What V8_nutter is tuning the engine for maximum power with excessive advance ignition which will not be applicable for street use. Hence you will find 97 or even 100 octane fuel is low. Of course with high racing octane fuel you can run higher compression, more advance ignition and more boost if turbo. But it just not practical for a daily street driven car. Like a friend i know running 4G63 big turbine for daily use at 1bar on 92 octane pump gas. then on the dragstrip with a flick of a switch the whole fuel + ignition mapping change to 1.6 bar but this setup can only be use with full high octane drag fuel only!!
LLsaw's car is a Daily Driven putra running high static 11.9 compression with high overlap cams which reduces dynamic compression. He's car is properly tune and map for our regular 97 octane gas churning out all possible maximum power with his setup. So when a car can run properly with 97 octane does not mean it is not tune maximum!!!
So if it is a street daily driven car, and the car pink or knock, then it is definitely that the car is NOT TUNE properly to be daily driven for 97 octane! Just simple as that. Track and race car is total different ball game.
The Honda B18C-R engine, even stock is 11.0 compression, and I'm sure many members are running fine on regular 97 oct gas.
The MME race spec B18C-R engine are slightly higher at 11.2 to 11.5 comp, and it had no problem running on 97 oct for 12 hours non-stop race! The MSS race spec B18C-R engine are even higher at 12 to 12.5 comp with high overlap cams doing perfectly fine on 97 oct gas for short race!! It boils down how you tune and map your fuel + ignition on ECU for the 97 gas you using and the appropriate use of the car.