[Tom Brooks]

Just wanted to point out the inevitable after having one of the worst winters in 30 years here. I commute back and forth between Indianapolis weekly in my Fiesta ST and the roads are worse than they have ever been. And every time you hit a pot hole in an ST it sounds like you just dented your rims badly. Interstate 65 is terrible out here and the city roads are even worse. Not fun hitting a unforeseen pot hole at 75mph.

Seriously guys be careful and watch for them!

 

[Irsinn]

In SoCal after these recent (much needed) storms the potholes will be plentiful.

I bought the wheel and tire insurance only because I destroyed a wheel on my R32 a few months after I took delivery back in 2008. Cost me damn near $500!

 

[jimclark]

I treat 'em as practice for slalom technique!

 

[Irsinn]

Lemons outta lemonade...

 

[ST-in-Mich]

The 2$/month for tire/rim coverage was more than worth it to avoid the inevitable on these killer metro Detroit roads.

 

[stuntdoogie]

Where do you buy rim insurance from?

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk

 

[Firesail]

Where do you buy rim insurance from?

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk

Got it at the dealer when I bought the car.

 

[ryst]

I got the rim insurance as well, around $500, comes from the dealer. I'm in michigan so I bet it will pay for itself.

 

[jimclark]

No disrespect intended, but am I the only one unimpressed when something "pays for itself"? Doesn't that just mean that paying $500 now shows up as NOT paying $500 later?

In addition, in taking my own personal experience into account, in living and driving for 30-plus years in Nebraska, Kansas, Connecticut, and more Nebraska and Kansas, and a bit of surrounding states as well, I've never trashed a wheel in a pothole driving any of the umpteen vehicles we've owned. Now, it could happen that tomorrow I'll bash up a wheel and destroy a tire on my way to work, and I'll have to pay a few hundred bucks to replace same, having not purchased wheel insurance. But, having never, on any of my umpteen vehicles, ever purchased wheel insurance I didn't use, I saved a much larger sum--maybe a few thousand?

I'm sticking with my current practice--just watching out for road hazards and trying to avoid them.

 

[Irsinn]

Wheel insurance is nothing more than a wager... Sometimes you win, sometimes you you lose.

Scroll through for a little Pothole fun...

http://www.mypotholes.com/potholes#9

 

[ryst]

I expect it to pay out $1000+ based on the condition of the roads, which is what I meant by paying for itself. The roads are so bad there are situations where you can't avoid a pothole. I think michigan is a whole different beast than what people are use to. It partially has to do with the weather, but it mostly has to do with lack of road funding.

 

[hyatt]

Coming from the Pacific NW, I couldn't wrap my head around how bad some of the roads (main arteries too! not just side roads) are in LA. It's actually part of the reason why I'm getting rid of my Mini (horrible ride quality) and my BMW wagon (way too expensive to fix after it's been shaken to pieces). I feel like a decent set of either Bilstein HDs or maybe the BC coilovers will be in my nearish future.

 

[Mayhem]

Is that a personal photo of an actual road you drive? Yikes.

Well, our speed limits are low, and our roads are apparently much nicer than some places... I avoid the pot hole ridden side roads, and it's pretty easy to see them coming on the otherwise decent roads that I daily.

The bigger issue here is construction. They're adding new lanes all over the place, and constantly squeezing everyone closer together. They like to cut out chunks of road, and not properly mark or cover the work area's..

Those are big holes... Big rectangular, can't swerve unless you wanna nail the guy in the next lane kind of holes... And big enough that you basically hit it twice.. Once on the way into it, and once on the way out..

And then you get the tar/concrete/cement or whatever.... that spills beyond the "marked" sites... into the road.. And that stuff isn't fun to have sprayed up the side of your vehicle.... Especially if you don't realize it happened for a few days.

Road construction sites have caused me more insurance claims, and repairs, than anything else in my vehicle history.

That said, I have never ruined a wheel from a hole in the road of any sort. I've never even considered a separate wheel insurance policy. Maybe if I end up with a very nice set of wheels later on? Doesn't help that I really don't give a rats, for the stockers.. Or the winters... lol I think if they died... It would just make justifying a new set that much easier. And the set I have my eyes on isn't that pricey.

I am probably worse with curbs than pot holes. At least in my Camaro I was... I think I curbed that thing 3 times. Wheel repair took care of it though and was pretty cheap.

 

[jimclark]

I expect it to pay out $1000+ based on the condition of the roads, which is what I meant by paying for itself. The roads are so bad there are situations where you can't avoid a pothole. I think michigan is a whole different beast than what people are use to. It partially has to do with the weather, but it mostly has to do with lack of road funding. View attachment 803

Well, with roads like that, I can see why your assessment of things is a bit different than mine. Bye-yimminy, yew kood luz a (w)hole wee-hicle in thar, yew kood!

 

[Mayhem]

Yeah, there's more pot hole than road in that photo.