Blew a Tire on the Highway. Found Snapped Bolts.

[AMGwheelwhore]

I just realized I had my rears torqued way too tight last night after i broke the extension off my friends breaker bar whoops... And my guess would be you had not enough psi in the stretched tires which caused the blowout, I check mine every Monday before work

[gilber33]

QFT, overtorqued bolts would be my guess. OP I would suggest you remove and properly retorque all the wheels
)

I will be way more careful this time torquing everything down this time around.

I had an issue where bolts were breaking on one wheel pretty regularly. Turned out that the face was bent. A local shop straightened and machined it for about $150 with good results. To check for this, put it on a tire balancing machine with no tire and watch for movement.
.

Thanks! I will check for this too.


Thanks for the replies. Well, I now have my answer to which came first, the blow out or the snapped bolts, it was indeed the snapped bolts. Driving home yesterday after I got the wheels back on the car just this last Thursday and the sound right before the tire blew out last time came back. Pulled over quickly to find the tire on the same wheel super low and 6 snapped bolts, right in the same spot (well, 3 in the same group as before and 3 more over), but generally in the same area.

I'm taking the wheels apart and am going to use OEM hardware and get rid of the BFI bolts. I will also check for any irregularities in the face, barrel, or lip.

What I don't understand is that I drove on these for close to three months with no issue. Then one day 7 bolts snap and I blow a tire. Replace the bolts and get the wheel back on the car and then 4 days later it happens again.

[Zic]

Crazy.

How much are you torquing the bolts?

[gilber33]

I had a setting on my drill that I was using and it was torquing them to about 13ft lbs. I did that so it would be consistent. I've read that everyone recommends 15-18. Maybe that just wasn't tight enough. I only have a 1/2" torque wrench and it's a complete PITA to use, I need to pick up a 3/8" one and do it all by hand.

The fact that the wheels were on the car without issue for 3 months kind of makes me believe that the problem isn't in anything being straight or not. Probably with more inconsistencies with torquing. At least I hope so.


So if anyone has some OEM hardware, please let me know!

[stinkinrich]

That is pretty crazy. Better hardware as you've said will hopefully work.

[gilber33]

That's my hope. I hear about people snapping BFI hardware quite frequently. I should have taken my friend's advice from the get-go and kept my OEM hardware.

Car was looking so nice this past weekend too with the smaller adapters in the rear and larger tires.

[Zic]

Wow, that's crazy low torque settings you got there.
I've always torqued them down to 22-25 ft/lbs, 33-34 Nm. I got that advice from a man that has refinished a LOT of wheels, and he has not bin having any problems and either have I.

[stinkinrich]

You're not using a mix match of bolts and nuts are you? Like stainless steel nuts on aluminum bolts or something silly?..

[gilber33]

Wow, that's crazy low torque settings you got there.
I've always torqued them down to 22-25 ft/lbs, 33-34 Nm. I got that advice from a man that has refinished a LOT of wheels, and he has not bin having any problems and either have I.

OK, then I will torque them down tighter this second time around. I'll go with 25 to be safe.

You're not using a mix match of bolts and nuts are you? Like stainless steel nuts on aluminum bolts or something silly?..

Nah. They're all the same gold bolts from BFI.