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Ah, I forgot one thing in my translation from aviation to cars: forced induction. Many piston aircraft engines are referred to as "altitude engines" and use turbocharging to maintain a constant cylinder pressure as one flies higher and higher, up to the service ceiling of the aircraft (unlike cars, airplanes use forced induction to maintain power at altitude, not make more power). So yes, in the case of a non-forced induction piston motor at higher density altitude, peak cylinder pressures would be lower, and thus you could get away with lower octane fuel.
Either way, when you have a $50k car, I personally find it hard to justify saving $20 on something like non premium fuel. If anything, I'd run premium just for the better additive package.
Patrick
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