Ive been driving Jeeps ever sonce I was 16 yrs old... pot holes, curbs, even small animals never proved any obstical. Recently I started driving a 850.. Love the car.. Great milage, power, comfort, etc.. but real ****ty ground clearance. Now im not looking for ideas on how to lift it... but how do you car guys drive to avoid major damage? Seems like a stupid question but there must be something im missing... BTW.. I live in NYC.. so my major concern is pinto size pot holes ripping into the car. Any driving style tips would be great. Is it horrible to drive over RR tracks ar speed? What about the pot holes..?

 

Are your spring seats good?
Are the front struts worn?

 

Im about to replace the front struts....where exactly are the spring seats.?

 

When you see something in front of you slow down or steer to avoid it. It usually works better than running over it. Volvo repair bills are nothing to sneeze at.

 

The spring seats are at the top of the strut.When you compress the spring and remove the 13/16 nut on top and remove the swivel plate.The rubber thing on the top of the spring is the spring seat.

You can test before pulling it apart.Take your 13/16 wrench and try to turn the nut on the top of the strut.
If it turns freely then it is bad.If it feels rubbery then it is good. Make sure the car isn't jacked up and is sitting on the ground all the way.

 

LOL [sm=funnypostabove.gif]

I visited NYC Easter 2003 and for one of the greatest cities in the world, I was gobsmacked at the poor state of the pavements (roads to us Brits) - holes big enough to lose your grandma in. We heard a bang behind us & it was a yellow cab that hit a hole & broke its axle, suspension, wheel & shredded the tyre! Another taxi grounded out & lost part of its exhaust another time. Incredible! Even crossing the road as a pedestrian warranted special attention to where you were treading.

In NYC I'd drive a 90 series Volvo if I could afford one & even then, I would tippy-toe around those holes. If I won the lottery, I might just set up a suspension/wheel/tyre/exhaust garage in New York, would double my money overnight.

Regularly drive in London & other major UK cities & whilst our road surfaces aren't always perfect, if you keep your eyes open the worst thing you normally find is the dreaded speed humps on minor roads!

You live in a great city rejeep, but maybe some of your taxes need to be spent on resurfacing the pavements.....

BB

 

THE WORST ROADS IN THESE GREAT UNITED STATES.. except in california after an earthquake.
Most of the time you cant avoid these craters... or you wind up hitting another car next to you... its a serious issue... Thats what I have always driven lifted modded jeeps... its the only thing that will take the abuse... but it also abuses the MPG.. 10.5 I was getting with the V8 and 31" tires.

 

Actually, the worse roads I have come across in my travels are in Chicago and the surrounding areas. Nothing worse than hitting a six inch deep pothole that is covered with snow.

 

Haven't had the privelege of visiting Chicago yet, but feel that I know it a little courtesy of ER, certain movies & the late, great Frank Sinatra!

Most Brits like to complain from time to time - the weather, taxes/fuel prices, our roads - you name it. However, as a widely travelled sort of chap, I really must say that despite the odd glitch here & there, UK roads are the best built (and with the most available grip, wet OR dry), of any country I have yet visited

In the US you are V.V.sensitive about your tax $$$$$$$. Maybe it's time you lobbied for safer road surfaces? As a regular tourist, I'd sure appreciate it!
BB

 

Its really not about the taxes in NY ... I am from CT and we have some fo the best roads and some realtivly low taxes.... its the shear volume.... millions of cars a DAY, winter weather with SALT used on the roads and the fact that to fix potholes roads need to be closed.. and the bain of every New Yorker is TRAFFIC... and you cant fix roads without causing some serious traffic.... its deff a two edged sword.

 

I'm with you there rejeep, same problems in London & on major motorways like M25, allegedly the busiest motorway anywhere. Known locally as "the car park"!

The powers that be have decided to bite the bullet & when work is needed they often pay extra to have it done overnight to minimise disruption. For bigger projects, instead of closing parts of roads down, they will now just shut the road, sometimes for months, to halve the length of the project & you know what, drivers adapt their routes & the time they travel so after the first awful couple of days, things settle down. Question is, do you have a preventative maintenance programme in place, or wait until yellow cabs start to disappear down holes?

Re road salt, we use incredible amounts of it here in winter too. It is really bad for your car of course, but it saves accidents and if it stops water freezing & cracking the road, then it's a worthwhile compromise I suppose.

P.S. On top of your other taxes, imagine being asked to pay a congestion charge of $15 A DAY for the privelege of driving in central NYC. Welcome to the reality that is driving in London.