When Mar and Apr talk about cars these days, they are not bragging about lap times; they are trading horror stories about cratered streets and repair bills. From Ohio to the Sun Belt, drivers are learning the hard way that brutal potholes can chew through tires, suspension parts, and exhaust systems far faster than any weekend blast of horsepower. For anyone shopping for their next ride, the smarter question is shifting from how fast it is to how well it survives the roads they actually drive.
That shift is not just about comfort; it is about money and safety. A deep hole taken at city speeds can bend a wheel, blow a tire, or knock the steering out of alignment in a single hit, and repeated abuse quietly shortens the life of shocks, struts, and even the engine. Choosing a car that is built to cope with rough pavement, and then driving it accordingly, can protect both the budget and the people inside.
What Potholes Really Do To A Car
Most drivers feel a pothole as a single thud, but the car absorbs that impact in several painful stages. The first line of fire is the tire and wheel, where a sharp edge can pinch the sidewall, crack the rim, or both in one unlucky strike. The severity depends on the shape and depth of the hole and the speed at impact, which is why guides on the shape and depth of the road damage keep stressing slower, smoother driving when the pavement looks sketchy.
If the tire survives, the hit keeps traveling into the suspension and steering hardware. Shops that see this every spring describe how Tires and Wheels, say, are only the start, followed by bent control arms, damaged shocks, and sensitive components under the vehicle that get knocked out of alignment. That kind of unseen hit can leave a car pulling to one side, chewing through tires, and feeling vague at highway speeds, all from a pothole the driver barely remembers.
Why Ride Quality And Suspension Beat Raw Power
On paper, heart-pounding acceleration and big horsepower numbers look glamorous, and marketing copy leans hard into Heart pounding acceleration and maximum speeds. In real life, though, that power is useless if the car is constantly tramlining over broken asphalt or sitting in the shop for suspension work. A well-tuned set of shocks and struts, paired with sensible wheels and tires, does more for daily sanity than an extra 100 horsepower that rarely sees full throttle.
Technicians who specialize in chassis work point out that original equipment shocks and struts are often marginal after Mileage May Vary and 50,000 miles of average driving, especially on rough roads. Replacing those parts is not just about a smoother feel; it is about keeping the tires planted so the steering stays precise and emergency maneuvers actually work when the driver needs them. In that context, a buyer cross-shopping a stiff, low-riding performance sedan against a slightly softer crossover might find the latter is the better match for their cratered commute.
How To Choose (And Drive) A Car For Bad Roads
People who live with frost heaves and broken pavement all winter have started trading advice that sounds almost anti-performance. In one discussion, a commenter in Apr from Ohio bluntly warned that when it is pothole season in northeast Ohio, the focus has to shift from looks to survival, a point echoed in a video on pothole season that walks through how quickly those impacts drain a wallet. The theme is simple: taller sidewalls, smaller wheels, and a suspension tuned for compliance, not just cornering, are the real heroes when the asphalt falls apart.
That same logic shows up in advice threads where enthusiasts tell each other, First of all, Important, Completely regardless of the vehicle, if a smooth ride is the goal, they should install the SMALLEST wheel that clears the brakes and choose a tire with enough sidewall to flex over broken surfaces. Shops that see the aftermath of rough roads reinforce that advice, noting how Suspension Damage, Potholes can impact steering and alignment to the point that the car no longer delivers a safe and smooth driving experience.
More from Wilder Media Group: