GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

There is an interesting discussion going on in another group I'm a member of with regards to load performance and fuel economy. For those of you who regularly carry a few passengers or stuff how does the load affect (if any) performance? Does it seem to struggle up hills, or when accleratiing? Do you see a big drop in fuel mileage? Does it affect all model years or just some? Thanks for reading and your time.

zythr wrote:There is an interesting discussion going on in another group I'm a member of with regards to load performance and fuel economy. For those of you who regularly carry a few passengers or stuff how does the load affect (if any) performance? Does it seem to struggle up hills, or when accleratiing? Do you see a big drop in fuel mileage? Does it affect all model years or just some? Thanks for reading and your time.

I do make a bit more boost with a carload, but otherwise, fuel usage, and acceleration don't suffer much.

I can feel a drop in performance even with the AC on. With passengers and stuff it's anemic at best.

When I loaded the car up for college the suspension dropped a good ways. Acceleration wasn't quite what it was when unloaded, but if I had made the transmission downshift (automatic) I would be on par. But once at speed it shouldn't make too big of a deal. That said, it's still stuff you need to carry. If AC is on that makes it just a little harder for it to run economically.

Thank you for the replies. Does year make any difference? Say a 2008 performing better with a load then a 2004?

The 2003 Vibe I had performed about the same as this '09. The more powerful engine in this one, of course, improves performance. Increasing the load decreases mileage and performance in any vehicle, although ride comfort may improve a bit - up to a point.