Michigan roads
07-14-2022, 08:36 AM
#1
Racer
Thread Starter
Michigan roads
Wow, just Wow! I was visiting family in Metamora for 3 weeks and did quite a bit of driving up north and west but the roads in Michigan are awful!!! How do the C7 cast wheels hold up or do they? The roads are in my opinion the proving ground for tires and suspension. When I got back to Oregon I realized how well our roads are takin care of but we don't have the harsh winters as Michigan,
The following 3 users liked this post by bruiser:
08-14-2022, 05:11 PM
#4
Melting Slicks
The following users liked this post:
Ok Boomer (08-19-2022)
08-19-2022, 01:38 PM
#7
Corvette Enthusiast
Member Since: Oct 2005
Location: Troy & Dearborn, Michigan
Posts: 5,344
Received 926 Likes
on
615 Posts
Roads here are bad. But it's mostly a function of previous neglect than current government.
Michigan being an older, highly industrialized state created much of its road infrastructure in the interwar and post war period. However this infrastructure was not updated significantly. Examples are I-75 in Oakland County (other than the part that was just fully replaced) is the Original 1960's base and concrete (with asphalt layered over). I-94 in southeastern Michigan is all from the 1950's. Major avenues are the same. Maybe 10 years ago larger construction projects began that ripped up the roads down to the BASE and rebuilt them. Most road issues are due to poor base, poor drainage (causing washout), cracks (which lead to more base washout and heaving due to freeze thaw). Preservation overlays, and stripping concrete to repave (called rehabilitation) are band-aids. Those roads will deteriorate again in 5-10 years if not quicker (it really depends on the condition of the road base). A good example of a more modern roadway (which is being rebuilt in the next few years) is I-696 between US-24 and I-75 (which was built in the late 1980's), this road is nearly 35 years old and is still in great shape and has not had any overlays done on it. A poor example was M-59 in Macomb county, built in the late 1990's and early 2000's which had to be totally rebuilt at about 20 years old because the traffic usage was 2-3 times what the road was designed for.
Anyway, My C7 wheels have held up excellent. I have hit some pretty big holes and never an issue. I think one of my wheels is "more difficult" to balance because it is no longer perfectly round. But if unrounding a wheel is the worst I deal with, I'm happy.
Michigan being an older, highly industrialized state created much of its road infrastructure in the interwar and post war period. However this infrastructure was not updated significantly. Examples are I-75 in Oakland County (other than the part that was just fully replaced) is the Original 1960's base and concrete (with asphalt layered over). I-94 in southeastern Michigan is all from the 1950's. Major avenues are the same. Maybe 10 years ago larger construction projects began that ripped up the roads down to the BASE and rebuilt them. Most road issues are due to poor base, poor drainage (causing washout), cracks (which lead to more base washout and heaving due to freeze thaw). Preservation overlays, and stripping concrete to repave (called rehabilitation) are band-aids. Those roads will deteriorate again in 5-10 years if not quicker (it really depends on the condition of the road base). A good example of a more modern roadway (which is being rebuilt in the next few years) is I-696 between US-24 and I-75 (which was built in the late 1980's), this road is nearly 35 years old and is still in great shape and has not had any overlays done on it. A poor example was M-59 in Macomb county, built in the late 1990's and early 2000's which had to be totally rebuilt at about 20 years old because the traffic usage was 2-3 times what the road was designed for.
Anyway, My C7 wheels have held up excellent. I have hit some pretty big holes and never an issue. I think one of my wheels is "more difficult" to balance because it is no longer perfectly round. But if unrounding a wheel is the worst I deal with, I'm happy.