Any idea what the life epectancy is for the tires & wheels on the GT might be? Here in NYC (FDR Drive, Belt Pky, Cross Bronx, ect) the pot holes beat the junk out of tires. There isn't very much tire between the rim and road to cusion the blows. Just curious. Thanks
I've heard some purely anecdotal statements that the tires' life expectancy is extremely short, but there's really no way to make a factual analysis because everyone's driving conditions are different. That said, the 18" tires will definitely be worse on rough roads than the 16" ones.
Thanks. I agree about the 16s being better on rough roads than the less cushiony 18s. And around here, Staten Island, Brooklyn & Jersey shore the roads a like mine fields. Tough call on what to do. I'd hate to ruin a tire or rim.
I'm worried about it too. Roads are horrendus here in Boston. My m3 has low(ish) profile wheels and i've only had one issue in the past 11 years. Shop hammered the rim back for $20 and it's fine now. Have to weigh the costs and benefits of having the 18" wheels. Not sure it's worth the insurance because a new stock wheel isn't THAT expensive, and it's rare the wheel will get damaged beyond repair.
So many potholes in the NE because of the water freezing and then melting again. Its rough.
I know Lincoln has this pothole mitigation system where the suspension corrects automatically. Maybe one day that will make its way down to more mainstream models.
Honestly, if the roads werent so bad around here, i'd probably go with a WRX. Suspension is SO tight on those i just cant do it... Even the mazda 3's are just a bit too tight for me. I think the cx3 suspension is perfect for bad roads without sacrificing sportyness
It's even easier when you take the same routes, you get to know where the pot holes are and can easily avoid them and going slow for the ones you can't avoid
Some potholes are to be expected, but I think that in the US, there is a need for more maintenance of the roads. What are the odds that that will ever happen?
Seattle has terrible roads also. Plus with our rain they fill the holes and you can't tell if its just a shallow puddle or a massive sinkhole waiting to swallow your vehicle.
The 18" wheels have pretty meaty tires. I had a GTI then a BMW with much narrower sidewalls (35 series on 19" wheels). Never had a tire blow or a wheel fail when I've slammed into some pretty severe ones. I'm very optimistic the CX-3 with cushy 50 series aspect ratio tires and good suspension travel will take a decent beating.
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