Every motorist will have had some kind of experience with potholes and, while often this is nothing more than a frustration, this can actually be dangerous and cause significant damage to the car. It is true that modern-day wheels are designed for a fair amount of punishment, but with more and more potholes appearing on the roads due to extreme weather, it means that many motorists are experiencing constant bumps to their tyres which will cause inevitable damage.
Minimizing Damage
In terms of minimizing tyre damage, you will want to make sure that you are driving on high-quality tyres so it is a good idea to regularly examine yours to make sure that they are in good condition. Healthy tyres will have no signs of damage like cracks or bulges, they will have plenty of tread and be inflated to the recommended level. If your tyres fall below this standard, you should look to buy tyres online so that they will perform and reduce the chance of pothole damage. When you are unable to avoid a pothole, you should take your foot off the gas and hold the wheel lightly – this will help you to retain as much control as possible.
Potential Issues
Driving over a pothole can be a nasty shock, but you also need to be aware of just how much damage this could be doing. Driving over a pothole can cause all kinds of damage to your tyre, including:
- Bent wheel rims
- Internal tyre damage
- Wheel misalignment
- Damage to shocks and struts
- Damage to the suspension
This damage can then go on to cause more damage to the entire car and could even make it unsafe to drive. Even driving over a small pothole just one time can cause significant damage, but if you are regularly driving over potholes then it is only a matter of time before you encounter an issue. It can be dangerous to swerve out of the way, so what can be done to prevent damage caused by potholes?
Avoiding Potholes
One of the best things that you can do is to alert the relevant local authority. While nothing might get done, it is still important that motorists are alerting the authorities to unsafe driving conditions which could result in an accident. If possible, you should also avoid roads where you know that there are potholes although this obviously isn’t always possible and new potholes seem to appear constantly.
Potholes can be incredibly frustrating as a motorist but they could also cause a tremendous amount of damage to your wheels and car. It is best to avoid them if possible, but you can also prevent damage from occurring by making sure that you have high-quality tyres and retaining as much control as possible when you drive over them.
