Well I found out why it sounded like my tire was gonna fall off. Cause it almost did. Just pulled over in time to find only one lug on the wheel. Currently pulled over as we speak waiting to fix the problem. Then off to the DMV. So guys always check your lug nuts.

Yeah, I was trying to sort of point out to you at the meeting that you were missing a nut on both of your driver's side wheels. Don't forget to check your nutz once in a while!

That's funny, Phil was also mentioning that you had 3 lugnutz on both passenger side wheels, and used that to lead into one of his funny jokes about using one nut from each wheel to replace the 4 lost from a single wheel.

SO Mike, do you mean to tell me that when you flashed past me, full bore on I-95, your wheels were about to fly off????

If you're actually stranded as you read this, try Phil's trick ~ take one lugnut from each of the remaining wheels and drive carefully to a hardware store with 3 nutz on each wheel.

__ __ . .

Always torque to 88ft-lbs.

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-Chris

Is this normal? I have been driving for 50 years and have never run into this probem. I had tires rotated twice a year and was never told my nutz were loose.
I now own a '07 350Z and wonder how often to check the lugz.
My Z is primarily a sunny weather vehicle. Are you guys harder than the average drivers?

I've driven my Z for more than 15 years, and only ever lost ONE.

However, what was more disconcerting was losing the nose badge at 70mph inside a tunnel one night. It banged off my windscreen and over the top of my 240, into the traffic behind me. I heard screeching brakes and horns, but what could I do? Get out and apologiZe? It was a one-way two-lane tunnel thru a mountain (Hawaii) and I couldn't even turn around and drive back to look for it.

__ __ . .

Also need to take into account what kinds of lugs you're using. If they're the "tuner" style lugs with the small bevel on the end it takes a bit of finesse to put them on correctly. Before they're torqued down, you should hand tighten them all, with your FINGERS, to make sure they're all centered in their holes.

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-Chris

Hi Frank:
My nose badge flew off about the same way. Mine went up over the car without hitting the windshield. The following week I ordered another and installed it with barrel new clips. I was going up I-75 at about 70-75 mph as I passed a truck... the new one flew off!! It was night and at 75mph I knew I'd never find it...

So the following week I ordered another... these are getting expensive at around $35.00 each... So on the second one I used RTV instead of the OEM barrel clips, and I put a dab about the size of a quarter under the center... then cleaned up the excess as it squeezed out.. That one has now been on the car for about 10 years...

Lug Nuts: I worked for a very successful Firestone Tire Dealer here in Florida for a couple of years. He had about 43 locations and did a huge volume of business. At least two times per year, some guy doing tire work would forget to tighten all the lug nuts... The customer would usually return before a tire came off - but a few didn't. One customer was driving down a city street at about 45mph and his right front tire came off - flew down the street and though a huge plate glass window at a local "Dry Cleaning Establishment - destroyed the front counter and just missed the employee.... The Police brought the customer back to the store, and the wrecker brought his car back about an hour later..

That was one UNHAPPY Customer to say the least. Mr. Olsen called the local Caddy Dealer and had them send over a Customer Service Car {a new Caddy}. He put the unhappy customer in the Caddy and Mr. Olsen told him he'd take care of everything - and call him when his car was fixed. Then Mr. Olsen went down to the Dry Cleaning Store and did the same thing.

No excuses, no "talk to my insurance company", no BS - Just Mr. Olsen saying I'm sorry that happened and I'll take care of everything at once. He had a Class Company there within an hour of his visit and he had his cabinet company there over-night replacing the service counter.

Needless to say Mr. Olsen was one of the more impressive Business Men I've had the pleasure of knowing.

abdnpd67 - No it is NOT normal for lug nuts to come off, or work their way loose. It is normal for humans to make mistakes...

FWIW,
Carl B.
"I'm in here because I'm crazy - not stupid!"

Mr Olsen, where are you today when your country needs you....?

nose badges? That's nothing....I bought a perfect-running 83 rustbucket in new jersey, and as I was driving it up the Garden State parkway at about 75MPH, the ENTIRE HOOD flew off. Turned out it was so rusted that the hinges simply tore loose. Furthermore, I couldn't find the hood...it flew so far that it was just gone, apparently over the sound barrier and into somebody's back yard. I even had the cops help me look, because I figured if I just drove away and it actually damaged something, I would get arrested.
The funny thing was, my friend and I had just decorated the car (mostly painted primer grayv)using a can of black and a can of fluorescent orange, turning it into aZ-ebra. And we had painted a giant z-car emblem on the hood, along with the words "organ donor". I miss that hood.

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71 on a rotisserie, two more in pieces in my shed...and a 69 1600 waiting for me to get to it

Mark - great story and glad no one was hurt by that flying hood!

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Ross Williams
1978 280Z Black Pearl Edition 38k Original Miles

well guys i am ok. i managed to steal some lugs off my other wheels and fix the problem. also had to take the drum off to fix a stud that came loose. the lugs on the car were mixed matched when i got the car some just stripped out. so that's how i ended up with 3 on each side then early this morning 2 on each side. well thanks to Clay i now have 4 lugs on each wheel and they are super tight. so i am good now. and of course i didn't leave with just lugs. Cameron and Clay are great people and i will be spending lots of time and money paying them back for there hospitality. hope weather is good tomorrow so i can install my fiberglass fenders & better looking cowl piece. the wife was happy cause i also got a seat belt clip. looks like my car actually might get painted by the end of summer just in time for the fall outing. thanks guy for all the advice as usual. sometimes a noise is just a simple fix. and yes Frank almost could have lost a wheel driving with you.

Wonder if that was the new 'clunk' you were hearing that night?

Mark, that wouldn't have happened to you if you had been driving an S30 ~ the hood opens "wrong" on those S31s!

Frank, Mark was driving a S130 and the hood still opens right on that model.

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Phil
1981 280zxt - Now in the care my son!
2014 370Z Sports Touring Roadster

I borrowed my Parents nearly new Accord a couple of months ago to go pick up my son at pre-school. I was almost there when a wheel and tire appeared out of the sky and headed toward my head! I swerved right, ducked behind the dash, and slammed on the brakes. As a result, the wheel hit the left front headlight/hood/fender instead of the windshield at my face. $2000+ in damages. The wheel came off the Camry that was in my rearview mirror, going the opposite direction with a trail of sparks behind it.

I took a photo of the wheel. Apparently there was only ONE lug nut on that wheel for a long time. The loose studs wore out the holes in the rim and then the lone stud with the nut on it, snapped at ground zero, still in the wheel!

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-Dave
76Z Turbo'd
72 In Progress---DONE!