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No, too much octane is not a bad, per se. If your engine runs happily on a lower octane fuel then feeding it higher octane fuel is just wasteful.
There is more to "octane" then a number, though. Generally, fuel octane rating represents the average value between "research" octane and "motor" octane (the (R+M)/2 method). Research octane is greater than motor octane (if I remember that correctly). How far apart the two numbers are determines some of the characteristics of the fuel. A brand blending 50/50 82 (M) octane with 102 ® octane has an overall 92 octane rating. The disparity between the 82 and 102 figures can create some goofy performance issues. A brand with less disparate blending may perform more consistently in your car. The only way for us plebes to discover what works is to try different brands. In my experience, BP Amoco is consistent over time and provides good performance. On the other hand, the 93 octane from Holiday stations seems to be more problematic (in my experience).
Rick
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