They’re out there for the Envistas… had to look up to believe. Now let’s see, if equipped with 19” rims & wider tires, Watts link (corners/turns), turbo charger and so what else is needed? Buick Envista Performance Chip

More power naturally, gains possible of over 200 front wheel HP easily attained. High 13 second 1/4 mile ET easily every trip. Turbo boost to 15PSI or more no problem. Would have to have real, active hood scoop and not just faux louvre ventilation. Hood pins- if that hood ever breached at some of those speeds, yikes!

Don’t do it or believe any claims as such. First to disintegrate would be the engine head gaskets with turbo over boost, get the rpm up to maybe 6K RPM and probably throw 2 out of 3 engine rods (nothing wrong there, lol), tranny might hold up a few seconds more stripping bushings and gears.

Never mentioned NOS (nitrous oxide) with say a 50HP shot? Kidding too of coarse but yes- been there done that, for another time.

r r

Yes, I think I’ll pass. As in NO, not DRAG STRIP!

Everything is a trade off. Spend money, go fast, trade longevity, economical operation.

When I was younger, I got caught up in all that too. Then I started working in a diesel shop and started looking at the engineering aspects of the total package. I kinda like my longevity and economical operation.

I never understood the guys on the Cruze forum that used to hot rod and boost the output of their 1.4L engines. I get the challenge of it and the accomplishment, but geeze, it is engineered to be an economy car that gets great gas mileage. It wasn’t all that robust as it was, and they would shorten the life even more. All the time complaining about what went wrong now. If you want performance, buy a performance car!

 

I’ve been tramping around and picked up on Envista lack of power, not just with this forum. You do know also that Buick cancelled V8 engines for FWD cars because the torque created was completely uncontrollable? I gave Envista a bit too much gas on cornering from stop and I had to really watch it from going straight ahead… so.

No doubt in my mind now you’re looking at a throw away engine with these cars. In layman’s terms it’s cheaper, cost effective to just buy new engine replacement including turbo. Imagine waiting on new crankshaft bearing journals to rebuild over boosted 1.2L OMG.

Take my word for it that engine’s perfect for the car. Yes, other one can do 12second trap time easily and I don’t compare the 2 at all. So I thought Envista after taking delivery ran about right with bad MAF before “check” started activating. 😇 Too, your not using that 137HP to begin with at all unless measured at rear wheels (that’s a joke, yes FWD).

r r

 

Have any of u guys tried running premium gas 91+ octane and see any improvement in performance or mileage?

 

I can definitely say that if you use high octane gas, especially non-ethanol, (if you can get it), will yield higher gas mileage. Weather the higher price is worth it or not, is another story. May be a wash at best.

 

Yes indeedy, as you mat the pedal down with 87/octane, engine will start to knock or ping and timing is automatically retarded. There goes the neighborhood for speed, power and mileage. The higher octane wiii keep the fuel from ignition with just compression, waiting for the plug to fire it off of course.

You’re somewhat running a diesel engine with standard fuel. Nothing new, had water injection back to 1950’s for fixing that. Worked great for WWII aircraft.

r r

 

I'm sorry, but I have to nominate this for dumbest thread ever.

1. Performance chip is a scam people who will relieve everything they read on the internet. Google it.

2. For premium gas to make any difference you have to get at least a 20% increase in gas mileage to offset the cost. Does anybody actually think you're going to get that by switching to premium? Higher octane does not mean more power and it never has.

 

Since I started this whole thing lmao PVS1959… what is it you find utterly stupid and not true? For beginners: higher octane fuel will definitely increase mileage by not “pinging” the engine and allowing the engine to run at the full advanced timing it was spec’ed out to do. You’re paying for a more inferior product actually if thought about by buying Sunoco260.

You too don’t believe water injection does work? Can lead a horse to “water”, beyond that? See if I can find something. Actually I agree with you, kinda exactly what I said to begin with. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_injection_(engine) Only tip of iceberg…

Ever pre-advance timing of distributor on 60’s car or run dual point mechanical advance only distributors? Sure, I was experimenting even back then. You’d think a set of 3-2 barrel carburetors was under hood. Potential was and still is amazing. Another best kept secret, oh well.

Wait though! Am not talking about Envista‘s here at all. You’d have to drive one of those at top speed all day long to see minimal gains. Lose-lose combination, baby them.

r r

 

I already stated what is not true in what is stupid. But here it is again.

Not true?

The bit about a performance chip being available for the Envista. Google the sentence "evolv performance chip legit?'" And see what you get. If you don't know how to do that I'll let you know that it is just a resistor that does nothing for a vehicle, except maybe throw an error code. This is true of 99.99% of all the so-called "performance chips".

Stupid?

Thinking that extra octane will give you better mileage or performance that is remotely worth the extra cost. Virtually the only reason you need higher octane is if you have a higher compression motor. It does nothing for lower compression motors.

 

Well…I agree, a performance chip in one of our cars IS stupid, but there are other chips out there for other cars that can change parameters eg. shift points, fuel delivery etc…I think that mostly applies to earlier electronically controlled engines. These new cars can be changed by reflashing the ECM on a bench.

Don’t totally poo-poo premium fuel.
It does have a place, as you said in high compression engines and by extension, turbocharged engines can benefit from premium especially under load. Now is it worth it…depends on how you are going to use it. I know on mine I definitely do see an increase in MPGs. Is it worth it? Probably not. I cannot quite capture the added expense of the fuel in MPGs.

 

I cannot figure out a few of the comments here. My starting of this topic for entertainment purposes only starts out with a METAPHORIC, IRONIC NARRITIVE. Maybe a few need to reread it! I definitely DO NOT advocate any modification to Envistas WHAT-SO-EVER. Even high octane fuel, these cars are NOT street performers. How could I have made this any CLEARER? As for my writing style, guess a few can’t tell the difference, try-try again.

Please don’t get me started on Meth Injection. Not even myself has tried this one… Oh, that’s wood alcohol ratio with water and it’s way superior to any Sunoco Blue. Back again here I’m sure.

r r

 

If you see anything that claims to be a performance chip you should go in the opposite direction. Again, these are not "chips" but simply resistors that really do nothing. If you're talking about a tuner that's a different story.

For those who didn't bother to look it up here's what Google says about the evol performance chip...

"There is widespread consensus from expert and user reviews that the "Evolv performance chip" is a scam and does not work; it is often described as a simple, cheap resistor that does nothing or causes problems like check engine lights by falsely trimming sensor inputs, and provides none of the advertised increases in power or fuel economy. Authentic performance upgrades involve proper engine tuning, not "plug-and-play" devices that claim universal compatibility, according to various sources.".

So many people think higher octane is higher performance and it couldn't be further from the truth. Using higher octane than your car needs is like overfilling a glass of water to think that you would have more to drink. My Corvette requires higher octane because it is a higher compression engine, and would have detonation and engine knock without it. And yes there are other engines that require higher octane, the best rule of thumb is to use the octane level that the manufacturer requires which in the Envista's case is 87.

I would say it's partially the gas companies that are at fault for making their high octane fuel seem like something magicall to people who don't understand engines.

I can guarantee that you're not going to see any better real world performance from the Envista by using higher octane gas. And if we assume that regular is, let's say $3 a gallon, and premium is $3.75 a gallon, you would need a 20% mpg increase to break even. I would say if you got a 3% increase you'd be lucky.

 

True, but to be honest, in my experience on the Envista, I saw gains of about 10% in gas mileage using premium. Again, is it worth it? Big picture probably not. Another big mileage enhancer is non-ethanol (100% gas). Ethanol has approximately 1/2 of the BTUs of gasoline, so you have to burn twice as much of it to do the same job. Good thing only 10% of your gas is ethanol! It’s also hyper hydrologic meaning it absorbs water from the air like brake fluid. I’m not a big fan. Living in an energy producing state (Oklahoma) we still have the choice to buy 100% gas.

That’s a whole can of worms to open.
Pro-ethanol, anti-ethanol.
Remember, you can burn alcohol, but you can’t drink gasoline!

 

Just a quick look, it appears premium in Oklahoma regular is around $2.77, and premium is $3.45. At $.68 more per gallon, you're losing a good deal of money with premium if you get 10% better mileage... you'd need to get over 2.5x that to make it worthwhile, right?

I have never had the Envista knock on 87, nor my wife's Encore GX, or any car that I've had that was operated at the factory recommended octane level. The ECU and knock sensor keep that from happening on ALL new cars. Someone feel free to post an audio of the Envista "knocking" on 87 to prove me wrong.

The last time I had knock was many years ago when for a while you could only get 91 octane premium in Illinois, and my motorcycle required 93. I had to add octane boost to every tankful back then.

I personally think ethanol is evil, and it shows up especially on anything with a carburetor. My current motorcycle is fuel injected and doesn't have any problem, but I had the same previous model that was carbureted, and with ethanol it would get gummed up if I didn't ride it for a few weeks. I'd have to run a sizeable dose of SeaFoam to clean it up. Same with lawnmowers, etc. Even F.I. vehicles can have a problem with ethanol if they're not driven much.

StarTron is a great regular additive to keep the "ethanol glue" from forming if you don't drive often.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001VMNHX8?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

 

Just a quick look, it appears premium in Oklahoma regular is around $2.77, and premium is $3.45. At $.68 more per gallon, you're losing a good deal of money with premium if you get 10% better mileage... you'd need to get over 2.5x that to make it worthwhile, right?

I have never had the Envista knock on 87, nor my wife's Encore GX, or any car that I've had that was operated at the factory recommended octane level. The ECU and knock sensor keep that from happening on ALL new cars. Someone feel free to post an audio of the Envista "knocking" on 87 to prove me wrong.

The last time I had knock was many years ago when for a while you could only get 91 octane premium in Illinois, and my motorcycle required 93. I had to add octane boost to every tankful back then.

I personally think ethanol is evil, and it shows up especially on anything with a carburetor. My current motorcycle is fuel injected and doesn't have any problem, but I had the same previous model that was carbureted, and with ethanol it would get gummed up if I didn't ride it for a few weeks. I'd have to run a sizeable dose of SeaFoam to clean it up. Same with lawnmowers, etc. Even F.I. vehicles can have a problem with ethanol if they're not driven much.

StarTron is a great regular additive to keep the "ethanol glue" from forming if you don't drive often.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001VMNHX8?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

You are correct to point out the fact that it isn’t really worth it in the big picture to use premium gasoline. Even with a gain in MPGs, it’s difficult to recoup the added cost.
You are also correct that you will not hear any knocking in newer cars. The reason being is that newer cars have great knock sensors that will dial back the ignition timing to prevent the knock. As r.r. pointed out, this will rob you of power and MPGs. So in normal driving, it’s true, use the lower recommended octane for overall economic operation. However, IF you need/want a bit of added boost especially under a load like towing or racing, you can benefit from the use of premium fuel, just know that it will come at a price.