GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

hello, i am a new member and new owner of an 03 vibe gt, i was introduced to autocross last year, i raced one and did ok for a beginner, now i want to race more, i was wandering what would be the best mods for this, springs, coilovers, etc, and what brand and possibly where to get these items, thanks

Welcome to GenVibe! Your best bet if you can afford it would be Tein SS Coilovers. You can set the ride height and stiffness to whatever you want. They are about $1200 though. Otherwise you can go with lowering springs. There are many applications for our cars. you will get your best pricing for both on Ebay or http://www.neverenuf.comYou could also get front and rear sway bars and a strut tower bar as well.Neverenuf has a hotchkis set-up with springs and sways for a good price.Good Luck in the AutoCross this year!

thanks, great site, ok hotchkis springs and progress rear sway bar, would love to have the coilover kit but kinda pricey right now, what about tires, i only have stock 16 inch rims, right now it has 205/45-16 general exclaim uhp tires on it, is it poss to go wider, or what would be some good tires and sizes, again, thanks

my personal recommendations are TEIN springs if coil overs are out of your price range. Get a front strut tower bar and a set of low profile tires. You may want to try and find some lightweight 17" rims or just have a lowprofile set for autocross only.The hard core autocross people I know have sticky tires and front and rear sway bar. engine modification.Keep in mind that the more you do to the car, the different class they will put you in. You might want to look up that information to see what class with what mods you want to be in.

You will, however, want to be sure to get the springs stiff enough to keep weight transfer acceptable. Just an addendum. You really may as well just save enough for the coilovers and the rear sway bar.

OK, kind of a necropost here, and not to be a butthead...... but do any of you who suggested this mod or that mod *actually* autocross regularly?FWIW, I Autocross regularly (as often as possible, in as many clubs as will let me drive) in the SCCA Rocky Mountain Division.The first question regarding Autocross Mods should *always* be "What organization are you autocrossing in" (generally answered with SCCA) and "what class do you want to wind up in?" (Generally answered with "Preferably One In Which I Can Have Fun And Won't Always Get My A55 Completely Handed To Me Every Single Event")The Vibe has been moved to H-Stock in the SCCA, because it wasn't competitive in G-Stock in 2005. Nobody knows this better than I do. Every Autocross I put the Vibe through found me toward the very bottom of the Index Time list...often times being beaten by a 12 year old girl in a shifter kart, and First Time Autocrossers in more (or often times LESS) reasonable cars...like a friggin 2004 Ford Lightning Pickup! How embarassing.Typically "Modded" classes are much more competitive - having the 'right car' can help you win, having the 'wrong car' can get discouraging - FAST.Autocrossing the Vibe GT in G-Stock in 2004 was SO discouraging that it caused me to buy a $600 1985 MR2 as a dedicated autocrosser.So, that said...If you're looking to actually compete and have some success, I would suggest running the Vibe in H-Stock, where mods are quite limited. If you were to (for example) change out ONLY your springs, you'd wind up in Street Touring-S, where you'd be competing against cars that have not only *some*, but often times *all* of these performance mods:Quote »Any shocks, struts, and springs, using original attachment points Any sway bars Any wheels up to 7.5" in width that fit over stock brakes Tires up to and including a width of 225, with a treadwear rating of 140 or greater. (Falken Azenis)Strut bars/braces as allowed in Street Prepared. Exhaust system downstream of catalytic converter(s) Short throw shift kits Spoilers, body kits, rear wings, etc. Alternate brakes pads and linings Any fully padded and upholstered front seats with reclining seat backs Removal of factory trim (rub strips, emblems) Alternate steering wheels of any diameter, otherwise meeting Stock rules Cross drilled and/or slotted brake rotors Alternate air cleaner enclosures (Cold Air Intake)Stock brake calipers/drums using any brake padEmission-legal headers Emission legal modifications to Engine management system, either electronic or mehanical, but not both. Unmodified Engine and transmission, including unmodified emissions equipment If you're honestly not prepared to make all those mods to your Vibe *and* you're honestly not prepared to take a beating on the course every event...you might stick to H-Stock, where you can only change:Quote »Anything available on the exact model and year of your car as standard or optional equipment, as installed on the factory assembly line (nothing available only dealer-installed is allowed), plus Standard OEM identical replacement parts Added roll bar or roll cage to spec (not required, though) Driver harness (no cutting seats to install, though) Any wheel of diameter and width identical to a stock or factory optional wheel, offset within +- 0.25 inch Most street legal tires that will fit the mounted wheels and stock bodywork (Race Tires - Ive seen treadwear ratings as low as *30*)Any shock absorber of the same type and mounting as original; no change to standard spring mountings is allowed; suspension geometry may not be altered; gas or hydraulic shocks are permitted (Koni/Tokico/Etc.)Any brake PadAny front anti-roll bar (no change to stock/optional rear anti-roll bar, if present) (Front bar won't help at *all* on a FWD car...)Any replacement air filter element (or removal of air filter element); no plumbing changes, however (Drop in flat-style replacement)Catback ExhaustIn which case I would recommend: Lightweight 16" or 17" rims wrapped in Hoosier race tiresAdjustable shocks (Koni Yellow or Tokico Illumina or similar)Brake Pads (Porterfield R4-S, Hawk HP+ or similar)Lots of Seat Time (autocross your (removed) off!)...and that's it.That combination (particularly the Hoosier Tires) will carry you MUCH further up the "Overall Position" list at the end of the day than just adding new springs to your otherwise stock car will.