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April 11, 2011
Did you have pot luck with pot holes this winter?
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Performance Unlimited has the cure for suspension woes
Potluck is usually a term reserved for a dietary smorgasbord where everyone contributes. Pot luck, on the other hand, in terms of winter driving in these parts, refers to how well your suspension avoided the harsh pratfalls of potholes in the recently past winter. In fact, many of those dastardly road sores are still out there waiting for road crews to apply a little mix of asphalt road cure.
The point is that, if you leave in the Midwest, luck will only take you so far in maintaining the stability and tuning of your suspension. Some drivers may avoid the worst potholes with greater caution and agility than others but no one avoids them all. Translation – it’s time for a suspension checkup.
On the one hand, a badly adjusted suspension alignment can cause additional wear on tires and your car’s chassis. This is potentially far more costly than an alignment and a qualified inspection of your chassis parts and pieces. On the other hand, there’s also an issue of safety.
“Considering how important it is to be able to steer your car safely, having a tie-rod or other part of your frontend break can cause a serious accident,” Denny Norton, owner of Performance Unlimited, 5415 Austin Court, Ringwood, IL, said. “Checking your frontend doesn’t take a long time and could be vital to your safety.”
Water that simultaneously enters cracks in the pavement and the freeze-thaw cycle is the culprit behind the asphalt breakdown in Northern climates. Some types of roads may be affected by this process more than others but they all eventually succumb to the forces of nature.
Norton said that, even without pot-hole mania, suspensions need alignment and checkups at regular intervals. Of course, in these parts, those intervals are closer together than in milder climates.
The good news is that, along with saving on tire and suspension wear, a well tuned and healthy chassis can help to save on gas and make steering of your care more agreeable.
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November 15, 2011
Performance Unlimited invites folks out for the gift of music and more at McHenry “Shop With A Cop”
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 From 5 to 8 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 17, the MC3 business
networking group, part of the McHenry Area Chamber of Commerce, will throw one
heck of a shindig at McHenry VFW east of the bridge on Route 120. Denny Norton,
of Performance Unlimited, 5415 Austin Court, Ringwood, is a member of MC3 and
the “Shop With A Cop” party is one of his favorite events of the year.
“This is a great party and a great cause,” said Norton.
“Last year, the event raised $11,000 so that area police officers could take
underprivileged children out holiday shopping at Walmart. This year, we hope to
raise even more.”
Norton has donated items for the silent auction at the
event. H has also arranged to have racecars out front to draw attention to the
festivities. However, his contributions also have a musical quality.
Norton has donated a cash prize for the sing off between the
McHenry and Johnsburg High School choirs. The choirs will perform for the
listening pleasure of the audience, which will then vote by applause for the
winner.
“It’s kind of an American-Idol type thing,” Norton said.
“Only, in this case, we already know they have talent. You have to hear these
young men and women sing to believe it.”
For more information about the “Shop With A Cop” event,
visit: http://www.mc3online.com/Events.aspx.
For more information about Performance Unlimited, McHenry
County’s premier auto repair location, visit: www.4performanceunlimited.com or
call 815-728-0343.
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May 18, 2011
Hold the tea and crumpets: from monster trucks to the gentlemanly sport of road racing ‒ Performance Unlimited’s Denny Norton excels
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 Denny Norton (foreground), owner of Ringwood based Performance Unlimited auto repair, waits for his turn behind the wheel as another of the Merry Men coaxes their 1969 Alfa Bellini out of the pit.
Most people in the area know Denny Norton as the owner of Performance Unlimited, the auto repair shop at 5415 Austin Court, Ringwood, that keeps their cars safely on the roads. A few years back, however, it was just as common to see Norton behind the wheel of a stock car or monster truck. Norton made a name for himself as a competitive driver in the region.
April 23 and 24, Norton returned to competitive driving, though in a less familiar arena - road racing.
Merry Men is a name that conjures visions of robust men with long bows and English accents wearing green tights. For Norton's return to racing, it represented the name of a team of racers, including Wayne Seely, Mike Recine, Ken Girard and Dave Johnson, who were racing for fun and to raise funds for Japanese Tsunami relief. Norton said that, while he enjoyed the more gentlemanly sport of road racing, he was just fine skipping the tights.
"I was surprised the way some of the other drivers would politely move out of your way," Norton said of his first experience road racing. "With monster trucks and stock cars, it's a bit more aggressive than that."
Norton said he's comfortable hugging someone else's bumper while going through turns at high speed. He said he's also comfortable driving in heavy traffic with other drivers who aren't afraid to fight for the lead.
Though, during the road race, if he tried to slide into another car's slip stream, the other driver would inevitably, and with a very proper air of ‘sorry old chap' civility, move aside, that's not to say the event wasn't competitive. In fact, Norton said it took him a couple laps to shake off the rust from several years' absence from competitive racing. Still, the Merry Men finished 16th overall out of 65 cars, and ninth in their class.
Finishing at all was the key. Seely said the event was part of the '24 Hours of Lemons' nationwide endurance races to prevent gingivitis. He said the group raised $960 to donate to the Red Cross to help survivors of the March 11 Tsunami that slammed into the northeast coast of Japan.
"I'm still soliciting," Seely said. "I want to get over $1,000."
Seely, who Norton described as a strong and experienced road-racing driver, said that Norton definitely enjoyed the event at Gingerman Raceway in South Haven, MI.
"He (Norton) had so much fun he said he's thinking about building his own car for next year's Lemon Race," Seely said.
This year, the team of five took turns behind the wheel of a rented 1969 Alfa Berlina.
"It was an ugly car - oh yeah," said Norton. "But, it handled well."
The race was slowed a bit on Saturday, April 23, when the track was peppered by rain and snow. Seely said he's used to racing in wet conditions. On the other hand, he said Norton probably didn't have much chance to race in the snow or rain as stock car and monster truck competitions were shut down when the weather turned sour.
"We tried using Rain-X every time we came into the pits," Seely said of the wet track that sprayed a mix of water, residue of rubber and grease onto the windshields. "It helped at first but, after two laps, it would be just grease again."
He said that, in those conditions, the best you can do is to follow the other guy's taillights.
By Sunday, the rain and snow had cleared up.
"Once Denny got on the dry track, he was in his element," Seely said. "He was just flying through the turns."
Seely said his top lap time was one-minute, 50 seconds. Norton beat that time by one second.
"Once he (Norton) got himself acclimated to that environment, he picked it up real quick," Seely said.
Seely said the team ran 326 laps and finished the race. Norton said about 20 percent of the cars didn't finish.
"I ran that car hard," Norton said. "It was fun. You couldn't have wiped that smile off of my face if you had tried."
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March 30, 2011
These Merry Men race lemons for earthquake relief
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These Merry Men don’t wear green tights and swing from tree to tree in Sherwood Forest. These Merry Men drive lemons and, April 16 and 17, at Gingerman Raceway near South Haven, MI, they’ll drive lemons for a good cause – to raise funds for the Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami Fund.
 March 11, the northeast coast of Japan was pounded by a massive Tsunami after a 9.0 submerged earthquake occurred offshore. The latest figures estimate that 18,000 have died as a result of the natural disaster and the Japanese are still struggling to contain a crippled nuclear plant with the potential for broader damage and injury. Clearly, the Japanese can use some assistance at this time.
“This is a great cause,” said Denny Norton, one of the Merry Men and owner of Performance Unlimited auto repair service, 5415 Austin Court, Ringwood. “Of course, any excuse to race is a good excuse,” he added with a smile.
The Merry Men Team, comprised of Norton, Wayne Seely, Mike Recine, Ken Girard and Dave Johnson, is part of the Campaign to Prevent Gingevitis’ 24 Hours of Lemons.
“24 Hours of Lemons is a nationwide series of endurance races,” said Seely, a sales representative with People Helping People, a company that provides wireless and voice over telephone service, as well as health products and energy saving equipment. “All the cars in the race have to cost $500 or less. Winning the race is only half the battle. The real trick is to finish the race.”
Seely said there are two methods of contributing: signing a pledge sheet to give a certain amount per lap, or a flat amount for the Merry Men’s car. He added that 100 percent of the proceeds will go the Red Cross to help out in Japan.
To contribute to the Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami Fund, visit the Merry Men at: http://www.visualhorizonsinc.com/lemons/ .
For more information about Performance Unlimited, visit: www.4performanceunlimited.com.
To learn more about People Helping People, contact Wayne Seely at: www.phpico.com/powertosave .
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