GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Hello Fellow Vibers. Im new to the site just having found it last week. Currently I own a 2010 Base Vibe ( 1.8 ) and of course it uses regular unleaded. I'm considering purchasing another Vibe, a 04 GT 6 Speed, I read on line that it requires Prem Unleaded. Does anyone know if this is true? According to what I can find online, the 04 also has a 1.8 liter so I find it odd that it needs prem unleaded. Also the car is in good conditon, very clean, it has 99K on her and the person is asking $6000. Seems to be a great price when I compare it to other Vibes for sale ( which are few and far between). Any words of wisdom would be appreciated, things to look out for etc....... Thanks.

Welcome to GenVibe! That's awesome to hear that you own one Vibe and are considering getting another! There are many 2+ Vibe families here, including myself which just goes to show how awesome a vehicle the Vibe is.

Since I own a 2nd gen (2009-2010), I am much more familiar with them than I am with the 1st gens (2003-2008), but from what I have seen on here, the 1st gen GTs require no less than 89 octane fuel. Although the engine is a 1.8L like your 2010 Base, it has different internals (?) that give it more power, etc. which is why it requires higher octane fuel. I'm sure someone more familiar with the 1st gen GTs will chime in with more precise information.

Post some pictures of your current Vibe when you get a chance and keep us updated on whether you get the second one .

Compression on a GT is higher.....you can use 89 but 91 makes it real happy.

mac99d wrote:Compression on a GT is higher.....you can use 89 but 91 makes it real happy.

Here's some more information: If you use too low of octane rating in an engine that needs higher octane, the gasoline can ignite just from being so compressed.

http://www.nicoclub.com/archives/detona ... uning.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks for the info everyone. Yes I finally found the correct info on line to confirm that prem unleaded is required. How about the asking price of the 04 Vibe. Is that comparable to your area? Thanks

I have a (new to me) 2nd gen GT and my owner's manual is very vague about the octane level. After reading your post I decided I should check mine before my first fill up, but with the manual so wishy-washy I turned to the interweb. Seems almost impossible to find this info. Odd, that. My manual says "We recommend TOP TIER Gasoline..." (just like that, with the all-caps) but then right underneath that sentence the next paragraph starts out "We recommend using at least 87 octane fuel..." It goes on to say that if you notice your engine knocking you should switch to a higher octane fuel. Okay. lol

I filled up for the first time yesterday, compared the regular to the premium - a difference of $.24/gallon - and decided that spending $2.40-ish extra (in total) for gas just wasn't a big enough deal to worry about potentially messing up the engine and went with the Premium. I'm just gonna stick with Premium I think. That couple bucks really saves me nothing so ~shrug~ **although I do wish the owner's manual was a little more clear on the issue just so I'd know.

2nd Gen GT doesn't require premium. The engine in the GT is larger in 2nd Gens (2.4 vs 1.8) to get the extra power. In 1st Gens they are both 1.8 and the GT gets its power from higher compression (thus needing higher octane).

Thanks Rayven. Good to have that cleared up. Although now I wonder something else - since both the GT and the Base model 2nd gens do/can come with the 2.4L engine, what makes the GT a "GT" on the 2nd gens?? Is it just the outward styling?

Mazzy21 wrote:Thanks Rayven. Good to have that cleared up. Although now I wonder something else - since both the GT and the Base model 2nd gens do/can come with the 2.4L engine, what makes the GT a "GT" on the 2nd gens?? Is it just the outward styling?

Yes, plus the GT has independent rear suspension for better handling and the "leather trimmed interior". Otherwise the base 2.4 can be optioned up just about the same as the GT.

I've only used 87 octane in my GT and it runs just fine on it. I just hit 60K miles yesterday.

trb wrote:

Mazzy21 wrote:Thanks Rayven. Good to have that cleared up. Although now I wonder something else - since both the GT and the Base model 2nd gens do/can come with the 2.4L engine, what makes the GT a "GT" on the 2nd gens?? Is it just the outward styling?

Yes, plus the GT has independent rear suspension for better handling and the "leather trimmed interior". Otherwise the base 2.4 can be optioned up just about the same as the GT.

I've only used 87 octane in my GT and it runs just fine on it. I just hit 60K miles yesterday.

The 2nd gen GT also has the GT-specific 18" wheels (you could put these on a 2.4L Base though) and bigger brakes.

Up until March of 2012, we used 89 octane in both our Vibes because it was the lowest available octane at the station we go to (Citgo). They have since changed it to 87 octane. We have never had any issues with either of our Vibes running rough or anything because of regular octane fuel. Premium fuel doesn't provide any benefits to a vehicle that doesn't require it to run properly. It only costs you more money which may not seem like a lot after one fillup, but it will add up over the course of a month, year, etc.

vibenvy wrote: and bigger brakes.

Just for clarity the 2.4l base also has the bigger brakes. The brakes and hub bolt pattern are tied to the engine size.

03-06 GT's with the 2zzge engine should get 91+ octane ONLY

09+ GT's have a 2.4L from the Toyota Camry, so only require 87 octane

That said, the first owner of my 03 GT only ran 87, but it likely never saw more than 4000rpm. If you buy a 2zz equipped car and plan to use the powerband, run 91. It ran awfully when I bought mine, but the compression was good...