Spring will bring warmer weather and Easter candy, but it will also bring potholes. You can blame our crazy winter weather for those. The moisture in the cracks in the pavement goes from frozen to thawed multiple times, causing the road surface to expand and contract. Driving over it causes it to weaken even more and, eventually, crumble and form potholes.
Chevrolet is aware of this and knows that road chasms are pains in the ass. General Motors’ Milford Proving Ground has stretches that simulate such unpleasant real-world circumstances. “The range of test road surfaces goes from good to bad, so that we can find the most balanced condition for each vehicle we develop – and believe me, we’ve created some of the worst potholes you’ve ever seen,” Frank Barhorst, the Product Usage Measurements and Applications group supervisor, says.
Potholes cause damage because a vehicle doesn’t transfer its load properly when it hits one. MPG’s potholes help Chevy re-create the load conditions experienced by an automobile during an encounter with one. But that’s nothing new. GM has been collecting such information for the past four decades and incorporating the lessons it teaches into its vehicles.
“On the wheel side, we’ve developed a premium process for flow-formed rims,” Dave Cowger from GM Tire & Wheel Systems Engineering says. “On the tire side, we’ve made improvements to the body side including the cords in the tires, which make the tires stronger and allow the vehicle to withstand impact better.”
To further minimize the dangers of pits in the street, Chevrolet Certified Service suggests checking your tire pressures before driving, inflating them to the recommended amounts, being mindful of temperature-related PSI fluctuations and using winter-rated rubber. If you can’t avoid a pothole, have your Chevy dealer check your vehicle afterward to see if it has suspension damage or needs a re-alignment.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
