Lost rear wheel while on freeway

[JoeH]

I suppose it depends on the wheel but is there a brand or type of lug nut that is better than the rest? Gorillas seem to be the go-to but even then there's a gazillion options.

[dig255]

Man I got lucky compared to that.
[IMG][/IMG]
99 miles from tire shop. 4/19/17
I know exactly what your talking about.
I credit being in traffic for lessoning my impact, only going about 35mph. Tire took 2 big 20ft in the air bounces and then rolled a half a mile up the road, again so lucky it didn't hit anyone considering all the traffic.
Glad your ok.

[dig255]

Oh I just got back from first trip since fixing it, 700 miles and I must of pulled over every 30 miles and re-torqued them nuts. Call me paranoid. Hard to forget that experience.

[dig255]

Wow I sadly just saw news about a driver killed by a lost wheel thru the windshield on the 14 fwy today. This is just to close to home right now.
I am so lucky my wheel didn't harm anyone, and how I would feel if it did!!!!

[beaker]

Just a comment on lug nut torque; anti-seize compound, which I used to use as SOP when installing lug nuts/bolts can dramatically affect final bolt tension. A rule of thumb is that anti-seize torque ends up about 30% higher than dry threads. In other words, the reduction in friction when using a lubricant means that you should torque the wheels to a lower value in order to obtain the same bolt tension.

As an aside, we own a VW Touareg (glutton for punishment), many of which had a "steering-wheel-shake" issue. The TSB to fix it was a 3-step wheel torquing procedure with a final torque of 130 lb-ft. Some owners were finding themselves failing lug bolts during removal. My guess is the higher final torque value in the TSB along with anti-seize was causing the bolts to exceed their yield strength.

I now use anti-seize sparingly, if at all, and drop my torque values when I use it.

[Flux]

In my kit:

[TomsBeast]

oh good. I guess I've gotten jaded over the years, I'm glad they owned up.

Originally Posted by Pritikin

I have zero concerns about the shop. They have reacted exactly as one would hope -- expressing concern over injuries and immediately following up with their insurance information. Additionally the owner called me and requested photos to reinforce updated safety meetings with their staff.

Their current policy is hand torque and etc etc. but accidents do happen. Maybe somebody got distracted? They are handling it professionally and well.

- max

[Tapatio]

Driver Killed by Tire Coming Off Another Car on Opposite Side of 14 Freeway in Newhall | KTLA

[Pritikin]

I think this will be my life as well. Driving the Subaru down to collect all my stuff was panic inducing. Every wiggle in the road surface had me gripped.

Originally Posted by dig255

Oh I just got back from first trip since fixing it, 700 miles and I must of pulled over every 30 miles and re-torqued them nuts. Call me paranoid. Hard to forget that experience.

[BVerhulst]

Among many in this group, I don't ever drive away from an auto shop with blind trust that everything is done well and correctly. If I've had my oil changed, I check the level and look underneath for drips from the drain plug and filter. I listen carefully to new sounds the engine may make after repairs. Based on what I've learned in this thread, I'll be checking tires more carefully, and based on recent experience, I'll check tires BEFORE I drive away from the shop! This includes nut torque. I think I'll start to make a point of making sure they're watching when I check the pressure and torque...

See, I recently had new tires put on the Expedition Vehicle. Aside from some poor customer service at the Discount Tire shop (long wait for five tires that had been ordered two weeks in advance, followed by a phone call two days in advance to make sure they had FIVE tires ready for me - and then when I got there to have the tires mounted, was told "gee, we don't know why we only have four in stock" - smh), when I arrived home I noticed that the spare tire didn't have new weights applied; it was also only aired up to 35 psi (should be 55)! I called the shop and gave them a piece of my mind - not rudely - but emphasized to the store manager what a predicament he put me in, as I was embarking on a 1000 mile journey, and was unable to simply return to their store to have the problem corrected.

I understand that we're all human, and we all make mistakes, but I find this type of poor work quality unacceptable when these are the potential outcomes of such negligence.