GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Im curious...how does the 2nd Gen GT stack up against the original Vibe GT? I see it has a tamer 2.4 if I am not mistaken... and would think it was...tamer.
plus they dropped the 6 speed manual in favor of a 5 speed?

The 03-06 Vibe GT had the 180hp 2zz-ge engine, while the 09/10 GT has a 158hp in a slightly heavier vehicle. The 03-06 also had the 6-speed manual as the only option. Other than that, they got rear disk brakes. Not much else differentiated them from the base Vibe. The 09/10 GT has 18" rims, stouter suspension, tower strut bar, and the special body kit. They were available with a 5-speed manual (rarer) or a 5-speed automatic.

No comparison really. The first gen GT with the 2ZZ-GE, 6 speed and 8K redline was a blast to drive. I believe this engine also powered some Lotus cars back then.

Man I wish they kept the 2zz engine in the 2nd generation...cause theres no way I can give up my LIFT!!!!. but...when its time for a new car I'll be looking for what will by then be a very rare low mileage 1st gen GT!

Zero to 60 mph times by Car and Driver:

2003 Vibe GT - 7.5
2009 Vibe GT - 7.9

I couldn't find any 1/4 mile times for the 2003, but a 2003 Matrix XRS (tested by Motor Trend) compared to the 2009 Vibe shows:

2003 Matrix XRS - 15.7 @ 91.5 mph
2009 Vibe GT - 16.0 @ 87 mph

Gen1 ftw

Those numbers are surprisingly close!
Probably due to the fact that you gotta get to 6K b4 Gen 1 GT kicks in! lol

had they GEARED the GT correctly it would be MUCH faster! Its impossible to keep it in LIFT when grabbing gears! Even if I shift from 2nd at 8200 RPM it settles at about 5500 in 3rd and its another second b4 I hit the sweet spot again! Had they geared it so you can remain in 6-8K range it would SPANK!

The lift engagement on the 2ZZ is retarded IMVHO. Why they decided to make it 6200 (2003) 6400 (2004) 6800 (2005+) is beyond logic. Honda VTEC's engage between 5200-5800 depending on engine. If they lowered the engagement on the VVTLI to ~5500 it would make a hell of a difference in how useful it is.

From a standstill the 1st-2nd gear RPM drops to ~5850 putting you out of lift. Oddly going from 2nd-3rd you are still in lift at around 6450rpms.

Bottom line is the C60 6-speed gearing is terrible. 1st & 2nd gears are way too tall and from 3rd-6th they shorten way too much. I typically start out in 1st, upshift to 2nd, then go straight to 5th or 6th depending on speed limits. The other gears are pointless for daily driving since they barely drop the RPM's. The car still rev's pretty high in 6th gear too at speed. You'd think they'd make that gear taller for fuel econ but the 2ZZ's lack of low-RPM balls also makes it difficult to keep momentum if you fall below 2500RPM.

I like the 2ZZ engine but after owning one, I doubt i'd get one again. It gets great fuel economy but you have to rev the hell out of it to get any power & the low-midrange is lacking. I'd rather live with the 2.4 liter motor on a daily basis. Too bad that engine gets garbage fuel economy in comparison to the 1.8's.

I can land lift at all shifts in my 03. Fuel cut is 8350rpm and you have to powershift into 2nd. All other gears are easy

Powershift into 2nd? Not with this gearbox/Clutch! They're fragile enough day to day! lol

2003 Matrix XRS - 15.7 @ 91.5 mph....thats really impessive for an "economy" car. I can see how a 1st gen GT would make a great sleeper car. At this point they are pretty cheap. Shave 1 second off the 1/4 mile & you have entered Civic SI territory. I never realized the stock GTs were that quick

Curious if one of the blower Vibes has ever been timed.

Kincaid wrote:Curious if one of the blower Vibes has ever been timed.

Not as of yet, maybe if I can get to an open track night while on shut down, I'll make a couple passes.

I am quicker than a Tiberon V6 GT though. I won't mention how I know this.

hotbug1776 wrote:

Kincaid wrote:Curious if one of the blower Vibes has ever been timed.

Not as of yet, maybe if I can get to an open track night while on shut down, I'll make a couple passes.

I am quicker than a Tiberon V6 GT though. I won't mention how I know this.

5 speed manual supercharged 1zz vibes running the trd/gm ecu are almost as quick as a GT/XRS

thebarber wrote:5 speed manual supercharged 1zz vibes running the trd/gm ecu are almost as quick as a GT/XRS

I wonder if a 6spd would be a little faster?

Let put it this way:

when I had my supercharged yaris 5speed, it was as quick as a friend 6speed s/c'd 1zz matrix running a intake, header, exhaust on an emanage tune.

My yaris also pulled as hard as a 2zz with bolt-ons