Drive On: Lincoln MKZ, MKS go to war on potholes

With the snow finally gone, one might think that pothole season is over. But we're finding roads are still pockmarked, either because of what was uncovered once the wet, cold weather was gone or because patch crews simply haven't found them yet.

For drivers, potholes can throw a car's wheels out of alighnment, puncture of a tire or dent a wheel rim. Ouch, says your wallet.

Lincoln, however, thinks it has the answer. In the new MKZ and larger MKS sedans, it has a computer system that detects when the wheel dips for a pothole and automatically corrects the suspension system for it in a split second.

The system is constantly monitoring road surfaces and setting the car's damping system to make the suspension hard or soft. Algorithms recalculate optimal damping force every 2 milliseconds.

When the system finds a pothole, it instantly tightens damper control to prevent the wheel and tire from sinking all the way in. The system is so quick that the experience of the front wheels allows for quick calcuations knowing the rear wheels are about to pass over the same hole.

The system "is always active, and it underpins the expanded dynamic capabilities of the new MKS," says Brian Naspinsky, Lincoln Vehicle Integration engineer. And MKZ, too.