Performance Unlimited Blog

That’s an excellent question. “How often should I change my car’s oil?” is probably the most important question you’ll ask about your car. There is nothing you can do to maintain your vehicle that will have more importance than changing the oil on schedule. So, what is the answer to the question “How often should I change my car’s oil?” The answer used to be every 3,000 miles, or every two months, whichever comes first. But cars have changed. Oils have changed. Today, the answer to the question, “How often should I change my car’s oil” is, “It depends.” It depends on the vehicle and it depends on the oil that you use. For instance, there are synthetic oils that you can drive on longer and further than with conventional oil. With synthetic oil, some say every 5,000 miles. But that also changes based on the vehicle and the manufacturer. For instance, Toyota has recommended changing the synthetic oil every 10,000 miles. Jaguar recommends every 15,000 miles (based on an article in Ed...

Denny Norton, the owner of Performance Unlimited, gets ready for a Big 8 class stock car race in Rockford Sunday.  Though he didn't finish first, he did win the title for moving up from 23rd place, at the start of the race, to 8th place at the finish. Denny Norton, the owner of Performance Unlimited in Ringwood, didn’t win the 39th Annual Spring Classic race but, after a long hiatus from stock car racing, he did win the war of attrition on the quarter-mile oval track in Rockford Sunday. The Big 8 race that finished two days of qualifying and racing, was won by Michael Bilderback in the No. 2 car. For Bilderback, it was a successful start in his effort to defend his Big 8 Late Model Series championship from 2015. He has also won the Spring Classic before. Norton finished eighth out of 24 cars that started the race. That was a major accomplishment as he won the $100 Powersource ‘Power Mover of the Race’ title by moving up from 23rd at the start of the race. Mechanic...

It may hit 70 degrees out on Sunday if the predictions of the weather stations bear out. If not this weekend, however, it is coming. Temperatures are going to progressively rise until 70 degrees is a cooler day amid days in the 80s, 90s and, hopefully not too many, in the 100s. When temperatures hit the 70s, you can generally roll the windows down and the fresh air is temperate enough to keep you comfortable, as long as the wind coming in the windows doesn’t bother you. On days when the temperature rises into the 80s, 90s and above, it’s really time to roll up the windows and turn on the air conditioning. Wouldn’t it be a nasty surprise if you rolled up the windows, turned on the air conditioning and nothing but hot air came out of the vent? Imagine that you have a lot of running around to do, you have your 2-yard old in the car seat in back and it feels like a blast furnace coming out of the vents. Your only choice, at that moment, is to turn off the air conditioning, roll the win...

Computers are everywhere. That smartphone you use is actually a small computer. The cable television box is a small computer. Then you have your desktop, laptop and tablets – all computers. Take a look out the window at those cars driving by, as well as the one in your driveway, and you’ll find – that’s right – more computers (some older cars – going back to the ‘70s and earlier – may not have had computers installed yet). Computers are important to the safe and efficient operation of your vehicle. By efficient, that means that computers help the car to generate ample horsepower while not using too much gasoline. Efficient operation also refers to the amount of emissions that are produced by the car. With computers, auto manufacturers have managed to build cars that are a pleasure to drive, whether someone is looking for comfort, reliability or performance. In regards to the engine alone, computers control the fuel mixture, idle speed and the firing of the car’s spark plugs. They t...