Performance Unlimited Blog

The roads in McHenry County are best described as stretches of lunar landscape. Whether from Richmond to Ringwood, Woodstock to Wonder Lake or McHenry to Johnsburg: winters are rough on roads here in the Midwest but this winter more than most.  The bitter cold forces the concrete and asphalt to contract. Then, the ice and snow moves in to pry the broken surface further apart. Holes and cracks appear and grow. Traffic expands the damage. And while traffic contributes to the deconstruction of roadways, battered roads deconstruct suspensions, steering and shocks on the cars and trucks above. Yes, this winter will end, someday. But, already, the roads are in a sorry state. Translation – there are a lot of cars, trucks and SUVs in McHenry County that have equally battered suspensions, shocks and steering parts. Don’t think things are that bad? Maybe you’ve done most of your driving on the major routes – such as Route 14 in Crystal Lake, Route 120 in McHenry, Route 31 in Richmond...

You’re driving east bound on McCullom Lake Road in Wonder Lake. As you pass by Busy Bee and approach Wonder Lake Road, the driver waiting there apparently doesn’t see you and pulls in front of your car. This is a moment when your tires need to grab the road; this is a moment when the car’s brakes had better work and work to their maximum ability. Hopefully, your brakes are up to the task. If not … well … this is a bad way to discover they won’t bring your car to a stop in an emergency situation. Thankfully, the Wonder Lake Fire Department and their rescue squads are just down the road. If the brakes fail, it won’t take the EMTs long to get there. Still, if there is a collision, hopefully, you won’t need emergency health professionals. Of course, that’s all after-the-fact kind of thinking. Your best bet is to be prepared. Preparation means knowing, in advance, that your brakes are operating at optimal levels. One way to test your brakes is to wait for a scenario such as the one a...