Performance Unlimited Blog

No, you probably won’t see the big-bash New Year’s Eve parties this year as you have in years past. But that doesn’t mean we won’t want to kick up our heals and welcome in 2021 with a bang. We’re due. You’re due. This has been a long year. Hope for a better year ahead is almost assuredly in all of our hearts. And there’s good reason to believe 2021 will prove superior for most compared to 2020. With vaccines in different stages of delivery, COVID-19 should fade into the past. But that doesn’t mean folks can’t finish 2020 off with a bang, even a bang they’d rather skip. People will imbibe in the consumption of their favorite alcoholic beverages New Year’s Eve. Coronavirus won’t stop that. The parties will surely be smaller but that doesn’t mean the police won’t have roadblocks and traps on the roadways that night to catch the errant driver who has had too much to drink and shouldn’t be behind the wheel. If you don’t stay home, you might want to stay overnight at your celebratory destina...

More folks from Richmond will probably stay home for Christmas this year what with the coronavirus and all. Not everyone, however. Some people will fly somewhere to spend the holiday with family and friends. Others will pack up the car and drive to mom and dads, or a sibling. No doubt, they’ll observe social distancing and will wear masks, but they will recognize Christmas as a time to spend with others they love. How far from Richmond will they drive?  How far away to mom and dad live? It may amount to nothing more than a drive to another community within the county. Then again, mom and dad may live on the other side of the Lake in Michigan. Or they may have moved up to Northern Wisconsin. Whatever the case, the drive could take several hours and cross a couple hundred miles of roadway. Make sure the car is ready for the Christmas drive to see loved ones This is not the time of year to have a breakdown on the highway or, worse, to have an accident. You want to make sure that you a...

It’s cold, the snow is wet and the last thing you want to do is to walk around your car, truck or SUV, the frigid wind in your face, as you brush the snow from you car in your McHenry driveway. But this is Illinois. If you don’t clear your windows, you can get a ticket. If you drive over the border into Wisconsin, you can even get an ‘Ice Missile Law’ ticket – a law designed to ensure pieces of snow don’t blow off your car and damage other vehicles or obscure the vision of other drivers. Let’s accept the idea that you should clean the snow from your vehicle before heading out onto and beyond those McHenry roads. Having arrived at this conclusion, what is the best way to clean the snow from your car, truck or SUV? The first question is whether you care about the finish of your vehicle. If you have an older vehicle and aren’t that worried about scratches in the paint, get out a push broom and have at it. But if you have a newer, or a nicer older car, truck or SUV, the push broom is likel...

Don’t you just hate coming out to a cold car, truck or SUV in the middle of a Johnsburg winter? You have to sit and wait for the car to warm up before you feel the comforting heat blowing out of the vents. Until then, you hunker down and shiver for as long as it takes. Winter in Johnsburg gets cold, darn cold. Some winters are colder than others but there’s no mistaking this for a tropical paradise in January or February – even in December, March of early April. Universally, a car, truck or SUV will not come with an electric heater to provide warmth in the cabin in winter. The heat is provided by the vehicle’s engine. It’s all part of the heating and cooling system. The way that it works is that you have a radiator, hoses, and passageways in the engine block and heads. You also have hoses that run from the engine to another small radiator under the dashboard. The latter radiator is called the heater core.  As the engine operates, it produces heat. To keep the engine from overheatin...

When you get in the car, truck or SUV and back out of your McHenry driveway, the condition of your tires is probably not top of mind. They’re round. They’re made of rubber. They roll on the road to make your vehicle move. But, otherwise, what’s there to know or consider? Let’s picture you driving down Eastbound on Route 120 near the intersection where Route 31 turns South. It’s January and it’s snowing. The snow plows have yet to come by and clean away this fresh layer of snow that has settled onto a thin sheet of ice. You have a green light as you take the curve between Walgreens and CVS. You’re thinking about work … the kids … any number of things. But you’re not thinking the car approaching from the other direction will continue through the left-turn lane and into your path. When it happens – when you’re confronted with a situation requiring an emergency stop – you don’t have time to think about the condition of your tires. All you’re thinking is about the potential impact of your v...

Way back in the 17th Century, Pilgrims in Massachusetts started a tradition we still recognize today – they celebrated the first Thanksgiving. It was a celebration of the harvest. It was a celebration of life since the harvest offered the sustenance necessary for survival at a time when survival was hardly guaranteed. The story goes that 102 pilgrims made the journey on the Mayflower. Of those who survived the trip, and the first winter in the new continent, only 53 pilgrims were left to celebrate the first Thanksgiving. That means that the harsh conditions of a long sea voyage in the age of sail, and of hacking out an existence in the wilderness of a New World, had cost almost 50 percent of pilgrims their lives. For those who sat down to Thanksgiving dinner, the celebration was very real, even if they had heavy hearts for those they had lost.  Today, 399 years later, we are approaching another Thanksgiving. This holiday, we are facing a threats to our health – the coronavirus. Cus...

I pulled the car into the garage of the large tire and repair center for a now-defunct department store chain. As I got out and walked to the front of the Cadillac to open the hood. As the hood came up I looked to the battery but didn’t quite see what I expected to see. The entire top of the battery was gone. The shattered tops of lead plates were lined up like injured soldiers trying to stand in ranks for inspection. As I noticed the condition of the battery, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a tall man of about 60 with white hair and a weathered face stepping up beside me. It was obvious that he was the owner of the car. I looked to him and noticed rivulets of blood dripping down his face. It turned out that he was a Good Samaritan who was helping someone out in the Old Orchard Shopping Center in Skokie, where the tire and repair center was located. Someone had asked him if he could help jumpstart their car. He agreed and got his jumper cables out of his trunk. He attached the posit...

If the battery in your car was brand new yesterday and almost worn out today, you’d recognize the difference easily. But it doesn’t work that way. Your battery ages slowly day by day. The change is gradual, imperceptible until that day when something pushes your old battery over the edge. Often, that ‘something’ doing the pushing is winter. It’s not that the cold is bad for the battery; the problem is the cold has an effect on the engine of your Wonder Lake automobile. Primarily, that problem is that, with the cold, the oil is thicker. The engine has to turn over with the crankshaft going through a bath of thicker lubricant. It also takes longer to work that oil up through the passages so that is spreads between the cylinder walls and the rings on the pistons. This means that the starter has to work harder to turn the engine. And if the starter has to work harder, it passes along that demand to the battery. If the battery is strong, it simply supplies the additional amperage required t...

The first frost of the year in McHenry was October 9. The low temperature in the area has been at or below freezing since October 24. And yet, if the weatherman is right, we can expect some unseasonably comfortable temperatures this week and through the weekend. But that doesn’t change one immutable fact: winter is coming. If the Old Farmers Almanac is to be believed, we’ll have a winter with temperatures above normal. But the Almanac isn’t always right. And even ‘above normal temperatures’ can get darn cold in the McHenry area. It’s best to be prepared. Preparation for a McHenry winter includes preparing the house – taking in the lawn furniture, rolling up the hoses and draining the faucets, putting away the screens and pulling down the storm windows. Preparing for winter also includes preparing your car, truck or SUV.  Over the course of the next several weeks, this blog will be dedicated to helping you prepare your vehicle for winter. Appropriately, the first step in preparing y...

Most years, we would use this page as a friendly reminder to watch out for little ghouls and goblins on the roadways as they scour the neighborhoods looking for treats in lieu of tricks. This year, however, with COVID-19, it’s not clear how many trick-or-treaters will go door to door in McHenry in pursuit of sweets.  Yes, McHenry is having Trick-or-Treat. So are most of the communities in the area. If you have little ones who are eagerly anticipating dressing up in Halloween costumes, knowing when your community is having Trick-or-Treat is essential. And, since you may drive someone in the county on Saturday, it helps to know this information, too. Those little monsters get down-right thrilled by something as exciting as Halloween and Trick-or-Treat. Their focus is on going to as many homes as possible so they can fill their bags or plastic pumpkins until they’re bulging. They’re not necessarily focused on the road. They may not pay attention to oncoming traffic before they dart in...

That first really cold day as winter approaches, you bundle up and walk out of your McHenry home planning to drive to work or the store but your trip is cut short when you see that you have a flat tire. The assumption is that you picked up a nail or something from the road and your tire has a puncture. That’s a logical thing to think but it isn’t necessarily the case. It’s quite possible that the cold is the culprit. How could the cold cause a flat tire? Do you remember science class at McHenry East or West High School, or whatever high school you attended before moving to McHenry? Remember how you could affect chemical changes by the application of heat or cold? Temperature changes have real influences on materials outside of the science class, too. In the case of your tires, the cold will cause the air contained inside the tire to contract. Additionally, as the air temperature drops, tire rubber stiffens. As it loses its pliability, the seal with the aluminum rim may break. There’s n...

Would you drive through Wonder Lake with your eyes closed? Of course not. And the reason is obvious. Seeing where you’re going is vital while driving, assuming you want to avoid any accidents or hurting anyone, including yourself and loved ones. This is why it’s important to have unobstructed windows and functioning headlights while driving. This is all-the-more challenging in the winter.  During the winter, you’ll do more driving in dark hours since the days are shorter. Additionally, you’ll have to deal with snow, slush, ice and frost, not to mention road salt on roads in and around Wonder Lake. These can combine to create an anti-visual cocktail that makes driving hazardous even if the roads weren’t also slippery. When you add the slick driving conditions, the importance of visibility is multiplied dramatically.   For traction, you want to adjust your speed and ensure you have quality tires on your vehicle. For unhindered vision there are several considerations.  ...

You depend on your car, truck or SUV to get you where you need and want to go. If you drive to work, or will do so again when the pandemic is over, you need dependable transportation to maintain your livelihood. In other words, your car, truck or SUV plays a vital role in your life. For most of us, our vehicles are the second largest investment in our lives, second only to our home. If we allow our homes to fall into disrepair, they’ll eventually crumble around us. The cost to bring them back into good condition is often intimidating. The same holds true with your car, truck or SUV. If you take good care of your vehicle, it will generally take good care of you. It will less frequently punch you in the pocketbook. When your vehicle requires repairs, the punch will generally come as less of a surprise and without as much power behind the blow. The key is good maintenance. To do a good job of maintaining your car, truck or SUV you need to know what maintenance is required and ...

In March, the Center for Disease Control – CDC – said that the Coronavirus can live on solid surfaces for four days. It’s now indicated that they’re not so sure about that. What should you do when the experts aren’t quite sure?  To be safe, it probably wouldn’t hurt to clean and disinfect surfaces you and your family frequently come into contact with. This includes inside your home, as well as the doorknobs on entranceway doors. But what about your car, truck or SUV? You and your loved ones come into contact with the surfaces inside your car, truck or SUV, as well as the door handles on the outside. You also come into contact with the gas-filler door and cap, the trunk lid and, if you’re checking your car’s engine oil as often as you should, you’re also coming into contact with the hood latch, the dipstick and the oil-filler cap.  The CDC gives some specific tips on cleaning and disinfecting surfaces that would apply when cleaning and disinfecting your car, truck or SUV, inclu...

 “Yeah, I know. I have to change the oil in my car regularly to keep the engine in tip-top shape.” “That’s true. But I’m talking about the ‘other’ lubricant.” “The ‘other’ lubricant?” “That’s right – the automatic transmission fluid.” “How often do I need to change that?” “Well, fortunately, it’s not as often as you need to change the engine oil. Depending on your vehicle, between 30,000 and 60,000 miles.” “And it’s important because …” “It’s important because you’ve never heard anyone happily mention, ‘I need to have my transmission repaired’ or ‘replaced.’” “That’s the truth – expensive and a pain in the neck.” Changing the transmission fluid can keep your car’s transmission running smoothly and out of the repair shop. Trans fluid is a lubricant. It helps those many parts interact without excess wear or damage. It reduces the heat from that friction. It has chemicals that prevent corrosion. Just like engine oil, automatic transmission fluid breaks down over time. The heat breaks ...

How long do you plan to keep your car? Some people keep a car for a couple years. Some people get five or 10 years out of their vehicle. Others stick with their car to the bitter end – until it’s ready for a tow to the scrapyard. If you’re not in that last category, there are some ways to keep your car’s value up. Even if you’re in that final category – someone who drives a car until it crumbles around them – maintenance will postpone the ‘bitter end’ a little longer. But most of us don’t keep a car that long.  According to RL Polk, on average, cars that are still on the road are 11.4 years old. On average, a driver keeps a car for 71.4 months, or approximately six years. If they take care of their vehicle during that time, they’ll get a better trade in or a higher price if they sell the car outright. Even if someone only keeps a car for a couple years, maintaining the vehicle will pay dividends when they sell or trade. What can you do, in terms of maintenance, to get the best valu...

Even in the Age of COVID, teenagers are learning to drive. At McHenry Community High School, 15-year olds are entering the ‘Permit Phase’ of their driver’s education. By the time they hit 16 and 17, they’re entering the ‘Initial Licensing Phase.’ From 18 to 20, they should be ready for the ‘Full Licensing Phase.’ If you are a parent of one of these newbies to the roads, this can prove a nerve-wracking experience. Someone you care very deeply about is joining drivers on the roads. Some of those drivers are good and courteous. Others, as you surely know, are … well, less so. And then there’s the question of your child’s aptitude for driving. Will they take to driving like a fish to water? Or will they experience a longer learning curve? Some students are chomping at the bit to get behind the wheel. Others are less enthusiastic. You may even have to give your child a helpful nudge to get them going. They may have a case of the jitters. Can you help them get over the jitters about driving?...

The ‘unofficial’ end of summer is almost upon us. The astrological start of summer was June 20. And, astrologically, summer ends September 21. But most of us think of summer as running from Memorial Day (May 25) to Labor Day (September 7). If we abide by what ‘most people think,’ summer ends next Monday. We generally welcome summer, and bid it adieu, with ‘ceremonial’ barbeques. That’s likely the case this year, too, as throwing some dogs and burgers on the barbie doesn’t really challenge social distancing. But, other than barbequing, there is very little about this summer this customary. Thanks to COVID-19, this has been an entirely unique summer and not of the kind we would like to repeat. Summer is usually a time when we get out of the house. We take trips. We picnic. We go to events where, packed into crowds, we enjoy sports, music and other forms of entertainment. But this summer, we’ve spent a good portion of our time ‘sheltering in place’ and avoiding crowds. Getting out and doi...

You may not have noticed that the tire was going flat. The first inclination you have is that there is a thumping noise, corresponding with a jerking of the steering wheel, as you drive. You don’t want to keep driving on that flat tire.  If there’s any chance of saving the tire, continuing to drive on the flat tire, while not a safe idea in terms of maintaining control of the vehicle, will surely destroy the tire. In fact, if you drive on a flat tire far enough, you’ll lose the tire and begin to damage the rim. Replacing a tire that was, otherwise, in good condition is bad enough. Replacing one of your wheels gives the cost of the event an unpleasant boost. There are also occasions when tires go flat suddenly. This is called a blowout. Depending on your speed at the time of a blowout, there is a serious question of whether you’ll be able to maintain control of the vehicle. This is a particular concern if the blow out is to one of the front tires where you steer the vehicle.  I...

 McHenry drivers need to be aware all the same About this time of year, the space on this blog is usually dedicated to reminding McHenry drivers that schools are opening – to watch out for children running to and from busses in the roads, or walking to and from school. But, with COVID-19, 2020 isn’t a customary year. Yes, children are headed back to school but much of their class time will involve ‘virtual’ attendance. In the two McHenry School Districts (McHenry Elementary School District 15 and McHenry Community High School District 156) there are two approaches currently planned for in terms of opening the schools.* For the younger students enrolled in District 15 schools, the 2020-21 school year kicks off on a virtual basis: beginning “remotely on Monday, August 24th and continu(ing) remotely through the first trimester of school, Friday, November 6th.”** The McHenry high schools will open with what is called a “Remote and Blended Remote Learning Day Plan.” A “Blended Remote Le...

Before COVID, you would get out on the highway, away from McHenry, and open up the throttle of that car, truck or SUV you drive. But, since the pandemic, you just don’t seem to get out as much. When you do leave the house, it’s generally a short trip – to the grocery store or maybe for a cup of coffee at The Hidden Pearl. Highway drives seem to belong to a by-gone era. This is a different kind of driving for your car, truck or SUV. Confined primarily to the McHenry area, there are times when you don’t even seem to crank the speedometer above 40 mph anymore. This effects your vehicle. It can tell that you don’t have the same travel patterns as before the pandemic. With those shorter rides, otherwise known as ‘city driving,’ you stop and go more often. You’re putting more wear and tear on the brakes and the transmission. And those city roads are usually not in as good of shape as highway routes outside of McHenry. That’s not to say anything bad about how the city maintains its roads. It’...

Your car started making a funny noise. You tell yourself, “It can wait.” The brakes are squeaking. “As soon as the lockdown is over.” Smoke from that bad muffler seems to come up into the cabin from under the car. “It’s not so bad.” The oil change is how many miles overdue? “It’s not that important.” You can always find excuses for not bringing the car, truck or SUV in for repairs or maintenance. But that work should probably be done now, not later. If the excuses for not doing the work now include not wanting to go out to an auto repair shop with COVID-19 in its resurgence stage, there is a solution. Most quality auto repair shops are offering sanitary pick-up and drop-off service. No, they don’t pick you up; they pick up your car, truck or SUV. They drive it to the shop and perform whatever service is required. Then they drive it back to you, repaired, maintained and sanitary. Providing the key when they pick-up the vehicle, and receiving the key when they drop-off the vehicle: that’...

'Cooking' is a more appropriate term than you might think The McHenry forecast calls for temperatures close to 90 today and above 90 tomorrow. In the week ahead, the temperature will moderate somewhat with highs in the low to mid 80s. But that’s still pretty darn hot when you get in your car to go somewhere. It’s not unusual for the mercury to hover in the 80s and 90s in McHenry in late July and August. But, while we may be used to such temperatures, that doesn’t make it any more comfortable. Hop in your car on a 90-degree day, with the windows up, and you’re stepping into a virtual blast furnace.  According to the Department of Geosciences at San Francisco State University, the increase in temperature inside an enclosed vehicle is dramatic. For an idea of what we’re looking at, consider this chart below:  Consider that, at 140 degrees, pork is considered to be cooked to medium. A whole egg is cooked at 144 to 158. Fresh beef, veal and lamb are cooked to a t...

You might call it good news; only 5% of all automotive accidents are attributed to brake failure. But, since there are, on average, 6-million automotive accidents every year, that’s still a substantial number of accidents caused by brake failure. That’s approximately 300,000 automotive accidents due to brake failure. According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration: More than 37,000 people die in road accidents each year More than 2.35 million are injured Automotive accidents cost about $230.6 billion each year On average, one alcohol-impaired accident results in a fatality every 48 minutes 47% of automotive accident fatalities involve someone who was not restrained by a seatbelt Distracted driving results in approximately 9% of fatal accidents  The causes of car accidents include: Driving too fast for conditions or in excess of posted limit or racing – 16.9% Under the influence of alcohol, drugs or medication – 10.5% Failure to keep in prop...

There is a misconception that winter is more harmful to car, truck and SUV batteries than summer. It’s not true. Summer in McHenry is harder on automotive batteries than winter. The reason for the misconception is simple. Winter thickens engine oil. This makes it far more difficult to crank an engine over and start your car, truck or SUV. The starter motor has to work harder to turn the crankshaft of the engine. That means that it is drawing more amps from the battery. If the battery isn’t up to the extra demand, the battery can let you down. And who wants their battery to let them down in the middle of a bitter-cold winter night? In the summer, the heat is a battery killer. Think about it; some people store their AA and AAA batteries in the freezer at home. Doing so slows the self-discharge of the battery. The same principle applies outdoors with your car, truck or SUV battery. If it’s frigid cold outside, the battery is simply able to hold its charge longer. Heat, on the other ...

There’s no denying that the 4th of July in Wonder Lake will be different this year. Public fireworks generally just aren’t happening this year due to COVID-19. That includes Wonder Lake’s annual 4th of July Parade and Fireworks. Gathering in large crowds just won’t do when the risk of coronavirus is high. And large crowds are an integral part of Wonder Lake’s traditional 4th of July celebrations. No doubt, next year’s Wonder Lake 4th of July Parade and Fireworks will set standards for the record books. This year, however, you’ll have to find some other way to enjoy the holiday. They say that the purchase of fireworks by private citizens is way up this year, probably in anticipation of the cancellation of public events. If you’re one of those who have purchased your own fireworks, a word of caution. Please, be careful. In normal years, hospital emergency rooms are filled with people who have blown off fingers, damaged eyes and otherwise harmed themselves with fireworks. Even when ...

One characteristic of the COVID-19 lockdown is hard to escape – monotony. You might say that the ‘shelter-in-place’ order in response to the virus has interrupted the natural, and annual, experience of escaping from winter’s cabin fever. If you drive a 4-wheeler, you may have a solution that will offer a little relief. Take that baby off road. The exhilaration of hitting the trails in a factory or modified 4-wheel vehicle designed for the off-road experience is difficult to describe. One thing it’s not is ‘monotonous.’ You might say, ‘You need this!’ You need to get your blood and adrenaline pumping. You need to feel the front tires leave the trail as you launch over a hill. You need to feel the thrill of driving through a stream as though it was put there for your enjoyment. You need to break away from the mental captivity that comes with too-much time spent between the same four walls. Winter will return and summer is burning. You need to grab the opportunity while you can and ...

All this sheltering-in-place has one bright side – most of us are not spending as much on transportation costs. In other words, you’re probably not driving your car, truck, or SUV too often or too far from McHenry. In the process, you’re making fewer stops at the gas stations. Less driving also means less wear and tear and your car, truck, or SUV. Ah, but don’t assume you can just wait until everything’s opened back up again before considering the maintenance requirements of your vehicle. This isn’t a blanket excuse for ignoring regular maintenance. There are still aspects of maintaining your vehicle that you’ll want to keep in mind. Chief among the concerns for maintaining your car, truck, or SUV is regular oil changes. Changing the oil is probably the single most important thing you can do to ensure the longevity, value, and performance of your vehicle. Oil is the lifeblood of your engine and you want good blood to reduce the effects of friction and heat on the internal component...

Isn't it time to show a little gratitude for those who have played important roles during the pandemic? The last few months have been challenging for Americans, including those in McHenry County. But through it all, there are people who have performed important roles despite increased risks. These are the first responders, the nurses, doctors, and caregivers. While many of us have ‘sheltered in place,’ these brave Americans have gone about their duties. They deserve our respect and appreciation. Hopefully, the threat of COVID-19 is diminishing sufficiently that we can all get back to work. Hopefully, we can soon return to normalcy. But we shouldn’t forget those who stepped up at this time of dire need. Police have little choice but to respond to a call, even though they may run into someone who has coronavirus when they get there. If there’s a fire, firemen don’t stop to ask if the virus is waiting at the other end of that call; they get in their trucks and they go. Pa...