Wheel went one way, I went another

[jimcom]

Coming home from the bar last night (after watching the dang skins lose ) my drivers side rear wheel decides it wants to go a different direction than me and WHAM as I come to a stoplight it rolls out from underneath and I'm sitting in the middle of the road stuck. The lugs nuts had worked themselves loose is all I can think. Tires were rotated less than 2K ago, I'm not sure what caused it. Doing some research and came up with this thing about certain lugs needing washers to hold them in place? Does that sound familiar to anyone? Maybe I needed washers and didn't have them?

Unsure of the total damage, thankfully I was only going about 10mph, so it wasn't catastrophic. Had her towed and we'll see what happens.

 

[Turdle]

Whoa
I am glad to be reading this actually, it could have been worse and we never heard from you again.

glad you are ok

yeah I check the torque on my lugs MYSELF

 

[boominXplorer]

its not uncommon for it to happen. With explorers being decently heavy and only having 1/2-20 wheel studs they tend to back off if not torqued correctly. I torque my wheels to 105 (manual says 100). I drive it for 20 miles or so and retorque them. Usually they are down to about 85-90 ft/lbs just after that drive. I run 35" tires so im sure thats a big cause of it but if they were not torqued correctly in the first place it could very so be on the shop. Find out if the shop was just using torque sticks on an impact gun to tighten your lugs and going back with a hand torque wrench for accuracy or not.

 

[bizzy]

Most places when you get new tires, or rotate them will tell you to come back and have them retourqued in 100 miles or so.

 

[410Fortune]

Um yeah you need to check them after having a shop install wheels, either that or a Vikings fan loosened them up on you at the bar?

I would be checking the other 3 like yesterday.
You should not need any washers with OEM wheels and lugs.

 

['97 V8]

If you use washers on our vehicles it would be bad imo. Our lug nuts(stock lug nuts at least) have the self seating thin to em. Its narrow then widens up. You know what i mean? Adding a washer in there wont let the wheels seit properly..becuase it does allighn the wheels when i tighten them. Ok im going to stop talking now.

 

[jimcom]

these are pro-comp xtreme alloys, 1069 model I believe. 15X8's
sorry, I should have mentioned they weren't stock wheels and lug nuts.
This is the first time I'm hearing about the lug nuts needing washers though, and this shop is the only place to have EVER touched the wheels, they mounted them, and have rotated them 2 or 3 times in the last year.
hmmmmmm
My insurance company wants to take a look at it and we'll see what they say, I'd imagine a hard knock would screw up my brakes and 4X4 in the hub assembly wouldn't it? Or am I just being paranoid?

EDIT:
P.S. - The thought of a Vikings fan hadn't crossed my mind, lol!

 

[EMG7895]

The wheels are lugcentric (acorn shaped tapered lugs), tightening the lugs centers the wheel. Hubcentric rings are just the opposite, tapered hub that centers the wheel. Either way washers are not a good idea.

 

['97 V8]

there we go, thats the word. Lugcentric.

 

[Brandons]

I had a problem before like that, stock wheels though, and at the front (my hub didnt seat right). Noticed it when the front left acted like IFS and not TTB and didnt go off camber over bumps...

Also had a problem with my driveshaft loosening off.. common thing for fords though ive heard.

 

[SkanlaxJMO]

on my truck that nearly happend to me except i heard it making a really odd noise....so i pulled into a parking lot and sure enough tow lugs were finer tight and the others were very loose....the other wheels were fine though.

 

[Rick]

Glad you're ok. This happend to me in my '72 Dodge Dart bracket racer. I attended our graduation party with my car the night before the incident. I'm sure someone loosened the lug nuts as I was always working on that car and checked everything before racing on the weekends.

I felt a vibration coming through the floor. I put my hand down to feel the tranny tunnel and then WHAM! The car rose up slightly as the wheel rolled under the rear quarter panel. Next thing I know the car went left instantly. My traction bar dug into the ground and pulled the car into the oncoming traffic lane. I came to a stop at the curb on the opposite side of the road. My wheel was still going down the road while I was stopped

Some guy was out watering his lawn and he just stood there with his mouth wide open until he said "I've seen that in the movies, but never in real life".

I'm VERY thankful no one was coming the other way while I was careening across the road! Scary stuff....

 

[Rick]

Glad you're ok. This happend to me in my '72 Dodge Dart bracket racer. I attended our graduation party with my car the night before the incident. I'm sure someone loosened the lug nuts as I was always working on that car and checked everything before racing on the weekends.

I felt a vibration coming through the floor. I put my hand down to feel the tranny tunnel and then WHAM! The car rose up slightly as the wheel rolled under the rear quarter panel. Next thing I know the car went left instantly. My traction bar dug into the ground and pulled the car into the oncoming traffic lane. I came to a stop at the curb on the opposite side of the road. My wheel was still going down the road while I was stopped

Some guy was out watering his lawn and he just stood there with his mouth wide open until he said "I've seen that in the movies, but never in real life".

I'm VERY thankful no one was coming the other way while I was careening across the road! Scary stuff....

 

[SoBeLover]

Coming home from the bar last night (after watching the dang skins lose ) my drivers side rear wheel decides it wants to go a different direction than me and WHAM as I come to a stoplight it rolls out from underneath and I'm sitting in the middle of the road stuck. The lugs nuts had worked themselves loose is all I can think. Tires were rotated less than 2K ago, I'm not sure what caused it. Doing some research and came up with this thing about certain lugs needing washers to hold them in place? Does that sound familiar to anyone? Maybe I needed washers and didn't have them?

Unsure of the total damage, thankfully I was only going about 10mph, so it wasn't catastrophic. Had her towed and we'll see what happens.

Sounds familiar......I had that happen to me with my old '92 Sport, but I was going 65 MPH.......had $680 worth of damage.

Thank goodness nothing has happened to my 98 Sport yet.

 

[Brian1]

Some guy was out watering his lawn and he just stood there with his mouth wide open until he said "I've seen that in the movies, but never in real life".

LOL @ what that guy said. Im glad you are ok. I have actually been on the receiving end of a tire coming loose. Coming home after a basketball game late one night a chevy truck going the other way lost a tire and it bounced and rolled right into my front fender and dented it and ripped the badging off. It was really close and could have hit my windshield right in front of my face.

 

[Lt.Jim]

Damn!!! Glad to hear you, or no one else, got hurt. I'm kind of compulsive about checking the tourqe on my lugs. Guess you will be now too.lol

 

[Dan Whitaker]

Glad you are O.K.

Didn't some one write a song about this.
"You picked a fine time to leave me loose wheel"

Sorry, I could not help myself.

 

[jimcom]

The wheels are lugcentric (acorn shaped tapered lugs), tightening the lugs centers the wheel. Hubcentric rings are just the opposite, tapered hub that centers the wheel. Either way washers are not a good idea.

Lugcentric, ok, I am going to check on that.
Thanks for the info guys!

 

[churd69]

You didn't loosen them yourself in an attempt to prevent yourself from having to watch the skins for another season did you?

All joking aside though. Did you hear any noise in the wheel prior to this? I had a problem similiar to this, luckily I heard the noise and stopped by a shop. The lugs had come off and were in behind the center cap. I know Discount tire did not torque them properly, this was after I went back at 100 miles for a re-torque. Now I check them myself. Hope the damage is minimal and glad your ok.

-Rich

 

[OZexplore]

check the wheel to make sure the holes are also tapered to suit the nuts and for damage