Triangle Radiator & Auto Service – Affordable Car Care for Chicagoland – Avoiding Vehicle Damage from Potholes
Avoiding Vehicle Damage from Potholes
For Chicago motorists, potholes are just an unfortunate part of the whole city driving experience. Striking a pothole with your vehicle could potentially cause a lot of damage to the tires, the rims, suspension and chassis. Naturally, the best plan is to steer clear of potholes, but it’s not always possible. To help minimize damage from potholes to your vehicle, try to keep the following tips in mind:
- Slow down. This tip is obvious but worth repeating. If you can’t avoid a pothole, at least slow down to diminish the impact.
- Increase following distance. When a vehicle in front of you strikes a pothole, you’ll be able to avoid it if you have enough time to react.
- Watch out for puddles. You never know how deep a puddle can be. Be cautious and slow down when you must drive through them.
- Hold on tightly. Striking a pothole can cause quite a jolt to your vehicle. Maintain a firm grip on the steering wheel so you don’t lose control and veer into another lane
- Keep your tires at the right pressure. Correctly inflated tires will provide your vehicle with some extra protection against potholes
Sometimes it is simply impossible to steer around potholes on crowded city streets. If you’ve been driving through a lot of potholes lately, check your tires frequently for signs of damage. Look for bulges, bent rims or leaks. Also, if you observe swaying or unusual side to side movement when driving it could be a sign of problems with shock absorption or with the suspension.
In this case, you’ll want to bring your car or truck to Triangle Radiator & Auto Service at 4060 North Elston Avenue for service right away.
