potholes and bumpy roads

[crazyyankeefan]

unfortunately, i ran over some bumpy roads and potholes lately...thanks to the great new jersey government for the bad road conditions. i just wondering in what way the car could be damaged? suspension? axles? rims? is there any specific order for which parts would get damaged 1st? i think this is also depends on the cx-7 off-road ability. is it actually quite capable of handling bumpy road condition? what can i do to check myself if everything of the car is ok? let's say if i drive around 50 mph and run over a bump or a hole which i feel the car shakes pretty badly, can the cx-7 off-road ability handle it? i know this is very hard to tell coz everyone is different, and cx-7 does have stiff suspension which makes it reflect the road even truly onto our hands

 

[dread]

any car can handle bumps and potholes, and a cx-7 is a SUV. I drive a mazdaspeed3 in jersey and it is very rough, but the car is designed to handle it. Things may wear out quicker like your suspension and tires, but your car will be fine.

 

[Platonium]

You guys are funny. I moved back to Michigan from Jersey this summer. You don't know bad roads! I was really glad to move back home to Michigan, but one thing I MISS about Jersey is the quality of both local and highway roads. The amount of time it takes to fix things is minimal and they make sure it is for the most part painted and clean. Anyway, to the point, bumps and potholes will wear the car out faster, but it would have to be a helluva pot hole to do any damage outside of the rims and tires!
The car I sold to get my CX-7 was whisper quiet and tight on the smoother roads out east, then I got back here and it was all rattley and buzzy! Well happily the CX is bolted together much better than the old car.
Let me ask, Dread, how stiffly sprung is the MS3? I want one, but it would be my daily driver on rough roads about 80 miles a day...Is it too stiff? Thanks.

 

[dread]

It is pretty stiff, I was driving in new york city at low speeds and I almost got whiplash, there is almost no play in the suspension. However on smooth roads or highways it is smooth as butter, and feels complete stable at very high speeds. I live in an area with major highway construction going on and the roads are pretty bad and I can deal with the bumpiness because the car handles so well is so fast and fun to drive. However, If you are concerned about a bumpy ride, this car is not for you.

 

[koala]

You can get a flat tire, aside from that... not much will happen.

My brother received two flat tires in under 2 weeks from hitting pot holes in his Mazda3.

 

[Silver Ecstasy]

+1 on the Michigan thing. It's pretty rough here. But its not unbareable. And Gov. Granholm is kickstarting ALOT of construction here..she's doing a great job with fixing our roads right now. Michigan.gov has a ton of future projects already scheduled.

 

[crazyyankeefan]

jersey......rt.18 around rutgers university is terrrible with freaken construction going on. mazdaspeed 3 should make you feel your car is gonna fly on rt.18. anyway, try to avoid that road if possible