[augy]

Had a little incident last Saturday afternoon coming home from a small car show in my old home town about 90 miles away. Driving our 57 Chevy wagon, came around an easy right curve on a blacktop road at about 50 mph. Heard a THUMP, THUMP, THUMP from the left front wheel. Pulled over, checked things out. Tire was not flat, lug nuts seemed tight (didn't have my usual ratchet and 13/16" socket along to really check for tightness), wheel and tire were not wobbling at slow speed. Nervously took off again, no noise this time, got back up to about 25 mph, then WHAM!! Left front tire went airborn, car dropped down onto the disc brake rotor and backing plate, sparks flying, headed for the VERY DEEP right ditch. Couldn't steer it, hit the shoulder with gravel and sod flying, down into the ditch, finally stopped on the remaining 3 wheels. Crawled out of the car, looked down at it, it was very close to rolling over.

Long story short, all 5 lug nuts on the left front wheel came off at the same time. I always check all the lug nuts on my Torque-Thrust II wheels before every trip. They were all tight that morning. Don't know why those 5 came off after only about 100 miles of driving. The 2 buddies that came to my rescue, both car guys with Tri-5's and Chevelles, couldn't believe it either.

We dragged the car backwards out of the ditch with one guy's 4WD pickup. The other guy found my wheel and tire across the road about 50 yards into a corn field. We found 1 of the chrome lug nuts on the highway. Jacked the car up, couldn't find any suspension damage. Stud threads were all okay, so we put the wheel and tire back on using 1 lug nut from each of the other 3 wheels plus the one we found. Those other 15 lug nuts were still tight. Actually drove the car home, VERY slowly, with the other guys following in the truck.

Pics (not very good inside the shop) show the damage to the left front fender........it won't buff right out...... Luckily no other damage to the driver's door, rocker, or rear quarter panel. The windshield is broken above the left cowl.

Got a call in this morning to J.C. Taylor Insurance and am waiting for a call-back now.

BTW, no speed, alcohol, or texting were involved in this incident.....:thumbsup:

 

[Derek69SS]

Do you have any old enemies in Wells?

Sorry to see that... hope your insurance takes good care of you.

 

[Kaizen]

Was the car unattended at the show? You piss somoeone off?
Seems odd. I could see if you just put the wheel on finger tight and forgot to tighten them. Glad no one was hurt.

 

[dyno jonn]

I'd say you should check to be sure the lug nuts aren't too long and bottoming out on the rotor. By the way, I love those white fenderwell headers hanging on the wall. :thumbsup:

 

[novaderrik]

i've seen wheels fall off before- and the studs are ALWAYS broken and the wheels are usually ruined from the wobbling action of the wheel against the lugs before they finally let go... i can't even begin to explain how all 5 lug nuts could spin all the way off at the same time like that and how the wheel isn't damaged...

 

[dell72]

I can relate. 3 years ago I put new tires on my truck and headed out to San Antonio from Wisconsin. Got to Austin during rush hour traffic. Wife tells me "I think I hear a strange noise" I reply with great confidence that all is well and it must be the tires on the fresh pavement she is hearing.

$900 later I'm being towed to the local Chevy Dealership. Left rear wheel came "off" Ruined the aluminum wheel and all eight studs. I'm a big advocate for retorquing wheels now.

 

[Robinls5]

Dateline January 1971: (I have not told many people about this)
Just bolted on a set of REAL Corvette knock/off wheels on my SS 454 M-22 El Camino that is 9 months old. 3-4 hours later stopping at a redlight the left front wheel falls off,,WTF !
The rest of the story..................
Corvette knock/off wheels have an adaptor that bolts to your 4-3/4" bolt pattern, This adaptor puts the knock/off in the center.
What I did not know ?????? DAAAAAaaaaaa !
You have TWO LEFT side adaptors...........
And TWO RIGHT side adaptors.................
Do not be like me and mix them up! The rotor is slowing down and knock/off lug is unwinding= You picked a fine time to leave me " Loose Wheel ". Remember I was a lot smarter 42 years ago, Leave me alone, I know how to install wheels on a car, Yea Right !
Bob

 

[lucky3]

This happened to my brother this may heading to a show. He was going down the highway and he felt something that wasn't right, pulled over and all 5 lugs where off. He got lucky he didn't lose the tire. I was with him the night before and he tightened them down with the torque wrench. We still had now idea how all 5 came off at once. We found all the lugs but one of the studs where bad so we put the other 4 on and away we went.

 

[fleming23]

Dateline January 1971: (I have not told many people about this)
Just bolted on a set of REAL Corvette knock/off wheels on my SS 454 M-22 El Camino that is 9 months old. 3-4 hours later stopping at a redlight the left front wheel falls off,,WTF !
The rest of the story..................
Corvette knock/off wheels have an adaptor that bolts to your 4-3/4" bolt pattern, This adaptor puts the knock/off in the center.
What I did not know ?????? DAAAAAaaaaaa !
You have TWO LEFT side adaptors...........
And TWO RIGHT side adaptors.................
Do not be like me and mix them up! The rotor is slowing down and knock/off lug is unwinding= You picked a fine time to leave me " Loose Wheel ". Remember I was a lot smarter 42 years ago, Leave me alone, I know how to install wheels on a car, Yea Right !
Bob

I knew a guy with a 427 and knockoffs who would almost take the knockoffs loose after hitting it hard and then letting off too fast.

 

[augy]

Thanks guys, for your comments.

1. Didn't think I had any enemies in Wells, but ya never know. The thought of sabotage did cross my mind, and the other 2 guys too.

2. The car was unattended for periods of time at the show.

3. The lug nuts are the correct length for the wheels. Been driving this car for 12 years with those wheels on it and have never had a problem.

4. The TTII wheel and radial tire that came off have absolutely no damage to them, not even to the bolt holes.

The whole thing has me stumped to no end. Guess from now on an extra 1/2" drive ratchet with 6" extension and 13/16" deep-well socket will be a permanent part of the emergency tool kit in the car. In fact, any of my cars with custom wheels and chrome lug nuts.

I was alone when this happened, but my wife says there was an Angel riding shotgun.........and I believe her.

She would have been along that day, but she had free tickets to a MN Twins game and took a friend along to that. I kinda think if there HAD been a passenger, the extra weight on that side would have been enough to roll the car. It was at about a 45 degree angle to that side when it finally stopped.

 

[droptop396]

I'm a big advocate for retorquing wheels now.

Yes!
And if somebody else services your vehicle, make sure you check and re-torque the wheels.
My 2500 HD with aftermarket wheels gets free balancing and tire rotation from the shop I bought the wheels and tires from. After they rotate the wheels they ask me to bring the truck back to re-torque the wheels.
One of the times it was brought back and re-torqued. Drove the truck for 5000 miles. The next time I brought it back they discovered 4 of the eight studs on the left front wheel were broken and the lugs and studs were just floating inside the recess of the wheel where the lug nuts go. With the caps on the wheels there was no way to see this, and there was no noise or warning due to the wheel caps keeping the broken studs and lugs in the recess. I feel lucky that I brought the truck in when I did. It was on a whim that I decided that morning to bring the truck in.

On another note, just tonight while I was pumping gas in my VW, I saw a Full size dodge truck pulling out of the parking lot with 24" chrome wheels on it. It sounded like it had lug nuts rattling around in the wheels under the caps. I would have made them stop if I could have got to them before the pulled out.

 

[mfret1970]

Almost lost the right front on an Astro conversion van. On our way from Boston to a gig in NYC with a trailer full of guitars, amps, and drums. Picked up a vibration that wouldn't go away. Pulled over and walked beside it while my buddy idled. Heard the clacking, pulled the cap and 5 broken studs with nuts rolled onto the ground. Wheel was being held on by....luck?

Had we waited one more exit to pull off, you all may have never heard this story.


Sent from AutoGuide.com App

 

[68Cpe307]

circa 1987, brand new 86 camaro, wife gets into it to go to work, barely backed up couple feet and front right wheel comes off. it appeared someone loosen up both fronts to steal them but never finished the job. no real damage done but she was rattled.

 

[droptop396]

I had a set of Cragars get real loose on the back of an old Nova.
Also had to leave a 56 Chevy in the middle of the street after hearing a bunch of steel go pop. when I stopped I only had one stud and one lug holding on the brand new weld draglite on the left front.

 

[Tod74]

The old cragar superlite and the weld drag lite were bad about that. They are a three PC wheel and will come loose on their own. Had one come off on my chevelle. Luckily was turning into driveway...only damage was to the wheel and snapped studs off.

 

[Keith Tedford]

In my younger days, I had two separate occasions where lug nuts came loose. On one of the occasions two nuts were gone. It seems strange that all five would take off together. Since my second experience, I have always used a torque wrench religiously and haven't had a nut come loose in about 35 years. Guessing just doesn't get the job done.

 

[Tod74]

With mine, they told me when i bought wheels to always check them . I always did for a long while every time I took car out. I usually never got more than a 1/4 turn with a 4 way so I sorta got complacent and stopped checking.

 

[augy]

I'd say you should check to be sure the lug nuts aren't too long and bottoming out on the rotor. By the way, I love those white fenderwell headers hanging on the wall. :thumbsup:

Jon, those white headers are gen-u-wine NOS 1960's SBC Hedman's that I scored for the 57 150 gasser project we are working on.....:hurray:

 

[Cam]

Are wheels with Uni-lugs any more susceptible than with normal lugs?

 

[Chris R]

I had a left front tire go flat on my Tahoe once that my wife noticed in the driveway and I wasnt home so she just handled the problem by calling AAA to just come and swap on the spare since it was mid summer and 90 something that day. I drove it a few days later back and fourth to college classes and I started making some clunking sounds on the way in and the way home, freeway all the way both directions. First thing I thought of when I pulled in the driveway is that I probably better recheck the lugs on the spare and its a good thing I did, all 6 were loose as a goose.

And since the subject of lugs and studs are being discussed. I like to remind people that wheel studs are NOT designed to be lubricated with any sort of penetrant or spray lubricant or anti-seize. I used to work in a tire shop and the so called "expert" that owned the place always thought it was a good idea to slather the s hit out of the wheel studs with anti-sieze as if he was Picasso. Even after reminding him thats a lawsuit waiting to happen, I still dont think he got the picture. I left there shortly after for a better career oportunity that came up at the time.