Wheels loosening after new tires- Anyone else?

[slowflyer]

I have had a new problem that I have never had before on any other car. Within 1 month of having new tires put on, I have had a wheel come loose. This has happened twice, once with each the last 2 sets bought.

When I bought my previous set of tires (the cars third set), Nokian WRs from the dealer, I felt a bad vibration on the highway. I checked things out and one wheel was almost off. I tightened all lug bolts and later talked to a service manager about it. The tires never did it again, even though they were off for rotations and such many times. I know that the dealer used the Volvo torque stick.

Fast forward to last month, bought tires from a local dealer (the Nokians are nice but expensive). The same thing happened but, because of lower speeds or something, it did not start vibrating until after it lost 2 lug bolts. I know that the shop used a tire torque wrench.

I have checked the bolts a couple of times and they are remaining tight. Is this some weird coincidence or is something else going on?

Oh, it was not the same tire location or side of the car so I don't think it could be a specific wheel.

[BillAileo]

Is a torque wrench being used to put on the wheels? I believe the specification is 100 foot pounds which is greater than on a lot of cars. I've never had a problem with them but I always use a torque wrench.

Bill

[mtndave]

In my humble experience over many years with an assortment of vehicles with alloy wheels, it is important that lug nuts be tightened to the specified torque setting, tightening lugs in a "star" pattern instead of a circle pattern, and checking for tightness after a short period of driving after installation. It may sound like "overkill", but it works for me.

[gregvet]

When I received my 07 XC70, I rechecked the lug nuts after about 1000 miles and found several were not as tight as should be. Torqued them to 103 ft lbs as specified in the owners manual-star pattern as mtndave stated.

[volvoshad]

Yes, I too have had this experience.:mad: The first time it happened, I wondered whether I had remembered to torque the lugs on that wheel, but when it happened the second time, I knew that they had loosened from the full 100 ft/lb torque in just a few days of driving. :eek:

I have read various recommendations about when to re-torque wheel bolts on alloy wheels. TireRack recommends 50 miles. This is what I am sticking with, since driving only a short distance more than this led to a completely loose wheel.

In both of my instances, only the left front wheel bolts loosened to a scary point. I suspect that the threads are worn (how many times have those wheels been on/off with an impact wrench in 6 years!?), and am replacing all of my wheel bolts with new chrome bolts for about $60. This is well worth the expense if it prevents the loss of a wheel at speed.:eek:

slowflyer, thanks for this post. I have been meaning to post my experience with this as well, although after the first time my level of embarrasment was too high for me to start a new thread about it. When it happened a second time I realized that I had not forgotten to torque the bolts, although I guess that I should have re-tightened them sooner. However, I have neglected this extra step many times in the past and never had a loose wheel. I won't take that chance again.

[Willy]

If bolts are worn, it should be visible by taking a close look at the thread, possibly using a thread gauge.
I do think using an impact wrench is not the best thing to happen to a wheel bolt, I try to keep such tools
as far as possible from my car!
Hopefully its about the bolts, not the threads in the hub!
Willy

[BillAileo]

I like using an impact wrench to remove lug nuts but avoid such use for installation. I don't think using one for removal presents any serious risk of problems.

Bill

[Willy]

You are probably right, but the problem with impact drivers is that (IMHO) it takes away the feeling from what is
happening with the thread. I think that when the thread of a bolt or nut is about to be damaged, it may be too late because of the brute force of the impact driver whereas I think I have a better chance to feel it coming when torque is applied by hand. In such case, extra measures can be taken to prevent (more) damage (eg penetrating oil, heating)
Willy

[John@CdnRockies]

Our local Calgary tire dealer specifically requests that customers return before 100 km (~60 miles) to have their lug nuts rechecked and retightened. The service is free and applies to all cars. Three of our cars have dedicated winters and they apply the same routine to the Mercedes, Volvo and Avalon.

John

[MoeB]

Haven't experienced loose wheels, but I've only done two rotations myself, so give me time. :) I did buy new chrome lug bolts to replace the rusty originals. I noticed the new bolts have a separate washer/collar piece where the bolt touches the wheel, whereas the originals were one-piece. I wonder if the collar allows for a "tighter" 100 ft-lbs than the one-piece.

[volvoshad]

If bolts are worn, it should be visible by taking a close look at the thread, possibly using a thread gauge.
I do think using an impact wrench is not the best thing to happen to a wheel bolt, I try to keep such tools
as far as possible from my car!
Hopefully its about the bolts, not the threads in the hub!
Willy

I've thought of this, too, Willy.:eek: New bolts won't help worn threads in the hub. If this proves to be the case, it will be especially annoying for me, as I just replaced the control arm bushings, an excellent time to replace the hub.:mad: When I pull the bolts to do my next tire change I will put my thread gauge on them to see if I can detect wear and report back. Then the new chrome bolts go on.

Oh, I should mention that I don't even have a air impact wrench at home - I use a breaker bar, which should be gentler on the threads. But every dealer and tire tech uses an impact wrench for removal and often installation. The trick is to get them to do the final torquing by hand.[sly]

Pricing on the bolts is odd, IMO. Dealer price is $5.64 for the regular bolts (sold individually), while eeuroparts.com has them for $3.99 each. The chrome bolts are $35.77 for ten, or a mere $3.58 each. With my discount at the dealer, I am only paying $2.86 each for the chrome.:confused:

[slowflyer]

I did buy new chrome lug bolts to replace the rusty originals.

Hmm... The chrome replacements I got are 1 piece. They look identical to the other bolts, except for the finish.

As I said, both the dealer and the tire shop torqued the bolts. I watched in both cases. The dealer actually uses an impact or some other type of air wrench to install the bolts but uses a Volvo torque stick. It looks like a socket extension but the service manager said it is a torque device,

Obviously I should be more diligent about checking the wheels, I just have never had a problem before.