I was going about 30-35 MPH on the highway today before hitting a really deep pothole. The pothole was concealed by mulitple pools of water (it was raining the whole day in NJ) on the road so it was impossible to avoid, but what's the worst possible damage that could've happened to the car?

Promptly I noticed a "Hydro"? Very smoke-like form rising from underneath the car, but no visible damage. The drive home was okay and the tires seems to be in good condition. The alignment didn't seem to be altered, and no unusual noises.

Is it something I should even worry about?

Anyway, thanks for reading- I just wanted some peace of mind before heading to bed.

Jeff

 

I'd just drive it and see if it has any wheel vibration or pulls towards the side that hit the pot hole. If your really worried, take it in and have it checked. Better to be safe than sorry I always say.

 

True, I guess it's always better to be on the safe side, but neither vibrations or pulls, I'm guessing my car received some negligible abuse tonight..or that's what I'm hoping.

 

Jeff,

You shouldn't need to worry about hydrolock if you have the stock airbox, since the air inlet sits so high up. I just hate potholes because I feel that:

- my car's interior will become "looser" faster-
- the shocks will die faster
- the frame will not be as straight faster
- my alignment will be off much quicker, etc.

i.e. instead of having shocks that last 10 years, they will now last 6 years or something due to these abuses (being abused on a consistent basis ... like from the roads in NE).

On a side note, I must say the roads in the northeast really suck. I feel like I'm driving in a third world country. The roads are so poorly paved that you can't find a decent road to drive without having to dodge those massive holes. I honestly do not understand whether it is really THAT hard to pave the roads properly. Sometimes I feel that the poor road conditions do end up causing more accidents and unnecessary traffic slowdowns.

It's not like they (being the muicipals) don't have the money either. CT and NJ are probably two of the richest states in the US, and NY has an extremely high tax rate. Where is the money going to????

Oh yes ... the pebbles ... the roads here are just full of crap. I always hear the car picking up a lot of pebbles or pebbles bouncing off my windshield on the turnpike area -- that's when I don't even follow close to other cars and avoid driving behind any sort of trucks. With all that, I got my rock chip in the first 200 miles on my front bumper. Really mad.

 

That smoke you saw was probably water hitting your exhaust system / header. Just the water vaporizing from the high heat

 

Similar thing happened to me yesterday - part of a truck tire or something on the Interstate (with another two hours of driving left before getting home).

I must have checked for the car pulling one way or another 30 times on the rest of the drive - so far, seems okay.

 

Well said. I think more or less the exact same thing when I drive around here. It's deplorable in a lot of circumstances.

 

2 days ago i hit a pothole that scratched my rim. they were doing some construction on this street with no signs posted, so i was pretty much screwed and couldn't turn around.

 

Totally agree. That's why I'm moving back to CA

 

Lucky you ... I'm dying to move back to the West Coast, except I need a job there first!!! Know if anyone's hiring