GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Hi Folks,

Just bought 2010 Vibe 1.8 Base model with 38,500 miles. It's a 5 speed manual trans and has all the power options (cruise, locks,windows). Upgrading from my 2004 Chevy Aveo which has 259K miles on it. I love hatchbacks and like the extra capacity, and styling of the Vibe. I hope it gives me as good of service as my Aveo. I paid $9800 for it and it comes with new tires, and a 5 year (or 100K mile) warranty, which ever comes first. I think I got a pretty good deal on it as I comparitively shopped and saw pricng typically a couple or few thousand more for the same or higher mileage Vibes. This looks like a cool site and I'm glad to be a part of it......I'm looking forward to it!

Welcome to GenVibe!!!

Welcome to GenVibe! It's cool to see another Steel Blue Metallic Vibe owner join. My mom's 2009 GT is the same color and man is it a beautiful color! Props on posting a picture in your first post !

Welcome to GnVibe. Kudos on posting a pic & your location right off the bat I'll assume when you say 5-speed , your implying "stick shift" and not an automatic Awesome choice on the year of your Vibe and the transmission. Visit ofter and get involved here

Welcome, under $10,000 is an amazing price! How did you get such a low price? Around here they seem to be selling for $12,000 to $14,000.

welcome! Thats a great deal, 2008 vibe near me is going for $12000

Welcome and that is a good deal! Most Vibes by me at that price are all manual and have close to 100k miles on them or they cost $2-3k more. Good luck with it.

Hello again guys......yes my Vibe is stick shift. I bought this from an old friend. He was desperate to sell and I just happened to be looking. He had bought it (co-signed) for his new wife and after 30 days of marriage they are now getting divorced!! He had just met this woman and within 1 month of dating her they rushed into marriage. He's 51 years old and this was his second time around. He now feels like an idiot for making this huge mistake. Anyways, he paid $10,999 plus another 2K for extended warranty (transferrable to me for $50). If I didn't buy it he was simply going to call the bank and say come and get it! I'm now just waiting for the title and hope to have it on the road soon,

To be honest I was seriously thinking of buying a new 2013 Subuaru XV Crosstrek as I really dig this vehicle. The more I learned about it the more I loved it. Plus I just think it looks awesome. I've never bought a new car, but instead decided to go for this Vibe instead being several thousands less than half the price of the Subi!

I called my local authorized Pontiac service center and was told car has complied with all recalls (2 I believe). Is there anything I should be looking out for with this car? Any inherent issues to concern myself with? From all I've read most owners are extremely happy with the Vibe and say how dependable and economical it has been to operate.

Lastly, any suggestions on aftermarket upgrades? I'd like to put a K&N Air Intake System on this car but they have no such listing. Any other companies out there offer these? Also, there was a link on this site to G-Force Performance Chips ($69).....has anyone here bought this and did it really enhance performance? Any leads or thought you can share are greatly appreciated.

SuperVibeMan wrote: I bought this from an old friend. He was desperate to sell and I just happened to be looking.

Excellent timing. You're gonna have to buy this friend a good stiff drink or two Man I'd hate to be in his shoes

SuperVibeMan wrote:

Lastly, any suggestions on aftermarket upgrades?

I personally am into doing the impossible. That is, mods that require complete "reinventing of the wheel" if you get my drift

Lots of other mods done my others here, however; there aren't too many suppliers of aftermarket items due to the Vibe
being discontinued. Just let your imagination run wild and see what you can accomplish

On the chip, just flush the $69 down the toilet and you will get the same performance gain! Not a lot of aftermarket like Tim said, which is too bad. The 2.4l does have a K&N but nothing for the 1.8l that i know of.

trb wrote:nothing for the 1.8l that i know of.

Actually, K&N does make an intake for the 2009-2010 1.8L Vibe/Matrix.

As far as the "performance chips" go, like trb said, they are a waste of money. They do nothing for the Vibe. Don't waste your money.

Doesn't it seem odd if the Corolla kit also fit the Matrix and the Vibe then KRN would list it in the application chart for these models? On their website they do not. I'd sure hate to spend $300 and have a fitment issue. I wonder what KRN would say if I called them??

SuperVibeMan wrote:Doesn't it seem odd if the Corolla kit also fit the Matrix and the Vibe then KRN would list it in the application chart for these models? On their website they do not. I'd sure hate to spend $300 and have a fitment issue. I wonder what KRN would say if I called them??

No, not really. K&N is weird like that. I emailed them after I installed their intake kit on my 2009 Vibe GT back in July of 2009 and told them that they should add the 2009-2010 2.4L Vibe to their fitment list for this specific intake. They said they wouldn't until their research and development department actually test fitted it on a 2009-2010 2.4L Vibe, even though it's the exact same engine as the Matrix and Scion xB for which it is already listed . If you call them they're probably going to tell you that it won't fit, if you install it on your vehicle they won't warranty it, blah blah blah. It's up to you, but as I posted before, there are quite a few 2009+ Matrix owners who have it on their 1.8L Matrices without issue, so it would obviously work fine on a Vibe too since it's the same exact engine. Oh, and if you do decide to get one, check eBay as they have the cheapest prices on K&N intakes.

vibenvy wrote:K&N is weird like that. I emailed them after I installed their intake kit on my 2009 Vibe GT back in July of 2009 and told them that they should add the 2009-2010 2.4L Vibe to their fitment list for this specific intake. They said they wouldn't until their research and development department actually test fitted it on a 2009-2010 2.4L Vibe, even though it's the exact same engine as the Matrix and Scion xB for which it is already listed

You are exactly right. I called KRN and they coundn't tell me jack. Stating the same R & D story. Are you certain the Corolla, Matrix, and Vibe have the same under hood setup? No wiring, or hoses, brackets, components, or inner fender clearance difference that would prevent me from installing without issue?

Again, I just want to be certain if I spend the coin it will work for me.

Thanks!

SuperVibeMan wrote:

vibenvy wrote:K&N is weird like that. I emailed them after I installed their intake kit on my 2009 Vibe GT back in July of 2009 and told them that they should add the 2009-2010 2.4L Vibe to their fitment list for this specific intake. They said they wouldn't until their research and development department actually test fitted it on a 2009-2010 2.4L Vibe, even though it's the exact same engine as the Matrix and Scion xB for which it is already listed

You are exactly right. I called KRN and they coundn't tell me jack. Stating the same R & D story. Are you certain the Corolla, Matrix, and Vibe have the same under hood setup? No wiring, or hoses, brackets, components, or inner fender clearance difference that would prevent me from installing without issue?

Again, I just want to be certain if I spend the coin it will work for me.

Thanks!

Everything under the hood is exactly the same as the Matrix. The bumpers are different, but the mounting points that hold the bumpers to the car are in the same place.

While we're talking about aftermarket parts we should also let you know about the wheel bolt pattern. All 1.8L Vibes have a 5x100 bolt pattern. The 2.4L vibes have a 5x114 bolt pattern. So if you ever replace the wheels make sure you are looking at the right ones

Thanks for the heads up SeattleJeremy. I just printed the installation instructions for the Corolla from K & N website and it's complete with pictures. I'll compare to my Vibe and if all looks good will order the intake kit # 69-8757TTK (most likely on eBay). Thanks for the advise on wheels as I do plan to buy alloy wheels at some point.

As always, appreciate the help!

Exactly what SeattleJeremy said about the engines being the same and the bolt patterns for wheels.

Keep us updated if and when you get the intake !

Hi and welcome. Nice Vibe

Hi Folks......been a while since I chimed in but wanted to give an update. Finally took delivery of my car a few weeks ago. Took over two months to get the title. I will never buy a car with a lien on it again. Part of the delay in transfer is it was a PA title which had to be sent to Albany to get the NY title. Any way really liking the car and just yesterday ordered 17" alloy wheels to replace 16" steel rims (I will use these for dedicated snow tires). Chose Motegi Racing MR125 wheels (only weight 16.3 lbs each) and Cooper Zeon RS3-A 215/45-17 tires. Read a lot on these tires and got rave reviews from most. It's mind boggling trying to decide as there are dozens and dozens of choices. These are no question overkill for this car but not a whole lot more in cost than lesser quality tires. Plus Cooper is an American company and I'm hoping these were made in the USA, seems to be conflicting data on that. Some people say they've seen made in USA and made in China on these so I'll keep my fingers crossed. I always try my best to keep my money in this country when possible. I've attached pics of the wheels and tires, and will post pics of car once installed (scheduled for next Saturday 05/04.....I'm stoked)!!! Still looking at putting the K&N Intake Kit (for Matrix) on this car but still need to research that and it will be my next venture. Hope all of you are as happy with your Vibe's as I am with mine! Take care all.......until next time!

Did the 09-10 Vibes still use those awful Goodyear Eagle RS-As? Those things were atrocious. I got some Arizonian Silver Editions (DiscountTire in-house brand) and the ride is ridiculously smoother.

SuperVibeMan wrote: Plus Cooper is an American company and I'm hoping these were made in the USA, seems to be conflicting data on that. Some people say they've seen made in USA and made in China on these so I'll keep my fingers crossed. I always try my best to keep my money in this country when possible.

Looks like a nice choice for replacement tires and YES these are made here in the good ol USA

Nice looking wheels ! I can't wait to see them on the Vibe!

If you haven't already done so, check out this thread as a 2nd gen 1.8L owner recently posted pictures of the K&N SRI installed on their Vibe.

lannvouivre wrote:Did the 09-10 Vibes still use those awful Goodyear Eagle RS-As?

Yes. I believe they were the OEM tire for all 2009-2010 Vibes except the GT which got Goodyear Eagle F1 A/S-Cs.

I don't really understand all the negativity here about the RSAs. They were OEM on my 2002 Sunfire GT and I drove with them in the winter, rain, etc. and never had any issues with them. When I sold the car in June of 2008, it had approximately 64,000 miles on it and the RSAs were still in great shape (I had installed aftermarket wheels and tires so the RSAs didn't have the full 64,000 on them, but still). Just my $0.02 though .

[quote="vibenvy"]If you haven't already done so, check out this thread as a 2nd gen 1.8L owner recently posted pictures of the K&N SRI installed on their Vibe.


Thanks VIBENVY......I just pulled the trigger on eBay for the K & N 69-8757TTK Performance Intake Kit. Thank God I got a tax refund this year from both the Feds and the State.....I've been going a little crazy lately modding the Vibe. At least I'm doing my part to stimulate the US economy!

Hey I missed this the first time around - welcome to Gen Vibe!

Nice looking car - love the blue color (was what I wanted most). Hope you can post some pics with the wheels/tires! Also, great choice on the SRI, I'm sure you'll love it. That is the next thing on my list to get some day.

vibenvy wrote:

lannvouivre wrote:Did the 09-10 Vibes still use those awful Goodyear Eagle RS-As?

Yes. I believe they were the OEM tire for all 2009-2010 Vibes except the GT which got Goodyear Eagle F1 A/S-Cs.

I don't really understand all the negativity here about the RSAs. They were OEM on my 2002 Sunfire GT and I drove with them in the winter, rain, etc. and never had any issues with them. When I sold the car in June of 2008, it had approximately 64,000 miles on it and the RSAs were still in great shape (I had installed aftermarket wheels and tires so the RSAs didn't have the full 64,000 on them, but still). Just my $0.02 though .

My problem with the RS-As are that they felt "greasy" in the wet. Probably I was spoiled with the summer high performance tires on my Civic - first Kumho SPTs and then Hankook K104's (maybe?)). Those tires stuck like glue in everything except cold/snow. (I did have an "exciting" time on some frost once when it was maybe 30 degrees F cutting in front of oncoming traffic to get into a parking lot, fishtailing all around and barely missing the curb).

In retrospect, maybe the RS-A's weren't so bad, as I now have Bridgestone G019 Grid all weather tires on the Civic and I can't push them in the wet like I could the summer tires.

SuperVibeMan wrote:Thanks VIBENVY......I just pulled the trigger on eBay for the K & N 69-8757TTK Performance Intake Kit. Thank God I got a tax refund this year from both the Feds and the State.....I've been going a little crazy lately modding the Vibe. At least I'm doing my part to stimulate the US economy!

You're very welcome ! I look forward to seeing pictures of the intake installed and hearing about how it sounds, performs, etc. You should start a Garage thread for your Vibe to keep track of any updates, mods, etc.

I will start a Garage thread......that's a good idea. Happy to report I finally got time to install the new K & N Intake and am very pleased. Install went smooth and quite easy.....I enjoyed it. I think it looks great and sounds great too. At idle or normal (easy acceleration) there really isn't any distinguishable sound difference. The only time you hear the intake is when you accelerate hard or at higher rpm's. Sounds throaty and sporty, and dare I say high performance with the 1.8L?...LOL. Below are before, during and after installation pics.

Looks great! Glad to hear the install went well and you are enjoying the new intake ! I look forward to seeing a Garage thread with even more updates from you !