How to Avoid Hittin Potholes to Avoid Damaging Your Car Tires and Wheels

Imagine you’re on your way to work when the most dreaded thing happens. You’ve hit a pothole. Now, you’re clutching the steering wheel hoping that dreaded pothole didn’t just destroy your tire and wheel. 

The truth is that if you continue to fall into potholes while driving, over time, your car and tire will develop issues. Fortunately, there are ways to avoid hitting potholes and, instead, protect your tires and wheels from those huge holes.

In this article, we share some helpful tips to enable you to avoid potholes while driving on Nigerian roads.

How Do Potholes Damage Cars?

If you’ve ever been unlucky enough to hit a pothole, then you already know the answer to this question. But if you haven’t? Then, yes. Hitting a pothole can definitely damage your car. In fact, according to experts, hitting a pothole can leave you with a punctured tire or a bent or cracked wheel. 

It can also damage your tire’s sidewall and even knock your vehicle out of alignment. That’s not all the damage hitting a pothole can do either. Take a good enough hit, and a pothole can damage your car’s shocks, struts, and even its suspension.

If you have hit a pothole, experts recommend checking for any signs of pothole damage. Not sure what to look for? Try this:

• If there is a bulge on the sidewall of your tire, it could be a sign that the tire was pinched between the edge of the pothole and the wheel. Such an issue could cause the tire’s internal plies to be weakened or severed.
• If your car is now moving to one side, you may have hit the pothole hard enough to shift your car’s alignment out of place. The pothole might have also caused damage to a steering or suspension component.
• Are you hearing some noises? Feeling some vibrations? This could mean something was bent or displaced and could be rubbing on either the tire or the wheel assembly.
• And if a dashboard warning light suddenly appears? Chances are, you likely damaged your tire or wheel when hitting that pothole.

How Do I Avoid Hitting Potholes While Driving?

If you always fall victim to roadside potholes, here are some helpful tips to prevent hitting potholes while driving:

• To prevent pothole damage, inspect your tires regularly. Make sure they’re properly inflated and not worn out. If you hit a pothole with worn or underinflated tires, there is a greater risk of wheel or suspension damage.
• Keep your eyes on the road too. Staying alert and checking the road ahead is an easy way to avoid hitting potholes while driving.
• Slowing down before hitting a pothole can also help minimize damage. Of course, it’s best to try and avoid it altogether, but, unfortunately, that’s not always realistic.
• Steer clear of huge potholes, which can be deep.

Conclusion

When it comes down to it, all you really can do to avoid hitting a pothole is to stay alert. Paying it forward is important too.