When I plugged a tire last week I also rotated my tires. Was driving on the highway and noticed loud tire noises and vibration from the side of the car I put the plugged tire on. I thought maybe the tire was going flat. I ch checked and it was fine but I noticed a lug nut was missing. I got the lug wrench and sure enough a few nuts were also loose. That will teach me to use my breaker bar next time to tighten them!
Ever lost lug nuts while driving?
- Thread starter ZZman
- Start date
If you're regularly doing your own tire work, a torque wrench is a great investment. The only time I've ever lost a lug nut is when I had left my car in the care of Pep Boys, many many years ago. I got lucky in that it dropped off the wheel as I pulled into a parking lot.
xthis is not because of useing a breaker bar, but because the wheel wasn't properly seated. A torque wrench won't help that. You should always retorque lug nuts after a short drive, or risk exactly this.
Owen Lucas
$100 Site Donor 2023
- Joined
- Sep 5, 2021
- Messages
- 2,581
Never happened to me but I understand one of the benefits of those old timey metal hubcaps was containing loose lug nuts and making a racket when they came off.
Last edited:
Once, on a road trip with a friend in his car... We were on the way home late in the evening and suddenly traffic ground to a stop and we inched forward for about a half hour to get past the obstruction (there was a car fire on the shoulder). While stopped, we had rolled down the windows and turned off the AC, and once we got moving again we noticed a "tire noise" we had not heard earlier. So we stopped and found two lugnuts missing on one wheel, with the remaining three very loose! If I remember right, there was at least one stud broken too.... Evidently the friend had had his tires rotated a few days earlier and the tech at the shop must've forgotten to tighten the lugnuts on one wheel. It was a real eye-opener considering if it were not for being stopped by the car fire, we probably would have kept going at 70 MPH until that wheel came off entirely and then we might have rolled over or something else bad.
And one of the reasons they may not be seated properly is corrosion between the hub and wheel.
4WD
$50 site donor 2024
I had one come loose that the Dodge dealership missed …
They replaced wheel and studs …
They replaced wheel and studs …
A friend had the lug bolts (I think they were bolts) come loose on his tent trailer twice. I think he needed to invest in a torque wrench.
Even a decent beam torque wrench is good for lugs, I go to spec then add maybe 5-10%. Close enough for lugs on my stuff anyways.
Twice, and both times were with those OE washer-style lug nuts on Prius aluminum wheels!
I even used a HF Torque wrench, with calibration checked by my trusty elbow, to give 'em 80 ft-lbs, a hair over the 76 recommended.
They made a noise, didn't fall off all the way. Didn't trash the studs, wheels, or anything else, except my pride.
I run with the hubcaps off for a week, checking after 50 and 300 miles now.
I even used a HF Torque wrench, with calibration checked by my trusty elbow, to give 'em 80 ft-lbs, a hair over the 76 recommended.
They made a noise, didn't fall off all the way. Didn't trash the studs, wheels, or anything else, except my pride.
I run with the hubcaps off for a week, checking after 50 and 300 miles now.
I've had a wheel come off once while driving through Montana with my brother and sister in law in their VW Vanagon. I was driving and noticed some weird vibration as we were coming down a pass in the middle of nowhere (which describes most of the state). I pulled over to look, didn't notice anything, so got back in it to leave. As I started to drive away it was way worse so I got back on the shoulder just in time for one of the back wheels to fall off.
I found one of the lug bolts (not nuts) on the highway right beside the van. While my brother got out the jack, I hiked up the road and managed to find two more lug bolts and a dead coyote in the ditch. We went the rest of the trip with three out of four bolts as none of the auto parts stores in Helena had any in stock.
I found one of the lug bolts (not nuts) on the highway right beside the van. While my brother got out the jack, I hiked up the road and managed to find two more lug bolts and a dead coyote in the ditch. We went the rest of the trip with three out of four bolts as none of the auto parts stores in Helena had any in stock.
I've seen washer-type lug nuts go missing on old school, aftermarket slotted aluminum wheels. The LS400 uses the same type of lug nuts on the OEM wheels.
I make sure to go back and check them after a few miles after the wheels have been R&R'd.
I make sure to go back and check them after a few miles after the wheels have been R&R'd.
A) Most recently, a friend did some work on my truck. He's Ford trained and talented and he cares.
He said he checks wheel lugs on every job and told me I had loose lugs.
I never experienced any symptoms. Everything I had done to my truck hadn't involved the wheels.
I do not doubt his assessment one bit.
B) Years ago with the 1972 Toyota Corolla De Luxe (the best $227 ever spent).
I drove home after doing some work at my parents' house and a front wheel wobbled horribly in a turn.
They were all very loosened.
I gotta think that was 100% me....as in 'distracted auto working'.
C) My sister called me from work stating that a front wheel bearing was completely trashed.
I drove the 20 miles up to her parking lot to inspect.
I concluded the alloy wheel was a good fit and it caught the face of the hub at a slight angle such that the wheel didn't seat completely.
This was her '99 XJ with the 5 spoke wheels.
I absolutely tightened them but the wheel popped square while she was driving.
Reseat, retighten .....then explain to the very thorough security (seminal multinational with secrets worth stealing) why we had to make them lift their heads.
He said he checks wheel lugs on every job and told me I had loose lugs.
I never experienced any symptoms. Everything I had done to my truck hadn't involved the wheels.
I do not doubt his assessment one bit.
B) Years ago with the 1972 Toyota Corolla De Luxe (the best $227 ever spent).
I drove home after doing some work at my parents' house and a front wheel wobbled horribly in a turn.
They were all very loosened.
I gotta think that was 100% me....as in 'distracted auto working'.
C) My sister called me from work stating that a front wheel bearing was completely trashed.
I drove the 20 miles up to her parking lot to inspect.
I concluded the alloy wheel was a good fit and it caught the face of the hub at a slight angle such that the wheel didn't seat completely.
This was her '99 XJ with the 5 spoke wheels.
I absolutely tightened them but the wheel popped square while she was driving.
Reseat, retighten .....then explain to the very thorough security (seminal multinational with secrets worth stealing) why we had to make them lift their heads.
Last edited:
This seems super obvious but with this many incidents of loose wheels I’ll state it anyway…
I always hit the lug nuts while the tire is still in the air. I use a battery drill or my battery impact and just snug them up. I use a crisscross pattern. Once the tire is on the ground I use my torque wrench in the same crisscross pattern and go around twice. I’ve never had an issue and I seldom recheck them after the work is done.
Just my $0.02
I always hit the lug nuts while the tire is still in the air. I use a battery drill or my battery impact and just snug them up. I use a crisscross pattern. Once the tire is on the ground I use my torque wrench in the same crisscross pattern and go around twice. I’ve never had an issue and I seldom recheck them after the work is done.
Just my $0.02
Never.
Most people can develop a feel for proper tightness given enough experience. I still check my work from time to time with a torque wrench to see if I'm losing my feel, but I'm always spot on.
Dealing with power tools slows me down at home. By trade I'm a semi mechanic and value air and cordless tools at work.
I use a 24" breaker bar and a deep well socket. I don't bother with power tools at home. I spin the lug nuts on the Corolla, or bolts on the Audi using the deep well socket itself or spinning the breaker bar with it being horizontal to zip them off and on fast. Of course the initial loosing and final tightening is a different manner.
Most people can develop a feel for proper tightness given enough experience. I still check my work from time to time with a torque wrench to see if I'm losing my feel, but I'm always spot on.
Dealing with power tools slows me down at home. By trade I'm a semi mechanic and value air and cordless tools at work.
I use a 24" breaker bar and a deep well socket. I don't bother with power tools at home. I spin the lug nuts on the Corolla, or bolts on the Audi using the deep well socket itself or spinning the breaker bar with it being horizontal to zip them off and on fast. Of course the initial loosing and final tightening is a different manner.
Closest I came was after doing a LOF / rotate on my Mustang at home. I zipped the lugs on with my impact and spaced on using the torque wrench once the tires were on the ground. Pulled away from my house and made it about 2 houses before it hit. I stopped, slowly backed up, and used the torque wrench on them. I like to actually have the torque wrench move a noticeable amount before clicking, so the lugs were however tight the electric impact got them when zipping them down and stopping before any hammering.
f355spider
$50 Site Donor 2024
As others stated, purchase a good quality torque wrench and use it. I would also recommend to periodically have the calibration checked, or purchase a torque tester and confirm yourself.
It pays to check... I bought my wife a used Prius. We drove it a while before I rotated the tires and I discovered one tire had the lug nuts on backwards. Luckily it is a hub piloted wheel and none of nuts came loose before I noticed it.
