guru

While driving to LaGuardia on the BQE I hit the most vicious pothole imaginable. It was a minor miracle that I did not lose control of the car and swerve into the lanes on either side of me. The car was violently jolted, very very violently....

Now, the tire has a bump on the sidewall (steel mesh must have broken, how could it not have), so the tire is gone. Apparently, the rim is bent as well. To top it all there is an annoying rattle when I go over even the littlest of bumps on the road......

Silver_Lana

I feel your pain.
I went through a horrible pothole in my SLK350 3 days ago - fortunately nothing really bad has happened yet although there is now a very small but noticable vibration at high speeds.

koko381

I have bent 3 rims in the past 6 months from the ****ty NY roads. And at 900 a piece, Im ready to start backcharging the city.

mojosounds

I have to replace two rims and two tires, courtesy of a New Jersey pothole.
The symptoms: a vibration about 60 mph. Only had my CDI a month.

F1Fan

Don't drive with a dented wheel. If it vibrates at speed, it will most likely wear out the suspension really fast. I did this and learned the hard way. I ended up replacing many of the front end parts.

fazooley

I've went through 3 Lorinser Lm-5'S in the past 9 months due to these ****ty NY roads. I've finally just gave up a month ago and took them all off my car and thru the stocks back on. The ride is like night and day, not to mention when I hit a pothole usually no flats or bent rims.


fazooley

BklynBenz

i feel you all, ive had 1 cracked rim and 3 flats in the past 4 months. just like fazooley, the stocks are back on the car

intrinsico

Don't think Boston is any better - I bent one of my Brabus replcas and straightened it. Two days later the car was at the dealer who has a pick-up drop-off service. On the way back the driver must have hit something that bent and cracked one wheel and bent the other. The car has been at the dealer since who is buying me two new front wheels, performing alignment etc etc.

Unfortunately I sold my stock rims... Any ideas if things should get better when the weather tames down?

Sergiu

x-tian-230k

Here in boston, its not the city driving that gets you. I mean I drive slow enuf that i can avoid the pot holes...Its the highway driving that made me replace 2 cracked/bent rims in 3 months....Finally sold my 19's yesterday...I have stockies on my CLK.....

Barry45RPM

Just out of curiosity... are you guys running 18 inch wheels/ low profile tires? My salesman told me when I ordered my E-500 that, because I live in NY to stay away from packages that provide 18's and stay with the 17's as they are a little more forgiving of regular size potholes, whereas with the 18's the rim is almost always shot after not much impact.

As for the deplorable pothole conditions...Its disgusting. The City has too many people leaning on shovels waiting for retirement & not enough "workers". There. I said it!

cte430

A lot of these guys are running 19" and some even 20's"!! I always chuckle when I see these cars driving around on these huge wheels w/ super low profile tires. I guess it's an age thing, since I don't think it even looks that good. The stock E55 wheel is 18". My E55 is not my daily driver so I can kinda pick and choose where I drive. When I had my E500 I did put the 18" AMG wheels on it and it was my daily drive. Don't think you can't bend a 17" wheel. I remember hitting some wicked holes and having them checked. Didn't bend. I must have just hit it the right way.

I agree about the pothole situation around here. I can't believe there isn't a way to fix a road and not have it fall apart a year later. I mean, you can put a man on the moon but can't make a road last just a little while? :p I'm sure there are a lot of people who would be very upset if they did do that.

BklynBenz

tell that to the 17" amg monoblock i just cracked on staten island 2 months ago

Barry45RPM

I also think the "taller profile" tires usually found on the 17's are more forgiving, since the wheel materials are the same, the impact absorbtion must be done by the air & sidewall of the tire.

cte430

I said don't think you CAN'T bend a 17" (as is you can LOL)

phat-ho

our highways are vast. compared to nyc, boston, and new orleans...we're a fantasy. that is until you are trying to get anywhere between 6am-9:30am and 4pm-7pm, MON-FRI. the traffic here is mad crazy in the metro area.
i go through brake pads much faster than when i was in TN. oh, and after i detail my ride...brake and road dust from the stop and go dirty up the wheels quick. wwaaaahhh. sniffle..sniffe

BklynBenz

oops, i misread your post

alewifebp

And with the severe weather changes, I only expect it to get worse. The highways have been mostly fine here in NJ, SO FAR. But, it is the side roads that you have to be careful of. The street I live on alone is a war zone. And I've hit plenty of potholes where I was certain I would pop a tire.

guru

The rattling sound was apparently a bent Sway Bar (courtesy the pothole)....It has been 6 days and I still havent gotten the car back....

allenjdmb

bend an 18 or 17 too. Bad holes are bad holes. On a side note, does anyone wonder why the title of this thread can have "g----n" in it, when other, largely less offensive words are regularly taken out of MB world threads? Offends me more than many others, but just find that interesting.
Or perhaps this will be edited too.

rickyfanmdr

You should see the potholes we have here in California after those ridiculous rains we had!!! You have to maneuver around them or wreck a tire for sure!

paulhu

The City of Atlanta in the past has bought 2 custom wheels for my wife's ML430, so they would not dare to have any potholes in my neighborhood.

sacguy

Maybe a pothole "experience" is why my BMW "vibrates" at 55 -60 MPH?

Mirage

Hi Koko. love the look of the grille on your E500 ,I just got a E500 and after seeing your grill I am curious as to where you got it from. I never seen it displayed in the dealeership or thus far on the road.Where can I get one??

eagleeye

What is a pothole?

cdiken

Its a disgusting place with taxes too high, piece of crap oil heated houses that cost as much as mansions, toll booths, and yes, potholes.

Not to mention all the freaks!

Why do people pay so much to live in such a dump? Bizarre.