Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

UK survey says Honda models most "pothole-proof"

A new study by Warranty Direct in the UK claims Honda makes vehicles that are the least-susceptible to damage from potholes. According to the company, only 1.4 percent of Honda owners submit a warranty claim for repair due to pothole damage. Compare that figure with the 12.2 percent of Chrysler owners who submit claims – the American automaker found itself the least resilient to pothole damage alongside luxury makes like Land Rover, Jaguar, Mercedes-Benz and BMW. Surprisingly enough, Smart actually landed itself in second place for the number of claims submitted as a result of pothole damage.

Economical brands like Toyota, Hyundai, Nissan and Kia all fare well against rough pavement, however. We're not surprised by the outcome. Luxury vehicles are more likely to be equipped with low-profile tires and large, expensive wheels that can easily be bent or broken under the right circumstances. Budget vehicles, meanwhile, make due with meaty sidewalls and sturdy steel wheels.

http://www.autoblog.com/2011/12/25/u...pothole-proof/

mmarshall

This study seems to have been done in England, though, which, in comparison, has generally mild winters, and probably nowhere near the level of road-damage from freezing/thawing that you will see in the Northern part of the U.S., especially in the Great-Lakes Snow-Belt areas and some parts of the Northeast. Drive in some parts of northern OH, IN, IL, MI, WI, northwestern PA, or upstate NY, and road surfaces can resemble the surface of the moon. Some of the East Coast big-cities aren't much better.

The Smart's high ranking also seems to be a no-brainer. It is extremely small and light, and almost any pavement-imperfection can give the tires/wheels/suspension a good jolt. Chrysler's #1 ranking, of course, is less-easily-explained, although the brand (at least in the past) was known for relatively poor-quality suspension components and sloppy-assembly (which could make it difficult to hold wheel-alignments).

And Honda's win, among regular cars, is also probably not hard to explain. The brand is known for the quality of its materials and assembly (though there's been some cheapening on the very latest models). Few Honda owners I've seen have had suspension or alignment problems, even on winter roads.

spwolf

easily explanied - crap cars.

as to the UK, infamous for their awful roads full of potholes.

mmarshall

Even with the mild climate and the high taxes/spending there on road maintenance? Granted, Cameron's government has made some spending cutbacks, but they don't seem to have been in effect long enough to all of a sudden make that big of a deterioration in the roads.

That's part of it, but another factor is something pointed out (and which I agree with) in the article itself. Low-profile tires and alloy wheels are indeed more susceptible to impact-damage that traditional steel wheels and cushier tires. You want the sporty handling......you pay the price on rough roads (besides the rougher, more unpleasant ride itself).

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Audi somehow managed to not to fall under the "Least resilient brands" category

mmarshall

Audi's electronics and hardware may be unreliable, but their underpinnings, even with the Quattro, are pretty robust. They are designed, of course, for Alpine roads and winter conditions.

BTW.....I wonder why the article doesn't mention that damage from potholes and/ or road-obstacles is usually not warranty-covered on new vehicles to start with. When you buy replacement or aftermarket-tires, though, at a tire-shop, it sometimes includes a road-hazard warranty, which includes potholes.....if not, they'll try and sell you one.

GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

que? it took a study for this?

of course econoboxes with steelies and hubcaps on 60+ series sidewall will absorb better than 40, 35, 30 series sidewall

Genius article of the year

mmarshall

Well then, there's the Genius Question of the Year.......Knowing that, why do automakers keep insisting on using low-profile tires, even on many non-sporting vehicles.?

LexFather

FYI the average age of a Honda owner in the U.K is around 62-65 years old

mmarshall

Older drivers often tend to drive at lower speeds. That, of course, often means less impact-force when their cars DO hit a pothole, and less potential damage.

spwolf

not many thick tires on today's car anyway.. i say it is quality - those brands that did bad there, usually do bad in every survey.

as to the roads, yes, British journalists claim they have the worst roads in europe.