GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Hello! I just had a curious question.I've noticed rather recently that whenever I'm on a bumpier (yet paved) road, the rear section of the car seems to slide out more than I'd like it to, as if it's REALLY light back there, to the point that it can chirp unexpectedly when doing around a bumpy corner, especially if I'm braking in the process (I'm not going THAT fast...I think). On smooth roads I don't have much of a problem, though.In the snow, my dear Vibe seems to spin out a lot more than other cars I've driven, such as our former family Lancer. This was fun to discover during last years heavy snow storms. There really isn't much in the back hatch to add any "weight". At the moment, I have the Goodyear Assurance tires on the back, which I believe are the Comfortreds (I bought the cars with these, and they just passed inspection this year). I replaced my old horrid noisy Continentals, rotated my tires and have new ones up front.I'm just wondering if new tires replacing my Goodyears would help out the situation with the bumpy turns, or if I should invest in something heavy to put in back. This is really the first hatchback (sports wagon?) in our family, so I'm still kinda new to this stuff. I'd love any advice you guys can give.Thanks!

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Quote, originally posted by Bastranz »I've noticed rather recently that whenever I'm on a bumpier (yet paved) road, the rear section of the car seems to slide out more than I'd like it to, as if it's REALLY light back there, to the point that it can chirp unexpectedly when doing around a bumpy corner, especially if I'm braking in the process (I'm not going THAT fast...I think). On smooth roads I don't have much of a problem, though.I've noticed that in mine... but I'm usually cooking along pretty good around the corners to make it happen. How (bad) bumpy are these corners?Quote, originally posted by Bastranz »In the snow, my dear Vibe seems to spin out a lot more than other cars I've driven, such as our former family Lancer. This was fun to discover during last years heavy snow storms. It takes a good jerk of the wheel off throttle to unload the rear and get my winters to slide out then powerslide... snowplowing is much easier...Quote, originally posted by Bastranz »I'm just wondering if new tires replacing my Goodyears would help out the situation with the bumpy turns, or if I should invest in something heavy to put in back. This is really the first hatchback (sports wagon?) in our family, so I'm still kinda new to this stuff. I'd love any advice you guys can give.My RS-A's are starting to feather (need to be rotated) and will probably be junked when the winters go on. They hydroplane very easily with any standing water. I can't say about the turns but newer/better tires can only help!!!Untied weight in the back (for me) will result in things running from side to side (ANNOYING) so I keep as little as possible back there.

One corner is kind of in a construction zone now, I guess, with the well-needed widening of the intersection. It's enough to shake up the car a bit. Otherwise, with the other corners, it's mainly just worn out Pennsylvania roadwork (pavement faded to white, bumpy from heavy truck use - enough to shake up the car a little, etc). Glad mine isn't the only Vibe that does this. Not a huge issue, just a minor annoyance like the dashboard light game it likes to play .I've noticed that light hydroplaning too, like when those flash downpours occur on the highway (gadzooks!).Thanks for your feedback!

Interesting that you say it slides around easily. I've never had a problem with the back end sliding/bouncing around. Typically a hatchback/wagon style of car is heavier in the rear than it's sedan counterpart. I take my Vibe to play in the snow frequently and I think it handles pretty good for what it is. I don't expect it to be a superb winter driving machine though. I think the bouncing you are referencing might be from the higher center of gravity that the Vibe has vs. your old Lancer. With the higher center of gravity you will experience much more body roll which will cause you to lose traction sooner than others.

Bastrans I don't think you should buy anything to weigh down the back of your car. My best recommendation would be to get your alignment done/checked and to answer you question YES. I think tires would help. If you decide to buy new tires though its probably best to get a matching set for all four wheels. Another thing you could try is an aftermarket rear swaybar, although that should actually make the rear more likely able to be spun out, which is what your trying to avoid so maybe not.... I still like these though.I've also had afew hydro-planes on the RS-A's. One of them quite scary.Yeah I've also noticed the vibe can get a bit unsettled on bumpy roads. I just installed some TRD springs though and am liking them more all the time. They've really settled down that type of behavior in the suspension.