Gee, did you even read the info I posted on my site? Let me address your concerns one at a time:
1. As I stated on the web site, dyno tests do have a margin of error. I use one of the best operators in the country, but any machine can have variances (all runs were SAE corrected for humidity, ambient air temp, and atmospheric pressure). Even allowing for a high reading on the baseline run and a low reading on the 93-octane run the variance would be very small, no more than 3-5%--an amount the average owner couldn't even feel.
2. As stated on the web site, I ran the test with 87-octane then ran several tanks of 93-octane (over 1200 miles, actually) to allow the ecm to adjust.
3. Where has it been shown time and again that premium fuel produces higher horsepower IN AN ENGINE DESIGNED TO RUN ON REGULAR? If you have that info, produce it. I can give you many quality references that show quite the opposite--that using fuel that is higher octane than recommended for an ecm-controlled engine is essentially a waste of money. Sure, 100+ octane is used in performance cars, but the compression and timing demand it. Very few vehicles have an ecm that can actually advance timing to take advantage of fuel higher than recommended; my objective was to see if the VQ40 was one of them.
4. "the premium grade is better due to the refinement process". Where did you get that idea? Oil company ads might have you believe it, but there is nothing inherently superior in premium fuel . SOME premium gasolines contain higher levels of additives, but the government requires that all gasoline sold in the US contains detergent additives. If an owner is concerned about clogged injectors it's much cheaper to add a can of injector cleaner every 6 month or so than to pay an extra $4 per tank for premium gas.
5. "you can't measure MPG on the dyno". Apparently you missed my fuel economy test (see the web site). I carefully compared tanks 93-octane and 87-octane gas in a tightly-controlled test loop for over 2,000 miles. The results? Premium fuel yielded 1.4% better mileage but costs about 10% more--hardly a good trade-off.
I'm not looking to start a quarrel here. I'm an ASE-certified mechanic with over 40 years experience wrenching on performance cars and motorcycles. I hear a load of opinions on the boards but precious little factual evidence; my aim was to provide the best information possible and share it with the other members. If one chooses not to believe it, then that's his prerogative.