Performance Unlimited Blog

Some people from McHenry will simply drive to O’Hare, Milwaukee or Midway and catch a plane when they go on vacation this summer. But you’ve decided to drive. Not a bad idea. No doubt, you’ll save some money. But it pays to be smart about this kind of a trip. Are you piling the entire family into the car? Is it just you and your significant other? Have you planned your stops? Will you combat load your vehicle? These are all considerations before you pull out of your McHenry driveway. “Combat load your vehicle?” Well, you’re not really loading for combat but the term refers to how the US Navy would load a transport with supplies, for instance, during WWII. Combat loading meant that the essentials were loaded last so that they could be taken off the ship first. You want to plan how you load the back of your SUV or the trunk of your sedan Another consideration when loading your vehicle is access to your spare tire and jack. You don’t want a flat tire, of course. But that’s no guarantee yo...

Summer in McHenry is just plain wonderful, isn’t it? The warm weather allows you to spend your time outdoors without layer upon layer of clothing to stay warm. Then there are all those outdoor activities. While these activities may capture the focus of your attention, don’t forget that you still want to change the car, truck or SUV’s oil on schedule. Spending some time in your McHenry backyard while barbequing – these are the days you’ll reflect on warmly next winter. Maybe you’ve got a pool back there. You may enjoy entertaining often.  Then again, maybe you prefer to be the guest in someone else’s backyard for those backyard BBQ’s. Maybe you’d rather not be the host and not have to deal with all that work. In that case, you’ll need to travel. And using the car, truck or SUV to travel comes with maintenance. And at the top of auto maintenance is changing the oil on schedule. An oil change, performed on a timely basis, is the most critical maintenance you can do for the sake of you...

Whew! You’ve made it this far. You’ve endured another Johnsburg summer with, of course, the help of the air conditioning in your car. So, how’s AC holding up? It’s possible that the air conditioning that blew cool in May and June has lost a little of its oomph now that another Johnsburg July has set in. And we still have August to contend with. Even September can push the thermometer into the less-than-comfortable regions. How could an air conditioning system that worked so well then struggle to keep up now? It’s even possible that the AC in your car collapsed under the load here at mid-summer. The heat this time of year tends to do that to an air-conditioning system. It tests the AC in all the vehicles around these parts and it finds the weak links that can’t quite pass the tests. This doesn’t necessarily mean that your car’s air conditioning has failed completely. By all means, if all you get is hot air blowing out of the vents, you’ll want to have that system checked. But your car’s...

F-150, F-250, F-350; Silverado, GMC Sierra, Hummer, Titan, Ram, Tundra – you name it, these are vehicles built for a hard life and McHenry drivers buy them planning to abuse them in the name of productivity all the time. From construction jobsites to farmers’ fields, to loading docks, these trucks were built with a purpose. They’re utilitarian. They have a higher wheelbase than most other vehicles. They have rugged suspensions and steering. They have strong engine plants to drag loads, including loads when you’re towing, or simply for going over rough terrain with the beds filled to the gills. But there is a difference between these workhorses and their predecessors from years gone by. Once you slide inside a modern work truck, and close the door, for all intents and purposes, you could be sitting inside a luxury car in your McHenry driveway. They have comfortable seats with plenty of room. They have air conditioning. They have sound systems and navigation systems and all the latest be...

Those who signed the Declaration of Independence July 4th, 1776, came from all 13 colonies. At the time, from the Northern tip of Maine to the Southern tip of Georgia, the colonies stretched nearly 1,200 miles. From the Northern tip of Maine to Philadelphia, the sight of the signing of the Declaration, was about 515 miles. From the Southern tip of Georgia to Philadelphia was about 670 miles. Many of the Founders who signed the Declaration of Independence did not have to travel that far. For instance, someone coming from Boston only had to go about 250 miles (as the crow flies). Someone coming from Williamsburg, VA, had to travel about 180 miles. That doesn’t sound like much today but, in 1776, that represented a significant trip. According to NationalEquine, riding horseback, you can expect to travel about 50 miles per day. Then, while you sleep, and recover, the horse is resting and renewing its energy levels. At 50 miles per day, it’s a 5-day trip to Philadelphia from Boston and 3-1/...