Originally posted by saturnguy
This is true, it's something I just learned last year. The higher the octane the slower it burns. I was still under the assumption that the more octane the better 
NOT! After some of my friends explained it to me. (I still was stubborn) I tried different octanes each time I went to the track. Well...87 got me my best times! Who knew? I understand 87 for you FI guys won't work but, for us N/A stock motor guys it's what works best. I just wanted to share my experience w/ octanes 
Very true. Alot of factors come into play when choosing the best octane to run. Two of the big ones being forced induction and compression ratio.
If you want to try an interesting test...
Put a small amount of 93 octane into a test tube and a small amount of 87 octane in another test tube. Light the 93 octane and you should see a slow, controlled flame travel the length of the test tube. Light the 87 and you should end up with a broken test tube.
As always, wear your safety glasses and use the proper safety precautions.
