Why Hitting a Pothole Can Cost You More Than a Flat Tyre

A pothole strike often feels like a one off jolt, and then the car seems to drive fine. The trouble is that "seems fine" and "is fine" aren't the same thing, and the damage from a solid pothole hit is frequently the kind that shows up weeks later as a bigger, more expensive repair.

The tyre isn't always the worst of it

A pothole can cause a sidewall bulge, a slow leak, or in a bad case, a full blowout. But the tyre is often the least of your problems.

The impact travels through the tyre and wheel straight into the suspension and steering components behind it. Struts, control arms, tie rod ends and bushings are all designed to handle the up-and-down forces of normal driving, not a sudden, sharp impact from the side or from directly below.

Bent rims are more common than people think

Alloy wheels, in particular, are vulnerable to bending or cracking on a hard enough hit,  and a bent rim doesn't always look bent to the eye.

 It can be enough to break the seal between the tyre and the wheel, causing a slow air leak that seems to come from nowhere, or enough to throw the wheel out of balance without any visible damage at all.

If you've had a pothole strike and started noticing a vibration or a tyre that keeps needing air, a bent rim is one of the first things worth ruling out.

Alignment damage is the sneaky, expensive one

The impact that bends a rim or damages a suspension component almost always knocks the wheel alignment out at the same time. Because alignment problems don't announce themselves immediately. The car might drive normally for a few days before the uneven tyre wear becomes obvious.

This is the damage most likely to get missed until you're looking at a set of tyres worn out on one edge, months before they should have needed replacing.

What to actually do after a hard pothole hit

If you've hit a pothole hard enough to notice it, it's worth a quick check even if the car seems to be driving normally afterward: a look at the tyre and rim for visible damage, a check of tyre pressure over the following few days to catch a slow leak early, and if anything feels different in the steering or the car pulls to one side, a proper alignment check on the rig rather than waiting for the tyres to show it.

Melbourne's roads throw up their fair share of potholes, especially after wet weather, so this isn't a rare event.

 If you've had a recent hit, drop in to your nearest TYREPLUS HTR store (Hallam, Dandenong-area, Narre Warren-adjacent, Glen Waverley, Wantirna or Cheltenham) and we'll check the wheel, tyre and alignment together so nothing gets missed.

Come and visit us today or call us on  (03) 9560 0442.