Skip to main content

Can a Johnsburg pothole throw your car, truck or SUV out of alignment?

The roads in Johnsburg aren’t appreciably worse than roads anywhere else. But, that’s not to say there aren’t any potholes in Johnsburg. So, the question is, “Can a pothole throw your car, truck or SUV out of alignment?”

The answer is, most assuredly, yes. Of course, it generally depends on how severe the pothole is. Inevitably, whether driving in Johnsburg or any other road at or above this hemisphere, where winter plays havoc on the roads, we’re going to hit potholes.

So far, this winter isn’t too bad. Still, the potholes are out there. You can’t miss them all. And, that’s generally the problem; little-by-little, one pothole after another will throw your alignment out of whack. Still, a single pothole, if the pothole is bad enough – deep enough and broad enough – can knock your car, truck or SUV’s alignment askew.

Worse than that, a really bad pothole can do more than just mess with your car, truck or SUV’s alignment; it can also damage parts of your steering and suspension.

This isn’t customary, but it is possible. Car, trucks and SUVs these days are built with fairly durable suspensions and steering systems. They’ll take a lot of abuse before they break down. Don’t kid yourself, though; they will break down.

In time, it’s inevitable. Considering, even if you haven’t hit a bad pothole, it’s possible that your car, truck or SUV’s alignment is out of whack already. When is the last time you had your car, truck or SUV aligned? How often should you have your car, truck or SUV aligned?

In most cases, manufacturers don’t recommend a specific number of miles before you bring your vehicle in for an alignment. Many will say that, if the steering doesn’t pull to one side or the other, you’re probably fine. But that isn’t always a fair barometer.

Consider that, if your car, truck or SUV does need an alignment, you could adversely effect your steering and the wear-and-tear on your tires and steering. Potentially, you could even reduce your gas mileage. The lesson here is that you don’t want to wait until you hit a particularly bad pothole on a Johnsburg road before you bring your car, truck or SUV in for an alignment.



Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Is your antifreeze safe from freezing this Richmond winter

You still have time to have it checked Well, there’s no denying it – winter tends to get chilly here in Richmond. We have to deal with snow and ice on the roads, scraping the same off our windows and windshield, and staying warm while we drive. Of course, you had your antifreeze checked before winter rolled into town. What?! You didn’t have your antifreeze checked before winter clamped down on Richmond? So, how’s your antifreeze doing?  If you haven’t had it checked, there’s really no way of knowing, is there? This car has overheated in the middle of a Richmond  winter. But, on the other end of the spectrum, the antifreeze can also freeze if it's not up to its job. Hopefully, you haven’t had a serious problem with your antifreeze already. If you did, you’d probably know. When antifreeze fails, it’s a potentially catastrophic condition for your vehicle’s engine. You could have hoses that have burst because of freezing antifreeze. Worse than that, your engine block may have crac...

Blocks of ice falling from cars in McHenry could cause accidents or damage

We’ve all seen those blocks of snow falling from behind the rear tires of a car when the snow rolls into McHenry . Fortunately, they’re just packed snow that will disintegrate under your vehicle’s tires as you simply drive right through them, right? Don’t count on it. Those blocks of snow are often packed so tight, condensed by the thaw-and-freeze cycle, that they’re anything but oversized snowballs . They’re often more like boulders.  Hit one of those blocks and the collision between the block and one of your tires could send you careening off the road or into oncoming traffic. In some cases, they’re so solid you could pound them with a sledgehammer with little effect. They truly can represent a serious road hazard. The problem is that it’s difficult to tell how solidly they’re packed when you see them on the road, left their unwittingly by another driver. Either way, your best bet is to try to avoid them. But you want to be careful dodging blocks of ice in the road, too. You need...

October 20 Hootenanny will benefit veterans with PTSD

Been to a Hootenanny lately? When you read that question did you ask, “What?” Well, if you have gone to a Hootenanny in a while, or if you don’t know what a hootenanny is, we have an event for Oct. 20 that will clear up either question. From 6 p.m. to Midnight, Saturday, Oct. 20, MC3, the McHenry Area Chamber of Commerce business networking group, is helping to host an inaugural Veterans R&R Wild Horse Hootenanny at Beyond Stable Farm (11129 Rte. 176, Woodstock). The event will benefit Veterans R&R Operation Wild Horse. Operation Wild Horse serves veterans with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). Working with the horses has proven to have an incredibly calming effect on the veterans. And, it’s good for the horses, too, rescued wild mustangs. This means that the hootenanny is for a very good cause. But, it’s also a lot of fun. So, what is a hootenanny? According to a Google search, a hootenanny is “an informal gathering with folk music and sometimes dancing.” The V...