Thank god that last bolt held, my wheel almost fell off... Options

[6gsillyca]

I was driving down the highway with my mom and girl doing about 110 (kph) when my car started to get REALLY shaky. It felt like loose lugs, only way worse. Both my mom and gf tell me to stop, pull over, and check the car out. When I get out, I went around the car and just hand checked all the nuts. They were all fine until I got up to the front pass wheel.

It turns out I only had ONE nut left in there. The other 4 bolts sheared off the hub. 3 of them were stilll in the rim socket and im guessing the 4th flew out while I was stopping. I fell so lucky that last bolt didnt give out, because I was in the far left lane of traffic, and if my front pass wheel came off I would have went across all 3 lanes during rush hour, doing 110, and probably wouldnt be here typing this.

What could have caused this? Is it because the lugs were SUPER over torqued?









EDIT:

Yes, those are 3 of my lugs and the bolts from the hub they attach to. There were 4 that sheared off.

This post has been edited by 6gsillyca: Nov 21, 2006 - 12:57 AM

[6gsillyca]

I'm going to guess that the lugs were under torqued, simply becuase I was able to drive a fair distance before anything major happened. If they were overtorqued, they would have snapped at the shop, as they were tightening them, and they would have stopped after the first one snapped.

I do not have a torque wrench and it probably wouldn't have made a difference anyways:

1) because it has been 3 weeks since it was last in the shop, and they could say I took the wheels off myself, and it was my that didn't re-tighten them

and

2) I had the car towed to the shop last night, after the studs snapped, and they had the wheels off by this morning to take a look.


BTW, I do not think this is a shady shop and am very satisfied with the service they have given me thus far. Shop is owned/run by an old filipino guy and his two sons, who was supposedly a master tech with toyota for 25+ years. I have taken my other 6gc to them for the last 2 years without any problems



EDIT: Hitcachi, they aren't the same wheels that are in my profile. That is my old car, the car I'm talking about is jay's old car, and currently has Rota Grids installed.

This post has been edited by 6gsillyca: Nov 22, 2006 - 2:31 AM