Crashing is real bad for fuel economy

[Goldenfrog]

This happened to me in my old Firebird back in 1989. I'm guessing someone sabotaged me because I hadn't done any work on my car in a while. Luckily I was going real slow around a corner, having just stopped at a red light. The left rear wheel came off, crunched the rear quarter panel and shot off across the road. By the time I got the car pulled off the road some guy comes along with my tire. I was on a Navy base in the Philippines at the time so there was no shortage of people to come to my aid. I ended up taking one lug from each of the other three wheels to put it back on.

The only thing that saved me from real damage was my $20 bolt on traction bars.

[jamesqf]

Had it done to me, too. Probably 20 years ago, 'cause I was driving a '78 Datsun pickup. Took it in to a tire shop for new front tires, came back a couple hours later & it was done and parked in their lot. So I paid & drove away. A few hundred yards later, I'd just made the first left when the front corner dropped, and I saw a tire rolling away down the (luckily almost empty) road. Took a look, and guess what? No lug nuts. They were back at the tire store, where the installer obviously forgot to put them on.

[bryn]

i broke three of five posts off, trying to tighten the lug nuts when i finally realized what that clunk clunk clunk clunk was. but hey all the vibration sure made it easy to press out the old ones

[roflwaffle]

Always always always use new cotter pins and do it the first time! Never think you'll do it later! I put in an old one on the bunny just to roll it out of the garage and completely forgot about it. ~1000 miles later the nut worked it's way off and one of my wheels started flapping around at 55mph.

[dremd]

I have not done this; however I have been a victim of this.

A buddy of mine had a 70's Camaro Hot rod, we were always futzing with it.
Anyways we were out one night, and during one of the few periods at which we were not breaking any laws we had a bit of an event. The back of the car started hopping up and down then all of a sudden I'm looking forward at the road; the front bumper hit the ground and then we hit the ground (correct direction) and skidded about 10 feet to a stop. I had NO CLUE what had happened. But he knew exactly what the issue was the, Right rear wheel had come off.


Moral of the story; torque your lugs.

Next time Our story will be. Breaking a weld on the 4 link while backing up at Sonic.

[ebacherville]

I had a chevy impalla 1979 model, big boat, got a motor from a racer friend, right out of there stock car Added a race modified turbo 350 tranny and posi rear end.. after I got it all put together I went to the gas station added some fuel and then took off like a batt out of hell , the front end came up and dropped back down the drivers side front shot off and rolled a 1/4 mile.. the problem? it had mag wheels on it and the nuts required special washers to hold the rims on.. they were not on the lugs. the lugs were still on the studs with no tire/wheel.. no one was hurt and the car wasn't moving fast so nothing more than abit of road rash on the front disc.

Boy that car was a beast.. fast as hell..