HELP!! My wheel's falling off!!!

[69speed]

My driver's side rear wheel keeps coming loose. Passenger side too but not nearly as bad. What's going on and how do I stop it?

[Supercharged 86]

Well, first thing is how tight are you making the lugs. My next guess would be if you have the correct style lug nuts for the wheels or if they're balanced well. They may even be shaking loose if they're not I'd guess.

[David Pozzi]

Don't use stainless steel washers on the pilot type lug nuts.
Don't use oil or antiseize on the wheel studs.

[TonyL]

Im guessing the type of lug nuts isnt correct. What type wheels are we talking about?

[69speed]

I am using the lug nuts Detroit Speed sent me for my Budnik wheels. I did not use washers or antiseize. I did try locktite last time this happened and it seemed to help, but here I am again with the wheel about to fall off. The holes in the wheel are messed up now. I am guessing I have to replace this wheel, but I have to know how to prevent this before I buy anything else.

[TonyL]

Is the bolt circle correct? did you order a 5x 120.00 mm wheel for a 5x 4.75 inch car?

Check the hubs mating circle. (the hole in the center of the wheel, that mates to the raised part on your hub.)
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2005/07/img_body04-1.gif

Check to make sure these fit tight on one another. If the wheel has a bigger hole than your hubs, the studs are bearing the entire weight of that corner of the car. This causes "Stud Stretch", working your wheel lugs loose over time.

Make sure that the bevel of the lugs you have fit the wheel exactly. This also can cause a form of stud wear that will lead to loose bolts. (though not as quickly)

[larknut]

What setting do you torque your lug nuts at? Lug nut torque is a major factor in this type of situation. Also like Tony said check that your hub mating hole on the rim fits snuggly over your brake hub. If not alot of rim manufacturers offer hub-centric rings which correct the problem and center the rim on the hub. This helps take most of the load off the studs .

Alex

[69speed]

Thanks for the help, everyone. I'll be checking those measurements today. Would anyone know if Budnik can repair this wheel for me at a reasonable cost? Even if the bolt pattern and lug seated properly when I bought the wheels each hole is worn out now.

[Budnik Wheels]

What do you torque your lug nuts down to? If you torque them down too much, you may have damaged the threads, or stretched the studs. My guess would be that is where the problem is. You can always call us for correct torque settings.
Unfortunately, since it sounds like the center section is damaged on the wheel, the only way to repair that is to build you a new wheel.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

[CAMAROBOY69]

I was going to also say stretched or stripped studs like Jon just said. Studs are cheap and easy to replace. Pics would also help us determine the problem.

[jy211]

What do you torque your lug nuts down to? If you torque them down too much, you may have damaged the threads, or stretched the studs. My guess would be that is where the problem is. You can always call us for correct torque settings.
Unfortunately, since it sounds like the center section is damaged on the wheel, the only way to repair that is to build you a new wheel.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.

If you have wheels that have a lug cover, you may be able to find a local wheel shop to fill and re drill the holes....I've done it before...

[69speed]

83ft/lbs. correct for 1/2 in. studs? I think ( I hope and pray!!) I'll be able to salvage this wheel. The holes are larger, but the lug seats seem to fit the lugs well. I'll be replacing the studs this weekend.

[larknut]

also they say when you install new wheels you are supposed to re-torque all lugs after about 15-20 miles. i guess the lugs tend to back off slightly. i will say when i installed new rims on my a-body, i torqued the lugs and drove around. sure enough i got a 1/4 to 1/2 turn out of the lugs. just a thought from my experience.

alex