Scott en Aztl‡n
Those "mindless mbuttes" you mentioned that are willing to "damage their engines by buying a cheaper grade of gas."
What I said applies to the majority of cars that recommend octane above 87. There are very few cars that REQUIRE 91 octane fuel for everyday driving needs, though there are many makers that RECOMMEND it for certain models to meet advertised specs.
And again, there is a mountain of information attributed to credible sources (car makers and fuel producers). Makers of cars that purport to need high octane fuel, even Porsche and Mercedes, acknowledge that their cars can run on 87 without trouble - Their cars are operated all over the world, including places where 91+ octane fuel is not available - and they run their cars on the cheap stuff.
The manufacturer recommends 89 minimum octane for my car. I run 87. You have zero, zilch, nada basis to claim I "WILL have problems." The only thing that I expect to result is a slight reduction in available horsepower. But the chance of me wanting or even needing to rev my car to over 6000 RPM (where the max HP would be developed) is pretty much nil. I will never notice. The average driver under everyday conditions will never notice.
You made some crack about sloths that never rev their engines above much more than idle. I would offer that if I was reving my car to over 6000 RPM on a regular basis I would see more costly problems in the long run than those caused by running 87 octane gas. There is no practical reason for me to rev my car like that on a regular basis. In fact, unless the manufacturer or dealer did it prior to delivery, my tach has never touched the "6".
High Gas Prices Fuel an Octane Rebellion 1999SMS There is ALWAYS wasted energy. In the form of heat, unburned fuel, etc. Engines are not capable of converting every available "BTU" into power to move the car. I will not try to...
Truth is, there is no practical reason for you to be reving your 400HP Vette to max power on a regular basis either. But I believe you when you say that you need premium for everyday driving - that's because you're driving a car with an engine that is set up for anything but everyday driving*. But that does not change the fact that most cars that call for premium gas can run under average conditions (the kind of conditions most driver are in 99% of the time) on regular gas.
(* I would suggest supressing any urge you may have to try and defend a 400HP powerplant in a two seat car as practical.)
