[YNOT]

My wife and I went down to the "Cruising Branson Under the Lights" car show/cruise this weekend in Branson, Missouri with some friends.

Things went well until the trip back home...We were headed back up I-44 when I hit two patches of black top that the road crew had apparently used to fill some potholes, but they were huge and piled high.

When I hit the second one, it threw the car to the right and I darted across both lanes before I could get it under control. Thank God there was nobody alongside of me or we would have had a serious accident.

Now I've got some serious negative camber on the driver side and my steering wheel is way off center, but I don't think anything is broken. I was able to make it back home without any major trouble...it just pulls to the right a little. Got an appointment at the shop tomorrow to get it checked out.

Just thought I'd share my story...I'm thankful we didn't cause a serious accident. I was so nervous the rest of the way home...I had a death grip on the wheel.

Anyway, I took lots of pictures so if they turn out, I'll post them later this week. All in all, we had a blast, did some cruising, participated in some burnouts for the crowds (people dumped water out all over along the strip), checked out the car shows and did some other fun stuff.

 

[OmniFocus]

Re: Branson show...almost serious accident coming home

Whoo... Good to hear you made it.

I would check out the struts carefully. There is a good chance that the strut is bent where it inserts into the steering knuckle.

 

[DirtyFocusZX3]

Re: Branson show...almost serious accident coming home

That sucks man. Sounds like a bent strut to me. good luck

 

[Ataru]

Re: Branson show...almost serious accident coming home

Damn....I wish I knew about the show in Branson since it is only about 4 hours away from Tulsa. I REALLY want to see your car in person.

 

[Fstgrl5050]

Re: Branson show...almost serious accident coming home

You have to watch that construction on 44. I know exactally where you were I'm sure of it. I had my 3rd accident on 44 and I hit a huge pothole on 44 also and it scraped up my wheel. I'm glad you and your wife weren't hurt.

 

[focusownerskid]

Re: Branson show...almost serious accident coming home

Whew, glad you are alright man.

My money says you finally blew those stock dampers.

 

[HotRodKougar]

Re: Branson show...almost serious accident coming

No more Road Head for joo!!

 

[Ataru]

Re: Branson show...almost serious accident coming

No more Road Head for joo!!

That's baaaaaad........reeeaaaaaaaally baaaaaaaaddddd.

 

[P-51]

Re: Branson show...almost serious accident coming

Yeah, WTF is up with this pothole patching [censored]. They do that around here too. Just shovel a pile of ashphalt into the hole, and let the cars pound it down. WTF!?!?!

I guarantee you, your strut looks like this:

Your symptoms are exactly like mine were.

 

[DirtyFocusZX3]

Re: Branson show...almost serious accident coming

P thats exactly what my Apex strut looks like. What have you done to replace it? I'm runnin my stock damper on that side currently

 

[REVSWIN]

Re: Branson show...almost serious accident coming home

Wow, we just drove home from Albuquerque, NM on Friday/Saturday and passed thru where you described. Glad to hear you are alright but sad to hear of the damage. Kinda scary too because we were driving thru in the middle of the night and there was some pretty thick fog in places.

 

[P-51]

Re: Branson show...almost serious accident coming home

I haven't replaced it yet, I'm running a stock one too. I don't think it's a fault of the Apex, the stock ones would do the same. It's a weak-[censored] design. The only real solution is to go to a hard-core damper setup like Bilstein.

 

[Ray]

Re: Branson show...almost serious accident coming home

P-51, will APEX warranty this?

 

[Maxis24]

Re: Branson show...almost serious accident coming home

Ouch YNOT, what part of I-44 was that on? I drive the Rolla-> Washington stretch a lot and would like to avoid this pothole as much as possible.

 

[ax0n]

Re: Branson show...almost serious accident coming home

I hate MISERY roads.

 

[YNOT]

Re: Branson show...almost serious accident coming

Ouch YNOT, what part of I-44 was that on? I drive the Rolla-> Washington stretch a lot and would like to avoid this pothole as much as possible.

I was in the left lane and there was two huge bumps...one right after another. We were headed eastbound and this was about a mile or so just before the town of Sleeper because I pulled off of the highway there to gain my composure and assess the damage.

I'm calling the Missouri Highway Dept. tomorrow to tell them to do something about it. It cost me $350.00 because of this...not to mention the sidewall of my tire has three cuts in it, so I'll need to be replacing it too. The rim has a nick in it, but there's nothing I can do since they don't make the MR12's anymore.

MO roads suck!!! Drive careful peeps!!

 

[Maxis24]

Re: Branson show...almost serious accident coming

I was in the left lane and there was two huge bumps...one right after another. We were headed eastbound and this was about a mile or so just before the town of Sleeper because I pulled off of the highway there to gain my composure and assess the damage.

MO roads suck!!! Drive careful peeps!!

I'll try to take a few pics of it Thursday when I go down. Thanks for the warning.

 

[UltegraSTI]

Re: Branson show...almost serious accident coming

take pix of the area in question then contact your state's highway administration...if their was no warning on those piles left unfilled (never is)...they'll pay for your damages. seen it happend quite a few times, they just bank on you eatin it and goin outta your pocket. fight back. just had a buddy kill a new 16in wheel he bought and the tire too on a leftover pothole from construction...he got pix of the site b4 they could put any signage or fill the holes. sent them in, got the money, hell it was enuff for 2 wheels/tires lol

-Ult