Performance Unlimited Blog

It’s hot out these days in McHenry and that could pose a threat to your car, truck or SUV tires. But Joe hasn’t given this much consideration. He does check the tire pressure at the four corners of his 2014 Audi. But, unless his toe is more proficient in the process, his method leaves something to be desired. Joe kicks the tires to ensure they have proper air pressure. Whether by feel or sound, he estimates if the tires have the right air pressure. If he suspects a tire is low, he stops at a filling station that has an air pump and pumps some air into the ‘low’ tire until, with a kick, he’s convinced the tire is close to the proper air pressure. There is a gauge on the filler, but he doesn’t trust he; he has more confidence in his toe. The problem is that his toe isn’t as accurate as he believes it to be and this is more problematic in a McHenry summer. In the summer, the sun casts waves of heat down on the pavement raising the temperature alarmingly. The www.poochandclaws Websit...

Not so crazy when you hear what Ford is using to make cars these days They say you are what you eat. According to Alyson Penn, of Business Insider magazine, “… we may be driving what we eat,” too. In particular, she indicates that Ford Motor Company is partnering with Heinz, the makers of that oh-so-slow ketchup marketed with “Anticipation” back in the ‘70s and ‘80s, to build car parts from tomato byproducts. The idea was that Ford will use dried tomato skins to make wiring brackets and storage bins. Penn’s article was published in 2014. A 2017 article in Fortune magazine indicates that the program was a success and that Ford is now making parts out of tomatoes. In fact, that article goes on to state that Ford also makes parts out of shredded dollar bills. Ford calls these Bio-Materials. The goal is to replace processes where parts are made from petroleum-based products. Petroleum is used in the manufacture of plastic, as well as many other products. Ranken-Energy has a list o...

Summer has come to Wonder Lake and with it the heat is here to challenge the ability of your car, truck or SUV’s coolant system to keep your engine cool and keep you from sweating on the side of the road with the hood up and steam rising. An engine can overheat on one of Wonder Lake’s coldest of days. If you’re vehicle’s coolant isn’t up to par, you could overheat on a 28-degrees-below January night. But, when the thermometer climbs, a weak coolant system is more quickly exposed. The strength of a coolant system is in the quantity and quality of the liquid coolant in the system. When fresh and new, a car, truck or SUV’s coolant will capture and carry away more heat. Overtime, it’s ability to perform this essential task diminishes. The older the coolant, the farther away it is from its original capacity for cooling the engine. As for the quantity of coolant in your car, truck or SUV engine, if it’s filled to the proper level to begin with, as long as there aren’t any leaks, the qu...

Well, it’s finally arrived: the heat has come to McHenry – is your car’s air conditioning ready? You may have taken the time to have your car’s air conditioning checked out before the thermometer began climbing. If so, on these warm, muggy days we’ve had recently, you simply rolled up the window and turned on the AC. If you didn’t take the time to check your car’s air conditioning ahead of time, you may have discovered that only lightly cooled, warm or hot air came out of the vents when you turn on the air conditioning. That’s disconcerting on hot summer days. In some cases, the car’s air conditioning simply doesn’t work. The air coming out of the vents is hot. It’s not even tempered with a hint of cool air. In these cases, your car may have a more serious problem with its air conditioning, such as: A broken condenser A clogged condenser A faulty compressor An electrical issue A broken or loose belt running to the pully on the compressor A refrigerant leak If you have ...

Remember the commercial: “Baseball, hotdogs, apple pie and Chevrolet.” The commercial worked because it was a catchy slogan and because the automobile is uniquely American in regard to America’s love affair with the car. Ever since Henry Ford first made cars affordable for average Americans, those Americans have responded with joyful passion. Of course, it’s not just Chevrolet. For the first six or seven decades after Ford developed his assembly line, that love affair was primarily with American-made automobiles, including: Chrysler Dodge Plymouth Jeep GMC Chevrolet Buick Oldsmobile * Pontiac * Ford Mercury * Lincoln Those are the big names, from the Big 3 auto manufacturers: General Motors, Ford Motor Company and Chrysler Motors. Others, many, but not all, now defunct, included: AMC * Cord * Crawford * DeLorean * Excalibur * Hudson * Nash * Packard * Studebaker * Tucker * Willys (original builder of the Jeep) *  Many, many more * Defunct car manufacture...