Why am I breaking wheel studs?
Why am I breaking wheel studs? I just got home from driving across the state for a weekend road trip. I made the 6 hour drive to my destination without any issues.
On the way back, after about two hours, the car developed a sudden serious vibration, and upon pulling over, I had three broken wheel studs in my driver's side rear wheel. The lugs were pretty loose, so I figure that must be my problem.
After a tow and a very stressful ordeal in getting that taken care of, I was on the road again. About three hours later, only 30 miles or so from home, the car develops another sudden serious vibration. Pull over, and this time I have three broken studs on the passenger front wheel. I know that these were tight because I had the shop that took care of the rear wheel check them all. An abnormally expensive tow later, and I'm back home.
These are (I'm fairly certain) the stock wheel studs, with my 17x9.5 AT Italia Riva wheels. They've been on the car for a good two months now, with no prior problems. What caused this? More importantly, how can I keep it from happening again?
Thanks...
On the way back, after about two hours, the car developed a sudden serious vibration, and upon pulling over, I had three broken wheel studs in my driver's side rear wheel. The lugs were pretty loose, so I figure that must be my problem.
After a tow and a very stressful ordeal in getting that taken care of, I was on the road again. About three hours later, only 30 miles or so from home, the car develops another sudden serious vibration. Pull over, and this time I have three broken studs on the passenger front wheel. I know that these were tight because I had the shop that took care of the rear wheel check them all. An abnormally expensive tow later, and I'm back home.
These are (I'm fairly certain) the stock wheel studs, with my 17x9.5 AT Italia Riva wheels. They've been on the car for a good two months now, with no prior problems. What caused this? More importantly, how can I keep it from happening again?
Thanks...
On The Tree
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 194
Likes: 0
From: mn
sounds like when the shop that "looked" them over ,they probly over tightend them on ya!!or you had tightend them and when they went to check your other rims they poped...see what happens when you tork down to much the metals can acually bond making it impossible to come loose , usally they bust when tightend down to hard
So you think it's just that when the shop checked them they overtightened those lugs? That's what I was thinking, but wasn't sure just how tight they would have to be to cause that.
sounds like they were over tightend, as long as you torque them to spec you should be ok, i dont know if ARP sells stock length stregthend studs, but if they do you may want to invest in those, or you can replace w/stock, and just make sure its torqued correctly, the studs you can replace yourself, you wont have to drop the rear to get the rear wheel studs replaced if you stick w/a stock lengthed stud, they'll fit in behind and then just torque them on to get them wedged in place
As it turns out, the shop never checked them. They weren't quite as loose the second time as they were the first time, but it still took almost no force behind a lug wrench to get them off.
Hopefully that will be the end of it, at least until I can go raise some hell at Firestone for almost killing me.
Hopefully that will be the end of it, at least until I can go raise some hell at Firestone for almost killing me.
