GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I think most of us would agree that the base Vibe could use a few extra ponies. What do you think would be the ideal amount for the car in order to have a balance of power and efficiency? I'm thinking 150-160 hp.

I think 150 would be the ideal HP for the Vibe.

At least 150 HP but more so 150 foot pounds of torque and on the low end of the RPM range. That is where it is needed mostly, not having to rev the crap out of the engine. Seems most Japanese engines are this way but the US engines have the torque down lower which is better used for city driving.

160hp and about the same amount of torque

I grew up in the muscle car era, late '60s, early '70s and a general rule of thumb for muscle car performance was 10 lbs (or less) per horsepower so give me 270 HP in my Vibe. At 21.4 lbs/HP, the Vibe is a slug but I still think it's a great car. I also have a Saturn Vue (Honda V6), it's a blast to drive. At 13.9 lbs/HP it will kick (removed) on a bunch of others and gets 28 mpg hwy.

throw the 150hp ecotech from the cobalt in there, it would be a nice balance. not to mention mods...

So we all seem to think around 150-160 would be optimal, except for djb383. Would you prefer to see a small V6 under the hood or stick with the 4cyl?

4 cyl definitely. that's the whole point of having one. heavier engine adds weight anyway.

the turbo ECOTEC out of a Solstice GXP would be nice and would also come close to satisfying djb

Quote, originally posted by ANO_Vibe »the turbo ECOTEC out of a Solstice GXP would be nice and would also come close to satisfying djb Got that right.........bring it on.

Why not just use the little hot rodded motor out of the Lotus Elise. It's just another version of the 1.8 Toyota VVT right?

it's not really that much more powerful, the car is just really light.

160HP stock base with 230HP turbo or supercharged model optional

damn, i retract my statement.

If our Vibe was to have the same fun factor as our Vue, it would need 194 horsepower to get to 13.9 lbs/HP. I just don't think 150-160 HP would be big enough increase, in the Vibe, to make for a nice fun-factor.

Edmonds shows the Lotus Elite at 2562 lbs and 190 horsepower or 13.5 lbs/HP. Now there's a fun-factor. That's why I'm saying the Vibe needs at least 194 HP. It's all about power to weight ratio.

the problem is, the vibe isn't designed to be a fast car. it's supposed to be a somewhat sporty utilitarian that's good on gas and reasonably priced.that's why the GT and AWD died.

Hey, as long as it looks fast and sounds fast! I think that is a realistic way of modding the vibe.

i'm probably pushing between 190 and 200. I would love maybe 50 more ponies. though I think traction would be an issue.

Just curios, where did you get those numbers from? Even with a gt, those numbers seem a bit high.

probably right, the ~185 on his cardomain is probably more accurate.

Where is AKLGT? Hope always calls people out until the show slips... she bearly will accept a dyno. LOL. I will agree though, there should be a Dyno before you start bragging about HP.... you can say you have more than us, and you are fast.... but it's like me saying my base has 130.... I know it SHOULD have that, but you figure, if my A/C was on, my oil was 3000 miles old, my tires weren't aligned, my filter was old... I would be down to maybe 120... maybe less.I am not saying you don't have 190, it's more than possible, and I don't want an arguement *huddling scared against my whiskey bottle* I just think people need proof to bragg.... other wise.... my vibe is faster than all of your vibes *goes back to hiding behond my bottle of whiskey*

Quote, originally posted by drunkenmaxx »the problem is, the vibe isn't designed to be a fast car. it's supposed to be a somewhat sporty utilitarian that's good on gas and reasonably priced.that's why the GT and AWD died.We're not talkin' fast, just some get-up-and-go. The Honda powered Vue, an SUV, isn't fast at 0-60 in 7 sec but it's a hoot to drive. A Mustang GT is fast with a

Posted horsepower numbers from the factories are supposed be with all accessories installed and running, which includes A/C.

i get what you mean.my car isn't really fast, but it gets up and goes on the highway. 65-90 is quite interesting as i found out on the highway yesterday when some lady behind me in a compass thought she would intimidate me into switching lanes. soon, she was nowhere near me.

Exactly.

Quote, originally posted by drunkenmaxx »i get what you mean.my car isn't really fast, but it gets up and goes on the highway. 65-90 is quite interesting as i found out on the highway yesterday when some lady behind me in a compass thought she would intimidate me into switching lanes. soon, she was nowhere near me.You're not supposed to speed up. You're supposed to let off the gas and drive really slow if it's a place where she can't pass. But if there are other lanes you're supposed to pace the cars next to you so that she can't get around.

Quote, originally posted by Vibr8tr »Where is AKLGT? Hope always calls people out until the show slips... she bearly will accept a dyno. LOL. I will agree though, there should be a Dyno before you start bragging about HP.... you can say you have more than us, and you are fast.... but it's like me saying my base has 130.... I know it SHOULD have that, but you figure, if my A/C was on, my oil was 3000 miles old, my tires weren't aligned, my filter was old... I would be down to maybe 120... maybe less.I am not saying you don't have 190, it's more than possible, and I don't want an arguement *huddling scared against my whiskey bottle* I just think people need proof to bragg.... other wise.... my vibe is faster than all of your vibes *goes back to hiding behond my bottle of whiskey*Yeah she hardly believes tried tested and true dyno readings from dynomax. Once her car is dyno tuned and tested.. we'll see if she has a little more faith

blah blah blah. dynotunes are great for your ego. but your #'s will also depend on the day, the weather, temps of the engine, etc. just look over on MO at Riotrix's dyno numbers. he hit 292 whp and then on a different dyno and different day (much hotter temps) did 261 whp. power bragging is great, but i want to see what that equates to at the track.

oh ya and for the 1zz engine, i think the new scion engines that come 160 hp would be great for power, but they really need to be 160 ft-lbs tq more than anything. even driving Mav's base Vibe with the exhaust only (no more unichip or CAI), it's still pretty peppy for the size and type of vehicle. it's not gonna blow anyone's doors off by any means, but heck, even my VGT was lacking in low end torque. that's the biggest draw back to the VVT engines. 160/160 or even 180/180 would be awesome!

oh yeah, i do that too! i used to love downshifting to slow down too, no brake lights! i don't do that in my maxx because it slows down really drastically. exhaust - >

I hate when people do that... going along at 60 and then out of no where they drop 15-20 MPH with no warning.... Maybe they should invent something to let other drivers know when a car is slowing down... kinda likea turn signal.... but for brakes.... like a light.... for brakes..... hmmmmI am kidding, I used to do that kind of thing to people who run up on nme or ride my (removed).... but for general driving, I will at least tap the brakes or something. Cause without brake lights, it's the same as turning without a signal, no body will know what you are doing, and can't adjust thier driving to it.

Quote, originally posted by b train »Why not just use the little hot rodded motor out of the Lotus Elise. It's just another version of the 1.8 Toyota VVT right?My boss bought one; he had the 13th one sold in the US. It was a fun car, VERY impractical. It was weird to drive, especially when I could look under the vehicles next to me. Handles like a go-cart, was able to pull a u-turn @ 45 MPH with no tire squeal. Shifting was hard, kept hitting my wife in the chest with my elbow.He ended up selling it to the local Porsche dealer for more than he bought it for. God bless America.

Quote, originally posted by shane_c »What do you think would be the ideal amount for the car in order to have a balance of power and efficiency? My Answer: Just enough to not kill you or anyone else!Live fast, die young, leave a good looking corpse

Quote, originally posted by 4azdmunky »Live fast, die young, leave a good looking corpse (removed)!!!!

Quote, originally posted by Mavrik »160HP stock base with 230HP turbo or supercharged model optionali agree. also, the wheel hop and torque steer issues would definitely need to be addressed