GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

UPDATED 2/1/07Purchased April 20, 2005 (traded in the 03 VGT on her 2nd birthday) from Continental Subaru in Anchorage, Alaska. Factory Specs:Engine: 2.5L turbo-charged 4 cylinderPerformance: 250 hp AWD/250 ft-lbs torqueTransmission: 5 speed automatic with sport shift and manual shift modes (still not near as fun as the 6MT)Model: 4 door sedan Limited (leather and sunroof package, 6 disc in-dash CD changer, keyless entry, alarm, etc)Color: Atlantic Blue PearlWheels: 17" silver aluminum rims (so much better looking than my Vibe's OEM 17's)Exterior Mods:JDM style grillScotchguard Clear BraCleared 2006 headlights (chrome inserts)Factory trunk spoilerDebadged grill and trunk emblems20% Tint all aroundBlue painted calipers17" ADR Phantom Polish and Black Gloss WheelsInterior Mods:All weather matsRelocated clock and info center to ash tray600 Watt Rockford Fosgate Amp8" Kicker Solobaric sub in a ported box (HUGE box)2 x 3 12V splitter controlled by switch on center console7" VGA touchscreen monitor in/on dash5 AV selector (glove compartment)400 mhz Celeron in-car PC2 x USB hubs (one in center console and one in glove compartment)USB mini trackball and Saitek illuminated keyboardClearwire 1.5 Mbs Modem Wireless router and 7 db external antennaMOMO Automatic Leather Shift KnobPerformance Mods:Tein S-Tech performance springs (box says 1.5" drop but it's at least 2.0"!)Rovatec Front strut tower bar (Ebay special)OEM catless uppipe, midpipe, downpipeCobb Access Port Stage 2 TDC Protuned (to be retuned for stage 3)Cobb Rear Sway BarCobb Rear EndlinksCobb battery tie down (sure to get me another 10 whp!)Cobb Turbo Heat Shield (also adds another 10 whp)STI Turbo swap to VF39STI Top Mount Intercooler and BOVSTI Intake ManifoldSPT Catback ExhaustProsport Boost GuageComing soon:Hayden Transmission CoolerCoiloversBrembo Front Big Brake KitBBS STI rims (to fit over the Brembo BBK)Before:After:

day i brought her home!before the modification beganPhil and I painting the caliperstintyes, i know the car is dirty!

car accident Jan 06car repaired March 06Phil and Dale installing the springscar pc, monitor, DVD, etc.... (neverending project)

Nice and smooth.

can you see the pics?? mine just show up as links. i changed it in my user options, but still only links. wth?? anyone?? help! lolyou'd think after 3 years, i'd know how to navigate this site!

Quote, originally posted by trdvibe »can you see the pics?? mine just show up as links. i changed it in my user options, but still only links. wth?? anyone?? help! lolyou'd think after 3 years, i'd know how to navigate this site! No problem,i see the pics.

wierd. don't know why it won't post the pics on mine. i'll recheck my settings again. sigh.

Man that looks sweet!!! Good work... love that color.

Nice Vibe. Looks good and that was a whole mess of stuff to scroll through on that list!

ya sorry. should have warned everyone at the top! but come on! you should know there's a TON of pics to go through! afterall, it is MY post! but now my pics are showing up again, so yay!

and now they aren't again... oh well!secured some of the cords and redid the trackball/keyboard to wired ones. that seems to work so much better. plus, the new keyboard slides nicely between the passenger seat and center console. i also updated the ipod dock, but have yet to figure out why it won't display on my monitor. that's not a big deal, but would make the menu navigation much easier. also got some updated pics of the modem and router along with the trunk. it occurred to me i haven't taken any trunk pics of the sub, amp, 3 volt splitter and now car pc.modem and routertrunk with pass through opentrunk with pass through closedPC and front viewscreen and ipod dockkeyboard and mouse

Very stylish in the car.A real tech girl

LOL... your car reminds me of the new and improved GEEK SQUAD cars. but way better! You got like half of best buy in there.... hope you go like LO-JACK!*Question... can we vote this car as next VOTM???

Nice Subie Hope I have a very serious question though......do you make Phil drive it? lol

Quote, originally posted by Mrizzle05 »LOL... your car reminds me of the new and improved GEEK SQUAD cars. but way better! You got like half of best buy in there.... hope you go like LO-JACK!*Question... can we vote this car as next VOTM??? (removed)! funny thing is that in high school, i always made fun of the computer geeks and what not (people didn't tell me i was a snob for nothing, unfortunately). now our 10 yr reunion is this summer, i'm helping put it together. most of my good friends who know me well think it's just hilarious that i'm such a tech geek now, so far from when i was in school. oh well!and yes, bestbuy s me. in fact, most of the long term employees know me by face, even the computer manager, Richard. of course, they are one of our national resellers so i've had to go in there a few times to train and help out. but they give me some good deals too.

Quote, originally posted by ArcsVibe »Nice Subie Hope I have a very serious question though......do you make Phil drive it? lol do you mean, do i let phil drive? or do you mean, he drives so i can play on the computer? i don't mess with the computer (i try) while i'm driving. only at stop lights and signs or parked. too much invested in this car to wreck it again!

Beautiful looking scoobie there Hope! Lots of hi-tech stuff, and nice sound system.But I'm curious...why the pc in the car? Do you actually use it? How? Can't be while you're driving (I don't think!), but do you sit at long stoplights, or just sit in the parking lot using the computer? Somehow, I just can't see the benefit of having a pc in my car, ever!

well, for i use it for a work demo. i sell highspeed internet via a pre-wimax modem: Clearwire. that's the funny box in the back with the green lights. i was planning to use a laptop but then i wanted a more permanent solution. i use it for GPS navigation, MP3 playback (although now i prefer my ipod), checking my email, schedule updates, inputting any orders when i'm running behind and out of time, looking up just about anything, and soon, data logging when i properly set up my cobb access port in the car.

unless its to get an oil change or she's to drunk to drive... I don't drive the car.

you never ask but then you don't like me driving all over the place in your car when i take it for the day because of work (especially right now with snow on the ground still). however, summer is coming, so i'm not opposed to swapping vehicles now and again. besides, after we get the unichip in the car, i want to take it out for the day. but you may not let ME drive YOUR car! ha ha ha! plus, after the side graphics are installed, you may not want to drive it because people will be STARING at you. it'll be pretty darn hard to miss. which means i have to SLOW down!

Quote, originally posted by trdvibe »well, for i use it for a work demo. i sell highspeed internet via a pre-wimax modem: Clearwire. that's the funny box in the back with the green lights. i was planning to use a laptop but then i wanted a more permanent solution. i use it for GPS navigation, MP3 playback (although now i prefer my ipod), checking my email, schedule updates, inputting any orders when i'm running behind and out of time, looking up just about anything, and soon, data logging when i properly set up my cobb access port in the car.I understand now! If I was selling that too, I guess I would have all of that stuff hooked up in my car as well. But...I just can't see the expense of that stuff installed worth how often someone would use it in their car! I guess if you traveled a lot in your car (for business), and needed to access the web often, but couldn't you do that with a laptop and wireless connection? Then you could take it with you as well (sitting on a park bench, or eating lunch somehwere, etc...). Anyways, just my take on it. But, again, it looks great!

sure. if you can find a hotspot that you don't have to pay for. but since i have my own hotspot, i just go inside and sign on. like i'm doing now... getting my hair done.

Using the laptop at the hair salon via you're car! LOL That cracks me up!

well, i had to wait for my hair to cure.... besides, people think it's cool. they don't have to go all out like i did, but throwing in a modem and wireless router is simple to do. for realators and other mobile type merchants or on the go people. got my side graphics done yesterday too... now i'm an official mobile hotspot!

so far, my side graphics are GOLD! today i signed up my third sale from them since last Thursday! people see me driving around and call because i have a local phone number on the car vs our event vehicles which have an 888#. today, Phil and Dale took out the 2 remainder cats in the mid and downpipes. I have to wait for my protune stage 2 map to arrive to reflash the ECU, but once I get that, I'll be at stage 2. right now, i'm just running my 91 stage 1 maps. you can feel an immediate difference with the car! not much turbo lag on the low end at all, it really surprised me when i pulled out of the dealership lot and gunned the engine. i'm sure it would have been even better if i had MT. oh well! it's still fun regardless. I'll report my (removed) dyno later when i go full 93 stage 2.

yes, so phil should blame you, right? ha ha ha!ya i know... it is your fault. you had to go and show me all the pics and specs and pricing... and then that black LGT had to go drive by me one day.... drool!

we drove out to Portage Glacier today. wanted to get a good feel of my now TDC protuned stage 2 maps. he he he.... my car really hauls a$$ now!

i think a donut video is in order young lady!

there were too many cars around (in the no snow parking area). trust me.... i was very very tempted.

Quote, originally posted by trdvibe »there were too many cars around (in the no snow parking area). trust me.... i was very very tempted. ah, safety first! i wish i still had snow around to do some donuts. on my one opportunity to get a video, the one that we successfully got was quite mediocre. (sp?) i did an awesome one that was hitting pavement through the snow and making smoke, but the phone's memory was full. now that i have new plugs, i want to give her another rip, but will have to wait until at least december now! just remember: keep that wheel cut all the way and try to keep those rev's up! when your car is in that manual shift mode, will it shift for you when the rpm's get high, or does it leave it up to you?

in manual shift it will not shift UP, but only down. the gas will cut off however, if you get up to redline.

that's pretty sweet then. mine shifted up at times when i wanted to keep my rpms high, making the donut less effective. of course, you could probably hit up some wet asphalt as well...

Quote, originally posted by trdvibe »in manual shift it will not shift UP, but only down. the gas will cut off however, if you get up to redline.Most auto shift vehicles will automatically upshift to automatic trans mode if you are running the trans in lower gear too hard and too much heat builds up in the trans. Mine does, not that I have tried it or anything! Plus the owners manual states this.

automatic transmissions on the legacy with sport shift/manual mode won't shift on their own in manual mode. We've had a few people puzzle over that due to poor salesman delivery conversation... oh well.I had a woman trying to use that mode to slow her car down on steep grades lol... this isn't actually a MANUAL.

but actually, it does work.... keeping the car in 2nd gear vs 3rd or 4th does keep the car a little slower. not as effective as a true manny tranny, however, i've used this a few times when driving up and down mountains to customer's houses.

it only holds the car back when it reachs its limit. I had a woman trying to drive down a hill in first and could not figure out why in manual 1st it would redline.

oh. lol. well, sure it's gonna redline... duh!

Quote, originally posted by Mavrik »automatic transmissions on the legacy with sport shift/manual mode won't shift on their own in manual mode. We've had a few people puzzle over that due to poor salesman delivery conversation... oh well.I had a woman trying to use that mode to slow her car down on steep grades lol... this isn't actually a MANUAL.Actually what I mean is this... In my auto-stick trans mode you cannot hold one gear for say hours on end but keeping the RPMs down.Take the above example, if that woman held first for a really, really long time, the trans would build up so much heat it would start puking trans fluid out and or fail. My trans has a safe mode to where if lots of heat builds up in the trans it will over ride the auto-stick mode to automatic mode so I do not or will not damage the trans. Another example... Say you are auto X-ing and tracking the car on a 90 degree day and only using the auto stick or sport shift mode. If the fluid gets so hot and the trans is worked so hard in my PT it will over ride back to auto trans mode so I do not blow it up. I realize both are extreme examples but in my PT the override it is there to protect the trans. If the Subie does not have this mode I guess it will destroy itself which is not cool.Recently my sisters 1998 Forester with 70,000 had her trans slipping. The cost to repair was $3,000 the value of the car, she traded it in...

well, i've never had the car get to that point. i'm sure there is a safe mode when the car knows it has to change back.

alaska's cold air might save you too jk those mountains are so pretty!! they almost look fake, their so big!! i need to get up there some time....

Phil put the rims on today! Damn they look sweet! he did an awesome job (as usual)! Also, repainted my calipers last sunday before autocross. before:

those wheels look nice hope.

thanks!

I like that the callipers say Subaru. They look really good.

those rims totally make the car! rims make a huge difference. i hate when i see these freaking people who dump tons of money into body kits and hoods and still have the stockers or even worse, steelies.

ya, the rims that came on the car are nice. i really like them, but they're still the stock rims.... you know what i mean. if on a different car, i'd love them even more. but i'd agree with you: steelies are the worst! lol.

Hope, those wheels really do look nice on the subie! Are they the same size running the same tire, or did you go a +1?

Quote, originally posted by trdvibe »ya, the rims that came on the car are nice. i really like them, but they're still the stock rims.... you know what i mean. if on a different car, i'd love them even more. same thing with the stock vibe alloys. they are ok rims, but stock none the less.i am completely happy with the itty bitty 16's i have, at least they are not stock!

Quote, originally posted by ballrub »Hope, those wheels really do look nice on the subie! Are they the same size running the same tire, or did you go a +1?same size and stock tires for now. phil and i talked and next year (after this season) we'll both upgrade our tires at the same time. since the stock STI rims are also 17's then he can swap out those onto his gold BBS rims (he knows which ones already lol). his current tires (Kumho Ecstas) will suffice for this season, better than my stock all seasons! lol. i'd have loved to go 18's but too cheap to spend $$ on tires right now too!and Dman, i actually like your 16's a lot. funny how not that long ago (just a few yrs ago now) 16's were BIG! now it's 18's, 19's and 20's!

ok, so last week got the clear bra installed. i'd show pics, but it's CLEAR! lol :Dgot the Cobb rear sway bar installed as well. Original Sway BarCobb Sway BarSCCA Solo II in the rain (before the sway bar)