Wheels Falling Off

[West Coast GT]

Several occurrences recently have made me wonder if loosing wheels off a moving car happens more often than I assumed.

• Last fall I had 3 lugs back completely off a slotted mag and the 4th was half-way off by the time I got stopped. I had torqued the lugs the night before the 6 hour trip.
  
• This spring while on the Highway 49 Opel Run Gil lost a wheel, an aftermarket rim with the large center lug.
  
• Speaking to other Opelers I've heard of other instances.

Does anyone have insight as to why these wheels are coming off our cars? Does it happen to the original steel rims, or just aftermarket rims?

[BQS4]

Just speaking for myself, after driving different models of Opels, with different types and styles of wheels, combined mileage probably over 1 million miles PLUS, over the past 35 years, I have NEVER had this happen to me. I have never broken a wheel stud either.

[heimue]

When I was 19, I was driving my first own car (a 71 Kadett 1.0 which my mom bought new in 71) to work, when suddenly the car went down in the right rear corner. Before I knew what happened to me, I saw a wheel passing me on my left side, rolling across the street, in the gutter. I thought hell no, the first thing remembering was that my wrench and jack is safely tucked away in the garage at home. I managed to pull on the shoulder and stopped safely, went out to get my wheel. I was kinda surprised to have the complete wheel, brake drum and the axle drive shaft in my hands. I don't remember exactly what happened, at that time I just started to get interested about cars in general and Opels in special. Either the wheel bearing went completely bad (I do remember that the brake parts were very hot), or all the fine threaded nuts to hold the whole assembly on the axle housing came off (which I doubt). Anyway, a week later I had a 73 GT with a hefty lien attached to it.

Dieter

[opelspyder]

I had a freshly restored Jaguar XK140 wheel fall off on me, fortunetly the suspension and brake drum saved the car. Those wheels had spinners and the prior mechanic had mixed up the hubs on the back. Fortunetly also I was going about 30 mph.

In answer to your question....more than likely if you are running the old style slotted aluminum wheels and they use a unilug or stepped type of lug nut with a washer, check to make sure they are not too long. What happens is even though they are tight, the wheel is loose, which will shake the lug nuts loose. I had a GT once that aftermarket wheels kept coming loose, even after a couple miles I could start feeling a vibration get progressively worse. So check that the lug nuts and not bottoming out. If this isn't the problem, maybe the wrong lug nuts are being used. Maybe a tapered nut is being used where a stepped lug nut with washer is needed.

Keith

[Paul]

Yes, I've found loose lug nuts before. But because of a good habit I learned from my Autocrossing days, I've so far managed to prevent or catch it before it presented a problem.

First you really should use a torque wrench and properly tighten in 3 steps. Next you should re-check torque after one heat cycle.

I learned this at my first 2 day Nationals event where on the 2nd morning I found every lug nut loose. I suspected a competitor... but the experienced older guys expained what happened and I've made it a part of my SOP ever since...

[GTJIM]

Opel wheels are centred by the studs ('lug centric') and not by the hole in the centre of the wheel ('hub centric'). It is important that the flat surface area where the wheel contacts the hub is clean and flat and that the hole in the centre of the wheel has plenty of clearance around the 'bump' in the centre of the hubs.

Many years of over-tightening of wheel nuts can also stretch and/or damage the threads on the studs so that the metal passes its yield point and continues stretching till the studs break. That is why it is important to use a torque wrench when tightening the lug nuts - so they are not over-enthusiastically tightened. Around 50 lbs-ft (with lubed threads - copper anti-seize) is plenty tight enough to hold wheels on - though lug nuts should be periodically re-torqued ... especially after 'spirited' driving and heavy braking which heats and cools alloy wheels.

Using a torque wrench also lets you 'feel' any studs or threads that are not coming up to tight properly - then the studs and nuts should be replaced.

Strangely enough, it is usually over-tightening of the lug nuts that leads to wheels/nuts falling off!

[Bill Hoffmann]

Once my girlfriend called and proudly told me she had changed a tire on her Manta. I asked her to get her younger brother to check the tightness for her, but she didn't.

A week later she called. "Guess what happened!"

"Your wheel fell off?" I said.

"How did you know?"

Harbor Freight sells a cheap click-type torque wrench for about 20 bucks. There is no longer any excuse for improper torque on lug nuts. I bought one so I don't have to use my expensive torque wrench on autocross days.

As mentioned, the more common problem is over-torquing. Modern cars are designed for alloy wheels, which require over 90 lb-ft. The correct torque for an Opel is 65 lb-ft. Young technicians probably don't know any better. If you have lug nuts that fight all the way on and off, the stud is probably elongated and should be changed.

Bill

[namba209 (R.I.P.)]

Here's the reason most after market, non-steel, wheels get loose lug nuts or they even fall off. Steel wheels have no compressibility. That is they push back on the lug nuts when they are torqued correctly, which is akin to having a lock washer under the nut. Alloy wheels actually do compress some each time the lug nuts are torqued and will, over time loose the torque against them. Personally, I'm like Gene and never lost a wheel, but, on the 67 Mustang I built for Margaret's Son's graduation from high school, lost a wheel after the tires were changed out by the local Goodyear shop. The manager, one of our neighbors, was well aware of the torque required and personally checked the lug nuts for proper torque, but about a mile down the road, on a freeway on-ramp, with Margaret driving, the left front wheel came off. Do I have torque wrenches, you betcha, about 5-6 of them, some walking beam types and the other are break-away or clickers. From a 1/4" drive torquing "T"-handle set at 15 in. lbs., to a 1/2" drive that can be set from 25-250 ft.lbs.

[opelenvy]

Speaking of '67 Mustangs. When I was 16 I was driving my 67 Mustang to school. I just had the body work done and new metal welded in to replace the rust in the rear quarters. The whole car was primed and ready for paint. Coming around a corner at about 60 on a country road my left rear (aftermarket aluminum) wheel came off. I got the car stopped and made a nice groove in the pavement and made a nice flat spot on my brake drum. I got out and to assess the damage. The tire had smashed in the left quarter panel after coming off the car. I looked all over the left side of the road (in a field) for the wheel and could not find it. Caught a ride to school and came back after school and found the wheel/tire on the RIGHT side of the road about 50 yards off in the woods behind a tree! I guess after it came off and hit the fender it went all wonky. The inside of the wheel had grooves in it from the threads of the studs. I took one nut off the other three wheels and put my wheel back on the get it home. That paint job had to wait a lot longer.

[Sparky73]

I've never had a wheel fall off, but about 3 weeks ago.. I was driving home from my girlfriends house in my 1993 Ford Probe GT. I had just bought it for $500, so hadn't really worked on it a whole lot. I was going around these curves by our nearest airport when the car started to shake horribly. I thought at first it was a CV Joint going, as that is what it felt like. Drove it home, and woke up early the next morning to see if I could figure out what was wrong. All the lugnuts were still on the wheel, but on the front drivers side.. 3/5 of them were so loose I could turn them either way by hand. Got out the impact wrench, tightened them up, and havn't had a problem since.

Stupid PO's ....

[okieopel]

I torque mine at 75 to 80 Foot-Pounds (100 N-m) in torque pattern. Re-torqueing before and after each solo2 event. I use a SK 74151 1/2-Inch Drive (US made) torque wrench.

Never let the tire shop or gas station under/over torque your wheels, torque them your self. Most of these well meaning, underpaid folks do not know how much torque to apply for your Opel.

Here is a handy tire rack link on wheel lug torque:
Wheel Tech - Wheel Lug Torquing

I have not had a wheel fall off yet ... but I am still trying.

[GTJIM]

The 1969 Opel Kadett & GT Factory Service Manual lists the wheel nut torque at 65 lbs-ft.

[Dennis Texas]

Several occurrences recently have made me wonder if loosing wheels off a moving car happens more often than I assumed.

If it requires shoulder of nut (no centering bevel on the nuts face) to center the wheel make sure you have the right nuts for rim. It sounds like you are experiencing movement between the rim and lug bolts. If it is unilug design don't use the after market adapters they are too thin experienced that problem on ET mags with unilug design on my camaro.

[Aardvaark]

I've forgotten to torque the lugs a couple of times and had them back
off on cars (not Opel's) while driving. In both cases just pulled off the road and tightened them. The vibration was obvious after a point.
I used to change wheels allot when I raced and SoloII'd with street cars.