Holy Cow my wheel came off on the highway!
#28
#29
#30
+ whatever#wereon. I bought a nice one at Summit Racing on sale. I don't have shops change my wheels except Classic when balancing/aligning, then I still retorqued them when I get home. A good torque wrench is indispensible for wheels, spark plugs, etc. I have the stud conversion without any issues.
Good that you weren't hurt and hope you can get it all repaired satisfactorily.
Good that you weren't hurt and hope you can get it all repaired satisfactorily.
#31
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: SoCaL (Agoura Hills)
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Wow, what can I say. My front left wheel came off on the highway. We were at a dealer track event and I enjoyed some laps around the track. I drove their cars a lot as well, it was a blast.
However on the drive home right away I began to feel a slight vibration. I thought that is strange. I got out and looked at all the wheels. One of the wheels looked like it was missing its wheel balance weights so I figured I would stay below 60 and get them rebalanced at Discount Tire.
Well, it got REALLY bad so I started to slow down and pull over and all of the sudden the left front of the car dropped down, sparks flew, and the wheel went on down the road and crossed the highway.
I was so lucky nobody got hurt and it did not hit oncoming traffic on the other side of the interstate.
The car is at Ways shop right now and hopefully he can get it taken care of. Thanks to him I was not stranded on a busy interstate and he helped me get the wheel back on and to a safe place to call a tow truck.
Would this have happened from Discount Tire not torquing the wheels properly. I just had these put on about a month ago and less than 4000 miles
k
However on the drive home right away I began to feel a slight vibration. I thought that is strange. I got out and looked at all the wheels. One of the wheels looked like it was missing its wheel balance weights so I figured I would stay below 60 and get them rebalanced at Discount Tire.
Well, it got REALLY bad so I started to slow down and pull over and all of the sudden the left front of the car dropped down, sparks flew, and the wheel went on down the road and crossed the highway.
I was so lucky nobody got hurt and it did not hit oncoming traffic on the other side of the interstate.
The car is at Ways shop right now and hopefully he can get it taken care of. Thanks to him I was not stranded on a busy interstate and he helped me get the wheel back on and to a safe place to call a tow truck.
Would this have happened from Discount Tire not torquing the wheels properly. I just had these put on about a month ago and less than 4000 miles
k
Wheels will loosen 15-20 ft lbs easily after a 20 minute track session (with stock bolts). It helps a LOT to get a stud kit.
You shouldn't be driving on a track unless you have a torque wrench to check your lugs/bolts after each session. I torque my wheels up to 100 ft/lbs after EVERY session. Probably 50% of the time they're loose...
#32
#34
I know some of the guys in this thread were driving on the track to have some fun. The loosening of wheel bolts is an example of why lots of nuts and bolts get safety wired when racing. Some racing clubs will even tell you what, at minimum, has to be saftey wired. It's really unfortunate some of you guys have had wheels come off. Thanks for posting this information. It may prevent it from happening to others.
I'm getting four new tires and a wheel alignment tomorrow for my Isuzu Trooper. As a result of this thread, I'll drive staight home and check the torgue on the wheel lugs before using this auto any further.
I'm getting four new tires and a wheel alignment tomorrow for my Isuzu Trooper. As a result of this thread, I'll drive staight home and check the torgue on the wheel lugs before using this auto any further.
#35
You MIGHT want to keep a torque wrench in your car. I know of an instance where a NAMer left a MINI shop and within blocks of leaving.. his wheel nearly fell off. Someone goofed and forgotten to tighten the lugs. Mistakes happen, but really it's simple enough to make sure they are tight before leaving any shop--regardless of their reputation.
Richard
Richard
#37
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