Vibe Supercharger and Sport Package Information
By: Michael Levine
Posted 11.10.2002 12:00 PDT

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Pontiac showcased the upcoming Pontiac Vibe Sport Package and GM Performance Parts Supercharger at SEMA this past week in Las Vegas. GVC had a chance to speak with Pontiac Vibe Marketing Manager Linda Pesonen and GM Small Car Product Manager James Hunter about the two new options.

Vibe owners will finally be able to make their cars look similar to the GT-R and Fx vehicles shown last year at SEMA. The Sport Package adds front, rear and rocker panel extensions plus two rear spoilers.

The bottom tail is quite similar to that of the Fx's but the top spoiler is smaller than the GT-R's massive rear wing. Hunter says that the top spoiler had to be smaller in order to accommodate the Vibe's roof rack.

Vibe custom bodywork is available from GM Accessories in Salsa, Satellite and Abyss. It can also be ordered primed, allowing the customer to match other Vibe production colors. To complete the package, a polished stainless steel exhaust tip is also available. Total cost for the Sport Package should be, "below $2000 including installation," says Hunter.

The Vibe's roots type supercharger was developed in cooperation with Toyota Racing Development and automotive supplier Eaton Corporation. Also known as blowers, roots type superchargers use two counter rotating rotors to trap and compress air in the gaps between the rotors and then push the compressed air towards an outlet port and into the engine's combustion chambers. They are particularly effective for small displacement engines because they provide large increases in power in the lower RPM ranges where four cylinder engines struggle.

Asked about pricing, Hunter and Pesonen both estimate the cost of the supercharger plus installation will run, "well below $3000."

Do-it-yourselfers can install the supercharger themselves. Hunter says the supercharger will take about 3 hours for a person with "moderate skills" to setup but you won't get the full three year warranty you would get if the supercharger is installed at the dealership.

For now, the supercharger will initially be available only on the Vibe's base 1ZZ-FE 1.8-liter engine where it's expected to provide an increase in horsepower and torque of about 35% to around 175-hp and 170-lb ft. This will bring the base engine's power close to that of the high output 2ZZ-GE engine but the base is expected to have much more torque available in the low-end for quicker starts off the line.

The supercharger will not be available for all wheel drive Vibes with the 1ZZ-FE engine, but Pesonen still estimates 90% of Vibe owners will be able to have the supercharged engine or high output powerplant.

Asked about why the supercharger won't be available for the high output engine, Hunter explained that for now there are volume constraints on the GT engines that don't make it practical to offer the supercharger, and there are also issues with the algorithms used by Yamaha, the engine's manufacturer, to manage the engine's performance. Possibly at some point in the future a supercharger for the 2ZZ-GE engine will become available.

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Vibe Sport Package Highlights
GM Performance Parts Vibe Supercharger with increased horsepower and torque up to 35 percent

Vibe Sport Package with front and rear fascia extensions, side rocker extensions and upper and mid-gate spoilers