0Randy@DRM

Last night driving away from work. Going about 65 mph down a two lane highway. About a 92 f-body in front of me. I see the car start to move around, next thing the car is all over the place. Then into the ditch, kart wheeling like the prototype in a different thread. I laughed a little and went to see if he was alright. After the cops got there I left. Cause, all the lugs fell off. So for 5 minutes work, he went for a wild ride.

100 foot pounds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Check often, like before every green flag, and a couple miles after you guys put the street tires.

Randy

VetteDrmr

:bb Confession time: Once I was checking the front brakes on my old '94 Z-28 (still my work car), ran the lugs down with the impact set to its minimum torque setting, and (classically) something interrupted me. Rather than putting that on hold until I finished the job, I went and did whatever it was.

Several days (and miles) later, I felt something funny in the front end. When I got home I found one wheel with a lug missing, another backed off several turns, and the rest loose at least one turn. Just about fainted.

Since then, I never let anything stop me from torquing the lugs (or bolts for other tasks) once I've started installing the bolts. Unless it's a tornado or fire, it can wait.

acrace

Or, if you must attend to something else, put the torque wrench on your driver's seat.

FasterIsBetter

I've seen this more than once with old cars with wire wheels and spinner-type knock-offs. People put them on, give them a couple of whacks with the Thor hammer and then forget about them. You have to keep checking them periodically to be sure they are tight, otherwise......

Same thing is true with lug nuts. I almost made that mistake last year with the Vette. I had changed the wheels from slicks to street tires after a track event, hand tightened everything, but didn't bother to torque right then and there (figured I'd do it before I took it out the next time... a mistake!). A few days later, took the car out, went to the local gas station, decided to check the tire pressures, and then it struck me -- Crap, I didn't torque the lug nuts. Went right back home nice and easy, torqued them up. Good thing, too. Several were not very tight. Potential major problem avoided. Won't make that mistake again.

cire96

Here's my loose lugnut story. Last year at ORP, I had the car on the stands in the pits after completing a minor suspension fix - for which all four wheels had been broken loose - but only the fronts removed.

Time was running tight for the race start so I suited up while a crew member torqued the wheels. Unfortunately he thought only the fronts had been touched, so he didn't torque the rears.

At lap two the rear end felt loose as I exited a tight right hander leading on to the front straight (and where the right side wheels are about six inches away from the wall at exit). Just then the RR wheel shifted and the right quarter kissed the wall, followed (of course) by the front end!

Moral: know what's loose damn sure it's tighhtened before your strap in.
Cire

tjZ06

My buddy just about had a wheel fall of his '95 Z28 yesterday. I guess it was a bad day for Camaros and lugs!!!!

-TJ

John Shiels

8 years ago I was doing brakes by the street light. slapped all the wheels on and few turns on the nuts by hand. Go for a whiz run back drop car to tighten them except I forgot. Back out of drive go 30 feet and a horrible wobble Almost disaster!:o :o :o wheels were ready to really come off!