The cost of gasoline is all but predictable these days. Even though the cost of crude oil crashed and burned a couple of months ago, prices at the pump have recently stabilized again. One of the biggest things customers can do to keep cash in their pocket is analyze whether they’re buying the right grade of fuel.

Regular vs. mid-grade vs. premium

Most Canadian gas stations carry three main octanes of fuel: 87, 89 and 91/92. These ratings measure performance, and a higher number means the fuel can withstand more compression without igniting. In a standard combustion engine, air is mixed with the fuel before being compressed and then ignited by a spark plug.

Things can get tricky for motors that are tuned for higher performance, such as ones used in sports or some luxury vehicles. The fuel used may be subject to higher compression or temperatures, and a lower octane gasoline could prematurely detonate causing what is commonly referred to as “pinging” or “knocking.” This is in reference to the sound heard when you step on the throttle and premature ignition is taking place inside the engine’s cylinder.

Pick your octane

The first thing you should do is consult your owner’s manual, or sometimes the fuel cap or lid, to see what the manufacturer suggests. Despite a common urban myth, using a grade of gasoline higher than what is recommended will not give your car extra performance or clean out your engine. The only difference between premium fuel and others is a slightly different chemical mixture making it less prone to the premature ignition discussed earlier.

Nothing bad will happen if you decide go that route, besides making your wallet lighter. On the other hand, repeatedly using a lower grade than what is designed for your model can potentially cause damage or, at the very least, make the vehicle slower. Let’s take a Porsche Macan for example. Porsche recommends 91 octane — using a lower octane might not necessarily cause the small crossover to explode, but performance will certainly be inhibited.

Modern marvels

Automobiles made nowadays are equipped with all kinds of fancy sensors and mechanisms to detect knocking and prevent much of the undesired detonation from using a lower grade of gasoline. That said, if, using the Porsche Macan example, 87 is fed, the motor won’t be able to perform as intended and acceleration will feel slower.

Sensors can also only do so much, and under high duress, like with the pedal mashed to the floor, engine knocking can still occur which can wear out delicate components over time.

Bottom line

Follow your manufacturers advice and fill your car with the appropriate gas. If premium isn’t required, save yourself some dollars and use regular. On the flip side, if you drive a higher-end vehicle that calls for something like 91, it may be more prudent and cost-effective in the long run to make that little extra bit of investment.

These days, cars are equipped with a plethora of passive safety features. Front, side, and curtain airbags all help to prevent serious injuries. With the development of passive safety features, vehicle safety has increased steadily over the past decades.

In addition to the systems, which mitigate the consequences of an accident, active systems for the prevention of accidents and the mitigation of their consequences have become increasingly important. After all, the best way to protect against injuries is to avoid accidents in the first place!

In the last few years, auto manufacturers have been introducing a whole host of Collision Mitigation technologies to help drivers stay out of crashes, and subsequently out of the hospital.

Let’s take a look at four of these systems.

1. Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)

ABS has been around for over three decades now. Originally implemented on airplanes to prevent them from skidding on the runway during landing, the modern car-based equivalent was first introduced in the 1970’s by Mercedes-Benz.

ABS may not seem like the latest technology nowadays as it is standard equipment on even non-luxury compact cars.  However, being able to brake hard and steer around an obstacle is something most people take for granted.

ABS has also undergone refinements with better sensors and computer algorithms that adjust for changing road (or off-road) conditions.

2. Adaptive Front Lighting

If you can’t see it, you can’t avoid it!

Adaptive front lighting is a generic term for headlamps that respond to driver steering. They’re usually fitted to cars with Xenon or LED headlamps and uses sensors to measure vehicle speed and steering angle.

Small electric motors turn the headlights accordingly to facilitate vision around a curve at night. The faster you go around a corner, the quicker they turn to literally allow you to see around corners.

3. Blind spot monitoring

Think of a blindspot monitoring system (aka side view assist) as your guardian angel that watches the sides of your car for you.

Most systems use two radar sensors, one in each corner of the rear bumper to scan a few metres behind and to the side of the vehicle. These areas are commonly known as the driver’s blind spots.

If a vehicle is detected in these areas, a warning light on the mirror or A-pillar is illuminated. If the driver activates a turn signal in the direction a vehicle has been detected, the warning light will flash and on some vehicles a warning tone will sound.

BMW’s blindspot warning systems will actually vibrate the steering wheel in order to get the driver’s attention!

4. Collision Mitigation Braking

Many cars, particularly in the luxury segment, are available with some sort of collision mitigation braking system.

This is a forward collision warning system that includes some or even full autonomous emergency braking to reduce the chance of a collision.

The system is usually an enhancement of an Adaptive Cruise Control system, which uses a radar sensor behind the front grille to maintain a particular speed and distance interval from traffic ahead, both of which are set by the driver.

With collision mitigation, the system will also provide visual and auditory warnings when speed and distance indicates risk of a crash with the leading car. If the driver does not respond by reducing speed, the system will tug at the seat belt, vibrate the steering wheel, or use other means in order to get the driver’s attention and begin braking to mitigate — but probably not prevent — the crash.

BMW’s Active Driving Assistant brings the latest safety technologies to drivers with their Frontal Collision Warning, City Collision Mitigation and Pedestrian Warning.

Frontal Collision Warning prevents collisions by warning the driver when approaching a vehicle ahead too quickly. The driver is alerted by an optical warning and an additional alarm. In addition, City Collision Mitigation helps prevents collisions by priming the brake system to reduce stopping distance. Pedestrian Warning has the same functionality but specifically prevents pedestrian collisions.

Infiniti also has a system that uses rear sonar sensors and rear facing radar to prevent collision with crossing objects (such as a wall, a child, or another vehicle). Here’s what their Backup Collision Intervention system looks like in practice!