GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Sunday, I went to visit some friends that live in a townhome complex on a hill. They are about half way up a paved road that is about a 15 - 20 degree slope. I got part way up the hill and stopped to see where I was. When I started up the hill again, the fun started...I let out the clutch and stalled immediately. I tried revving the engine and letting it out and every time I tried, I would start to move and then stall. After 3 more times, I gave up and rolled back down the hill. With a running start, I finally made it up the hill only to stall when turning into their driveway !!! Needless to say, this was VERY embarrassing.Although I was in the car with my 2 and 4 year old kids and my wife, I would think that this car should be able to go up a hill.Now the details: I have an '03 Vibe GT with 52,000 kms, Magnaflow catback and K&N SR intake. I have a NEW clutch courtesy of GM as when I complained about the clutch burning smell, they tore down the tranny to find the throwout bearing sticking (I think that's what it 's called). It turns out that GM's Support Group (TAC) has had other customers with this problem.Any ideas as to what is happening ? The dealer wants to go for a test drive but I wanted to get some "unbiased" opinions.Thanks.

That sounds about like what happens when I'm attempting to drive something with a manual on flat ground. Has it done this at this location before? I know these engines don't have much torque, so that doesn't help these matters any. Good luck finding out the cause!

I also find the VibeGT to be more difficult than it should when starting on a hill. For me, I just have to rev it much higher and continually press the gas in further as i let out the cluth. Otherwise I stall almost instantly.I have tried other friends' stickshifts' and they're much easier on hills. Maybe I am also in need of a new throw out bearing. I think I'm going to talk with them soon so i will bring that up. thx

They just need more revs and a bit of clutch slip to get going uphill. Once your rolling at above 5 mph or so, you shouldn't need the clutch. Both your add ons rob power at the low end of the RPM range. The closer to idle, the less effecient they become and may not be allowing you to roll the car uphill with a load without overusing the clutch. Also contributing to your issues is that the car is more likely to bog down with the adds. You're losing a higher percentage of power at low RPMs than your gaining at high revs. If you race or really flog it around then your great. If you mostly drive normal and just wind it now and then, you're probobly better off stock. The clutch is easier to use also. One more thing. If the clutch is new, it may be slightly grabby which won't make things any easier with the motor bogging down. You probably won't need as much clutch slip to start rolling on a stock motor and get a bit more clutch life also.