The Performance Unlimited Team makes regular appearances at the McHenry Green Street Cruise Night in the summer. Recently, however, they were joined by a little additional star power.

Bambi, the 2-year-old Pomeranian from Aldens Kennels, 6810 Barnard Mill Road, Ringwood, made a surprise appearance and posed for photographs with the Performance Unlimited Team. Bambi is renowned as a canine version of Dos Equis, the fictional “most interesting man alive” from a brewing company’s advertising campaign.

Bambi is the star of magazines and film. He has one of three legs towards his Companion Dog obedience title, he trains in obedience, Schutzhund and agility and has been immortalized on canvas by world renowned photograph Aurdrey Wancket of Spring Grove based Wancket Studios.

With all that going for him, Dennis Norton, owner of Performance Unlimited, said it’s a wonder fame hadn’t gone to Bambi’s head.

“It’s really nice to meet someone of Bambi’s stature without that whole diva attitude,” Norton said. “Start to finish, he was a real gentleman and, well, personable.”

To learn more about Performance Unlimited, visit: www.4performanceunlimited.comor call: (815) 728-0343. You can also learn more about Aldens Kennels at www.aldenskennels.com and about Wancket Studios at www.wancketstudios.com.

Wild Horses were all over the place Monday night in McHenry. These ponies weren’t just Mustangs, however. There were also Cameros, Road Runners and Cutlasses, to name a few. If you’re familiar with these breeds you’re an obvious connoisseur of the muscle-car era that lives on and was richly on display at the Green Street Cruise Night event. Green Street Cruise Nights occur every Monday at 6 p.m. throughout the summer.

“There were at least 480 cars out here tonight,” said Denny Norton of Ringwood-based Performance Unlimited, “a lot of really nice cars.”

Many of the cars displayed in the impromptu hotrod coral owe a measure of credit to Performance Unlimited for their pristine condition.

Performance Unlimited is well known in McHenry County as a premier auto shop to bring the family car for maintenance and repair. However, as the name suggests, they also help hotrodders and auto racers to maximize their potential.

Considering the symbiotic relationship between Performance Unlimited and area auto enthusiasts, it’s only natural that Norton and the Performance Unlimited Team would be on hand in their purple and black shirts with a booth and a chance to meet and talk cars with attendees.

The Performance Unlimited booth was one among several, including Alden’s Kennels, Artistic Embroidery Creations and PrePaid Legal Services. Artistic Embroidery can help with things like the embroidered patches on the Northern Illinois Streeters orange jackets (the car club is instrumental in putting on the event). Of course, PrePaid Legal can help out if someone is pulled over for cruising just a little too fast in their hotrod. And, Alden’s Kennels will take care of the family pet with its boarding and board and train programs while an enthusiast is on an extended cruise in their dream car.

But, Performance Unlimited is the one that will keep cruisers cruising.

As Norton put it, “If you like hotrods, there’s no better place to be on Monday night.”

Norton welcomed car enthusiasts to come out to Green Street Mondays this summer to see the cars. Or, if someone has a hotrod of their own, Cruise Night is a great way to show it off. While there, be sure to stop by the booths and meet the vendors who support the event.

For more information about Performance Unlimited, 5415 Austin Court, Ringwood, visit: www.4performanceunlimited.com.

To learn more about Aldens Kennels, 6810 Barnard Mill Road, Ringwood, visit: www.aldenskennels.com.

To learn more about Artistic Embroidery Creations, 5203 Home Ave., Mchenry, visit: www.artisticembroiderycreations.com.

To learn more about PrePaid Legal Services, McHenry, visit: www.prepaidlegal.com/hub/fahosticka.

Now that winter is over, maybe (considering these wild fluctuations of heat and cold), and road crews are out filling potholes, you might want to consider taking a look at the suspension and steering on your vehicle. Midwestern winters are particularly rough on automobiles and, this past winter, probably more so than most.

“Winters in northern Illinois can really play havoc on your car’s chassis,” said Denny Norton, owner of Ringwood based Performance Unlimited. “Even if your car was recently aligned, if you hit the wrong pothole, the wrong way, you’re right back where you started from or worse.”

Norton said that potholes and bumps in the road can damage various parts on the chassis and throw the steering out of whack. Both are bad news for vehicle owners.

“It’s not just that you car won’t handle as well,” said Norton. “It can also affect your gas mileage and, worse yet, can put you and your family at risk while driving.”

Paul Smith, owner of Cary based Smith & Associates, Inc., insurance services, agrees with Norton.

“As much as 10 percent of auto accidents can be traced to mechanical failure,” Smith said. “Brakes, tires, bearings, tie-rod ends: all these cause accidents when they malfunction or break.”

Smith said that tire failure is the most common cause of automobile accidents. However, Norton pointed out that damage to a car’s suspension and steering can lead to tire damage, including premature and irregular wear.

“Drivers should have their car’s chassis and steering inspected every spring,” he said. “It’s a good idea to check the alignment, too.”

A car’s front end is aligned to provide proper tracking of the tires and to ensure that the steering operates at the optimal level. Proper alignment extends the life of tires and frontend components. In the process, it ensures the car is handling well and gives the driver the best opportunity to avoid an accident.

Norton said that there are several signs of a front end that has problems – whether with components or alignment.

“If the car is pulling to one side or the other, or if you feel a pulsation in the steering wheel, that’s a good sign that something is wrong,” he said. However, he added that, from the driver’s perspective, it’s not always apparent when something in the steering or suspension needs attention.

He said drivers can have the chassis looked at when they bring their car into a repair shop for scheduled maintenance, such as an oil change.

“It doesn’t take long to check out the chassis,” Norton said, “But, it could be a life saver.”

To learn more about Performance Unlimited, or to schedule an appointment, call 815-728-0343 or visit: www.4performanceunlimited.com.

To learn more about Smith & Associates, Inc., insurance services, call 877-766-8552 or visit: www.saiinfo.com.

Business took me down from Woodstock to areas south of Chicago last week. For those down that way, if you’re not familiar with Woodstock, we’re just beyond the Sacred Elephant Graveyard. In other words, we’re a bit off the beaten track.

While casually cruising southbound on Highway 355 in my father’s Lincoln I suddenly smelled something akin to burning rubber as I saw a sign for the Route 34 exit. Then, the battery light came on just as I noticed an marked stiffness in the steering wheel.

I know these symptoms of automotive malaise well. In fact, it was only 24 hours earlier that, like déjà vu, I experienced the same symptoms in my own car (hence the need to borrow my father’s car for the day).

What are the odds of throwing a serpentine belt on two cars in consecutive days? It has to be some kind of a record.

Contemplating the irony of the events was secondary to my immediate problem as I turned off of 355 onto westbound 34. The prominent issue plaguing my mind was what to do now.

When someone looses a serpentine belt, the battery light comes on because the belt is no longer turning the alternator. That means the alternator is no longer creating a flow of electricity necessary to keep the car running. The car can run for a while off stored energy in the battery but that is a quickly diminishing commodity. In other words, just as someone knows they’d better find a gas station soon when the needle comes to rest on empty, I knew that I needed to find a repair shop before that red battery light on the dash began to fade.

And there it was – Lisle Automotive & Tire beckoning with hope for a solution from my dilemma. Grabbing the steering wheel firmly, I muscled the car into the parking lot and shutoff the engine.

Finding a repair shop is one thing. Finding one that can work on a car ‘now’ is another. I had driven on a diminishing batter to Denny Norton’s Performance Unlimited, 5415 Austin Court, Ringwood, after hours the day before. I knew, however, that my car was in good hands. But, Lisle Automotive & Tire? I had never even heard of this repair shop and, until I burned up the serpentine belt in my dad’s car, there was no reason I would have.

It occurred to me that I might have to find a room in Lisle and get back on the road the next day. And, whether I had to wait or not, what kind of a job would they do? I’m sure we’ve all heard the same auto-repair horror stories.

It’s my philosophy that finding a good mechanic is as important as finding a good doctor. When your car breaks, you need someone you can trust – someone who will get you back safely and expeditiously onto the road with a minimum of expense and hassle. That’s why I bring my car to Denny. I know, from experience, that I can trust Denny and his staff to take good care of me and my car.

At Lisle Automotive & Tire, however, at best it was the luck of the draw.

We’ve established that I have about the worst possible luck in serpentine belts. I discovered last week that, apparently, I have the best possible luck in finding auto mechanics. Don Thomey, of Lisle Automotive & Tire, 1508 Ogden Ave., Lisle, had me on the road in about an hour. And I had far less pain in the wallet than I expected.

You’ll notice I’ve included the address to his shop. I don’t provide addresses and recommendations for companies I don’t trust. I can’t tell you how glad I am to have a place like Performance Unlimited to maintain my car. But, now I know that, if I’m traveling to southern reaches of Chicagoland, I can always call on Lisle Automotive & Tire with a similar level of confidence.

To learn more about Lisle Automotive & Tire, visit: www.lisleautomotiveandtire.com. To learn more about Performance Unlimited, visit: www.4performanceunlimited.com.

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 (???) mph. 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 16^th 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 Bellini.

“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.”

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.

To learn more about Performance Unlimited, click here.

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.

Joe Fischer, a fabricator working with chassis for Performance Unlimited, (address), Ringwood, laughed, “Once you get me talking about cars it’s hard to get me to stop.”

It wasn’t just the incredible depth of knowledge Fischer brought to Performance Unlimited’s Tech Presentation Sunday where racers and fans of the sport learned the fine art of fine tuning suspensions and steering for maximum performance, it was also the passion for the subject vividly flashing in Fischer’s eyes as he described how balancing the weight of a racecar at each tire is a process that has to account for fuel consumption, spring compression in turns and road temperatures while racing. In fact, Fischer said the timing of these factors is also crucial in racing as the goal is to have the car operating at its optimal weight and balance late in a race.

“You’re not going anywhere early when the cars are all packed in tight together,” Fischer said. “You want your optimal weight late.”

To achieve the optimal balance of weight, Fischer said they can add weight in different areas of the car. However, adding weight becomes counterproductive. By maintaining the chassis at the lowest possible weight, they have more flexibility to modify weight distribution.

Prior to Sunday’s event, Mike Wolf, a race engineer with the Paul Menard Car 27 (more) spoke of all the minute details required to give a NASCAR racer the best opportunity to win. Fischer echoed those sentiments. However, he also pointed out that most people don’t have millions of dollars for the kinds of equipment the ‘NASCAR boys’ use. In the case of measuring and adjusting the car’s weight at each wheel, NASCAR has a 7-post shaker that simulates the effect on weight distribution while going around the track.

“Obviously, we don’t have that capability,” Fischer said. “We use a bump-steer system – meaning the way we determine what the steering does with travel.”

Fischer demonstrated how they set the bump-steer equipment up to the spindle with the tire and wheel removed. With a floor jack, they raise the spindle through its range of travel. The dial indicator on the equipment shows how much steering the car has while driving. As Fischer explained, bump-steer is just that; the car hits a bump and, as the springs compress, the wheels pull one way or the other. The goal is to reduce the amount of pull, or steering, that occurs when going over bumps.

Fischer said everything comes down to one simple equation – how much tire can they put on the pavement.

“The bottom line in racing, in any way, shape or form – it always comes down to tires on the ground … the contact patch,” he said. “Everything you’re doing with the chassis is to achieve the most contact patch on the track.”

He said that a car with a 600-horsepower engine will lose every time to a car with 150 horses if the prior is running on bicycle tires and the other has a good set of road shoes.

The minutia of detail extends to the level of measuring the temperature of tires.  Fischer described how they take three temperature readings across the surface of the tire from outside to in. The variation in temperature tells a lot about how a particular tire is running. Even the temperature from tire to tire is informative.

“Ideally, you would have 140 – 140 – 140 (degrees) across the front left tire,” he said. “The left rear might be a little hotter because it’s the drive tire.”

For instance, Fischer said that, if a tire had readings of 110 – 50 – 110 (degrees) that would indicate there is not enough air in the tires. If the middle temperature is highest, there’s too much air. Other readings can indicate whether the camber is too positive or negative, as well as other factors.

Approximately 25 racers and enthusiasts attended the event last Sunday. The attendees brought varying levels of knowledge about the subject matter but all came away with a better understanding of the myriad of influencing factors involved in trying to tweak a racecar to its ultimate performance.

One thing that makes tuning a suspension and steering so difficult is that everything is interrelated. As Fischer explained, when they make an adjustment in one area of the car’s chassis, it tends to effect adjustments in other areas. Sometimes, identifying a problem isn’t all that easy either.

Fischer was driving a car in a race for another owner a few years ago.

“For the first 10 laps, I was dominating the field,” he said. “No one could touch me.”

But, after a yellow flag, Fischer discovered that the steering had become extremely loose; when he went around turns the rear wanted to slide out. He said that, every time they ran the car, it was the same thing. Fischer said he was talking to the owner of the car a short time after the race.

“He told me, ‘We found it,’” Fischer said.

It turned out the problem with the chassis was related to the header (exhaust manifold) requirements for the particular engine in the car – a Ford power plant. There wasn’t enough room for the headers to fit around a round brace that connected the center of the chassis to the right front of the chassis. To solve the problem, the car’s crew cut the bar out and replaced it with an aluminum alloy that was bolted in so they could remove it to fit the engine in and slide it through the headers afterwards to reconnect it.

“The thing about aluminum is that, at about 700 degrees, it turns to butter – it loses its rigidity,” he said.

When the bar, which was designed to help stabilize the chassis, became soft, the entire handling of the car changed dramatically.

Fischer said there are also differences in how they tune and balance a chassis that depend on the type of racing the car runs in. Short track racers, like Fischer, run on a circular track, always turning to the left. But, road racers run on a track with multiple turns to right and left. The optimal balance for the road racers is generally more equalized.

They also have to consider the qualifications for their type and class of racing.

“We want to be more than 58 percent (of the weight) on the left side of the car,” he said. “But, if you’re 58.2 percent to the left you’re disqualified. That’s illegal.”

In fact, the specifications change based on what type of motor a car has. Teams that choose a bigger carburetor are penalized on weight. He said that, as soon as a race is over, the top four or five finishers drive straight to the garage where they are checked to ensure they qualify. If they fail the test, they’re stripped of their winnings.

All of this translates to tuning and balancing the chassis as close to the allowable standard without crossing the line. Fischer described it as a quest.

“No matter how good you are, you’re always looking for more,” he said. “You try different things and, if they don’t work, you go the other way.”

For every improvement, the car receives what Wolf called “free speed.” And Fischer agreed that, ultimately, that’s what drives racers and their crews to continue challenging the envelope.

Performance Unlimited is not affiliated with NASCAR, Richard Childress Racing or the No. 27 Menards Chevrolet currently ranked sixth in Sprint Cup with Paul Menard at the wheel. No one from NASCAR is expected to attend the event Sunday. However, Denny Norton, of Performance Unlimited shares one thing with the people who compete at the NASCAR level; he understands that competitive racing doesn’t start and end with the horses under the hood.

That’s why Performance Unlimited is holding a Tech Presentation from noon to 4 p.m., Sunday, March 13. NASCAR racing is comprised of an elite field of top performers in auto racing. For those who dream of one day taking a car out onto the track at Daytona or the Brickyard, or even those who just enjoy an opportunity to compete at a local track, every competitive edge counts.

Mike Wolf is a race engineer with car No. 27. When told about the event Sunday at Performance Unlimited, Wolf said, “If you can understand your car better than the other guy you’re going to beat him at any level.”

Wolf said one of his duties is to analyze tire and wind tunnel data on the No. 27 Chevrolet.

“We look at the alignment, springs, shocks and try to optimize the overall performance of the car – to get the most out of the tires in the corners,” he said.

Wolf said it’s all in the details. The key is to find the right balance for the track, not to mention the right feel for the driver. The crews will adjust the front and for more camber (positive camber occurs when the bottoms of the front tires are closer together than the tops and negative camber is the opposite), which provides more grip from the tires. Done correctly, this will improve the handling of the car.

“But, if you’re driving around on the inside of the tire … that’s one way you can roast the tire,” he said. “You’ll see that at Daytona. A lot of people will be pushing the camber. The teams will travel the front of the car as close as possible to the ground and keep a high amount of camber in it to turn. In the end you’ll see a lot of blown tires, particularly in the nationwide series. This is less of a problem now with the track being new and having more grip.”

Wolf said other factors also come into play in terms of adjusting the steering and suspension. For instance, they’ll adjust the suspension one way for a hot track and another for a cold track. Even on a single day, the track can start out cold and, as the sun comes out, warm up significantly. That’s why, he said, it’s critical to get it right.

“If you miss it on something Saturday you can fix some things but you’ve kind of made your bed,” he said, indicating that, the closer they get to the starting flag the less they can change things to meet conditions. “If you have a fundamental problem on Sunday, you’re in trouble.”

He said the goal is to get everything you can out of every tire. In particular, they want to use the left front and the left rear tires as much as they can. This has a lot to do with adjusting the weight distribution from tire to tire.

He said that looking at the static weight distribution at each tire is critical but it’s also important to tune the spring for adjustment at speed to help in the corners.

Wolf said there’s no room for saying, “That looks good enough.” What looks good I the shop can turn into trouble on the track. He reiterated the importance of finding the right balance.

“If you’re too conservative (in tuning the steering and suspension) you’ll be too slow,” he said. “Then again, you can get to greedy.”

Leaning too heavily towards the high end of speed and handling can lead to blown tires and wrecks. Wolf said this is a little less critical when qualifying where the car only needs to make two circuits of the track. On race day, however, they’re tuning the car to run fast and long.

Though many of the competitors attending the event at Performance Unlimited are not competing at the level of Richard Childress Racing, Wolf said, “These short track guys are real good.” He said they understand that a well tuned suspension and steering equals a safer ride and “free speed.”

For more information about Performance Unlimited, visit: http://www.4performanceunlimited.com. To learn more about Paul Menard and Car No. 27, visit: http://www.rcrracing.com/teams/driverPag.asp?teamid=27.

Denny Norton, of Performance Unlimited, 5415 Austin Court, Ringwood, knows cars. His team of qualified mechanics constantly attends classes to keep their skills up to date. There is no one in the area better prepared to ensure that your car is properly maintained and operating at peak performance. However, Denny and the men at Performance Unlimited also know a thing or two about high performance automobiles.

“We’ll have three stations setup to demonstrate how a vehicle’s suspension affects its performance,” Norton said, referring to the Tech Presentation at Performance Unlimited from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sunday, March 13.

The three stations will include a Weight Station where current and aspiring competition drivers will learn about the importance of proper weight distribution and how it affects the handling of a car. Norton said Performance Unlimited has equipment to measure the amount of weight on each wheel. Chassis setup will help to optimize the driving experience.

“We also have an Alignment Station,” Norton said. “Our sophisticated alignment system can dial in any car or truck model. In a street car, this means better handling, safer driving and, possibly, better mileage. On the track, however, this is crucial to getting the safest and best performance out of your car.”

The final station is the Bump Steer Station. Here, drivers and pit crews learn how toe alignment if affected by a car’s front suspension based on an at-rest 2” compression.

For those in the high performance arena, the event is an opportunity to gain an edge against their competition. For the casual visitor, the Tech Presentation offers an insight into the minute details that are considered in preparing a sports car for a competition. It will also provide insight into the full extent of qualifications Performance Unlimited has to offer for those merely seeking safe and economical driving experiences around town and on the open road.