I've been Riding with two nuts! Does the wheel rotation tend to undo a lug nut if it's loose?

[Snoking1127]

Well, I have been riding with two nuts, who knows how long. I had the Vredestein tires mounted on the new PPA wheels on May 28th, installed them on the Spyder that day, torqued the lug nuts to spec, and I always do at least one extra go around. Yesterday was detailing the trike and when I got to the Right front wheel I was confronted with only two lug nuts.

The Spyder went in for the transmission recall on June 16th and was there for the rest of the week. Front tires do not need to come off for the recall! On July 13th we made an over night trip into Canada and the trike sat out overnight in the parking lot behind the hotel, with the little battery(AA) alarm on.

At no other time did the trike sit out where someone could have messed with it.

I had the dealer add the OEM lug nut to my front axle inter end plastic cap that I found missing on the left side a week ago. In the mean time, I went to O'reilley's and bought 12mm 1.5 pitch standard old school lug nut. We did a 80 ride today and I checked the torque when we returned and it is still spot on.

So where and how in a few thousand miles did the lug nut go AOL will remain a mystery! It is not like it is on a short treaded stud.

I remember the days the Chrysler products had left hand threads on right side of their vehicles. Does a spinning wheel on the right side of a vehicle tend to unscrew a righty tighty lug nut if it is loose, while traveling down the road?

 

[Peacekeeper6]

Well I have been riding with two nuts, who knows how long. I had the Vredestein tires mounted on the new PPA wheels on May 28th, installed them on the Spyder that day and torqued the lug nuts to spec, and I always do at least one extra go around. Yesterday was detailing the trike and when I got to the Right front wheel I was confronted with only two lug nuts.

The Spyder went in for the transmission recall on June 16th and was there of the rest of the week. Front tires do not need to come off for the recall! On July 13th we made an over night trip into Canada and the trike sat out overnight in the parking lot behind the hotel, with the little battery(AA) alarm on.

At no other time did the trike sit out where someone could have messed with it.

I had the dealer add the OEM lug nut to my front axle inter end plastic cap that I found missing on the left side a week ago. In the mean time I went to O'reilley's and bought 12mm 1.5 pitch standard old school lug nut. We did a 80 ride today and I checked the torque when we return and it is still spot on.

So where and how in a few thousand miles did the lug nut go AOL will remain a mystery! It is not like it is on a short treaded stud.

I remember the days the Chrysler products had left hand threads on right side of their vehicles. Does a spinning wheel on the right side of a vehicle tend to unscrew a righty tighty lug nut if it is loose, while traveling down the road?

I'm thinking that one nut wasn't tightened to the correct torque specification.

You're lucky you didn't lose a wheel and go careening off a cliff ....

 

[Mrmikey]

I've heard that now instead of the Tide pod challenge and other assorted stupid things the latest is the lug nut challenge, maybe you're a victim?

 

[Dusterdude]

The left side nuts can come loose, that's why Chrysler used left hand lug nuts on their vehicles for decades.

 

[TheMariner]

'Lug nut challenge'... really? How stupid are our younger generation becoming? Maybe we need to start a 'baseball bat challenge'...

 

[Snoking1127]

On my Champagne and the Arizona Spyder I did purchase the PPA security lug nuts sets. Maybe should have got the same for this latest Spyder. I have been doing 98% of my own vehicle maintenance for around 70 years and am very careful on mounting wheels, and find it hard to believe this was something that I did. I used an inch pound, a 150 lb, and 250 lb torque wrench.

 

[Cobranut]

I still cannot understand how wheel rotation could loosen lug nuts in any application with multiple lugs per wheel.

My Cobra has knock-off wheels, where a single threaded spinner retains the wheel, and those are LH thread on the right side of the car, so in the event a spinner ear is hit by debris or another vehicle, it tends to tighten the spinner. I just don't see it happening with multiple lug nuts.

 

[Bfromla]

Glad found without incident, please stay incident free.
(Unfortunately also indicates have not been following pre ride check list required & listed on safety card , before mode button. )