It has been an interesting day...

So I have been experiencing some death-wobble recently it hasn't been bad at all just a slight wiggle in the wheel getting worse after hitting a bump. I have had it before and have been checking all the likely culprits and everything seemed fine and dandy. I had my friend turn the wheel while I looked at everything like WOL shows in the video and everything seems perfectly fine. I did notice a sound coming from the drivers side wheel but I didn't think much of it, it was freezing out when we checked so I dismissed it as cold metal or something... now that I think about I know what the sound was.

Anyway a couple friends and I were heading out into the forest to go shooting and just have a good Saturday. As we were driving around 50 mph we hear a loud clunk and a scraping noise and the car starts goin all over the place ...... as we see my drivers side tire flying off into the woods at 50 mph without us... :shock:

The conclusion I have come to for the cause of this. Couple weeks ago I replaced my stock X springs with JKUR springs, and did it in my friends garage because he has more tools then I. He never listens to me about how to properly put on and take off a tire... he just uses his air drill to just wrench them on there :doh: ... I HATE when he does that once he gets these pictures and this story maybe he will learn how to do it properly. The only thing that saved me and my friends and got us home from a cellphone dead spot just south of town was the fact that I have Wheel spaces... and the lugs on it broke not on the actual hub, so we were able to get the spacer off and my non-full-sized (close enough tho) spare on and slowly drove us home. And now I am typing this up this all literally happen not more than 1 hour ago. Thanks for reading about my story all.

It has been interesting...

Oh and the fenders are broken as well and have been off for the last couple days.

I hope this is a good place to put this story and these pictures:

Glad you guys made it home safe!

1. Don't let your buddy touch your jeep without checking his work.

2. Buy a torque wrench!

3. Check a all the other bolts on the other wheels!

Cheers!


WAYALIFE

Good to hear no one got hurt. Thanks for sharing.

Doknocker said:

Glad you guys made it home safe!

1. Don't let your buddy touch your jeep without checking his work.

2. Buy a torque wrench!

3. Check a all the other bolts on the other wheels!

Cheers!


WAYALIFE 

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Never had an issue. Plus this kid for being stupid about putting tires on is the most anal person about doing things perfectly... and he works at Discount tire... :naw:

NAUJK said:

Never had an issue. Plus this kid for being stupid about putting tires on is the most anal person about doing things perfectly... and he works at Discount tire... :naw:

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Lol that's almost kind of scary :yep;


WAYALIFE

Dude that totally blows!!! Glad you're okay.

Looks like perhaps wrong torque applied to the wheels?

10frank9 said:

Dude that totally blows!!! Glad you're okay.

Looks like perhaps wrong torque applied to the wheels?

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Yes, yes it does! Yes we are all ok, just kinda in shock specially as we watched my tire go flying down the other side of the road thru the snow for a bout a football fields length. We are just glad it did not happen while I was going 80 thru New Mexico coming back to AZ from CO for school.

Atleast I was able to find the source of my Death-Wabble... :crazyeyes:

Is your wheel salvageable?

Not sure the holes are a bit wollowed out so we will see. But hey ive been wanting a reason to get new wheels
:crazyeyes:

Man that sucks, glad you're all ok

Atch said:

Man that sucks, glad you're all ok

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Thanks we are too

Oh let me tell ya it was an experience trying to slow down the jeep and pull over to the side of the road while watching your tire go on ahead of you off into the woods :cheesy:

NAUJK said:

Not sure the holes are a bit wollowed out so we will see. But hey ive been wanting a reason to get new wheels
:crazyeyes:

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Oh man did your buddy install non-acorn type lug nuts? I've seen that where that has been the cause of the wallowed out holes.

10frank9 said:

Oh man did your buddy install non-acorn type lug nuts? I've seen that where that has been the cause of the wallowed out holes.

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No they were good lugs but they were not torqued down right and so what was happening was the wheel was wabbleing on the lugs (my theory at least) and wallowed the holes a bit. I dont think it is to bad, but I still might use it to just get new wheels anyway.

Did the spacers have anything to do with it you think?

No, what I do have to say about the space is, it is the only reason why I was able to drive it home and not leave it parked along side the road or call a tow truck. Because I was able to take the space off and install the spare on the regular lugs as they were not damaged. So I am glad I had the spacers on.

Use locktite too

Glad your alright though

Glad you make your way home safe!

Something like that happen to me this summer. I was on the highway driving at 60 mph and pulling a little trailer with a boat. When i was going faster, i feel a dead wobble coming worst and worst. I start wondering more when it's was a huge death wobble and i was only driving at 50-55 mph on the highway. I pull over to see what was going on.

At my first watch, i just see 3 missing lug nuts on the left back wheel. So I begging to set all the things to get a lug nuts from all the other wheel to be able to drive at a dealership. When I came to put back one on the wheel, I notice the worst things you could imagine. The lug were cut . I was'nt able to put some lug nuts back to help me drove the car a the dealer. I was a little upset because the jeep was coming back from a maintenance at my dealer and they do a check-up on my jeep.

So I made my way to a dealer safe but it could be end in a very different way :shock:. The dealership told me that I've been lucky to be able to get there safe and whitout losing my back wheel. The best in all that, it was a friday and the dealer was open. I was on a road trip with some friends to go see a friends that just got his home at like 500 miles away from my home. The incident happens at 100 miles away from my home. By luck I was'nt driving on saturday on sunday!

bl17z90 said:

Use locktite too

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I do, since I wasn't I. My garage and wasn't going far from home n had like 5 rifles in the back I didn't have a whole lot of tools with me just standard ratchet so getting the spacer off that was locktited on was difficult broke a couple tools getting it off. But was finally able to. ...its been interesting.