GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Hey every one , i just picked up an 03 vibe gt with 160k for $3600 and im loving it so far but it is lacking in a few departments.....

the good :

its got good pick up at low throttle for around town .
the stereo is half decent for stock (i have the sun/tunes)
nice interior / comfy seats.
Handles better than i expected it too.
Sporty / 6 speed .
good mpg .
lots of cargo space (im a DJ)


The Lacking in :

needs more tourque.
needs more bass (a sub)
a little high off the ground for my taste.
hard to launch even normal take offs either wants to stall or lay rubber lol may have a bad mount......
(touchy throttle) drive by wire ?



mods for very near future half are already ordered :

cold air intake
air bypass valve
lowering springs blue 1.5 drop
rear sway bar
trd badges to eliminate the pontiac emblems
Window visors
dress up oil cap
powered sub
stage 2 cams
valve springs
motor mounts inserts

i will do a build thread when im all done

Welcome to the site!

Welcome to GenVibe!!!

revstohigh wrote: The Lacking in :

needs more tourque. If you're trying to move quickly with the engine below 5000rpm, give up. Keep the revs high and punch it!!!
a little high off the ground for my taste. Easily fixed!
hard to launch even normal take offs either wants to stall or lay rubber lol may have a bad mount...... This model eats clutches if you're not careful. You may want to replace it with something a little better.
(touchy throttle) drive by wire ? It's not DBW. You may want to lubricate or replace the cable and clean the throttle body.

thanks ill try cleaning/lubricating those .
if clutch goes i will deff get an act street set up , i swear by act !
im hoping the cams will give me the desired torque .
according to dyno results on mwr they will yeild close to 20 hp and 20 tq from 2500 on .
which would be great cause i hate revving it past 6k (im used to boared and stroked inline 6 lol)
that should keep me at bay till my supercharged 87 supra is back together next summer

Welcome to GenVibe! You're off to a great start with mods! Looking forward to your build thread. Post some pictures of your "new" Vibe when you get a chance .

Congrats! Im really amazed on how many new members we have with newly purchased 1st gen Vibes. It has been on the list of top cars to buy used, it really is a great buy ! I have a 03 & no the 03s are not DBW, traditional throttle cable.

Welcome to GenVibe. Your thoughts on future mods are right up there with what a lot of other members have already done Look up older posts/threads on any of those topics and you'll be amazed the helpful/tutorials posted there to assist you. Glad to have you on board Also where are you from? Update your profile so we know your location. One of us could your neighbor and you wouldn't even know it Again .................. Welcome

thanks i have been searching a lot ......
here is a pic . im located in Souderton Pa.
ps. how do i get my pics down to under 256 kb to upload and how do i get a pic small enough for my avatar ?
i took me an hour to get this one pic up lol ......

Hi and Welcome. Nice Vibe

hi and welcome! nice lava!

thanks it already on its way to being a heavilly modded street machine ! ive only had it for 2 weeks and i already lowered it , did a lil engine dress up , new rear speakers , cai intake, a progress rear sway bar , and a carbon fiber strut bar .... ive been buzy . more to come inc cams !

lol, if you don't like revving past 6000rpm, you bought the wrong car...

don't forget the 2zzge takes premium gas only!

I would use photobucket to post your pics on here. You can resize your pics, edit them, and other stuff. Well you are on your to a heavily modded street machine, post you pics so we can see the progression.

Lowered 1.5 inch on no name blue springs . painted calipers and window visors . not a bad days work !







yea im aware it takes 92 or better gas , and mark my words i will get this thing to make some pre 6k power ! lol i hope

ps. thanks for the photobucket tip

Looks great !

After the 2009-2010 GT front end, my second favorite is definitely the 2003-2004 front end !

Welcome aboard! Looking forward to seeing how your mods turn out. I like to spend as much time around 8000rpm as I can... I think I need an exhaust so I can enjoy it more!

Love the lowered look! What all did you do to get the calipers painted. That's next on my to-do list

to paint the calipers i did it the really easy way . wire brush the corrosion , clean w a can of break clean, then i just covered the rotors and struts w paper towels and 3-4 coats of red caliper paint . got some paint on rotors but it came of after like 3 blocks of driving lol.

also to update after the springs settled the car is stupid low and my struts are so blown now the car is almost undrivable at the moment . it seriously botoms out on every tiny bump i hit and i mean the struts are bottoming out not the chassis . i will post new pics of the way it sits now aswell as how it sits/rides when the tokico hp's and st springs go on .

i hate to say it, but what did you expect on no name springs?

thebarber wrote:lol, if you don't like revving past 6000rpm, you bought the wrong car...

Expecting low end torque out of a short stroke, high rev engine, is like saying you want to tow a boat with your crotch rocket. You really do have to get use to punching it to get to the powerband, and simply enjoy the great gas mileage you get when you don't.

If you plan on cams, understand that they give only a small bump in performance unless you get an ecu replacement like an Apexi Power FC. On the stock ecu, even stage 2 cams idle rough. Then the ecu learns that the engine is a bit off and makes adjustments, losing most of your gains.

revstohigh wrote:also to update after the springs settled the car is stupid low and my struts are so blown now the car is almost undrivable at the moment . it seriously botoms out on every tiny bump i hit and i mean the struts are bottoming out not the chassis . i will post new pics of the way it sits now aswell as how it sits/rides when the tokico hp's and st springs go on .

Just maybe those high priced automotive engineers had a reason for the stock height.

screw stock height ! the 2'' drop with Tokico's is absolutely amazing !!!!!!
handles almost as well as my supra now & rides nice and firm
pics to come........

jake75 wrote:

revstohigh wrote:also to update after the springs settled the car is stupid low and my struts are so blown now the car is almost undrivable at the moment . it seriously botoms out on every tiny bump i hit and i mean the struts are bottoming out not the chassis . i will post new pics of the way it sits now aswell as how it sits/rides when the tokico hp's and st springs go on .

Just maybe those high priced automotive engineers had a reason for the stock height.

Nah, OEM ride height on the vibe/matrix is too high. Requires AT LEAST eibach prokits

Hey, where did yu get your motor mount inserts?