Don't Let a Pothole Ruin Your Day

Next to an actual fender bender, the sound of your car making a direct hit on a pothole is one of the most spine-jolting noises you'll ever hear. But if you think your nervous system is rattled by running your vehicle into an enormous road abyss, think about your car's tires, chassis, suspension and rims, all of which can be compromised after a particularly vicious encounter with a pothole. Here's some advice about how to deal with winter potholes.

Slow down and don't tailgate

Driving cautiously is always good advice, but even more so on a road littered with potholes. The best advice for dealing with potholes is to avoid them, but sometimes your only option is to try and minimize the possibility for damage when you strike one.

• You will not "fly" over a pothole by going fast.
• Most potholes are big enough to do damage even if you're traveling at highway speeds.
• The faster your speed, the greater damage the pothole can do.
• If the driver in front of you hits a pothole, you'll have a better chance to take evasive action if you're not riding their rear bumper.

Puddles contain hidden dangers

Use extreme caution when driving over puddles, as you never know what lurks beneath the surface of the water.

• Puddles can conceal massive potholes, sometimes even large enough to do severe damage to the car.
• Sometimes puddles will freeze to temporarily fill in a pothole. Even so, the icy surface can be a danger of its own.
• Be especially wary of puddles on those rainy days at the end of winter, when the ground expands and new craters appear.

It's always important to hold the steering wheel at 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock, for optimal control of the vehicle. Winter potholes can certainly test both your steering reflexes and your grip.

• Hitting a pothole when you've got a loose grip on the wheel can snap the wheel left or right, causing you to lose control of the vehicle.
• Even if you don't lose control, a pothole can send enough of a shock through your steering system to send your car into the next lane, potentially causing an accident.
• A worn suspension system can exacerbate pothole-induced loss of control.

Don't brake into a pothole

While it may seem unorthodox, hitting your brakes just before encountering a pothole is one of the worst things you can do. Chalk it up to simple physics.

• Try and slow down as much as possible if contact with a pothole is inevitable.
• Keep in mind that when you brake heavily, your car tends to nosedive and compress the suspension.
• So that the car can absorb the impact, you want the most possible suspension travel over the front wheels when you hit the pothole.
• This means letting off the brakes the moment before you hit the pothole and allowing the car to absorb the blow.

Alignments, potholes or not

After winter pothole season ends, it's a good idea to get your car aligned – a process by which the suspension is adjusted to keep the car tracking in a straight line – regardless of whether or not you've struck a pothole. Proper alignment ensures safe handling of the car as well as keeping your tires in good condition.

• If your car pulls in one direction instead of maintaining a straight path after you strike a pothole, that indicates an alignment problem.
• If you feel a loss of control, or if you feel the car bottoming out or bouncing excessively on rough roads, those are indicators that the steering and suspension may have been damaged.
• If you do hit a pothole, don't assume that if you didn't get a flat that there's been no damage to the tire, rim or suspension.
• Get the car inspected during the next oil change following a severe pothole hit and get an alignment if you need one.
• It is better to find out that your car has suffered damage and get it fixed while it's still rolling than waiting for a breakdown when you'll have to pay for towing fees in addition to having to fix the problem.
• When you drive faster in nice summer weather, that's when its essential to make sure your car is up to the task and is free of alignment or tire issues.