Winter brings more than just snow and cold temperatures–it brings potholes! Potholes can make a simple drive feel like a challenging obstacle course. If unavoidable, they can have a damaging effect on your vehicle. As winter thaws, you’ll encounter more potholes on the road. It’s smart to learn how you can prepare your vehicle.
How do Potholes Happen
Potholes start when water trickles into small cracks in the pavement. As freezing temperatures occur, the water freezes and expands, pushing the pavement upward. When this ice eventually melts, it leaves a gap, weakening the structure and stability of the pavement. The weight of passing vehicles eventually causes the pavement to break leaving a pothole.
Hazards to Your Vehicle
As the snow melts and temperatures get warmer with spring, the roads may become riddled with potholes. If you hit a pothole hard, it can throw your wheels out of alignment, damage shocks, tires and even the underbody of your vehicle.
Don’t Let Potholes Win
You can’t reasonably avoid every pothole you encounter, but these tips will help protect your vehicle or soften the blow.
- Keep tires inflated. Fully inflated tires provide better cushion against potholes.
- Drive with caution. Be on the lookout for potholes as you’re driving, going around them when it’s safe to do so. Be wary of puddles too, as they often make potholes hard to spot.
- Slow down. If you can’t avoid hitting a pothole, go over it slowly to lessen the impact.
- Drive in the middle lane. Potholes most often occur in the outer lanes where vehicles tend to drive more frequently.
- Maintain space between yourself and other vehicles. Keep a safe distance between your vehicle and others to allow time to react to potholes or allow others space to react.
As the days get warmer, be proactive when it comes to defending your vehicle against potholes. You don’t want a bump in the road to lead to big repair bills! If your vehicle does start acting strange, like pulling to one side or vibrating, bring it into Houska Automotive to get it checked out. We can help with wheel alignment, steering & suspension, and much more! Contact us for service.