Check your wheel nuts are tight... Near death video included
Discussion
So last week I put some new wheels on the 'kit car' (Formula 27, factory built) but they didn't fit on the wheel balancing machine at my garage.
While out for a drive later that day with a local acquaintance, he kindly suggested that his local garage would balance them up for me. Great. Cue trip to the garage, wheels get balanced, crowd of people asking about the car etc and distracting the mechanic taking off and putting the wheels back on. Drove home and everything felt OK.
The next day I'm out for a quick run over Hartside Pass in Northumberland / Cumbria (fantastic road despite the weather), get about an hour into hooning then disaster struck...
There was a slight wobble, (just felt like a wheel weight had come off) which was shortly followed by my front wheel rolling alongside me, and the car sliding down the road.
I happened to be filming it from my Go Pro camera (tend to film most journeys in this car as something crazy always ends up happening) and was VERY lucky that it happened where it did. If you know the road then you'll know what I mean.
Have a look:
http://youtu.be/IabDnoWVR9w
...and always check your wheel nuts are tight when you've had work done to your car!!!
While out for a drive later that day with a local acquaintance, he kindly suggested that his local garage would balance them up for me. Great. Cue trip to the garage, wheels get balanced, crowd of people asking about the car etc and distracting the mechanic taking off and putting the wheels back on. Drove home and everything felt OK.
The next day I'm out for a quick run over Hartside Pass in Northumberland / Cumbria (fantastic road despite the weather), get about an hour into hooning then disaster struck...
There was a slight wobble, (just felt like a wheel weight had come off) which was shortly followed by my front wheel rolling alongside me, and the car sliding down the road.
I happened to be filming it from my Go Pro camera (tend to film most journeys in this car as something crazy always ends up happening) and was VERY lucky that it happened where it did. If you know the road then you'll know what I mean.
Have a look:
http://youtu.be/IabDnoWVR9w
...and always check your wheel nuts are tight when you've had work done to your car!!!
Bloody hell! Lucky you were going in a straight line and not "on it", could have been very nasty indeed.
What were you retrieving from the other side of the road?
How is the car? Presumably new wheel bolts/nuts, brake disc required, but any other damage?
Spoke to the garage?
You looked very relaxed as you pulled up and got out!
What were you retrieving from the other side of the road?
How is the car? Presumably new wheel bolts/nuts, brake disc required, but any other damage?
Spoke to the garage?
You looked very relaxed as you pulled up and got out!
Yeah no real damage luckily - just needed the wheel arch gluing back on and the wing-stays bending a bit. The brake disk (and wheel bolts) was fine as the car weighs very little.
The 'near death' quote would make more sense if you knew the road... Lots of biiiig drops, hairpins, trucks and narrow roads. Plus I had been going a little bit quicker before I caught up to the traffic.
I was getting the wheel spacer from the other side of the road, i caught it out of the corner of my eye rolling off towards the field
The 'near death' quote would make more sense if you knew the road... Lots of biiiig drops, hairpins, trucks and narrow roads. Plus I had been going a little bit quicker before I caught up to the traffic.
I was getting the wheel spacer from the other side of the road, i caught it out of the corner of my eye rolling off towards the field
Very lucky there mate! There are a good few drops on that road and it could have been much worse.
Hartside Pass is one of my favourite driving roads, especially heading from Northumberland into Cumbria. I did it on my work driving course in similar conditions when we were being pushed to the limit in terms of making progress, it's a great road. Not far from Cumbria Police HQ either, they have a liveried Subaru Impreza for patrolling those roads.
Hartside Pass is one of my favourite driving roads, especially heading from Northumberland into Cumbria. I did it on my work driving course in similar conditions when we were being pushed to the limit in terms of making progress, it's a great road. Not far from Cumbria Police HQ either, they have a liveried Subaru Impreza for patrolling those roads.
XG332 said:
You were lucky it didn't go whilst you were pushing on!
Was there much damage done?
Would guess at disc, lower arm possibly calliper.
See post above - I thought there would have been some damage, but everything was OK. Luckily I was on the way to see the chap who recently did a rebuild on it, so we checked everything over thoroughly and it's fine.Was there much damage done?
Would guess at disc, lower arm possibly calliper.
Baryonyx said:
Very lucky there mate! There are a good few drops on that road and it could have been much worse.
Hartside Pass is one of my favourite driving roads, especially heading from Northumberland into Cumbria. I did it on my work driving course in similar conditions when we were being pushed to the limit in terms of making progress, it's a great road. Not far from Cumbria Police HQ either, they have a liveried Subaru Impreza for patrolling those roads.
Yeah I was going that way - I live near the start of the Road on the Northumberland side, so the Police HQ is at the other end. On a sunny day it's beautiful up there, Hartside Pass is one of my favourite driving roads, especially heading from Northumberland into Cumbria. I did it on my work driving course in similar conditions when we were being pushed to the limit in terms of making progress, it's a great road. Not far from Cumbria Police HQ either, they have a liveried Subaru Impreza for patrolling those roads.
NiceCupOfTea said:
PS - looks like a great car!
Thanks! Edited by ol on Monday 16th April 15:40
Output Flange said:
I had a wheel come off on track once - doing about 100mph on the long straight at Bedford, and suddenly it overtook me!
Suffice to say few things get your attention quicker!
Suffice to say few things get your attention quicker!
OP I enjoyed your lack of reaction- you barely even moved your head! It's almost as if you're more than used to your car components deciding to do one into a verge
Good to see you got away with it safely
AdamTheTrader said:
OP I enjoyed your lack of reaction- you barely even moved your head! It's almost as if you're more than used to your car components deciding to do one into a verge
Good to see you got away with it safely
Lucky indeed.
I had something similar years ago - the nearside rear tyre failed catastrophically and came off the rim whilst going round a roundabout. I had absolutely no control once it started to go - I ended up staring at the rather bemused expression of the policeman behind me having spun through 180 degrees, and that was only at about 20mph. I dread to think what would have happened if it had gone ten minutes earlier when I was doing 60ish on a twisty A-road, especially since I had 100kg of cast iron wood-burning stove in the boot.
I had something similar years ago - the nearside rear tyre failed catastrophically and came off the rim whilst going round a roundabout. I had absolutely no control once it started to go - I ended up staring at the rather bemused expression of the policeman behind me having spun through 180 degrees, and that was only at about 20mph. I dread to think what would have happened if it had gone ten minutes earlier when I was doing 60ish on a twisty A-road, especially since I had 100kg of cast iron wood-burning stove in the boot.
Excellent video - watched it with the sound off and your reaction was spot on, looked like you were calmly thinking "Oh, my wheel appears to have come off, I'll just pull over and retrieve it, no harm done". Superb.
Car looks very nice, and tidy driving to make it all look so straightforward
Car looks very nice, and tidy driving to make it all look so straightforward
I've had experience of this myself, on a French Autoroute on the way to the Alsace, nearly lost a wheel at Lyon. Down to a faulty torque wrench, the car had just had a service prior to our annual hols. It ruined the studs and an alloy. The car spent the hols at Bentley Luxembourg and I spent the hols in a Megane Scenic rental 
Those responsible have been forgiven
Those responsible have been forgiven
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