Performance Unlimited Blog

There’s just nothing like a shiny new car, truck or SUV to make you feel like hitting the open road – heading out from McHenry to points unknown. Everything is clean. The engine purrs like a kitten. And then there’s that new-car smell. But, how does a car go from that to some of the junkers you see on the road? Don’t just compare those junkers to new cars; compare them to some of the older cars – older cars that look as though they’re almost new. How can a car that’s 20 years old, or older, look better than a car that’s only a few years old? The answer is simple – someone didn’t care enough to keep that junker in better condition. There are people who baby their cars. They pamper their automobiles on a daily basis. Oil changes are always done on schedule, as well as all other scheduled maintenance. They wash their cars with frequency. Some take the car through the carwash. Others are purest who would never stoop to allowing the rolling brushes and swaying rags of a carwash to touc...

Dodge describes it as “a beast unlike any in the kingdom” and that’s true, to a point. The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon offers a spectacular display of what auto manufacturers can do with a factory engine’s horsepower, if they have the will to dream of more … and more. The Demon clocks in with 840 hp. That’s from the factory, not a hotrod someone souped up in their garage. According to Dodge, it makes the Challenger SRT Demon the fastest production car from 0 to 100 mph. One has to wonder if Chrysler thought the Hellcat Challenger was too warm and fuzzy – a hybrid family car? When the Hellcat engine was introduced for the 2015 model year, it came with an acceleration pulsing 707 hp engine. But, it’s not hard to see that Dodge saw the competition closing in; they upped their game with the Demon to ensure that they stayed at the top of the horsepower hill. Ford’s 5.2L Ti-VCT V8, with “Flat Plane Crank,” produces an earth-shaking 526 hp. Anyone who has driven a high-powered auto...

Tires have advanced over the years. Tire manufacturers have developed tires that grab the road with greater efficiency. They’ve created tires that last longer, that provide greater performance in varying conditions – such as wet, snowy and icy roads. Now, the manufacture of tires is about to take another leap forward. Pirelli is introducing tires that will communicate with an app you can download to your cell phone. With the app, your tires will provide up-to-date information on the status of your tires. Status updates will include information about: Tire wear       Air pressure Tire temperature Distance driven Vertical load With the app, drivers with these new Pirelli tires – Pirelli P Zero and Pirelli Winter Sottozero tires – will know the condition of their tires in ways they never could have known before. They’ll recognize potential problems with their tires earlier than they would have before. If you have a tire that is losing air pressure, the app wi...

That US Marine Harrier pilot knows how important vision is while flying. Vision, and proper adjustment of rearview mirrors is equally important when you're driving on Richmond highways. A US Marine who used to work on Harrier Jump Jets once said of the planes, “Wings are overrated.” Of course, he was kidding. In fact, the comment was funny because it was the absolute opposite of the truth. We all know that wings are essential to a heavier-than-air craft (dirigibles are considered lighter-than-air craft and helicopters, essentially, have wings that rotate above the craft). If you were to say that vision is overrated when driving a car on a Richmond road, the joke is the same – it’s absolutely the opposite of the truth. Vision is absolutely essential to safely operating a car, truck or SUV – any motorized vehicle on the roadways. When you talk about vision while driving, this refers to night and day, as well as front, back and to the sides. The better your vision, in all dir...