See What Happens When You Drive With Loose Wheel Bolts

Remember a video from a few days ago featuring some guys doing their damnedest to kill an Opel Astra? They’re back, and this time the stakes are a bit higher. Actually, the stakes are lower, and we mean that literally because the mission this time is to see what happens when you drive a car with loose lug nuts, or in the case of this particular, lug bolts.

As before, the investigative automotive work comes courtesy of mastemilo82 on YouTube. Before you get any preconceived notions on how this might play out, know that there are some legitimate lessons to be learned here. There’s also some gratuitous car destruction, and who doesn’t enjoy learning new stuff while watching things get destroyed?

In this instance, the brave test drivers loosened all four lug bolts on the Astra’s left front wheel, then hit the road. First lesson: you should definitely notice when the wheel is loose – at least in the front – through the steering wheel. With some extra room to move on the hub, the loose wheel requires considerably more correction from the driver. After a few laps, however, the lugs refused to come off by themselves so one was removed completely and the other loosened even more.

Gallery: Opel Astra Loose Wheel

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That’s when things get interesting. It’s also the subject of the second lesson, and it's a good one. Should a wheel suddenly come off while you’re driving, resist the urge to hit the brakes hard. With a wheel missing, braking power is reduced on one side of the car and stomping the pedal could pull the car left or right unexpectedly. If a wheel comes off on the rear, it could also lead to an uncontrollable skid. Good info, this.

Amazingly, the wheel went right back on the car with minimal damage to the lugs. The Opel Astra lives on, which means a new video is probably just around the corner.

Source: mastermilo82 via YouTube