What damage do rough roads cause on a Boxster?

[new2bxstr]

I live in the Big Easy, which has some of the worst roads in the country. I try to stick to the well paved roads but I still do have to go over the bad ones.

Other than possible wheel damage, what other damage do these bumpy, potholey roads do to a Boxster?

[landrovered]

In addition to wearing out dampers quickly, driving on bad roads accelerates the wear of all of the bushings in the suspension. You will get play in steering and tracking and metal clunks where there were none before. Once the bushings are gone then the hard jarring will begin to take a toll on all manner of things which will appear as interior squeaks and rattles, a loosening of all parts of the car. The first thing I would do if I had no choice but drive on nothing but bad pavement would be to eliminate low profile tires. The difference in softness and ride quality between the 16" wheels on my wife's 98 boxster and my 17" wheels on my 01 is striking, I would imagine that a 19" would be unbearable for me.

[Luv2Box]

Anything made of plastic i.e AOS, Secondary Air System vacuum tank, plastic coolant reserve tank, windshield washer fluid tank get hard and brittle over time. The shock and jarring can cause them to crack and eventually fail.

[Perfectlap]

you'll need to keep your wheels light and small. The most rubber possible and the least amount of work the suspension will have to do. You'll want to drive very slowly over the rough bits, if there's a lot of rattling in the car you're probably going too fast. Maintain a very strict tire pressure monitoring routine (every time you fill up the gas at least). And try to keep as little junk in the car as possible.
If you commute in the same direction every day, try and map out a route that has smoothest road possible, just like a motorcycle rider would. I have the same issues as I drive in out of NYC several times a week and there's always road construction where the roads are beat to crap. A while back I simply decided that local roads are to be avoided whenever possible even if it takes me longer and I have to pay more to use the highways and toll roads. The upside is that the car can go faster and rev higher which is a lot better for the engine than sitting at idle in traffic or stop lights. Overhauling the suspension on this car cost me more than what I sold my fully modified Miata NA for.

[Gelbster]

Check the air ducts to the front brakes.They are plastic and attached by clips to the lower suspension arm .They are easy to break/dislodge if they hit something. The upgrade GT3 ducts are even worse. Fortunately the Ebay clones are cheap. The OEM parts are around $200/pr.

[Gilles]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

you'll need to keep your wheels light and small.
The most rubber possible and the least amount of work the suspension will have to do.
You'll want to drive very slowly over the rough bits
.

+ 1 on driving slow on rough roads

[rdass623]

as a fellow new Orleans resident, my best advice is to pay attention. when driving, you will learn the smoothest roads, use them even if it means taking a slightly longer trip. longer trip? what's the problem? you're driving your boxster. as stated earlier, the tallest tires possible, thus seek out the smallest wheels.. i.e. 16's or 17's. just because you are driving a Porsche does not mean you have to go fast everywhere. the potholes are horrible, and your engine and transmission cases are aluminum and close to the ground. by the way, even though it looks cool, DO NOT EVEN CONSIDER LOWERING YOUR CAR!!!!!!!!