check you lug nuts...in the name of safety
08-08-2008, 05:52 PM
#1
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check you lug nuts...in the name of safety
something people should be aware of in the name of safety...
So I was taking a car ('88 Porsche 944) i had been working on for the past few weeks to my local shop to get a simple fuel mixture adjustment since I don't have a CO2 meter to help me find the magic number (the car had sat for 3 years)...I had just done brakes, timing belts, water pump, steering rack, clutch, fuel pump, FPR and FPD and a ton of MISC things to it and got the car registered and street legal. I checked everything twice and I felt the car was safe to drive 15 miles to the shop. About 5 miles from the shop I hear a clunk then not 5 seconds later my left rear tire flies off my car and starts bouncing forward in a busy 6 lane road. I get the car pulled over and watch this tire bounce and bounce and bounce at least 30 feet in the air. (imagine look on my face) I was shifting into 3rd gear and driving uphill when this happened so I was only going 30mph. I watch that tire bounce off this guys parked truck 50 yards down the street. Luckily the guy who owned the truck wasnt "too" upset after he realized what happened and my tire only dented a fender. My car was unharmed, no body damage, no rotor damage or anything like that...I found 3 of my 5 lug nuts and all where completely sheared off but the studs were fine. We all figured that someone once before I got the car had used an impact wrench on these lugs which were aluminum and over torqued them and that weakend the lug and it was just time ticking before a failure that I couldn't predict would happen. I torqued all the lugs that morning to spec as well...thank goodness i have great insurance that covers accidents like these. Also I'm thankful that the tire didn't hit a moving car or anyone...It was luck because the traffic was heavy too...when i got home i took the lug nut off every car in my drive way to check them and re torqued all of them...i'm now buying steel lug nuts
moral of the story, check your lug nuts on your wheels before you put them on (or have your mechanic check them)...if it were not for timing and luck, i could have caused a much more serious accident
So I was taking a car ('88 Porsche 944) i had been working on for the past few weeks to my local shop to get a simple fuel mixture adjustment since I don't have a CO2 meter to help me find the magic number (the car had sat for 3 years)...I had just done brakes, timing belts, water pump, steering rack, clutch, fuel pump, FPR and FPD and a ton of MISC things to it and got the car registered and street legal. I checked everything twice and I felt the car was safe to drive 15 miles to the shop. About 5 miles from the shop I hear a clunk then not 5 seconds later my left rear tire flies off my car and starts bouncing forward in a busy 6 lane road. I get the car pulled over and watch this tire bounce and bounce and bounce at least 30 feet in the air. (imagine look on my face) I was shifting into 3rd gear and driving uphill when this happened so I was only going 30mph. I watch that tire bounce off this guys parked truck 50 yards down the street. Luckily the guy who owned the truck wasnt "too" upset after he realized what happened and my tire only dented a fender. My car was unharmed, no body damage, no rotor damage or anything like that...I found 3 of my 5 lug nuts and all where completely sheared off but the studs were fine. We all figured that someone once before I got the car had used an impact wrench on these lugs which were aluminum and over torqued them and that weakend the lug and it was just time ticking before a failure that I couldn't predict would happen. I torqued all the lugs that morning to spec as well...thank goodness i have great insurance that covers accidents like these. Also I'm thankful that the tire didn't hit a moving car or anyone...It was luck because the traffic was heavy too...when i got home i took the lug nut off every car in my drive way to check them and re torqued all of them...i'm now buying steel lug nuts
moral of the story, check your lug nuts on your wheels before you put them on (or have your mechanic check them)...if it were not for timing and luck, i could have caused a much more serious accident
08-08-2008, 06:27 PM
#2
Rennlist Member
Thanks for the great advice. I know what I will be doing next because I drive I95 at very high speeds and something like this happening could be a story I might not be able to tell everyone about afterwards.
08-08-2008, 07:44 PM
#3
Rennlist Member
and when you go to steel lugs you'll be checking them every time it gets hot/cold since aluminum and steel expand at different rates. Only time ive had mine come loose was from cold. Get some good aluminum lugs and go with it....
08-08-2008, 10:13 PM
#5
Rennlist Member
hm- i dunno i put some steel lugs on my car at the track to run my track wheels, torqued them. That night the temp got down real low and the next morning my wheels were all loose. Happened twice now so i always check them a couple times. Maybe after torqueing and re-torqueing they would settle in but they get removed after track duty so i never noticed...
