I own 2 vehicles that both get about the same gas milage. The newer one uses 87 gas and produces about 120HP. The other (late 90's) produces 240HP and required 91 go juice. I was driving the 120HP and thinking "What a slug this P.O.S. is?" And I realized that the 240HP is a high compression motor and simply a better motor because it was designed to make use of the higher octane fuel. The high compression motor is in every way a better motor. So it dawned on me, why do we even make 87 octane fuel and engines that will run on it. The more efficient engine could have been halved in size and produced that same output and just got better gas milage. Its better for the air, better on oil reserves, and better on my wallet.
In the old days "hi test" 91 gas was a different fraction in the distillation process and was more rare I suppose, so cost more. These days its the same base gas with an octane boost additive. I've always heard the COST difference of manufacture was about a penny a gallon. The PRICE difference of about 20 cents is purely market based, the added value people attribute to the "premium" product, and rich people drive hi-performance cars. Of course the mid grade gas is just mixed at the pump from the premium and the regular underground tanks.
So the question for the NG: Why do we still make this crap and the crap motors that use it?