Potholes in Toronto

[m3rk]

A while ago, I posted a thread about vibrations from my 3 with my stock rims/tire setup. Had them balanced (twice) and rotated. Still had problems.

Eibach pro-kits were installed during the vibration issue but noticed it more afterwards. Don't think this made it worse since everyone doesn't report a problem with them. So I assume it was just natural.

Bought used RX-8 rims and used tires (because I disliked my stock setup generally and didn't go well with the Prokits). Balanced and mounted by Simply Tire. Problem gone and concluded that it may have been uneven tire wear. *Didn't get an alignment afterwards so it tracks a bit to the right*

Now the recent problem.... potholes that screwed everything up :flaming

Last week Thursday on Victoria Park going north after St. Clair, I was avoiding minor potholes and didn't manage to avoid one that didn't really look like a biggie but felt the impact on my right passenger wheels. Going on the highway, steering wheel shakes and minor vibrations felt throughout the car.

Just a few hours ago going south on Victoria Park towards St. Clair I went over a pothole that I didn't notice til I was a second away and had a HUUUUUGGEEEE impact (probably 10x worse than the previous one). My friends felt the impact and were sooo shocked :whoa. This time on my front driver's side. The steering wheel tracks more to the right, at highway speeds it shakes more, the body shakes, and now I feel a vibration in the acceleration peddle :bang

Now what should I do next?
- Contact the City of Toronto?
- Call insurance?

Also, what happens to the following during that impact? (Will it be damaged/have to be replaced or not affected?) I already understand the basics but am not completely knowledgeable with cars yet.
- Springs
- Wheels
- Tires
- any other components?

In addition, I was driving max speed 60 KM/H and avoiding potholes as best as I could. Never had a problem going south before and I know I'll need to rebalance but couldmy two front tires warped/bent? I am running on 225/40/18 tires and that's thin enough for it to touch the rims itself right? Everyone's detailed info and help will be greatly appreciated :(

[XTOTHEL]

From reading around, I think when you try to complain to the city, the first thing you need to do with go back ASAP to take pics of the pothole that you hit, with a scale of some sort so the size could be determined from the photograph.

[m3rk]

Oh I'll definitely go back and take a pic. That one pothole in particular will cost me a lot...

[XTOTHEL]

Oh I'll definitely go back and take a pic. That one pothole in particular will cost me a lot...

ASAP, as I read that the city has a tendency to fill it up really quickly after you call to complain.

[m3rk]

ASAP, as I read that the city has a tendency to fill it up really quickly after you call to complain.

Yeah I noticed many of the potholes I avoid around Toronto are randomly covered up now and then

[greaves82]

Some thin you might want to check is that if the pot hole is big/deep enough it can bend the rim. Some how I managed to hit a huge pot hole some where at it bend the inside edge of my rim, now because of that theres a vibration

[JonsMazda]

http://www.torontomazda3.ca/forum/showthread.php?18203-Filling-a-Claim-against-the-Province-City-for-Damage

[aZuMi]

Good luck on that Mark.

On another note, don't ever go on Victoria Park south of Sheppard and north of 401. That place is being repaved and manholes are all uncovered with uneven roads..

[JonsMazda]

oops, double posted.

[S.F.W.]

Before contacting anyone regarding the damage, you should find out what damage has actually been done. Start with having a shop check to ensure the wheel is not bent, or a wheel weight has not been thrown off.

[Booostin]

tell this to the guys in the stance thread haha... they never seem to have a problem driving over anything

[loki]

tell this to the guys in the stance thread haha... they never seem to have a problem driving over anything

When you drop your car that low, you eiither drive slow or you just become super aware while driving and look out for stuff like potholes moreso than the average driver.

Victoria Park is brutal. I swear I buried my car in a hole just north of Sheppard.

Hit a pretty big hole on the gardener just before spadina exit too. I think the city is trying to kill us.

[rzapata]

When you drop your car that low, you eiither drive slow or you just become super aware while driving and look out for stuff like potholes moreso than the average driver.

Victoria Park is brutal. I swear I buried my car in a hole just north of Sheppard.

Hit a pretty big hole on the gardener just before spadina exit too. I think the city is trying to kill us.

Totally agree with this.. Everywhere you go, you can never get a break from potholes. Even on Birchmount, from Eglinton to Ellesmere.. There's a series of 4 pot holes on the northbound, passing lane, just one light before ellesmere. Everyday, I try to zigzag my way to avoid those damn holes. Those potholes owe me 2 bent rims a cracked rim.

*OFF TOPIC
On a side note, I'm at 999 posts.. :chuckle
BACK ON TOPIC*

[Fack_Dude]

A while ago, I posted a thread about vibrations from my 3 with my stock rims/tire setup. Had them balanced (twice) and rotated. Still had problems.

Eibach pro-kits were installed during the vibration issue but noticed it more afterwards. Don't think this made it worse since everyone doesn't report a problem with them. So I assume it was just natural.

Bought used RX-8 rims and used tires (because I disliked my stock setup generally and didn't go well with the Prokits). Balanced and mounted by Simply Tire. Problem gone and concluded that it may have been uneven tire wear. *Didn't get an alignment afterwards so it tracks a bit to the right*

Now the recent problem.... potholes that screwed everything up :flaming

Last week Thursday on Victoria Park going north after St. Clair, I was avoiding minor potholes and didn't manage to avoid one that didn't really look like a biggie but felt the impact on my right passenger wheels. Going on the highway, steering wheel shakes and minor vibrations felt throughout the car.

Just a few hours ago going south on Victoria Park towards St. Clair I went over a pothole that I didn't notice til I was a second away and had a HUUUUUGGEEEE impact (probably 10x worse than the previous one). My friends felt the impact and were sooo shocked :whoa. This time on my front driver's side. The steering wheel tracks more to the right, at highway speeds it shakes more, the body shakes, and now I feel a vibration in the acceleration peddle :bang

Now what should I do next?
- Contact the City of Toronto?
- Call insurance?

Also, what happens to the following during that impact? (Will it be damaged/have to be replaced or not affected?) I already understand the basics but am not completely knowledgeable with cars yet.
- Springs
- Wheels
- Tires
- any other components?

In addition, I was driving max speed 60 KM/H and avoiding potholes as best as I could. Never had a problem going south before and I know I'll need to rebalance but couldmy two front tires warped/bent? I am running on 225/40/18 tires and that's thin enough for it to touch the rims itself right? Everyone's detailed info and help will be greatly appreciated :(

Sell your ride and take public transit!!!!!:huge smile

[RedRaptor]

OP: I feel for you. GTA roads are shit, with potholes everywhere. If you're lucky enough to be actually moving in GTA traffic, you'll get a land mine pothole to kill your wheels.

Infrastructure in the GTA is quite pathetic and its not going to get any better, only worse.

Public transit to work and only driving on the weekends (when they don't close the Gardiner or DVP) sounds like a good idea all of sudden.

[boyracer]

OP: I feel for you. GTA roads are shit, with potholes everywhere. If you're lucky enough to be actually moving in GTA traffic, you'll get a land mine pothole to kill your wheels.

Infrastructure in the GTA is quite pathetic and its not going to get any better, only worse.

Public transit to work and only driving on the weekends (when they don't close the Gardiner or DVP) sounds like a good idea all of sudden.

+1 you got that right.... the infrastructure for the GTA may well be one of the worst in the western world. The design defiantly did not have 5 million cars in mind.

These potholes could have been avoided if only the city/ province did everything right the first time.... The autobahn in Germany rarely gets potholes cause they pour the concrete 4 to 5 times thicker then the concrete here...

[m3rk]

Good luck on that Mark.

On another note, don't ever go on Victoria Park south of Sheppard and north of 401. That place is being repaved and manholes are all uncovered with uneven roads..

It's not just VP, I find that all roads beyond sheppard/ellesmere are pothole mania... I've been lucky recently until last week and yesterday :complain


Before contacting anyone regarding the damage, you should find out what damage has actually been done. Start with having a shop check to ensure the wheel is not bent, or a wheel weight has not been thrown off.

Wouldn't I need to take it to a shop to see for actual damage or can I see it just from the outside? My eyes aren't that great and I'm already pissed looking at curb damage...


Totally agree with this.. Everywhere you go, you can never get a break from potholes. Even on Birchmount, from Eglinton to Ellesmere.. There's a series of 4 pot holes on the northbound, passing lane, just one light before ellesmere. Everyday, I try to zigzag my way to avoid those damn holes. Those potholes owe me 2 bent rims a cracked rim.

*OFF TOPIC
On a side note, I'm at 999 posts.. :chuckle
BACK ON TOPIC*

Did you get the rims repaired or replaced?


OP: I feel for you. GTA roads are shit, with potholes everywhere. If you're lucky enough to be actually moving in GTA traffic, you'll get a land mine pothole to kill your wheels.

Infrastructure in the GTA is quite pathetic and its not going to get any better, only worse.

Public transit to work and only driving on the weekends (when they don't close the Gardiner or DVP) sounds like a good idea all of sudden.

I was a regular commuter even when I had my first car but then avoided it due to the busses being overcrowded, rude as*holes, school kids, people who sneeze/cough all over the place and their delays.

[S.F.W.]

yes, you would need to take it to a shop, that is why I said "Start with having a shop check to ensure the wheel is not bent, or a wheel weight has not been thrown off."

[rzapata]

Did you get the rims repaired or replaced?


Nope, not yet.. Just been too lazy to take it out of the storage... I'll probably get on it this weekend and call curbed.ca.

Actually, my coworker blew a tire once while on the 401. Apparently, a metal link, joining the roads was sticking out and when he went through it, his tire blew instantly. He sent a claim to the city but that was months ago. I don't know exactly what happened after that...

[m3rk]

yes, you would need to take it to a shop, that is why I said "Start with having a shop check to ensure the wheel is not bent, or a wheel weight has not been thrown off."

LMAO whoa! sorry I read "having a stop check and I assumed getting out of the car and just checking. Didn't put my contacts on till now. My bad :chuckle

[hgmahaha]

I don't think potholes are limited to GTA.. I'm on a workterm in ottawa and avoiding potholes everyday! I think they make crappy roads so the construction industry always has something to do... by the time they repave one hwy, the one they did a while ago needs a repave again! maybe an economy booster?

[rzapata]

I don't think potholes are limited to GTA.. I'm on a workterm in ottawa and avoiding potholes everyday! I think they make crappy roads so the construction industry always has something to do... by the time they repave one hwy, the one they did a while ago needs a repave again! maybe an economy booster?

That's another way of looking at it.. But honestly though, in my experience, most approved designs aren't really built to what they were designed. I mean, for example, you design a road or whatnot, once that's been approved, those plans then go to contractors and builders. Then it'll be up to them to make sure that they will build according to what the plan says. But in reality, this is just in my experience, nothing gets built to spec. Things get done using the easiest possible way.... Hence, crappy roads...

[r4BBiT]

That's another way of looking at it.. But honestly though, in my experience, most approved designs aren't really built to what they were designed. I mean, for example, you design a road or whatnot, once that's been approved, those plans then go to contractors and builders. Then it'll be up to them to make sure that they will build according to what the plan says. But in reality, this is just in my experience, nothing gets built to spec. Things get done using the cheapest possible way.... Hence, crappy roads...

I fixed that for you. ;)

[TheMAN]

OP: I feel for you. GTA roads are shit, with potholes everywhere. If you're lucky enough to be actually moving in GTA traffic, you'll get a land mine pothole to kill your wheels.

Infrastructure in the GTA is quite pathetic and its not going to get any better, only worse.

Public transit to work and only driving on the weekends (when they don't close the Gardiner or DVP) sounds like a good idea all of sudden.
that's exactly what the city council and the inner city yuppies want you to do, and by thinking that you make them proud that they're closer to accomplishing their twisted liberal goals


+1 you got that right.... the infrastructure for the GTA may well be one of the worst in the western world. The design defiantly did not have 5 million cars in mind.

These potholes could have been avoided if only the city/ province did everything right the first time.... The autobahn in Germany rarely gets potholes cause they pour the concrete 4 to 5 times thicker then the concrete here...
that's because they intentionally NOT do anything about their road system... they know it sucks and they have the money to solve it (how else can you explain david miller "finding" this surplus cash all of the sudden last year?), but they rather waste it away on the TTC and other useless things that does nothing to really improve the city's transportation problems because they have this lofty idealistic idea that people should ride the TTC instead of drive.... that's fine if their system worked, but TTC is so broken it's not even funny

city hall knew about this problem for the past 20 years (and stemming back another 30 years to the days of jane jacobs) who oppose any sort of efficient transportation network but want to force unrealistic ideas down everyone's throats.... they have this firm belief that by not building or improving roads, people will stop driving, but it doesn't work that way if people don't have any other means of getting around efficiently.... the subway only goes so far and riding the bus takes too long... in otherwords, they and the people who put them in office are idealists... how can air quality and oil use get reduced with people still stuck in gridlock? This simply means this far left strategy is a farce!




anyway, the only thing we can do is not lower our cars and pump up the tires to higher pressures to help prevent rim and tire damage... using the factory recommended 32psi is too low and can easily bend rims if you hit a big pothole
or just avoid the roads in TO altogether and drive in the suburbs (hard to do)

[BigChuck80]

Honestly, I'm tired of purchasing auto supplies! The fall is here and new potholes will be here before we know it. I bent a rim on a pothole, but the tire didn't blow. SMH.

[Nova 3 GT]

I guess that you haven't seen/experienced the potholes in Montreal. ;)

[Hoodzy]

I would put more blame on the crappy roads on the Canadian weathers guys.. I'm not sure if you experience the same amount of temp changes we do in Alberta.. but the roads get destroyed from the snow and temp changes. Just rips them apart.
Head out to Vancouver Island they have amazing roads.. the reason being they don't have insane winters.

[TheMAN]

that's true, but isn't it also the government's responsibility to maintain the roads? look at the regions outside of toronto proper... they have much better roads, even though they're not perfect
the 400 series highways are also pretty awesome... even a lot of roads in the states are better!

[Hoodzy]

Well feel free to pay more taxes :P
Have you ever heard of an efficient democratic government?? LAWL
They are probably spending the money on traffic cameras.

[Default User]

^^^ Also why property taxes in the 416 are a fraction of the 905's. I rather pay lower taxes every year.


(ok - I'll say it)
I agree pot holes are a PITA - but so are cars slammed to the ground driving 10km/h to go around them. A 10 year old, bone stock Corolla can handle the pot hole, but a 2 year old slammed Mazda3 can't.

And before people start complaining how much they pay in taxes every year, maybe you shouldnt encourage others to use the city to pay for things that are unnecessary or not their fault.

If you wanna play - you gotta pay.

But I honestly do hope everything works out for you OP.

[pacmann33]

One of the reasons I sold my 2010 OEM Speed3 rims to put my 2010 GT 17x7's back on...retarded roads... 40 series rubber makes for a rough ride LOL

[TheMAN]

Well feel free to pay more taxes :P
Have you ever heard of an efficient democratic government?? LAWL
They are probably spending the money on traffic cameras.
it's not the issue of taxes or lack of money.... like I said, it's the left leaning, car hating city council that withheld the funds for road repair/building for the past 40 years... david miller magically "found" millions of surplus money last year before the municipal elections, so it's plenty evidence to me that they always had the money but never wanted to spend it on crap that really matters

[Takumi616]

Just try your best not to tail gate and see the road ahead of you... most of the time your able to avoid them.

[TheMAN]

+1
and slow down at night or when it rains bad... you'll be able to see them ahead of time when you're driving slower :)

[m3rk]

LOL I'm a cautious driver...

For an update, surprisingly my two front wheels are fine and my left rear. :s my right rear was warped WTF?!

Brought it to SimplyTire and awaiting call for completed repair :(

[TheMAN]

since you've been running rx8 rims, you really need to pump up those tires to at least 35psi... if it were me I'd run 38 to 40... it's the price to pay for looks but it'll also help protect the wheels