Sad video for Jim C, funny for everyone else

[masraum]

Wow, this is bizarre. Jim, any ideas, any weird weak points in the RX7 that would cause something like this? Or did the guy just finger tight his track wheels and forget to

http://www.teamjamoto.com/dixeregionpage.htm

It's not that surprising to lose a wheel, but all 4 at the same time? That's unusual.

[masraum]

Found an exlanation

from the Vortex site:

They were tight when he put them on, the car passed tech inspection.

The explanation was given to me by people who are far more mechanically inclined than me, e.g. they bring their race cars to SCCA events in covered trailers.

Apparently the threads on the wheel studs were different than the threads on the lugs. The felt tight because some portions of the threads were in contact with the lugs and sufficient to hold the wheel on when the car was stationary or moving slowly.

However, as soon as the car reached a certain speed, enough force was generated to rip the threads out of the lugs; the threads in the lugs themselves were stripped out of the lugs are were laying on the track and stuck to the guy's new Toyos.

The example given to me was of an old car whose wheels actually rusted to the hubs; you can beat the wheels with a mallet and shake the car back and forth and the wheels won't come off, but you can then drive the car slowly and they will loosen enough that they can be removed.

I suppose that a really experienced racer (like the guys that figured out what happened) might have recognized that the lugs were wrong, but weekend amateurs- like me- would probably assume that the lugs were OK as long as you could torque them to the proper setting and they felt like they were properly affixed.

Bummer for the car, it was really, really nice- pristine condition. Hopefully the tire company owns up to its mistake and does the right thing so he can get the car back on

[berettafan]

wow, that is comical but sad...

odd that he felt he needed the handbrake.

[speeder]

Since no one got hurt, that was hilarious. My lungs hurt.

[svandamme]

Originally posted by masraum
Found an exlanation

why would the tire company be to blame??
usually i would think that they provide the tire, owner provides car,wheels and lugnuts?? no?

[masraum]

Originally posted by svandamme
why would the tire company be to blame??
usually i would think that they provide the tire, owner provides car,wheels and lugnuts?? no?

It's possible (maybe likely considering the comment) that the tires, wheels and lugnuts were bought as a package.

[Noah930]

Originally posted by svandamme
why would the tire company be to blame??
usually i would think that they provide the tire, owner provides car,wheels and lugnuts?? no?

This is America. We need someone other than ourselves to blame. Always.

[berettafan]

wow, you guys should check out some of the sick whips on that page (did i say that right?) nothing like a slushbox neon with color coded interior bits to get your blood flowing!

[Z-man]

Originally posted by masraum
It's possible (maybe likely considering the comment) that the tires, wheels and lugnuts were bought as a package.

And that's why I always buy Porsche OEM wheels and lug nuts for my car...

-Z-man.

[Jims5543]

Originally posted by masraum
Wow, this is bizarre. Jim, any ideas, any weird weak points in the RX7 that would cause something like this? Or did the guy just finger tight his track wheels and forget to

http://www.teamjamoto.com/dixeregionpage.htm

It's not that surprising to lose a wheel, but all 4 at the same time? That's unusual.

I cannot get the page to load. In the 10 or so years I have been around RX7 owners online I can safely say that 99% of the problems they have with their cars are owner related. Your typical RX7 owner is 17-20 years old with a below 80 IQ I am not kidding.


I once bought a 1/4 mile track car from the owner of an RX7 website. All the bigshots on the site had fallen all over each other to work on this "project car" it was the flagship car of the forum and I thought it would be a great car to get my hands on.

The Haltech was wired into it using twisted wire ends and electrical tape. The car was a total POS but to read their ravings online you would have thought it was the best car ever put together.

I quickly turned around and sold it for a lot less than I paid for it. I made sure the buyer knew it was a POS that needed a LOT of fixing. This is your typical RX7 owner.

What I have done to my car and a few others in the motorsports world is a rarity. Most of them are put together with duct tape, electrical tape and clothes hangers.



That person is a liar, there is no way he torqued his lug nuts to 90 Ft. Lbs. and did not notice something wrong. He probably snugged them down and never torqued them.


I had a set of new Kosai K1 rims on my MINI at a track day and the finish on the rim caused my front right wheel to work the lugs loose. I felt it right away and pulled off the track behind a wall.

Now I torque my lugs on all of my cars all day long at a track day. Same goes for Autocross, I drove my 911 110 miles Sunday to AX and when I got there and the car cooled down I checked the lugs.

[URY914]

I agree. He didn't torqued his lug nuts to 90 Ft. Lbs. Threads fit or not. Let's see a picture of the stripped bolts and nuts.

[notfarnow]

If they were the correct lug nuts and he just didn't torque them, it's hard to imagine they would have wound off so fast.

IMO, it makes sense that the lug nuts were the wrong ones and pulled off, but it's hard to believe they would have torqued smoothly to 90ft/lbs if they were crossthreaded.

Unless maybe they were the right thread, but too short and only had a few threads of grab.

[Tim Walsh]

I've had a wheel loosen up on me at speed, and you know it right away. Stupid lug bolts....... I dunno how anyone could have gone that short a distance and not known his lugs were loose.
Pics of the lugs:
http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p81/knowcones/2402956247_ORIG.jpg

[the]

That was awesome. They should send that video to America's Funniest Videos, they may win enough to fix the car back up.

[Jims5543]

I finally saw the video. I hate to laugh at someones misfortune but damn... that loked like something out of an 80's comedy.

Just because he passed tech inspection does not mean his lugs were checked. Some clubs check them others do not.

Example: My battery in my 911 would not pass an SCCA inspection but passes the PCA ones no problem. One of my bolts are stripped and the battery can wiggle.

I have never had anyone check the torque on my lugs at any event.

[wrecktech]

Originally posted by Jim Cesiro
That person is a liar, there is no way he torqued his lug nuts to 90 Ft. Lbs. and did not notice something wrong. He probably snugged them down and never torqued them.

I would have to agree. I was remounting wheels on a car I had just worked on and one lug would not tighten, it just kept revolving. I took it off and checked it and it was the wrong thread. It never came close to 90ft/lbs. It would surprise me if it ever made 20ft/lbs.

[Jims5543]

At least he had cool shoes.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally posted by Jim Cesiro
At least he had cool shoes.

I feel no pity for anyone with shoes like that.

[Jims5543]

You know, with those shoes, I bet he could drive the wheels off pretty much any car.

[911pcars]

I wonder if the owner was the focus of fellow pranksters (cruel), or perhaps the owner didn't want to admit he forgot to thread them more than two threads tight.

I don't buy the incorrect thread theory. As noted, he should have noticed something was amiss if he tightened them. The timing of all 4 wheels separating at about the same time indicates an equal absence of retention.

Wheel launch was similar to rocket booster separation on the Space Shuttle.

I had a similar event happen with a LF tire many years ago. Someone tried to steal the Fuchs and quit after removing 5 lug nuts. I feel bad for the owner even if it was his fault. I would rather not list the stupid things I've done in the name of wrench twisting.

Sherwood