Posted on 1/30/2026
Some roads make every car feel a little busy. But if your vehicle feels nervous, floaty, or unpredictable anytime the pavement gets rough, that’s different. You might notice it on patched asphalt, bridge joints, or those wavy sections of freeway that make the car drift even when you are holding the steering wheel steady. An unstable feel on uneven roads usually comes from a grip-and-control issue. Tires, alignment, and suspension all play a role. The good news is that this problem almost always leaves clues you can follow. Why Uneven Pavement Exposes Weak Points On a smooth road, your tires stay consistently loaded, and the suspension only has to manage small movements. Uneven surfaces constantly change the load on each tire. The suspension has to react quickly, and the steering system has to keep the wheels tracking straight while the tires hit bumps at slightly different times. If a component is worn, the car can lose composure. The tires may not stay plant ... read more