Tire fell off the beater truck today

[junkyardjeff]

Never had a tire come off untill today and its a wierd felling seeing a tire passing you,must have came loose as all the studs were still good and tore up the fender some.  Now both tires on the drivers side have came off as the bed was tore up when I got it and now the front fender matches,what sucks is I destroyed a original aluminum wheel and the truck had survived 33 years with all 5 unless one had been replaced when the first one came off.  I thought it was a wheel bearing going bad since I never checked them and was trying to limp it home,when I first heard the noise and looked at the front wheels and everything looked normal but I made it to about a mile from the house when it came off.  I had to get a bumper jack to get lift it up so I could get the OEM jack under the suspension and its been a rough week as my other daily driver got hit by someone running a stop sign and this truck is all I have to drive or get one of my old cars out in the salt.

[Crosley.In.AZ]

not a good week for you ,  did you have to install new wheel studs at the place where the truck stopped?  That usually is no fun

I watched a rear wheel-tyre  come off a round body Falcon. This was about 1974 or so.

I was behind the guy in a bob tail truck. That Falcon sure stopped quickly when the tire disappeared up in the wheel well.

I saw the wheel wiggling and thought :" it is gonna come off"  just as it did

[junkyardjeff]

All the studs were good so all I had to do was put a tire back on it after I got the rotor off the ground,I am glad no one else was on the road or the wheel could of done some damage to another vehicle.  I now need to find some cheap new tires for the front as the one I put back on pulls so I need to see if any discount tire stores are open on sunday or go to the used tire shop monday.   I can say I drove the wheels off of it.

[Carnut]

oh gee, I've had a few come loose, but never had any come off on me.

Have seen a few such 'events' on the road.

Once back in 1972 traveling at around 65 or so TVicky's Tear Drop lost a wheel right in front of me, fortunately we all survived that.



One other time I was standing out on the ramp at garage I was working at when a late 50's Cadillac had a ball joint let go just as it entered an intersection and dropped the front suspension down on the pavement making for an interesting looking event.

Think the most interesting for me was back in late 80's when i was cruising around loop of Des Moines when a Semi was running along next to me with the front wheel right next to my window and the tire blew out. Was real interesting to see how the driver handled that and managed to get out of traffic and off the road without losing it.

[kb426]

Rough week in the winter.

[junkyardjeff]

If I only got the lug wrench out and checked the lug nuts when I first heard the noise I would not have destraoyed a aluminum wheel,I thought a wheel bearing was going out and when it dropped I thought the spindle broke and then noticed the wheel going by me in the next lane.

[chimp koose]

Lost a wheel off a trailer once going to pick up my model T.Had to walk through elbow high grass to find the tire . Lost a wheel off my 57 chevy while pulling into a gas station to tighten it up. Quite a sinking feeling each time!

[junkyardjeff]

I had one come loose on my 65 galaxie and noticed it going around the drive through at a fast food resturant,I tightened it up after getting my food and the only thing to happen was the food got a little cold.

[Harry]

Have to get some tires like this......
http://www.break.com/usercontent/2008/1/Tire-Falls-Off-Then-Reattaches-Itself-During-Race-431172

[1800guy]

About 10 years ago I was driving South from Palmdale CA in moderate traffic, cruising along in the center lane.  Up ahead a ways I saw some sort of traffic confusion going on, which looked like people avoiding something in the road.  As I got up there traffic flow was resuming but I noticed a Corvette on the right shoulder with a cloud of dust around it, and no LR wheel.  I though 'how exciting' and contined along, by now in the left lane.  There in front of me was the lost wheel, rolling along just as nice as you please, on the left side of the lane.  I figured I'd follow it until it stopped and then grab it and run it back to the vette.  Well, I followed it for five miles or so until my turn-off came up - it went left and I had to go right.  I always wondered how far it went - it was showing no signs of stopping or falling over.

[Crosley.In.AZ]

My freshman year of high school.. a few of us ditched school.  We rode to Encanto Park in Phx while in a 1955 Chevy.  

As we cruise through the parking lot at the park... the right front ball joint breaks, the car stopped as th e lower A arm dug into the asphalt

I did not ditch school for about 2 years.  LOL

[butch27]

Had a tire come off of a van in front of me and hit the wife's car. The ins. company asked if I hit the tire or the tire hit me?  The darn thing was rolling towards me at 40 mph.

[38HAULR]

In 73 the day I registered my 35 Ford Coupe.
The front left wheel parted company approaching a narrow bridge.
I was able to ease off to the side  out of the way  just before the road went to single lane. The wheel and tyre ended up in bushes some 20 or 30 feet in front at the bridge approach.
The lug nuts were all inside the baby moon caps.
No body damage which surprised me.
The front drum and backing plate [ 1957 Customline adapted to early spindles] suffered abrasions though.
Today it is still a mystery.
Only conclusion was at inspection for the roadworthy the guy when inspecting the front brakes had done something or someone in a parking lot that I had left some 15mins earlier, had done some sabotage.
If It happened on the bridge,the wheel would have bounced into an oncoming vehicle as the bridge is narrow with steel sides.Or we could have had a head on collision.
Frank.