Performance Unlimited Blog

Heading out the highway from Johnsburg for a vacation? It's a good idea to give those  big rigs a little space. Semitrucks can't  maneuver the way you can in your car, truck or SUV. And they can't stop as quick. Are you planning to pack up the car and hit the highway for regions where you’ll find fun and adventure? It’s summer in Johnsburg and this is the right time for a vacation, isn’t it? But if you’re going to travel in the family car, truck or SUV, first make sure that your vehicle is ready for the trip. You want to get where you’re going, no matter how far from your Johnsburg home, safe and without any breakdowns. That means changing the oil before you go, having the cooling system checked, the tires checked, the charging system checked, the tires and brakes checked, and the AC checked. You want the car, truck or SUV given a thorough examination to ensure that everything is in tip-top shape before you leave home. While it’s critical to have your vehicle ready for the...

You hop in the car in your Wonder Lake driveway and start the engine when it happens. You’re ears are accosted by a long, high-pitched squeal that makes your skin crawl. If your serpentine belt breaks, it won't take long before you know it. As it runs the alternator , your car will soon stop running. is it time to have your serpentine belt checked? ‘What the heck was that?’ you ask yourself as you pull out onto Wonder Lake Road . But the sound has stopped and you soon put it out of your mind. Maybe you shouldn’t forget about it quite so quickly. Vehicles don’t generally make unusual noises for no reason at all. The engine starts rumbling loudly? You may want to check the exhaust. There’s a grinding noise when you use the brakes? Time to have the brakes checked. There’s a loud hum as you drive down the highway? You might have a bad wheel bearing. But what about that squealing sound when you started the car. It was worse than two cats fighting, wasn’t it? Squealing under the hood i...

Are the neighbors on your Richmond street giving you 'looks' because your car, truck or SUV is getting louder? Could be time to have your exhaust system checked. A relaxing cruise on the roads of Richmond, or areas around town, can calm your nerves after a busy day. If it’s not too hot, you can have the window down and enjoy a fresh breeze flowing in the window. Maybe you’ll stream the melodic notes of one of your favorite musicians. It’s like a little slice of paradise. The last thing you want is something to inhibit the peace and tranquility of the moment. Just such an interference could come rumbling up from under your car, truck or SUV. If you ran snow tires in the winter, and haven’t bothered to change them, that annoying rumble may come from your tires. If something part is loose, you may have a rattle more than a rumble. If a belt is loose under the hood, you could have a high-pitched squeal that will hit you like fingernails on a chalkboard. But the real rumble may c...

The Declaration of Independence talked about the liberties of a free people. That included the freedom to come and  go where individuals wished. After 250 years of liberty, we can see that the automobile has enhanced that freedom. They didn’t have cars 250 years ago when the American Founders signed the Declaration of Independence. It’s doubtful they even considered the idea of horseless carriages that could convey people from here to there. But their choice to fight for freedom has everything to do with the fact that we can go out to our driveways, climb in our cars and drive almost anywhere we want to go. The idea that Americans were not restrained from crossing state lines, or moving across state lines, did not originate with the automobile. But the concept of liberty was embraced in the new country just as much, along with the right of Americans to live their lives without a King, 3,000 miles away, telling us what we can do or what we can say. When the automobile came along, it...

This is a great-big, beautiful country and it would be a shame if you didn't take your 4-wheeler offroad in America to see that beauty. America is a large country. A beautiful country. “From sea to shining sea,” it offers an abundance of natural vistas and adventures. And if you like to venture out from McCullom Lake , there are a number of off-road destinations for you to consider. Here are a few of the most fantastic locations to attract the off-roader inside of you: Upper Peninsula, Michigan Upper Peninsula offers a lot. You’ve got hundreds of miles of trails from the Silver Lake Sand Dunes in the South, miles and miles of trails through pines and cedars, beaches on both sides of the peninsula and the Tahquarmenon Water Falls . And you’ve got plenty of places to stop and camp. Black Hills National Forest, South Dakota  Off-roading in the Black Hills of South Dakota offers an adventure with no end. You’ll find hundreds of miles of landscape to challenge the most ardent lover...

Yes, this is the year of  El Niño . But you don't need to be terribly alarmed here in Johnsburg . Your biggest  concern is probably dealing with more rain. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ( NOAA ) is predicting that an El Niño is coming our way this summer here in Johnsburg. They’ve even suggested that we might see a Super El Niño .  If you’re like many of us, that may leave you scratching your head and wondering, ‘What the heck is an El Niño? Wikipedia sums up an El Niño like this: El Niño is a climate pattern characterized by unusually warm ocean temperatures in the eastern Pacific , which disrupts normal weather patterns globally. It occurs irregularly every 2–7 years and can cause extreme weather events like heavy rainfall in some areas and droughts in others. What does that mean for you? And, by the way, what does it mean for your car, truck or SUV out in your Johnsburg driveway? If the NOAA is correct, the El Niño is already here. And it’s exp...

 School’s out, School’s out Teacher let the monkeys out One flew in, One flew out One flew in the teacher’s mouth McHenry schools have let the children out for summer. This means extra scrutiny and caution is necessary for drivers . It’s a cute little ditty that some of you may remember. But its point is clear. The doors of the schools in McHenry are thrown open and the children will explode out of those doors with the excitement and energy of a pack of wild monkeys, to follow with the ditty’s analogy.  After being cooped up in McHenry schools all year, it’s not surprising that the children would be chomping at the bit in anticipation of a summer’s worth of freedom. They’re free from studying, homework and sitting in classrooms all day. They’re free to have fun. And, if they’re like most children, they’ll be after all the fun they can get. What does summer vacation for kids in McHenry mean for drivers? A conscientious driver is constantly aware of what’s going on around them...

Auto manufacturers do a darn good job of putting cars, trucks and SUVs together for auto owners in Wonder Lake and beyond but there are still occasional problems you should be aware of. Things come up and, when they do, auto manufacturers will issue recalls so they can address whatever problem has arisen. It pays to watch for recalls to keep your vehicle safe and reliable.  No one in Wonder Lake does a better job of maintaining their car, truck or SUV. You have every right to expect reliability from your vehicle. You’ve left nothing to chance. And yet, you may have a ticking time bomb on wheels. Auto manufacturers do an incredible job of designing, building and testing the vehicles they sell, such as the car, truck or SUV in your Wonder Lake driveway. But problems still slip through.  Recent recalls that have been in the news include: 1.3 million Ford F-150 trucks recalled for dangerous issue with downshifting 235,000 Genesis, Kia vehicles recalled because of a fire risk Mo...

By all means, enjoy your time with family and friends this Memorial Day . But don't forget to reflect on the true purpose of the holiday. Today is Memorial Day here in Johnsburg and throughout the country. It’s time to light up the grill and enjoy the unofficial first day of summer. Of course, that’s not the actual purpose of this national holiday. Some seem to think Memorial Day is about veterans. That’s only partially true. We celebrate our veterans, specifically, on November 11 , each year, the anniversary of the day WWI ended. But Memorial Day is a somber event when we consider that it’s about the veterans who paid the ultimate price for the liberties we enjoy every day. Memorial Day is about those who gave their lives in the defense of America and our liberties. This isn’t to say that we shouldn’t enjoy a barbequed meal and the company of friends. It even makes sense that we would enjoy some pleasurable outdoor activities, weather accommodating. But it does mean that we shoul...

It starts with timely auto maintenance The Indy 500 is a test of endurance, not just for the drivers but also for the cars. The same is true for you and your car. And the key in both cases is timely auto maintenance . This coming weekend, we’ll all have a chance to watch one of the premier sporting events in America each year. Of course, we’re talking about the Indy 500. The Indianapolis 500 race was first run in 1911 – 115 years ago. Of course, the cars go a little faster now than they did back then. The average speed of Indy cars in 1911 was 74.6 mph. Average speeds these days are more than 234 mph. These dramatic increases in speed demonstrate awesome technological improvements. The chief difference is that the engines in Indy cars today are vastly more powerful. In 1911, the Marmon Wasp , which won the first Indy race, had an engine with 110 horsepower. Today’s Indy cars run twin-turbocharged V6 engines that put out more than 700 horsepower. In other words, Indy cars today run m...

Summer is rolling into McHenry . That means hot days are ahead. Now is the time to have your car, truck or SUV's AC checked. What kind of summer can we expect this year in McHenry? Will we have a blistering-hot summer or a milder version of the season in the summer of 2026? Yes, it’s still more than a month away. But it’s still coming. Not only is summer coming to McHenry, it’ll be here before you know it. In fact, summer-like weather is likely to come our way before the official first-day of summer arrives Sunday, June 21. And when summer weather arrives, there’s something you want from your car, truck and SUV that you don’t so much need the rest of the year. AIR-CONDITIONING!!! Many people turn on the AC when the outside temperature tops 70 degrees. Some roll down the windows until the temperature approaches 80 degrees. Wherever you fall in that scale, when it gets hot outside, you’re probably going to want the air conditioning to do its job when you call upon it. The average t...

You've got all your standard Mother's Day gifts - flowers and candy. But you could give mom her car maintenance and a cleaning that will keep her safely and reliably on the road when she pulls out of her Wonder Lake driveway. Ask someone in the floral business and they’ll tell you that Mother’s Day is the busiest holiday of the year. After all, almost everyone has a mother. And, as Mother’s Day rolls into Wonder Lake, no doubt you’ll be buying some flowers and candy for your mom.  Another Mother’s Day ritual, whether in Wonder Lake or not, is to take mom out for brunch or dinner. Maybe you’ll swing by mom’s house and pick her up to take her out to a diner and maybe a ride in the country. Would you expect mom to push papers and empty coffee cups out of the way as she slides into the passenger seat beside you? You could sweep all that junk onto the floor of the car before mom gets in but then she’ll be looking for a clean spot among the garbage for her feet. Of course, you may...

Kentucky Derby horses have more in common with Richmond automobiles than you might think Horses running in the Kentucky Derby this coming Saturday receive the finest care. Your car, truck of SUV is running a different race, so to speak. And if you want it to keep running reliably, you want to give it the finest automobile maintenance. Look at those ponies run! Yes, even though this is a blog dedicated to maintaining automobiles, it’s timely to point out that horses will be running this coming Saturday, May 2. It’s a thrilling event to watch, even if you’re watching on your television in Richmond , and must be twice as exciting for those who are participating, whether a jockey, a trainer or an owner. Of course, there are some similarities between horse racing and auto racing . In auto racing, the amount of power produced by an engine is referred to as “ horsepower .” No doubt, this is a reflection of how automotive engines were compared to horses in the infancy of the automotive age....

It would be nice if your car would change its own oil right there in your McCullom Lake driveway. It's not likely and you may want to accept the responsibility of making sure it gets timely oil changes . Imagine someone who takes their car out of their McCullom Lake garage frequently to wash and wax the vehicle in their driveway. They bring it in for regular maintenance, have the tires, suspension, steering and brakes checked on a regular basis. You’d think they take their car’s maintenance pretty seriously, wouldn’t you? What if you found out they seldom or never had the oil changed? They pulled out of their McCullom Lake driveway, day after day, kept their vehicle looking tip-top but never changed the oil. Would that make any sense? Of course not.  Engine oil is the lifeblood of your car's engine It wouldn’t make sense to do all that other maintenance and not have the oil changed. There isn’t any other maintenance procedure that’s as important as having the oil changed. Engin...

You don't always have to drive off-road after winter to feel as though you're off-road. When  you leave your Johnsburg home, you're liable to see some potholes that will challenge your struts , shocks and suspension . You’re familiar with rumble strips on the roads, right. They’re the rough areas in a road designed to make the kind of noise that will wake sleepy drivers or those not paying sufficient attention to something ahead. In some places around America and the world, roads have been built with musical rumble strips . They’re designed so that, as you drive over the rumble strips, they create musical sounds. In fact, they’ll play a specific song. While that’s very interesting, and it would probably be fun to drive over musical rumble strips a while, the kinds of bumps and potholes thrown at you this late Johnsburg winter have hardly been music to your ears, or to your car, truck or SUV. The potholes and cracks in the pavement around Johnsburg and beyond, are almost...

You're liable to see new drivers on the roads of McHenry . Sometimes, you'll know because of the sign on the roof of their car. Other times, you may notice a novice driver by the way that they drive. In any case, cut them a little slack. We were all new drivers once. We see them on the roads each spring here in McHenry. No, I’m not talking about deer, racoons, wild turkeys or other denizens of nature that venture out as the weather warms. I’m talking about new drivers. Often nervous about the new experience of operating a vehicle on our roads, new drivers, often still driving on driver’s permits, can pose a challenge to us all. Due to their anxiety , they may be hesitant about maneuvers the rest of us (hopefully) take for granted. They may forget to properly signal their intentions, such as a planned turn on Route 120 in McHenry . They may accelerate suddenly, not intentionally but because they’re still getting accustomed to the gas pedal in the vehicles they drive. They may h...