Buying a car and enjoying a long drive is undoubtedly a fun process. But things go wrong in the middle of this process. This problem is something that all of us go through. Correspondingly, one of several such problems is missing wheel studs from the wheel hub.
So, for precautionary factors, it’s necessary to know- Is it safe to drive with a missing wheel stud? Well, it’s never safe. A missing stud will cause the wheel to quiver because the rest studs can’t handle the pressure. As a result, there is a high chance that your car’s wheel will fall off on the road.
Let’s learn about it in an elaborated way and have tips on preventing this problem.
Is It Safe To Drive With A Missing Wheel Stud?
It is not safe to drive with a missing wheel stud. To be more precise, every wheel stud in cars is fabricated so that it can only bear the limited pressure of the wheel.
So, when one wheel stud falls off, the rest wheel studs have to tolerate the pressure. And when they can no more do it, they give up. It means rest wheel studs will eventually fall off from the wheel hub and will probably cause a big accident.
You can know when any stud is about to come off the wheel by hearing the quirky noise it makes.
How Long Can I Drive With A Missing Wheel Stud?
You cannot drive a car with a missing wheel stud for long. That does not mean the wheel will come off your vehicle immediately after one stud falls off. You can still drive your car, but for a short time.
When you discover that the stud has fallen off, drive the car only if there is a repair shop very near to the place it has fallen off. This idea will ensure that you reach the repair shop before the car’s wheel falls off on the road.
On the contrary, if you try to take the car the whole way in a distanced shop, you would be taking a considerable risk. So, I recommend not driving your vehicle if the shop is far away.
3 Reasons Why Wheel Studs Fall Off- ( Be Careful )
A few reasons come into play behind wheel studs falling off. It could be any of these factors below-
Over-torquing
Over-torquing can be one of the most significant reasons your wheel studs will fall off. The stud becomes weak when you over-torque the lug nuts in the wheel stud. This over-torquing makes the wheel stud come off from the wheel hub.
Under-torquing
Under-torquing the nuts is a leading reason your car’s wheel studs fall off. When lug nuts are loose or it has been installed improperly, then the nuts will fall off, which will make the wheel studs fall off.
Cross-threading lug nuts
Cross threading means when lug nuts are placed in the studs with a screw incorrectly or in a proper alignment. It happens primarily because auto mechanics are always in a rush and may not realize they have made this mess.
So you’ve to make sure they place the nuts carefully and correctly so it doesn’t come off.
What can I Do To Prevent Missing Wheel Stud Issues?
Take a look below to learn how you can avoid missing wheel stud issues-
- Verify that lug nuts are correctly tightened
- If you have already faced this problem, make sure that you replace your lug nuts with a superior auto mechanic shop
- You should be careful that your car’s lug nuts are not over-torqued
- Always take your car for maintenance to a good mechanic shop
Preventing problems in advance saves us from dangerous disasters. So, we should always be careful and take necessary precautions to prevent the problem.
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