Dozer18
SILVER Star
...about three hours ago. We were driving down the Fairfax (VA) County Parkway at about 55 mph when I started to feel a little wobble from the back - though it had been fine a couple hours earlier. Then something hard bounced off the driver's window or door, like a rock hitting the windshield. I know now that that was a lug nut flying off. A few seconds later, without much additional warning, the back left end hit the ground and there was a beautiful spark shower in the rear view mirror. Years of practicing emergency procedures (both real and simulated) in Navy jets must have kicked in, as I calmly slowed the truck (though dragging the wheel helped) and eased off to the emergency lane.
I looked in the immediate vicinity for the wheel, which was nowhere to be found. This bothered me, as that wheel accounted for $400 of new rubber and alloy. Called USAA roadside assistance, and when the driver came we drove around and found the wheel - about 200 yards further down the parkway in the middle of the median. Used the flatbed to lift up the ass end and jury-rigged the wheel back into place - remember, all the lugs were spread across the parkway like shotgun pellets - and got her home.
Three days ago I put the new wheels on at a local military base's auto skills center with the help of a certified mechanic. I swear we torqued that wheel down the same as the others, but the facts dictate otherwise.
I tell this story not to highlight my own incompetence, but so that others will think about it when doing something as easy and basic as putting wheels back on: triple-check that you torqued the wheel back on correctly, whether you just finished a tire/wheel swap, brake job, etc. We were lucky nobody got hurt tonight - us or anyone else around us - and the Ghost will be okay in the end.
Now, a question: the only part of the truck to make contact with the asphalt was the wheel/drum. It dragged for about 50 yards before stopping. The studs are all intact, and on initial inspection I couldn't see anything else out of place. What should I be worried about in relation to the wheel itself? Could something really bad have happened to the wheel or axle that I might not see externally?
As for the wheel, I'll be ordering another new one tomorrow and will hopefully have it mounted back up mid-week. Thanks for reading; stay safe and smart out there!
I looked in the immediate vicinity for the wheel, which was nowhere to be found. This bothered me, as that wheel accounted for $400 of new rubber and alloy. Called USAA roadside assistance, and when the driver came we drove around and found the wheel - about 200 yards further down the parkway in the middle of the median. Used the flatbed to lift up the ass end and jury-rigged the wheel back into place - remember, all the lugs were spread across the parkway like shotgun pellets - and got her home.
Three days ago I put the new wheels on at a local military base's auto skills center with the help of a certified mechanic. I swear we torqued that wheel down the same as the others, but the facts dictate otherwise.
I tell this story not to highlight my own incompetence, but so that others will think about it when doing something as easy and basic as putting wheels back on: triple-check that you torqued the wheel back on correctly, whether you just finished a tire/wheel swap, brake job, etc. We were lucky nobody got hurt tonight - us or anyone else around us - and the Ghost will be okay in the end.
Now, a question: the only part of the truck to make contact with the asphalt was the wheel/drum. It dragged for about 50 yards before stopping. The studs are all intact, and on initial inspection I couldn't see anything else out of place. What should I be worried about in relation to the wheel itself? Could something really bad have happened to the wheel or axle that I might not see externally?
As for the wheel, I'll be ordering another new one tomorrow and will hopefully have it mounted back up mid-week. Thanks for reading; stay safe and smart out there!