[adrianpowers]

About a month ago during a cruise my left wheel almost fell off as all four wheel nuts were loose! As we took a short cut on a very bumpy road i did not notice until my frd behind was flashing his headlights and told me my wheel was wobbling! After tightening them and returning home i decided to check the nuts and wheel and noticed the wheel holes were elongated! and this cannot be repaired anywhere! This ****ed me off since it was an aftermarket wheel from japan (work meister s1s!!!) which will take a month to make and ship.

I called up the last place who changed my brake pads 2-3 weeks ago and they said 2-3 weeks is too long if they didnt put it on properly, plus they used the drill. Deciding that it was just bad luck i ordered another wheel and put on the stock S spoke rims.

However, last night i went for a spirited run and it happened again after being fitted on again with the drill!!!! it was the same wheel too, and some of the other nuts on the other front wheel were a tad loose as well. Im planning to go complain to the dealership that i could have died which is true! But i dunno if new nuts will fix it or changing the whole hub. I recall there was a similar thread ages ago but it only happened to one person. i could check the nuts every few weeks or after i have them put back on, but im worried they will loosen up again. Anyone experienced this b4 or recommend wat i should do?

[MarkW]

how spirited was your run? if you got your wheels hot enough it can cause the nuts to come lose.

I've had this happen on my track car (not MINI) twice so I'm very careful now. After a 5 lap session the wheels are hot to the touch

[robbo mcs]

Quote: Originally Posted by adrianpowers (original)

About a month ago during a cruise my left wheel almost fell off as all four wheel nuts were loose! As we took a short cut on a very bumpy road i did not notice until my frd behind was flashing his headlights and told me my wheel was wobbling! After tightening them and returning home i decided to check the nuts and wheel and noticed the wheel holes were elongated! and this cannot be repaired anywhere! This ****ed me off since it was an aftermarket wheel from japan (work meister s1s!!!) which will take a month to make and ship.

I called up the last place who changed my brake pads 2-3 weeks ago and they said 2-3 weeks is too long if they didnt put it on properly, plus they used the drill. Deciding that it was just bad luck i ordered another wheel and put on the stock S spoke rims.

However, last night i went for a spirited run and it happened again after being fitted on again with the drill!!!! it was the same wheel too, and some of the other nuts on the other front wheel were a tad loose as well. Im planning to go complain to the dealership that i could have died which is true! But i dunno if new nuts will fix it or changing the whole hub. I recall there was a similar thread ages ago but it only happened to one person. i could check the nuts every few weeks or after i have them put back on, but im worried they will loosen up again. Anyone experienced this b4 or recommend wat i should do?

Hi,

This is not an uncommon problem, and almost allways occurs when using after market wheels.

The stock OEM wheels and nuts are designed and shaped to sit precisely into one another. Most after market wheels have a slightly different shaped receptacle, so a standard nut does not fit as snugly. Also, the wheels may need a slightly different length nut. What happens with time as the wheel stresses and vibrates, the nut works loose, and in some cases may shear and break, or fall out completely.

This is especially a problem when the wheels are under more stress, eg racetrack, rallies, bumpy roads etc. I have probably seen this on dozens of occasions on minis, and in the worst case the car lost a wheel on the racetrack, and suffered significant damage

Even if you buy nuts matched to the wheels, this may not solve the problem, as some of these are of inferior quality, and I have seen some of these fail

The front wheels of the mini are a particular problem, as the stresses are very high, as the front wheels put down the power, and cope with virtually all of the cornerning and braking stresses. In addition, the bulk of the weight of the car runs over the front wheels. This is the same reason that the front wheel bearings frequently fail in the mini when used as a race car

The bottom line is everyone should regularly check the nuts with a torque wrench. This is especially important if you are using after market wheels, and critically important if you are putting the wheels under unusual stress, eg racing etc.

The fact that this recurred with the stock rims on the same wheel may mean that either those nuts or the hub have been damaged by the original incident. BTW was that the front wheel?

Cheers

Robbo

[adrianpowers]

yeah the same wheel! (front left) This time it was with the stock rims! also the front right was not tight but still on firmly. hrm i thought the nuts should get tighter as you drive. but yeh both times it was when i was driving fast, which is more of a concern lol. i think it should be checked regularly especially when i put my aftermarket wheels back on. i understand that the front wheels r subject to more stress and vibration on mini's but this shouldnt happen at all! Also i wanna track my car too. Now that ive tightened it manually as tight as i can (using my foot and weight on the wrench), i will check it every few weeks. If gets loose again ill go dealership and complain like a b*itch

[minigolf]

That's an interesting post Robbo ... cheers.

[Malin Dixon]

It is still a lot better to have loose wheel nuts than overtightened ones. As you found out, loose ones give you warning.

Overtightened ones can make the studs break without warning.........

[Lucky Dave]

It maybe that the nuts were incorrect for the aftermarket rims?

And since they have been driven on loose they may not fit the standard rims either now.

What are you using to tighten them? I should think the mini is about 100 newton meters.

[robbo mcs]

Quote: Originally Posted by Malin Dixon (original)

It is still a lot better to have loose wheel nuts than overtightened ones. As you found out, loose ones give you warning.

Overtightened ones can make the studs break without warning.........

Hi,

Thats why you should torque them with a torque wrench, so they are "just right" and all are equally torqued.

Cheers

Robbo

[adrianpowers]

i looked at the studs and they seem fine, no damage to the thread. They were previously tighten with torque drills at brake and tire shops, and they r usually pretty tight (similar to what i do with manual wrench). But how can nuts not suit aftermarket rims? Isnt it pretty much the same? Im sure a lot of people with aftermarket rims just use the standard studs.

Anyway just checked the studs last night and they r still pretty tight. Its a tough call though, only happened when i was driving hard. But yeh warning to people b4 they have a session of hard driving, check ur wheels studs! haha im turning the damaged rim into a bedside table - black S1's with polished rim would be the first thing i see when i wake up =]