soakes94 Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 So something very interesting happened to me yesterday. Was driving along on the motorway and felt a weird vibration. Pulled off to have a look to find just 1 nut holding my front passenger wheel on. The same one that had an odd cut in it a few days ago and I replaced. Tightened them with a long breaker bar since they needed a long breaker to get them off. So I guess my first question is what would cause them to work loose? Did I just not put them on enough and until i get my replacements delivered can I drive on my spare wheel (steel) holding it on with 3 steel nuts and 2 alloy nuts? Cheers Stephen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 If they were tightened correctly, then for so many to come off is likely an act of sabotage, which would tally with a cut tyre if the cut occurred while parked. It's not common, but there are people out there who do that sort of thing, thinking that it's just an act of mild vandalism and will just inconvenience you and cost you money, not able to comprehend that it could cost lives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soakes94 Posted March 23, 2014 Author Share Posted March 23, 2014 Id like to think it wasn't vandalism but that doesn't mean it isn't. For now I'm going to keep it in the drive and put up a CCTV camera to keep an eye on my car. In terms of making sure the tyre is on as tight as possible what's the best way? I used a breaker bar with an extension last time. Cheers S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackmac Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Do them up to the correct torque (110Nm I think), check them after you have driven a few miles on them. If you overtighten them then it stretches the studs, which I understand makes the nuts more prone to coming loose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean f Posted March 23, 2014 Share Posted March 23, 2014 Have you check the rest of the wheel nuts on the car?. We had alert a while ago about leaving cars in long term car parks, apparently low lifes will go round loosening all the wheel nuts on a car with the intent of coming back later with a van and stealing the wheels, with all the nuts loose or missing they can lift all the wheels pretty quick with less chance of there vehicle being spotted hanging around. Otherwise check for dirt behind the wheel or on the hub, a small piecs of stone can make the wheel seem tight but work itself out later leaving the wheel loose. Never hurts to give the nuts a quick check after a few miles if you have had the wheels off, I speak from the experience of loosing a wheel at 30mph, still not sure why it came off but all the nuts and two of the studs where missing by the time I stopped and I had had the wheel off earlier so assume I didn't tighten them correctly some how. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soakes94 Posted March 23, 2014 Author Share Posted March 23, 2014 One thing I did notice and was wondering if it's correct, there was a metal disc that say between the wheel hun and the allow. I'm guessing it's a spacer for the alloy but I thought they were attached? Cheers S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted March 24, 2014 Share Posted March 24, 2014 The washer is stretched over the nut, so it shouldn't come off. I think it's to allow the nut to be tightened without damaging the soft alloy material. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SPendrey Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 To answer the second part of your question... yes, on a steel wheel you're fine with mixed alloy and steel wheel nuts (apart from it looking a little strange!). I had something similar a couple of years ago, and it turned out my torque wrench was at fault. I had a similar knocking noise as you described, also on the motorway, and I found none were tight. Luckily I hadn't lost any nuts though. Once home again I checked* the torque wrench against another and they didn't tally at all. * When I say checked, I tightened up to 135Nm with the original wrench, then tried again with a different one and found I could turn another 1/2 to 3/4 of a turn before the 'click'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 Stephen, stick a picture of the disc up and we'll see if we can identify it for you. It sounds like a wheel spacer to me. What Reg is the vehicle ? Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soakes94 Posted March 25, 2014 Author Share Posted March 25, 2014 Here's the photos I put the alloy back on today along with this plate which I believe is a spacer plate, but what do you guys think? S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dirtyninety Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 Thats a wheel spacer to make you wheels stick out more. You don't need to have these fitted, and I personally wouldn't fit them either! looking at the grime on that spacer, it looks like the wheel isnt fitting perfectly flush to it. If i were you, id remove all your wheels, bin the spacers and give the mounting face of the alloys a good wash and wirebrush. Do the same to the mounting face of the hub and refit with correct nuts. I do my wheel nuts up to as tight as i can by hand with the standard vehicle wheel brace, this is plenty and i've never had a wheel nut come loose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mo Murphy Posted March 25, 2014 Share Posted March 25, 2014 That looks like 8 or 10mm thick. That's 10mm less thread engagement by the wheel nut, Stephen. Time for those bad boys to go. I wonder if you have early axles ? Mo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soakes94 Posted March 26, 2014 Author Share Posted March 26, 2014 I shall get the spacers off this weekend! I'm not to sure about the cars history, I know that it's a 1986 90 county 300tdi conversion but not sure what was done before the conversion. Since were talking about tyres, what pressure should I be running at? It's a mix of road driving that I use the car for but not off reading. Not yet anyway! My tyre size is 235/70 R16. Cheers! S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverik Posted March 26, 2014 Share Posted March 26, 2014 This wouldn't be a spacer to allow alloy wheels to be fitted to older axles with the deeper drive flanges would it?... Mav Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddy Posted March 26, 2014 Share Posted March 26, 2014 For complete price of mind you want to buy a torque wrench and torque your wheelnuts to 108lb/ft. Overtightening wheelnuts is just as bad as under tightening as it stretchs the studs. Will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted March 26, 2014 Share Posted March 26, 2014 torque your wheelnuts to 108lb/ft lbs/feet or Nm ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snagger Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 This wouldn't be a spacer to allow alloy wheels to be fitted to older axles with the deeper drive flanges would it?... Mav That's exactly my suspicion. If you have 200Tdi or earlier type axles witht he wider hubs, thicker drive flanges and longer plastic cones, then you'll need those spacers to fit the alloys over the hubs. Without the spacers, the webs between the wheels' stud holes hit the bevel between the drive flange bolts and hold the wheel about 1/8" off the hub mating flange. I used 1/4" spacers when I did this to mine, but I also used Wolf studs which are 1/2" longer than the standard studs to make sure I had plenty of thread engagement (I had to tap the threads deeper into the alloy nuts, but there was plenty of blind depth available for the longer studs). Those spacers do seem to have a small external diameter. I used turned-down scrap brad drums to make sure the whole hub flange was covered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddy Posted March 27, 2014 Share Posted March 27, 2014 lbs/feet or Nm ? Lb/ft I have always done??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 Haynes manual says 108 nm for steel wheels Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soakes94 Posted March 28, 2014 Author Share Posted March 28, 2014 I thought if check the torque of the other wheels ok my car, they are over 200n/m. So they're not going anywhere. I'm carrying a nice long metal tube now since I'm not exactly the heaviest person so jumping up and down on the small breaker bar doesn't do anything! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted March 28, 2014 Share Posted March 28, 2014 That's too tight. It doesn't matter if you're seven stone nothing, jumping up and down on the wheel brace/breaker bar is too tight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddy Posted March 29, 2014 Share Posted March 29, 2014 I thought 108lbft is for when the wheel nuts don't fully engage, isn't this what the army spec for early vehicles fitted with wolfs? I've always used this with aftermarket steel wheels that are thicker ect? Maybe I've just got too used to agri and commercial torques! Will. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rekab69 Posted March 30, 2014 Share Posted March 30, 2014 Hi, My garage has a note on their invoices stating alloy wheels need to be re tightened after 50 miles driving !30lbs of the top of my head. My pal had all his wheels nuts come loose and also thought the low lifes scum bags were out to steel sorry steal his alloys. he too had just had it returned from the garage having had the wheels off. Torque them up and keep a check on them.. Good luck, db. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.