Performance Unlimited Blog

Heading out for a drive? Wanna get some fresh air? You can roll those windows down and let the wind blow through the car as you drive. But how fresh is that air (hopefully, not bad here in Johnsburg)? Then again, if it’s cold or it’s raining, you may want the windows up. With the windows up, you have a choice what air you want to breath. You can adjust the vent so the air inside the cabin is recirculated. Or you can set the vent so outside air enters the cabin. In either case, how fresh is that Johnsburg air? If you’re recirculating the air, with every breath you take, you are recirculating your own carbon dioxide through your respiratory system. YUK! And not the healthiest idea. Other than the air that enters your car’s cabin through the window, the air that is pulled through your vents by the cabin blower has a potential advantage over the air coming in through the windows; there is a line of defense to ensure you and your loved ones are breathing fresh air. Fresh air and your cabin ...

Many insurance companies offer discounts on auto insurance when customers allow the insurance company to monitor their driving. Often, this involves plugging in a chip of some kind that provides the data the insurance company is looking for as the insured party drives. Some appreciate the savings and don’t mind that the insurance company is figuratively looking over their shoulder every mile they drive. Others would rather not have the insurance company monitoring their driving. Either way, it is possible to keep your insurance rates lower based on how you drive. The insurance companies monitor the way you start from a stop and how you come to a stop. They monitor the speeds you drive and may know if you tend to speed often. Pulling away from a stop sign or signal light at a steady rate is a good way to reduce your fuel usage, as is slowing further in advance when coming to a stop. But it really all comes down to something else in terms of safety. Paying attention while you drive is th...

Be aware when driving School boards around McHenry County are making decisions about whether to require students to wear masks as the school year begins. But, what we haven’t heard yet, are decisions to keep the kids at home for another school year. Certainly, this is good news to parents and children. It also means that the school busses will hit McHenry County roads again. It also means that children will appear on or near the roads. Some children are too young to appreciate the risks involved with automobiles. We can’t count on them to take appropriate actions to avoid auto-vs-pedestrian accidents that inevitably work out worse for the latter. In fact, we can count on children to often behave erratically around roadways. Most children have never seen what happens when a one-and-a-half-ton automobile strikes a flesh-and-blood pedestrian. They have no way of fully comprehending the harm or the pain. When drivers can’t count on children to take appropriate precautions, it’s up to drive...

You’re visiting a friend in McHenry and will park somewhere in the street out front of their house. Now, you have a choice to make; should you park under a tree or in the sunlight? If you’re car will sit there long, you may want to consider your options with some degree of care. If you park in the shade under a tree … Trees can sometimes drip sap.  Willows and Poplars are trees that are notorious for dripping a lot of sap. Magnolia and Oak trees are also known to drip a bit. But even trees that are less inclined to do so may soil the shiny finish on your car. Other than trees that drip, trees can also have insects and birds that do a, shall we say, different kind of dripping. The potential for these elements to mar your exquisite finish is distinct. Of course, if you don’t leave them on your finish to dry too long, you can generally wash them off. Another risk is that, if you’re car is under a tree when a storm blows in, branches can fall on your vehicle and do significant damage. ...

According to a Website, a 2014 VW Jetta takes 31.68 PSI (Pounds of air per Square Inch) in the front tires and 29.716 PSI in the rear tires. There are some quality tire pressure gauges on the market but you’ll need a new digital model if you want one that will give you a reading to the thousandths of an inch of pressure. The idea that Volkswagen saw fit to provide air pressure specifications to this degree of accuracy for tires on its vehicles suggests that VW does think it’s a big deal if your tires have low air. And Volkswagen is right. Air pressure is critical in tires for several reasons, all of which should help convince you to maintain the proper air pressure in your tires. Road Stability and Handling: A tire that is low on air will not steer and handle as well as a tire that is filled to specifications. The difference, if the tire is only a little low, may be almost imperceptible. But, in a crisis situation, it could be very real, too. Durability: Tires last longer when they are...