Winter tires w/ steel rims, 17". Turns out both passenger side rims were pooched. I watched as they were doing their inspection and it was pretty obvious. I'm surprised there wasn't more vibration.
Fix: New rims. Smooth driving now.
Must have been a hell of a pothole, more like a crater. Glad you figured it out. I would still get an alignment to be on the safe side.
I hit a pothole on the 401 east of Cobourg a few years ago. It took a a large chunk out of my left front mag and instantly flattened the tire at 120 km/h in a car with manual steering. All I can say is good thing I drive with my two hands on the wheel at 9 & 3. Otherwise I would have likely lost control. It also bent the lower control arm and strut.
After I had it repaired (new control arm, strut, wheel, tire and an alignment) I contacted the Ministry of Transportation as parts of the area were under construction. They told me to submit the bill and they would go after the construction company. After 4 months they weren't getting anywhere with the company so the girl I was dealing with said they'd send me a cheque directly. To my surprise, a check for the total amount arrived in the mail a couple weeks later. I figured I was SOL from the beginning but it was worth a shot.