Flat Tire Surprise

[dochawk]

It's common when dissimilar metals have a tight-tolerance fit (alloy wheel, steel spindle), no matter the brand. A light coating of grease on the spindle/wheel mating surfaces will prevent this problem. If not greased and they stick, all it takes is a kick to the tire sidewall to break it loose.

A couple of years ago, passing through Arizona we came across a distressed young lady at a rest stop. Having daughters her age, I joined them. Someone was already stopped to help, but they couldn't get the wheel off after removing the nuts.

Another guy arrived, who insisted that we simply needed to kick the wheel.

I declined to be the one to kick the wheel, having absolutely no familiarity with what he was talking about, and unwilling to risk breaking it.

Sure enough, it came right off when he kicked it.

I've had AAA before and those times it was needed I was 2, 3 hours on their list and at the time if you did not use a wrecker service on their list AAA would not reimburse the cost so I dropped it.

I have AAA again, but need to decide whether to renew. I'll have to call Amica and see what theirs is (I have Hagerty Driver's Club for my other cars).

AAA covers any vehicle you're next to, but depending on where you are, you may need to wait for their own truck.

California Casualty was great--It was rather late and very heavy rain when sloppy cuts in the road by Caltrans destroyed a tire. They had nothing in the area, but told me that they would reimburse me for whatever I found (and they kept looking).

They didn't even blink at it being well over $200. When the driver told me that I needed to pay cash, as they didn't have a deal with CC, we told him to check his email--he'd already been paid!

But when the triton on the E-150 tore itself apart, slashing through the block, we ended up cancelling, and CC no longer writes policies out of California.

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[dochawk]

Hit the gym more frequently and you’ll be getting those nuts off like it’s nothing

Maybe.

We couldn't get one of the twenty lug nuts off of my '72 Eldorado, which had been sitting a long time. My then-future son in law, still in football shape, failed--but we could see the breaker bar flexing under the torque!

WD-40 Rust remover was what finally got it off: we flooded it, came back 48 hours later, and it was just another hard bolt.

 

[Steve Urquell]

I can tell you from experience that the 18v Ryobi that comes in their set won't remove a lug nut.

I have an older Ryobi P261 1/2" impact. It is the lowest torque 18v 1/2" that has been made at 300ftlbs.

I just went out and zapped a lug nut off the Mav very easily. I rotated them a week ago and torqued them to 150ftlbs with my Snap-on torque wrench.

Which Ryobi impact are you using that would not remove the lug nuts?

 

[dochawk]

the one that comes in this kit: https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-O...-Batteries-Charger-and-Bag-PBLCK01K/314109290

come to think of it, the blue predecessor.

 

[Steve Urquell]

the one that comes in this kit: https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-O...-Batteries-Charger-and-Bag-PBLCK01K/314109290

come to think of it, the blue predecessor.

That's a 1/4" driver. It's meant for driving screws. There's nothing wrong with it for its intended use. 1/2" is required for lug nuts.

 

[TonyS]

I can change a flat tire if I have to. But I try hard not to have to. Two largest cans of fix a flat the auto parts store had. A $5 tire repair kit from Walmart (t-handle probe, glue and rubber stirps/plugs) and a Bicycle air pump for extra insurance. All fit just fine under the rear seat. Unless I have a blowout, hopefully that will get me enough miles down the road to land at someplace that can repair/replace the tire.

But if I have to I can change it.

 

[Dryflytie]

I got a flat on Monday. That was the first time I've had to drop a spare from the underbody, which I think is a slick way to store it.

The factory torque on the lug nuts was almost unmovable by hand, but I did get it after a few attempts.

 

[Decayed]

for a lug nut securing an alloy wheel, yes, 5 ugga duggas is a lot.

But I can't count that high!

 

[Steve Urquell]

I got a flat on Monday. That was the first time I've had to drop a spare from the underbody, which I think is a slick way to store it.

The factory torque on the lug nuts was almost unmovable by hand, but I did get it after a few attempts.

What brand of tire was flat?

 

[Dryflytie]

What brand of tire was flat?

It was the Continental that came with the truck originally. Thinking about replacing them soon but it's fix a flat kit for now.

 

[Criss944]

Geeze: to check "this is tight enough". Take truck up to 100 mph and max stop 5 times or so! Check drivers side nuts to see how many are still on studs at the torque you used. You can also check the passenger side to see how much tighter they are. The direction of rotation of the wheel is the "safer" direction that the nut should turn to tighten. Some cars in the good ole days had left hand studs on drivers side and right hand studs on the passenger side. That way braking would tighten the lug nuts on both sides. The nut has a lever arm of 3/8"-3/4"+/- (= what's the weight of nut at foot lbs at 100mph rpm of wheel?). Right hand thread on driver's side can spin nut off if not torqued enough.

I my youth I all I could afford were cars built before 1955. I always used hubcaps because, when a lug nut came off you would hear it rattling around.

 

[MakinDoForNow]

I my youth I all I could afford were cars built before 1955. I always used hubcaps because, when a lug nut came off you would hear it rattling around.

When I was about 14, on a fishing trip the drivers side boat trailer tire passed us about 1/4 mile from an overpass we had just gone over. Dad told me to watch it until it stopped. When I could not see it anymore I looked at the trailer the hub stayed off ground until we slowed down enough that air couldn't hold boat level then hub scored pavement. Dad and my 11 year old brother went through Barb wire fence and headed towards the bush the tire disappeared behind. Returned later with tire and all but one of lug nuts still there when hub cap was removed.

 

[MavDan]

that's literally one specific model of Ryobi - the rest of what they sell can't do it.

so you're going to leave a $300+ tool with a $100 battery on it in each vehicle instead of a breaker bar, or just the Maverick?

or are you doing this at home in your garage where a $50 120V impact could do it?

AAA is $99 a year with 100 miles of towing included. if you can't turn a lug wrench, don't. I can, but I'd still just call AAA unless I have no alternative.

"The rest of what they sell.." WTF are you talking about? A drill?, a ryobi fan? Someone explain to this guy what an impact wrench does.

 

[Chilipepper]

Just sharing a flat tire experience.

I've done this before, picked up a staple causing a leak in a rear tire. First time to remove a tire on the Maverick so pulled out the "Toy" tire tools from the back seat. "Are you kidding me". But what's included is pretty typical in all new vehicles.

I've changed many tires so I had already added the "4 way lug wrench" tire tool that will fit pretty much any nut. The 4 way tire tool gives a lot of leverage over the "toy tire tool" wrench under the rear seat. But to my surprise there was no way the 4-way tire tool would come close to turning a lug nut....not a one of them. So went to my backup plan and that is a "chain link fence post" I had added to my tire tool box years ago for leverage. Even adding the 4 foot long fence post for leverage it took brute strength to finally break loose the first lug loose.

Just a suggestion, you might want to try this exercise on removing just one lug nut before heading out on a long trip, or trip to the grocery store. The "toy set of tire tools" and 4-way Tire Tool would have left me stranded on the side of a road.

No doubt, the lug nuts from the factory were put on by air or robotic wrench and probably applied with way more torch than those put on by hand. Since I had my handy "chain link fence post out" I continued to loosen each of my lug nuts on all four wheels and retightened them to human strength, so I don't have to haul around a fence post in my back seat. Every single lug nut took brute "fence post" strength to break loose.

I just used the FordPass app and the service truck showed up and changed our tire out.
No sweat or fuss

 

[AlpineKid74]

I have AAA, so long as I have cell service and I'm not in the wilderness I'm good

I have Progressive and get that also.

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