Strikeeagle
I agree with you to a point.
Yes, certain laws of physics apply here, such as cylinder pressure, temperature, octane rating, but there are also the other variable to take into consideration. Cylinder head flow and combustion chamber work (P&P), spark plug heat range, gap, piston type, use of coatings, correct fueling, engine load, design and efficiency of intake and exhaust systems, turbo and intercooler, etc., all play a role in suppressing detonation.
The manipulation of ignition timing is not just based upon RPM, like it was in the old days of distributor weights and springs. It is now a fine tuning science, where the events can be altered significantly thus yielding more efficiency. Fueling is critical as well.
Hey, just go back a few years ago, and we were crushing FP regulators and using Hyper*** Chips
We have come leaps and bounds from where we were technically, and continue to take steps forward every day. Guys like Bob Bailey, Jay Carter, Eric Marshal, keep on pushing the envelope allowing us to be quicker and to go faster. Yes " It is all in the tuning" but without the great trade offs that you are alluding too.
Fact: Without any other changes, I added a Power Plate and Dutt big neck intercooler, and was able to raise my boost levels a few lbs without any detonation. This also happened when I stepped up from the stock turbo to a 44.
There seems to be a unwritten law about, how stock turbo setups and lower levels of boost seem to favour higher timing, and setups with larger turbo's seem to benefit from higher boost levels with less timing. To me, it is finding that line where the best of both worlds intersect, and then finding which yields the most hp after that point .
Remember a few years ago when they said that it was impossible to get more than 1 HP/cu in...
In all seriousness, some of the gas North of the border is different from it's Southern counterparts, just as European gas has a different chemical composition. That fact, is why you will hear a lot of the guys up here, getting away with running higher boost levels.
FWIW
Scientists have gathered all measurable data, and applied the laws of physics, and have proved, that a Bumble Bee cannot fly. (Don't laugh too hard, this is a fact) But the Bumble bee doesn't know what science is, so it flies anyway
Paul