GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Hi, GuysI own a 05 Base. Seems like that outlooks on supercharger is rather dim, i am thinking about other options.What do preformance chips can do for me ? i am prety ignorant when it comes to mods, so if anybody would tell me what as a driver i would feel different. As in power gain and curve, fuel mileage decrease, etc.Thanks.

I put a unichip in my GT a few weeks back and IMO its not worth the price. If I had the chance to do it all over again I would spend my money elsewhere.....

I also have the Unichip. I have loved it since I installed it over a year ago. You will see better gains from it if you have more mods to your car like intake, header, exhaust. You can't expect large gains with just a stock engine and intake.If your looking for the occasional can of whoop-(removed) then I would go with a good nitrous kit instead of the supercharger.

i had the unichip on my GT and loved it! it was spendy for sure, but after having it on for a year, i'd have not wanted to get rid of it. the chips work best with additional mods, so by themselves, i'd probably not recommend spending the $$.

I had one on a stock GT and it transformed the car below lift. iinan, you need a custom tune for that setup to realize the chips potential. Their stock intake exhaust setup doesn't match your stuff. Of course that means an additional 2-300 bucks. If you want a unichip preprogramed, always setup with the same add-ons it was tuned with. I think the AEM CaAI is OK for the intake tune even though it was tuned with a TRD but the injen and cosmo don't fit the tune as is the case with the magnaflow as it was tuned with the TRD exhaust which is way different. Everybody with no chip experience told you that it would work with your setup and they were wrong.

Yeah, you are right, I should give it a fair chance with a custom tune . I just have to find a place to do it for me. And working retail, I will be on 6 day weeks pretty soon So it may have to wait till January.

I custom tuned my Camcon chip. It controls both air/fuel ratio and camshaft timing. It also has a simple, built-in user interface, unlike the Unichip. They go for about $250-$300USD.

Quote, originally posted by Mase »I custom tuned my Camcon chip. It controls both air/fuel ratio and camshaft timing. It also has a simple, built-in user interface, unlike the Unichip. They go for about $250-$300USD.How do you like that camcon? I remember seeing so much about it on MO, but never really could determine which chip is the best way to go for the $.

Unichip = $775/Easy install/comes pretuned for your modsThie is the easiest but more expensive route and it is plug and play. Super easy installation.Should be custom tuned to take full advantage of your mods and to get the most our of the Unichip. Can be used with Forced Induction but will require an additional harness from Unichip($225). Dynotuning must be done by a Unichip trained shop to be under warranty. Expect 1-2 hours of dyno tuning($150-$300).e-Manage = $395(MWR)/very difficult install/Comes pretuned for I/E and 92 octaneThis is the most difficult to install but has the most potential for gains. Installation is best done by a tuning shop as it needs to be hard wired into the stock main computer harness. I would highly recommend getting a ecu patch harness($265) from http://www.autosportwiring.com so it can be plug and play. The e-Manage will still need to be hardwired into the patch harness. You will have to e-mail them to get it. With this you can tune A/F, ignition timing and Injectors.This is the best option if you plan to add Forced Induction in the future.Also, should be custom tuned to your mods for best results. Expect 2-3hrs for dyno tuning($300-$450). Professional installation($150-$250)Camcon = $380/Semi-difficult install/Needs custom tuneThis is a fairly new product that just came out this year. With Camcon you can tune A/F ratio and Cam timing settings. Also nees to be hardwired into your stock harness. Much easier to install tha e-Manage but not plug and play. Can also be used with the Ecu Patch Harness($265) from http://www.Autosportwiring.com to have plug and play.This is not recommended for use with Forced Induction only because there is no way to control an additional injector that most FI systems require.You could use it with Nitrous though. Expect 3-4 hours for dyno tuning($450-$600). Professional installation($100-$150)EDIT: I created a separate post at Millster's request so it can be stickied.

Thanks Brian, you rock!

so....just trying to get my bearing here (never done any mods)that stuff - intake, exhaust with a chip + tuning what kinda power increase i would be looking at (base 05)?and would it all be on high rpms somewhere ?generally speaking i am looking for more power for regular driving, so if i have to rev it up to 6000 rpm, that's not quite it

Quote, originally posted by Yury »so....just trying to get my bearing here (never done any mods)that stuff - intake, exhaust with a chip + tuning what kinda power increase i would be looking at (base 05)?and would it all be on high rpms somewhere ?generally speaking i am looking for more power for regular driving, so if i have to rev it up to 6000 rpm, that's not quite it All your big power gains are going to be mostly at higher RPM's, that's just the way these engines were built.

ok, thanks.

You will end up with more torque which will help with the low rpm range and more HP which will help with the high rpm range. Adding an intake and exhaust you will feel more gains in the higher rpms and adding a chip you will feel gains thru out the entire rpm range. But adding a chip without intake and exhaust will not give you much. You need more air and more fuel to see the most gains. I/E will give you the air and the chip will give you the fuel. Every little bit helps.

Quote, originally posted by BlueCrush »Every little bit helps. That's the key! You have to make additions everywhere or you won't notice the ones you make b/c they won't be able to work at their fullest.

so, having done intake, exhaust and chip what am i going to end up with eventually ? ballpark ?

Total(approximate) = 20+/-hp increase over stock.

Quote, originally posted by BlueCrush »Total(approximate) = 20+/-hp increase over stock.Yeah, and it also depends on which brand parts you get and your tune.

Holy jebus! I stand corrected. I've bought so much stuff lately that I somehow thought I paid $267 for my Camcon. It was really $367

thanks.and if i do a turbo in addition ? something safe, so nothing breaks down.

Quote, originally posted by Yury »thanks.and if i do a turbo in addition ? something safe, so nothing breaks down.75-100 hp over stock.

so...according to my calculations all that can turn a Vibe into a rough equvalent od 265 hp maxima (resulting hp relative to curb weight). interesting. not sure about the torque though.and overall i am guessing it's 4-5 thousand ? am i grossly off ?

Quote, originally posted by Yury »so...according to my calculations all that can turn a Vibe into a rough equvalent od 265 hp maxima (resulting hp relative to curb weight). interesting. not sure about the torque though.and overall i am guessing it's 4-5 thousand ? am i grossly off ?The Maxima's Curb weight is 3500lbs with 265hp The base Vibe is 2700lbs. 130 HP stock with Turbo you could be up around 230HP.

so it can be even even better then.