Potluck is usually a term reserved for a dietary smorgasbord where everyone contributes. Pot luck, on the other hand, in terms of winter driving in these parts, refers to how well your suspension avoided the harsh pratfalls of potholes in the recently past winter. In fact, many of those dastardly road sores are still out there waiting for road crews to apply a little mix of asphalt road cure.

The point is that, if you leave in the Midwest, luck will only take you so far in maintaining the stability and tuning of your suspension. Some drivers may avoid the worst potholes with greater caution and agility than others but no one avoids them all. Translation – it’s time for a suspension checkup.

On the one hand, a badly adjusted suspension alignment can cause additional wear on tires and your car’s chassis. This is potentially far more costly than an alignment and a qualified inspection of your chassis parts and pieces. On the other hand, there’s also an issue of safety.

“Considering how important it is to be able to steer your car safely, having a tie-rod or other part of your frontend break can cause a serious accident,” Denny Norton, owner of Performance Unlimited, 5415 Austin Court, Ringwood, IL, said. “Checking your frontend doesn’t take a long time and could be vital to your safety.”

Water that simultaneously enters cracks in the pavement and the freeze-thaw cycle is the culprit behind the asphalt breakdown in Northern climates. Some types of roads may be affected by this process more than others but they all eventually succumb to the forces of nature.

Norton said that, even without pot-hole mania, suspensions need alignment and checkups at regular intervals. Of course, in these parts, those intervals are closer together than in milder climates.

The good news is that, along with saving on tire and suspension wear, a well tuned and healthy chassis can help to save on gas and make steering of your care more agreeable.

To learn more about Performance Unlimited, click here.