Vibration - Creamed a pothole

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rhuarc29

Well-known member
Apr 15, 2009
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I hit a pothole with my right front tire on the QEW pretty good yesterday and ever since I've had a slight vibration and noise at speeds over 110km/h. Possibly noticeable below that, but it starts to become indistinguishable from regular road noise/feel.

I can't see any obvious damage to the rim or tire. What's the best course of action? Have a mechanic diagnose it? Get the wheel rebalanced? Alignment?
 
Yes get it checked out, could be a number of things...struts, ball joint, control arm etc...
My old Mustang had a vibration on the 427 and as I rolled into a service station the front fender dropped right down onto the wheel. If that would have happened while I was on the highway. ...
 
nottyboi said:
Best case, damaged tire, worst case, bent rim, bent control arms...
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I'd say best case is bent rim. It's cheaper than the tire, and at least there's a chance to repair it without replacing. My guess is the the rim is slightly bent. It's not like it's a huge vibration. Will take it in to get it checked anyway.
 
rhuarc29 said:
I hit a pothole with my right front tire on the QEW pretty good yesterday and ever since I've had a slight vibration and noise at speeds over 110km/h. Possibly noticeable below that, but it starts to become indistinguishable from regular road noise/feel.

I can't see any obvious damage to the rim or tire. What's the best course of action? Have a mechanic diagnose it? Get the wheel rebalanced? Alignment?
Click to expand...

Best thing to do first is take it in and get the wheel put on a spin balancer. That will show if the rim is damaged or the steel belt in the tire.
 
Just curious, is it an all season tire on a mag rim or winter tire on a steel wheel and what's the tire size?
 
GameBoy27 said:
Just curious, is it an all season tire on a mag rim or winter tire on a steel wheel and what's the tire size?
Click to expand...

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.
 
rhuarc29 said:
I'd say best case is bent rim. It's cheaper than the tire, and at least there's a chance to repair it without replacing. My guess is the the rim is slightly bent. It's not like it's a huge vibration. Will take it in to get it checked anyway.
Click to expand...

The best case would probably be a balance weight knocked off. This can happen and can cause the symptoms noted. Cheap to fix.
 
rhuarc29 said:
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.
Click to expand...

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.
 
GameBoy27 said:
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.
Click to expand...

No kidding. Can't believe that worked.

My neighbour blew a tire hitting a pothole in a Walmart parking lot once and tried to go after them for it. They refused to pay and he didn't want to go to court, thinking his chances were slim to none.

In my case, tires and suspension were still in good shape; only the rims took a beating.
 
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