GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Hi folks! Thanks for welcoming me to the site. I just picked up an 03 vibe with 180k miles. The previous owner loved the car. It's the nicest car I've ever owned as I am a glutten for punishment Saab 900 owner for 20 years now. I still have the turbo car for runs to home Depot and just general public enemy type noise violating behavior. The vibe is my bmx dad wagon. I've been an auto technician for 20 years now, and have seen many power adders that actually improve performance AND mileage. This little 1zz works extra hard with 2 bikes, my son and I, and the ac running. It feels like a remap that would change shift points without me burying my foot would help. And I imagine a t-body spacer, intake and headers when tuned would allow things to flow more efficiently. As a noob to this car I feel I should pick the brains of the vets on here for the right stuff. I'm not looking for 50 hp gains. Just a little help in the efficiency/pep department. I have seen over and over again in my years in the car buiz how sone fellas will brag about mileage increase with power adders, but they are just saying that out of some sense of guilt. I have a laptop and access to a dyno. What's the most? What's the best? Most reliable? Thanks all!

Change the thermostat to make sure it quickly gets up to proper temp.
Run the tires 2-5 psi over (34-37psi).

The ECM on this car cannot be re-tuned, you'll need to replace it for $$$.
Non of the mods mentioned will "actually improve performance AND mileage".
I gained a little midrange torque by re-routing the intake from just behind the battery to near the lower grill for colder air intake, using the stock air filter.
Verified with a scan tool.

circuitsmith wrote:Non of the mods mentioned will "actually improve performance AND mileage".

If you get a turbo or supercharger and don't constantly gun it, you can improve your mileage by quite a lot. This is why many auto manufacturers are starting to use turbocharged I4 engines.

But you can't really further tune your car without further, VERY costly mods. As said, you cannot tune the stock ECU. You can't turbo/run boost on the stock ECU because it will always try to get back to running the way it is supposed to and end up wrecking the engine.

You CAN get an aftermarket piggyback or stand-alone, that's $200-600 or $1200-2800.

circuitsmith wrote:Change the thermostat to make sure it quickly gets up to proper temp.
Run the tires 2-5 psi over (34-37psi).

The ECM on this car cannot be re-tuned, you'll need to replace it for $$$.
Non of the mods mentioned will "actually improve performance AND mileage".
I gained a little midrange torque by re-routing the intake from just behind the battery to near the lower grill for colder air intake, using the stock air filter.
Verified with a scan tool.

In what way would a different thermostat enable it to get up to temperature more quickly?

kumquat wrote:In what way would a different thermostat enable it to get up to temperature more quickly?

Only if it's old and stuck open, I guess

Only if it's old and stuck open, I guess

With 12 years and 180k miles that's what I had in mind.
I always replace a thermostat (and radiator cap) every other coolant change.

I believe your results may vary greatly, but with our advanced computerized engines, the ECM is always gonna try and compensate if we monkey with things so you can't do much.

Hyper milers on some forums will use a different thermostat temp, or run what they call a warm air intake, similar to a cold air intake minus the piping to try to get the engine to run lean, etc generally on older cars.

As long as your vehicle is not in disrepair, probably the best thing you could do is remove the side mirrors, block some of the grill, make sure you are running low rolling resistance tires.

You likely won't get a equal $ value return.