GARETH T,
Modern piston design techniques DO help to reduce DET
enabling more boost or advance to be used.

(Profiled dish, and piston total seal wear ridges)

Trouble is, MOST people do not seem to look beyond MAHLE and COSWORTH for their pistons.

MY car for example, is CR 8.2:1, can run upto 2.3 bar of boost and the EGT's
are well under control. .

Also, THE comfort zones that tuners use in writing ignition maps can be more
accurate and smaller as ecu technology is more refined now.

You are right, modern petrol is sh*t though