the tips of my ngk v-power zfr5f11's had white on the very tips of them when i pulled them out, wich i thought was a little strange. So that means my engine was pingin if there was white on the tips of the insulators?
No. An off-white deposit on the electrodes themselves is a result of the particular chemistry and additives in the gasoline you burn. What you're looking for is bright white spark plug insulators (the porcelain part inside the threaded shank) and tiny globs of metal. If you don't see that, it means the spark plugs are not running too hot.
The one and only purpose of octane is to prevent ping. There is zero benefit to running fuel of octane rating higher than required to prevent ping in your particular engine, in your particular car, at your particular altitude.
