Wheels Fall Off!!

[pfgiz]

funny thing I was showing off my mm wheels that have just been sand blasted ,painted and re shod to a neighbour and he said that the wheel centres break out over time . Suggested I check for cracks regularly

That sounds a bit woolly.... 'over time'????
I would guess that 'over time' means a less time than yours have lasted without issue. All this advice springs from the same "I've heard" stuff, formulated in the past. So after 25 years of service a Minors wheels will fold up, fall off or break apart. What happens after 50 years of service????

Again it's all down to maintenance. Can't see the centres going if you've got them anchored onto the hubs properly, then saying that when I got Lottie she had hubs with three nuts on as the stud had broken and not been replaced. So yes if you drive like that for a while then the wheel will stress differently than if you drive as the car was designed.

It’s like saying, if you don’t clean them properly your sills will fall apart and your seat will end up on the road.

There is nothing to worry about as long as you maintain your car as described in the Workshop and Owners Handbook. How much of this scaremongering puts off new owners as they see Minor ownership as a minefield of rust and broken wheels?

Sorry if I ranted a bit but I always laugh when comparing prices with my friends at work. One guy spends more on a set of tyres than I do on maintaining my saloon in a year, but he does have a BMW M3. His TAX has just gone up to over £400 per year…. Why would you???

[leyther8008]

I know certain rootes cars had problems with metal fatigue in the wheel centres, but it really only became apparent on competition cars such as the rally Rapiers and Sunbeam tigers. and I also saw a Lloyd at a car show with welded up cracks in its wheels radiating away from the holes, but as said I dont recall ever seeing a cracked minor wheel although I have bent a few clouting kerbs sideways playing on empty car parks!! Come to think of it I havnt seen one of those for a long time either (empty car park that is)!

[Dean]

Unfortunately many a rumour like this killed off our car industry all together. Why people have done it and still do is beyond me.

[jaekl]

It happen to me in my early days, luckily I was just driving it around on my parents property when the left rear wheel went up into the wing. I even found three of the lugnuts. Not as embrassing as backing up, feeling a breeze, then realizing I didn't latch the door, just as I turn to close it, I see the door on the ground because it hit a lamp post. Do we really want to be young again.
Well back to the topic. One of the great values of the hubcap. When there is one occassionally loose lug nut and it falls off, there is a lovely warning sound. A loose wheel has a clunky sound. Travelling too far with loose lug nuts will ruin the wheel and studs. The weight of the car rides on the taper of the lug nut. When they are loose, the weight is transferred to the stud and with the movement or wobble just grinds away the metal.
I picked up a car once and the previous owner only used three lug nuts. (saves a lot of time). Either a stud broke or a lug nut came off. I was flat towing it at night, so I couldn't see or hear the failure happening. I did hear the bang when the wheel fell off. Luckily the brake drums were on, so it ended up rolling on the drum. I found the wheel down the road, just like in the movies, it passed me, but could not see it in the dark. That was a brave little wheel, it gave up it's life trying to hang on. At least one taper broke through and some cracks across the center. Must have made an awful noise, but I couldn't hear it. Yes, the centers do break but no without due cause.

[Dean]

http://cars.uk.msn.com/bangernomics/art ... =148031092

Just continuing from my first post...... journalists like this one for example!

[ani]

Somehow I think this has managed to go a bit off topic - I think I have everything I need to know. It seems like a clear case of regular maintenance particularly greasing. Thanks or all your input!

[alainmoran]

In case you are interested ... if you dont grease your trunnions, the threads wear out and the kingpin hops out of the trunnion and the wheel folds up underneath the car ... this generally happens at low speeds such as going round a roundabout or corner.

Despite people saying that it's not a common problem, it can be common if you dont maintain your trunnions ... the main reason it isnt common on here is because everyone knows that this can happen and is sure to keep things maintained.

I have felt this come VERY close to happening one time when I was driving my minor round a roundabout, its a VERY odd sensaton and I did remark on it at the time. It was only when I took my car to a decent MOT man who spotted that my trunnions were stuffed, that I put 2 & 2 together and realised how close I came to writing-off my minor.

[ani]

That is exactly the problem that was pointed out to us (wheels folding in rather than falling off!) - so I think we've well and truly cracked this one. I'm certainly going to make sure both pick-ups are checked thoroughly in this area. Many thanks to you all.

[mike.perry]

And NEVER fit the hub caps until you have CHECKED the wheel nuts with the vehicle standing on the ground.

[ani]

I'll remember that Come to think of it my vehicle is always standing on the ground - where else would it be standing

[ASL642]

Jacked up after maintenance!

[ani]

Ah - of course, it makes sense when you think about it for a few minutes!

[alainmoran]

Also, if you have taken off the front hubs, re-check the torque on the hub-nuts (the castleatted one that holds the hubs on) after maybe 50 miles or so once they have had a chance to settle in, same with the lug-nuts (wheel nuts).

The minor is probably the most reliable car I have ever owned, it does need maintenance, but that maintenance is for the most part very simple stuff, keep up the maintenance and you will have decades of trouble free motoring.

[Roni]

A quick note on the centre of the wheel thing. I had a centre break due to stress cracks, fortunately at low speed. The wheel had, in the past been horribly overtightened (rattle gun) and left that way. On a dark wet night I hit a washout in a road, enough to make the car leave the ground. All seemed well until a few months later when the centre broke out of the wheel. After replacing the wheel all seemed well again until the hub shattered. It was a bit more dramatic that time.
It was a string of bad things all adding up and I did learn from the experience.