more and more regular car's say they need premium fuel, I am starting to think the oil companies and the car companies are tied together in profit sharing of this wasting of money on "premium fuel".
I can understand if you are going to the race track and have a race car, but if you have a regular car, you are getting bamboozled by the car and oil industry 
As was stated and examples were given before. The car companies know what works best for the cars. You have higher compression ratios, gearing, turbos, cams, etc.
Think, a V6 Toyota Camry today had what, 275 hp? Back in the mid 90s, a V8 Camaro had that. Plus, there are different additives It's not about racing---if you want to go old school, do like my dad does, he puts in gas, and everytime, he writes down the mileage, the type of gas, how much it cost, and the MPGs. He calculates it, he doesn't use the trip computer. He has logs from 40 some yrs, each car he and my mother have driven he had kept running logs. His gas mileage according to him and his logs was better on high test than low test. But, he is cheap so he buys low grade...
When I say that there is a difference, we are not talking "oh shit", but there is marginal difference if you notice the pick up of your car when you are accelerating from the light or in traffic. Most of us are too distracted by the radio, convos, eating, drinking, to just listen. My first car was shitbox, so every ping, rattle, or knock I heard...I listened. I turned off the radio.
There are ties between the auto industry and oil industry, but a lot of them are being broken which is why you are seeing more exotic combos when it comes to alternate drivetrains---electric, hybrid, etc.
Bay, when you compare the different fuels offered by the different gas companies (I haven't), see the additives, and then put them in your car, then we can say, "Brand X fuel is the sane thru-out 87,91, and 93 octane"
it's kinda like motor oil, depending on the engine, there are different viscosity/weights that recommended, and then different brands---sometimes said brand worked with said car company in developing motor oils for their whole product line, as many companies use the same engine thru-out their line up.
You know as well as I, that there is a lot of research that goes into gas and oil. Who would a person trust when it comes to a research paper, Bay who is encrusted in Academia or the high school grad who just read "Native Son"?
