GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

I've been gone a while but wanted to pay a visit to tell my fellow vibe faithful that my 09 base just hit 100,000 miles. My vibe has been one of the best cars I have ever owned(the other being a 93 5.0 tbird, yes, no (removed)). I have had ZERO issues with my vibe and have only had to replace windshield wipers and tires(twice). Still running the stock clutch, battery and even stock brake pads. I do a 56 mile round trip commute(mostly freeway) every day and have have never seen less than 30mpg, and average about 33mpg. 36.5mpg is the best I have done on the hwy(70mph) on a no-stop trip to Seattle(385 miles). I have gotten 38+ on several hyper-miling trips to the coast and up in the hills around where I live. Not too shabby

Now that it is no longer under warranty, let the mods begin!

First off, time to get rid of the stock steel wheels and tires. I decided I wanted to go bigger, for two reasons--better milage and more ground clearance. I am an avid hiker and hunter and very frequently find myself on gravel roads out in the woods. At the stock height I had to be very careful(slooooow) on most roads and would not risk other roads at all. I have a dedicated hunting rig, a lifted 74 chevy 4x4, that I take when I want to go anywhere I want, but it gets 9mpg. I figured if with just another inch or two of clearance, I could do 80% or the logging roads with my vibe and use 1/3 of the fuel.

I also wanted it to look good and still handle well. I settled on 225/50/17 Nitto Motivos and 17 'viper' aluminum wheels:









So far I am happy with the new setup, it does not rub and does handle the gravel roads better. It also look quite a bit better, IMO.

Next up: Replace the OEM stereo with something that does not suck

Nice looking wheels!

Congrats on hitting the milestone. (Mine just hit 54k and I'm shopping for front and rear brake pads today).

BTW, for about $100 you should be able to get a paintless dent removal over your rear wheel arch - I had the same thing from a shopping cart and after the repair can't ever tell it was hit.

Looks like it's in really good shape
Great mileage numbers.

Kincaid wrote:Nice looking wheels!

Congrats on hitting the milestone. (Mine just hit 54k and I'm shopping for front and rear brake pads today).

BTW, for about $100 you should be able to get a paintless dent removal over your rear wheel arch - I had the same thing from a shopping cart and after the repair can't ever tell it was hit.

Where, like at a body shop? That would be fantastic. I made that dent my self...i was trying to get the wifes atv past the car in the garage and nicked it with the front rack(black too). That'll teach me to be lazy and not move the car first

Welcome to the club! Mine has a little over 114,000 with no major problems.

At my current rate of about 5,200 miles a year will be 2028 before I hit 100,000 miles. I'll be 85 if I make it that long.

That car is looking clean and good, love the wheels. Now...You need to get the newer Prious antena (stubby). Not a honda. The Prious has more ribs in the swirl and just looks better. It really modernizes the car. Second; I'd get a color matched rear spoiler. It makes the back end flow soooo much better. First, the antena. Toyota will want $74 bucks. Mine was internet at $56.

http://www.jdmpit.com/jstore/index.php? ... eggndgtehw" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. 1/2 way down page. Looks like $57.-- now.

Maybe it can be found cheaper but the OEM prious one is pricey to start with. I'm surprised more of these aren't stolen. I took the original off my 09 and put it on my 04. The 04 one was getting weather checked.

Anyway...nice car. My tires are 215-60-16

safooma wrote:

Kincaid wrote:Nice looking wheels!

Congrats on hitting the milestone. (Mine just hit 54k and I'm shopping for front and rear brake pads today).

BTW, for about $100 you should be able to get a paintless dent removal over your rear wheel arch - I had the same thing from a shopping cart and after the repair can't ever tell it was hit.

Where, like at a body shop? That would be fantastic. I made that dent my self...i was trying to get the wifes atv past the car in the garage and nicked it with the front rack(black too). That'll teach me to be lazy and not move the car first

First guy I found off of craigslist - he did a great job on my Civic. Second one I got a Groupon deal, and he did the Vibe. Turned out fantastic and I couldn't be happier. I would just google your area for "paintless dent removal" and see what comes up, then check reviews and references.

jake75 wrote:At my current rate of about 5,200 miles a year will be 2028 before I hit 100,000 miles. I'll be 85 if I make it that long.

I'm right behind you Jerome but at my current rate of roughly 3400 miles/year it will be ....... 29 more years and I just hope I'm still around to see it, let alone drive it

Staying on topic here, CONGRATS on the milestone accomplishment Now if you have the $$$ the mods are endless so get going on some!

Congratulations on turning over 100,000 miles! Those wheels are pretty sharp looking, especially against the LPM exterior !

I wanted to post a quick follow-up about my these new tires. I really like them but they did cost me some precious MPG. Now I struggle to hit 30+mpg. Now I know that since they are bigger/taller, the calculations will be off a bit, but even taking into account a 5-10% change in speedometer accuracy my new mpg average is right at 30. I am fairly sure that this is do to 2 factors:

--these tires are a bit wider, which means a wider contact patch and hence more rolling resistance(also called traction ).
--softer rubber compound. The previous tires were 'eco' tires with a supposedly lower rolling resistance and my new tires are not. Apparently this really does make a difference.

I should also point out that i like to hyper-mile and this theory has been further evidenced by the fact that the car does not coast as well with the new tires. And yes, they are inflated to max pressure. I used to be able to EOC the last mile to my house and be able to see the speed slowly scrubbed off from 60 to 35 mph over the mile. Now it gets to 25 by the end of the mile, which is annoying.

Overall I think it's a worthwhile trade off. While the old goodyear eco tires got better milage, they absolutely sucked in the corners and would squeel and complain if you pressed them at all. The new Nittos are like being on rails in comparison and looks cooler to boot. Ahhhhh compromises