Performance Unlimited Blog

You hop in the car in your Wonder Lake driveway and start the engine when it happens. You’re ears are accosted by a long, high-pitched squeal that makes your skin crawl. If your serpentine belt breaks, it won't take long before you know it. As it runs the alternator , your car will soon stop running. is it time to have your serpentine belt checked? ‘What the heck was that?’ you ask yourself as you pull out onto Wonder Lake Road . But the sound has stopped and you soon put it out of your mind. Maybe you shouldn’t forget about it quite so quickly. Vehicles don’t generally make unusual noises for no reason at all. The engine starts rumbling loudly? You may want to check the exhaust. There’s a grinding noise when you use the brakes? Time to have the brakes checked. There’s a loud hum as you drive down the highway? You might have a bad wheel bearing. But what about that squealing sound when you started the car. It was worse than two cats fighting, wasn’t it? Squealing under the hood i...

Are the neighbors on your Richmond street giving you 'looks' because your car, truck or SUV is getting louder? Could be time to have your exhaust system checked. A relaxing cruise on the roads of Richmond, or areas around town, can calm your nerves after a busy day. If it’s not too hot, you can have the window down and enjoy a fresh breeze flowing in the window. Maybe you’ll stream the melodic notes of one of your favorite musicians. It’s like a little slice of paradise. The last thing you want is something to inhibit the peace and tranquility of the moment. Just such an interference could come rumbling up from under your car, truck or SUV. If you ran snow tires in the winter, and haven’t bothered to change them, that annoying rumble may come from your tires. If something part is loose, you may have a rattle more than a rumble. If a belt is loose under the hood, you could have a high-pitched squeal that will hit you like fingernails on a chalkboard. But the real rumble may c...

The Declaration of Independence talked about the liberties of a free people. That included the freedom to come and  go where individuals wished. After 250 years of liberty, we can see that the automobile has enhanced that freedom. They didn’t have cars 250 years ago when the American Founders signed the Declaration of Independence. It’s doubtful they even considered the idea of horseless carriages that could convey people from here to there. But their choice to fight for freedom has everything to do with the fact that we can go out to our driveways, climb in our cars and drive almost anywhere we want to go. The idea that Americans were not restrained from crossing state lines, or moving across state lines, did not originate with the automobile. But the concept of liberty was embraced in the new country just as much, along with the right of Americans to live their lives without a King, 3,000 miles away, telling us what we can do or what we can say. When the automobile came along, it...

This is a great-big, beautiful country and it would be a shame if you didn't take your 4-wheeler offroad in America to see that beauty. America is a large country. A beautiful country. “From sea to shining sea,” it offers an abundance of natural vistas and adventures. And if you like to venture out from McCullom Lake , there are a number of off-road destinations for you to consider. Here are a few of the most fantastic locations to attract the off-roader inside of you: Upper Peninsula, Michigan Upper Peninsula offers a lot. You’ve got hundreds of miles of trails from the Silver Lake Sand Dunes in the South, miles and miles of trails through pines and cedars, beaches on both sides of the peninsula and the Tahquarmenon Water Falls . And you’ve got plenty of places to stop and camp. Black Hills National Forest, South Dakota  Off-roading in the Black Hills of South Dakota offers an adventure with no end. You’ll find hundreds of miles of landscape to challenge the most ardent lover...

Yes, this is the year of  El Niño . But you don't need to be terribly alarmed here in Johnsburg . Your biggest  concern is probably dealing with more rain. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA ) is predicting that an El Niño is coming our way this summer here in Johnsburg. They’ve even suggested that we might see a Super El Niño .  If you’re like many of us, that may leave you scratching your head and wondering, ‘What the heck is an El Niño? Wikipedia sums up an El Niño like this: El Niño is a climate pattern characterized by unusually warm ocean temperatures in the eastern Pacific , which disrupts normal weather patterns globally. It occurs irregularly every 2–7 years and can cause extreme weather events like heavy rainfall in some areas and droughts in others. What does that mean for you? And, by the way, what does it mean for your car, truck or SUV out in your Johnsburg driveway? If the NOAA is correct, the El Niño is already here. And it’s exp...

 School’s out, School’s out Teacher let the monkeys out One flew in, One flew out One flew in the teacher’s mouth McHenry schools have let the children out for summer. This means extra scrutiny and caution is necessary for drivers . It’s a cute little ditty that some of you may remember. But its point is clear. The doors of the schools in McHenry are thrown open and the children will explode out of those doors with the excitement and energy of a pack of wild monkeys, to follow with the ditty’s analogy.  After being cooped up in McHenry schools all year, it’s not surprising that the children would be chomping at the bit in anticipation of a summer’s worth of freedom. They’re free from studying, homework and sitting in classrooms all day. They’re free to have fun. And, if they’re like most children, they’ll be after all the fun they can get. What does summer vacation for kids in McHenry mean for drivers? A conscientious driver is constantly aware of what’s going on around them...