Performance Unlimited Blog

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 ...