Performance Unlimited Blog

UPDATE: Kurt Busch won the 59th Annual Daytona 500. Chase Elliott finished 14th after running out of fuel as the race reached its conclusion. However, this was a significant improvement from his 2016 finish of 37th. Last year, Chase Elliott was a rookie running in the Daytona 500 in Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet NAPA car No. 24. He started the race in the pole position. Well, he’s done it again. With a qualifying lap of 192.872 mph, Elliott has the pole position the second year in a row. Last year, he finished 37th. This year, he’s planning to finish a lot higher in the 59th edition of the Daytona 500 scheduled for tomorrow. Last year’s winner was Denny Hamlin who led for 95 of the 200 laps. Martin Truex Jr. finished second. It was Hamlin’s first Daytona 500 victory. The 2016 Daytona 500 win was Hamlin’s 27th Sprint Cup victory. Elliott has four pole positions, including this year’s Daytona 500, and had 10 top-5 places in his rookie season. He also had 17 top-10s. He was the ...

Hopefully, with the warm weather this week, you’ve had a chance to get out of the house and shake off some of that cabin fever winter has imposed on you. While enjoying near- and record-warm days, you may have noticed how dirty the winter has gotten your car. You may have thought to yourself, this is a good time to wash the car. You’re right; this is a good time to wash the car. Now, the question is ‘how will you wash the car?’ There are two basic options: you can bring the car to a carwash or you can hand wash the car yourself. If you choose the latter, don’t overestimate the warm weather and get yourself sick. But, the weather is warm enough that, with some proper clothing and preparation, you can hand wash your car. Hand wash your car in winter Preparation includes the right equipment. This includes a bucket, a good soap for washing cars, and some appropriate rags and sponges. It’s best to use a dedicated soap to wash the car. Some household cleaners can strip off protectiv...

Having an auto repair shop you can trust is almost as important as having a family doctor you can trust. There are many auto mechanics who are highly reputable, trustworthy and skilled in repairing your car, truck or SUV. There are also auto mechanics who are anything but trustworthy. Some of these simply don’t know what they’re doing and others know, all-too well, how to use their knowledge to fleece you out of your hard-earned money. The worst part about an untrustworthy auto mechanic is that, while you’re giving them money they haven’t earned, they’re leaving you with a car that isn’t properly repaired or maintained. In some cases, they may leave you driving a car, truck or SUV that is downright dangerous to drive. So, how do you distinguish the good auto mechanic from the bad; how do you avoid bringing your car, truck or SUV to an auto repair shop where you’ll wind up holding the short end of the stick? Here are some tips to consider when choosing an auto repair shop: Wha...

Some say you should. Some say you shouldn’t. The debate rages on: should you let your car warm up before you pull out of your Richmond driveway on a cold winter’s morning? Those embroiled in the debate are so firmly entrenched in their opinions that it’s unlikely they’ll find common ground anytime soon. They all have their reasons for believing what they believe. Those who say you should warm your car for a few minutes in the winter before pulling onto the highway out of Richmond will give you a list of reasons why they’re correct to offer this advice. And those who say you shouldn’t will give explanations that range from telling you it’s a waste to telling you that you’re actually damaging your engine. So, what is true? Rather than tell you what’s ‘right,’ how bout we simply lay out the arguments for you and you can decide for yourself? The ‘never-warm-up-your-car’ argument: That only made sense when cars had carburetors. Carbureted car engines needed to warm up for a few m...

There are days in a Wonder Lake winter when the roads are slippery. Snow, ice, water: they accumulate on the road a pose a potential hazard for drivers. They can cause you to slide out of control. These uncontrolled moments behind the wheel can be hair raising. Fortunately, they don’t always end with a collision between your car, pickup truck or SUV and someone else’s car, truck or SUV. And they don’t always end with your vehicle striking and damaging someone else’s property. But, even if you think you’ve escaped that harrowing moment without damage, that’s not always the case. You may slide your pickup truck into a curb and drive away, your heart beating a bit faster, but with no visible damage. But, if your SUV hits a curb, you can’t assume no damage was done. What can happen when your car, pickup truck or SUV slides into a curb? You could damage the tire. The tire has belts inside the rubber that can suffer damage if they’re slammed against a curb. This can result in permanent...