike the Tornado which is a restriction). Any performance gains are strictly placebo effect.Thanks,Pete

Then How do you explain the impruved GPH

Quote, originally posted by pdworak »I just ordered an 06 Vibe and joined the group. Wow, not much in the way of real performance parts availble. On the subject of the Power Tower, I hate to tell you but this is nothing but a gimick. Ranks right up there with the Tornado and the fuel magnatizers as a complete waste of money. Trust me that there is plenty of turbulance behind the throttle body plate without adding this spacer, particularly at part throttle. Anyway, turbulance is only good after the fuel is added (like with a carburator) or in the combustion chamber just before ignition. By the time the air gets that far it has lost anything the Power Tower could have possibly done. The good news is that it probably doesn't hurt (unlike the Tornado which is a restriction). Any performance gains are strictly placebo effect.Thanks,PeteWelcome to GenVibe, Pete!There a total of eight people that have installed this in their Vibe/Matrix and all have experienced the same increase in acceleration (torque) and MPG. It is not a placebo effect. There is not much turbulence behind the TB plate, as it is a very smooth transition. Our engines ECU's automatically adjust fuel flow as needed to maintain the proper A/F ratio to a certain set point. The TB spacer does anything but hurt performance. It is helping it in every case. The next thing you will say is that you will need to see a dyno to prove any gains before you would buy one. You would be hard pressed to find anyone that would be willing to spend $100-$150 to dyno a $85 mod. The more people install it and feel the difference the more people will buy it. As, for the people that require a dyno before they do any mod? They will never buy one, but will always say it does nothing for your car. And before you get larger wheels or upgrade your brake rotors for your Vibe remember that dyno tests have proven that in most cases you will lose hp and torque. But those same people that require a dyno test on other mods will still install the wheels and rotor anyways, and spend a lot more money in the process. I'm not trying to rip on you at all. I'm just stating the truth. Now to the fun stuff:As far as performance parts you can get Intakes, Headers, Exhausts, Suspension systems, Tranny coolers, Oil Bypass Reservoirs, Ignition Amplifier, Pulley Systems, Water/Meth Injection Systems, Nitrous Systems, Piggyback ECU's, Superchargers, Turbos & you can rebuild the engine if you want with parts thru http://www.moneywrenchracing.com and last but not least the Helix Power Tower Plus Throttle Body Spacer. What other performance parts are you looking for?Are you getting a Base, AWD or GT? What color?Make sure you post pics when you get it!Again, Welcome and enjoy your stay!

This is one of those arguments like politics and religion that you just can't win. If you are convinced that something is real, then it is very real to you. This is how companies that make such products as the "Power Tower" earn a living.As a professional engineer with 20 years in various fields including the automobile industry, I can assure you that there is absolute no scientific or engineering basis for this product. And if you don't think that an oval flat plate (the "butterfly" in the TB) placed at an angle in a round tube will creat turbulance, then I would love to sell you some swamp land in Florida.As for performance parts, there seems to be 1 or 2 CAI and I can't be sure they fit an '06. There is 1 exhaust, Thermal, fortunately this is a good product. I have yet to find headers, computers, larger throttle bodies, intakes or cams. This is surprising as the same engine is used in many Toyotas including the Celica and MR2. I am currently getting rid of my Neon and there is just tons more stuff for it, let alone the stuff available for Hondas.Not that it really matters as I will probably keep the car mostly stock. I modified my Neon so much that is was just too punishing to drive my wife and daughter around in.We ordered a base FWD with a 5 speed in Fusion. Loaded it up with ABS, sunroof, MP3 player, monsoon, monotone, alloy wheels, etc. Should be a good all around car with good mpg. Based on EPA ratings, the Vibe gets better milage than just about any other non hybrid gas powered car except the Corolla and Civic.Pete

Quote, originally posted by pdworak »This is one of those arguments like politics and religion that you just can't win. If you are convinced that something is real, then it is very real to you. This is how companies that make such products as the "Power Tower" earn a living.As a professional engineer with 20 years in various fields including the automobile industry, I can assure you that there is absolute no scientific or engineering basis for this product. And if you don't think that an oval flat plate (the "butterfly" in the TB) placed at an angle in a round tube will creat turbulance, then I would love to sell you some swamp land in Florida.I'd like to see a before and after dyno also, but I think you may be going a bit overboard trying to compare this with swamp land in FL... you did, afterall, trick out a Neon. I agree there is a lack of aftermarket parts for our vehicles. Especially go-fast parts. But I think the general idea of the vibe is against the aftermarket performance parts - and economical sport wagon.Maybe this is a joke or it works - you can't really give a final verdict without scientific evidence - a before and after dyno on a stock motor really is the only way to prove.It may sound like a rip-off... people thought the same thing with fuel injection.

Quote, originally posted by pdworak »This is one of those arguments like politics and religion that you just can't win. If you are convinced that something is real, then it is very real to you.I completely argree this arguement can not be won by either side. So, all that can be done is to agree to disagree. Quote, originally posted by pdworak »As for performance parts, there seems to be 1 or 2 CAI and I can't be sure they fit an '06. There is 1 exhaust, Thermal, fortunately this is a good product. I have yet to find headers, computers, larger throttle bodies, intakes or cams. This is surprising as the same engine is used in many Toyotas including the Celica and MR2. I am currently getting rid of my Neon and there is just tons more stuff for it, let alone the stuff available for Hondas.PeteI don't think that they changed the exhaust on the '06 so you should be able to use existing catback and axelback for previous models.A lot of people like Magnaflow Catbacks. Other systams are available from Borla, Bassini, TRD, etc... Try doing searches for '03 or '04 Vibes as they should be the same. As far as Intakes, I forgot you have the DBW (drive by wire) or ETC (electronic throttle control) so yeah you will have a much harder time with finding an intake due to the newer emmission systems. Headers should be the same as an '03 or '04 as well so do searches for those years. Computers you will only find Piggyback computers that will work for our cars: e-Manage, Unichip & Camcon. There are only larger throttle bodies for cable throttle TB's at this time, but it would not help that much on our engines anyways. Cams are available from MWR (www.monkeywrenchracing.com). Yeah it is amazing that our engines are used in the Corolla, Celica, Matrix, MR2 and Lotus. If you have any other questions post up a new thread and introduce yourself to the masses. There are a lot of very knowledgeable people on here that have always been very helpful.

turbulance is only good in the combustion chamber to help the fuel burn. In fact K&N filters for years says that their filters straighten the flow for performance. So what's better straight or turbulant? So the increase in mileage is often a result of a "lighter foot". Unless I see an independent Dyno run...I believe nothing from a retailer.

i drove my vibe before installing the power tower, and then after, not expecting anything, but there was and i was impressed from such a simple fairly cheap mod. but if so many people say theres a difference you cant deny there might be. AND you cannot say there isnt until you personally try it, they wouldnt sell if they were bs.

I will be ordering one soon

ok so im brining my vibe in for warranty work...i hope. and i wanted to take the power tower off, the stock bolts, do the long ones go on top or bottom?

I believe the top and bottom bolts are different. The top ones I know have a star on the end. Don't remember about the lengths though.

I just got mine in today along with the Short Ram. The studs with nuts go on top. The car sounds great. It runs great also. it is much more peppy and throaty. I can say now there is a big difference with the two installed. What's Next ?? LOL

Hmm sounds good, I might order it for my 2ZZ and get a machine shop to get it to work. Think it would be hard?

After 2 tanks of fuel the Short ram and the HPT have lowered my MPG to 22 first tank, 24 second and the third is looking like It will raise again back to 26. I did not reset the comp. after install and it seems to still be learning . Also, the temp here in Ohio dropped for the first time this year which might have an affect on MPG not to mention the two days of snowy driving . The power is noticeably up from stock. All in all still well worth the time and $$ to do it.

Did you have to do anything special to make this fit? I just rvc'd mine for my wifes Viberator and when I went to install it, none of the holes lined up. (I know, sounds like a personal problem ;~} )I installed one of these on my 92 dime (S10) and noticed a huge improvement, was hoping to see some gains with the vibe.BTW, i have a base 05 vibe

You pull out 4 bolts from the throttle body, put the spacer in and add the 4 bolts they supply. You must be thinking it goes somewhere else.