I'm thinking this is the year I finally damage a wheel with how bad these potholes are...

Its funny becauase I was just thinking how this year is worse than I can remember and then last night was a segment on the news about this being the wost recorded.. doh!

oh well.. such is life in the snowbelt :(

Its not the snow/ice's fault as they said on the news.

<img src="http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/photo/2008-01/34648234.jpg">

<big> <b>Potholes pop up, keeping repair crews busy</b> </big>
Potholes pop up as hazards and keep repair crews busy

By Robert Mitchum and Azam Ahmed | Tribune reporters
February 8, 2008

In north suburban Lincolnwood, Steve Gershbein, manager of Cassidy Tire &amp; Service, said his shop is selling about 80 tires a day, up from a daily average of about 20.

"It's good for business. But you feel sorry for people," Gershbein said. "They take it out on us like we're the bad guy. But there's nothing you can do about it. You can't go more than a block and a half without hitting one."

On Tuesday, a severe pothole inPlainfield on the Interstate Highway 55 damaged several cars and caused a lane to be closed for around six hours, Illinois Department of Transportation spokesman Mike Claffey said.

EvenMayor Richard Daley acknowledged the outbreak of potholes across Chicago Thursday. But he said they're an inevitable part of the landscape this time of year.

"We go through this every year. Every year we have the pothole crisis, and we have to handle it as quickly as possible. And that is what they are doing," Daley said.

Potholes are caused by freeze-thaw cycles, which makes the moisture in road pavement repeatedly contract and expand, eventually creating craters and cracks that can be several feet wide and inches deep. Typically, Chicago patches between 200,000 and 250,000 potholes a year, but this winter's fluctuations between subzero temperatures and unseasonable warmth may create higher than normal pothole numbers.

"It's been a real roller-coaster ride this season," Claffey said. "When the snow and ice comes, we pour salt on it. It melts, seeps into the ground, and when you get big 80,000-pound trucks pounding on areas that show signs of wear and tear, that's when you get big potholes forming."

Officials also said that roadways that have not been reconstructed for many years are notoriously prone to potholes. Southern portions of Lake Shore Drive and the Dan Ryan Expressway, which have recently seen extensive repair work, have prompted few complaints this winter, officials said, while northern stretches of Lake Shore Drive and sections of the I-55 in Will County are especially sensitive to weather.

Daley acknowledged that North Lake Shore Drive is particularly bad. But he blamed the state, saying the city is trying to get Springfield to rebuild it.

p.s. I got your missed calls/vm yesterday...I'll call you later today.

because if I actually had to drive around on expensive wheels right now, I'd be cringing more than I already do.... :(

but yeah, i have stock dodge SRT4 wheels and 205 50 17 snow tires on my R32... lol

(yes, they are the same bolt pattern and center bore believe it or not)

they get down with levels and make sure everything is smooth surface all over.. They spend hours making sure everything is just right.. It was entertaining to watch them go back and forth (almost like drywall) for the road!!!

They have the technology and materials to EASILY make the roads last a lot longer, but they deliberately choose not to because it would put the big union/mafia owned construction companies out of business.

the asphalt they use.
Supposedly there is a difference in how oil is refined here in the States - asphalt is some kind of by-product of that process - and beacuse of that, asphalt they use is inferior to one used in Europe. Not sure if true, nor do I know how its all done.

less summer heat, better quality workers, better quality preventative maintenance, very little use of sale in the winter,e tc.

All of the above important factors, but the overall thickness of the roads and the flexible layers make the euro so much better.

It's been pretty well documented/explained in a few car mags over the years.

Mike S

I gotta agree with the salt thing... I have lived in New England and upstate NY most of my life before moving to Chicago a few years ago. Chicago is ADDICTED to salt! The overuse of salt facilitates the thaw and freeze cycle.

In NE cities they use sand for traction with approx.10% salt mixed in. More importantly they PLOW and REMOVE the snow instead of trying to melt the snow on the roads. That way less water stays on the road when the temps are below zero, and seep into the cracks.

I swear that we need a class action against the DOT for all the damaged tires and wheels!