My Reticent Vibe

[Tango Charlie]

When I started driving the Vibe as my daily driver, I had a devil of a time just learning to shift it half-way decent. I attribute it to how quiet the darn thing is compared to what I had been driving, an '88 Accord. The Accord gave a lot of wonderful aural and tactile feedback. It was definitely a butt-dyno friendly car. I loved it.

My wife said it drove like a truck.

So I'm trying to get Olivia to talk to me. Not an annoying ricer-fart-can buzz, just some kind of sound. One of my coworkers mentioned that some high performance guys drill holes in their air boxes to increase air flow, with the side effect that you get intake noise. Sounds good to me. I'm not after more airflow, just the noise. So last weekend I grabbed a 1" hole saw and chucked it up in the ol' Makita. Popped the top of the air box off and drilled three holes in the back of the box, pointing right at the firewall. Swept out the debris and reassembled it. (I have no expectations that warmer air from the engine bay will improve my numbers, but we'll see.)
How'd it work? Well, a little. If I don't have the radio on, there is a slight bit more 'buzz' during acceleration. I guess it's a step in the right direction.

Am I the only guy that would welcome his muffler rusting out?

[Daox]

I think the 1ZZ engine's flywheel is a bit on the light side. It definitly takes a little more getting used to. I do not want my car any louder though. The Paseo was loud for a while. It gets old really fast.

[tasdrouille]

Remove the resonators, it'll buzz some more.

[beatr911]

Yeah manufacturers have really numbed down vehicles. I guess alot of people like it because they percieve it as more "refined". I too like steering so good you can feel the texture of the road and feel the tires grip change BEFORE they begin to slide. And a slight growl to the engine that transmits engine load and speed to the driver without looking at gauges. I also want a Lotus Exige, but that's out of the budget.

There are alternatives to the ricer fart cans. Check the Matrix forums for opinions of those that have changed to a performance muffler. If you can attend an autocross in your area, there is where you'll find enthusiasts dinkin' with cars and you may find a modded matrix or corrola or celica or somesuch with a sound you like. I like the walker dynomax with the flow directors, a little more noise and much better flow than stock, and it looks almost stock.

[trikkonceptz]

If I recall, Borla makes a cat back muffler for the Matrix/Vibe and historically they have more sound but are not fart can loud. TRD would be the next best thing. They are easy to install and will give you the sound without sacrificing your sanity on the highway.

[beatr911]

Excellent suggestion trikkonceptz. The Borlas are expensive but sound great (not too loud), flow great, fit well and last at least as long as OEM. TRD should have plenty of alternatives too.

Also for the good road feel and feeling more connected to the road and car itsself, consider a urethane bushing kit. The isolation described is often tuned by the engine mounts, suspension, steering column, shifter bushings. Firming these up with a higher durometer (stiffer) bushing will bring back some of the "good vibes".

[Tango Charlie]

Excellent, guys! Thanks so much!
I will definitely search the GenVibe forums and look into the aftermarket mufflers. Good call an the urethane bushings, beatr911. I had been concentrating on the audible, but getting more tactile feedback would be awesome.

[tasdrouille]

Originally Posted by beatr911

Firming these up with a higher durometer (stiffer) bushing will bring back some of the "good vibes".

Modding the stock mounts, filling the sides with fast curing urethane, is a popular diy in elantra forums.

[Funny]

You can make the intake make more noise by removing the snorkel, as was said before. Check out this thread because I beleive you have the same engine as the 2003+ Corolla: WAI in a Corolla