spagolli94

Has anybody else living in the Northeast noticed a huge increase in potholes over the last couple weeks? Our roads around here were pretty poor to begin with. Not necessarily from active potholes, but rather from many bad lumpy patch jobs from previous years. They never seem to repave anything around here. Just patch over patch over patch. I must say though, that the RS4 suspension does a MUCH better jump isolating me from these crappy roads than my 3-series ever did.

Anyway, I usually do a pretty good job swerving around potholes, manhole covers, etc. But last night, I was pulling away from a stoplight that had just turned green. There was another car 10 feet in front of me, so I wasn't able to see the crater until it was too late. Same thing happened on a different road a couple weeks ago. The saving grace each time was that I was only going 10 mph or so by the time I reached the pothole. It's a good thing, because this last one was big enough that I'm sure it would've caused some damage if I'd hit it at speed.

I've since taken the car out on the highway and everything is still smooth, tight and in alignment. Whew!!!

I know many guys in the BMW camp suffer a lot of issues from potholes. Bent rims, bubble tires, etc. Probably a result of RFT and very stiff suspensions. Have any of you guys suffered pothole damage in your RS4?

Just had to vent. My area does such a poor job maintaining the roads that it makes for a nervous driving experience. Rather than just sit back, relax and enjoy the awesomeness of the RS4, I find myself constantly scanning the roads, looking for crap that I have to swerve around. I swear, my next car is going to be a Hummer or Jeep. haha

ELEVENS

Potholes are bad and do the most damage, but frost heaves are EVERYWHERE. My average speed has been pretty much been cut in half these past few weeks. Not because of snow/ice, but because the frost heaves (and a few potholes) are like riding a dirt bike in the whoop de doos. It's beating the **** out of my car and passengers!


Edit: For those who don't know what I'm talking about - frost heaves result when water seeps through cracks and expansion joints, then freeze underneath and lift the pavement. Here in SW Michigan, it's every 10 feet or so.

spagolli94

Oh we have our fair share of frost heaves as well. Nothing like cruising down the highway and hitting a frost heave the size of a speed bump at 80 mph. I cringe when I think of the potential damage they could do to our cars. Fun stuff.

ELEVENS

I thought for sure the DRC would never hold up with Michigan bombed out roads but no, somehow, my DRC was perfectly fine @33,000 miles when it was replaced as part of the campaign.

spagolli94

Yeah, every time I hit a big pothole or frost heave I think, "now that must have done some damage." But, like the other night, I just keep driving and everything is fine. Tight, straight and no vibration. The car is proving to be surprisingly durable. I'm sure there are bumps out there capable of bending a rim or throwing the car out of alignment - hopefully I never hit one.

As you guys in NYC and other older cities of the North East and Mid West know, our roads have never been great. But ever since the economic meltdown, the states are broke and things have really gone down hill. Each winter they get a little worse. They make marginal repairs during the summer, but the following winter kills them again. It's like one step forward in the summer, two steps back in the winter. Worse and worse the get.

If this keeps up, at some point the roads will be practically impassible, even for "normal" passenger cars. I really enjoy when I can get the car out in the countryside and not have to worry about swerving around potholes ever two seconds - it's stressful!!

ELEVENS

You will never hear it, but I think (at the very least subconsciously), that the booming SUV and truck sales has a lot to do with **** roads. I can tell you for certain, if it weren't for the bombed-out roads, I'd own a V10 R8 or a Corvette ZR1 as a pleasure car. But around here, you would have to be nuts to drive a good sports car on these "roads". I used to, but no more.

I have two motorcycles. They have unequaled performance, and it's a LOT easier to pick a line in your lane that's pot-hole free. With 4 wheels, often there is nothing you can do but brace yourself for the jolt. The trouble with bikes is that we only have a 6-month season.

spagolli94

+1 on the bike. I don't have it anymore, but I do remember how much easier it was to swerve around potholes and bad patch jobs. But frost heaves where a nightmare on that thing.

I see a few true sports cars driving around my area and am always wondering how brutal the ride must be - for both the driver and the car. The RS4 does a great job soaking up the bumps, so at least I'm comfy. But I do worry about the car though.

I agree with you about the SUVs. So the gov't is trying to get everybody to go green, downsize into smaller eco-cars, etc. But at the same time, they are letting the roads get so bad that people are wanting to upsize into SUVs. Seems counter productive.

fluevog

Here in Connecticut we don't have potholes...We have 6 to 8 inch deep craters. Some measuring more than 2 feet in diamater. (I'm not exaggerating) Like someone mentioned earlier, the town & state budgets have been stretched so thin the past few years hardly anything gets fixed properlly. Our Country's infrastructure gets a F-


If where lucky the State will have the craters filled by June : (

spagolli94

If your state is like mine, they will be marginal patch jobs at best. I swear, our DOT pothole repair crews just consist of a couple illegal immigrants and a shovel. Shovel some asphalt in, give it a smack and be on your way. Smooth? Eh, who cares! I don't think the township even knows what a steamroller is. I guess the mindset is, the cheaper the repair, the better. Cheapest contractor always gets the job, regardless of the quality of job they do.

ELEVENS

Your repair guys actually give it a shovel pat? In MI, our DOT guys just drive away, leaving a nice mound of smoldering, sticky, tar-coated gravel in the road.