Got snows on the Vibe, til one fell off....

[KJones]

Been looking for snow solution for my 04 GT with 17" alloys on it. Was pricing out x-ice 3 or i310s on steelies when I found a set of barely used 195/65/15 Weathermaster ST/2s on a set of Celica GT alloys painted black for half the price. Not as good a dry running tire but nicer rims and no worries about fitment - even uses the same lug nuts.

Got em from a guy that owns a auto shop in Pontiac, and he had balanced them and mounted them for me too. Figgered he knew what he was doing, having owned the GT, running a auto repair for a couple years, and being a Cooper dealer (Paul's Auto Clinic in Pontiac). He was selling the wheels/tires cause the 09 VIbe GT he bought isn't the same lug pattern.

Looked great on the Vibe, and as the street 17s had one front worn out so it drove better, although with the 35psi he said they had in them it was way easy to break them loose under medium hard acceleration. Next step is an alignment check.

Sadly, less than 3 hours and 20 miles later my wife called me - the Vibe had "made a clunking noise and then just stopped" and was blocking the right lane of a busy 5 lane highway at rush hour (M-59 in Waterford Michigan in front of ABC Harley, for any locals). Not having any other info I headed over, but by the time I got there police were on site and wrecker was on the way. The passenger rear was barely hanging on by the one remaning lug nut. The wrecker guy jacked it up and swiped a lug from the other wheels to get it off the highway, but the first couple times I tried to move it something jammed after a foot. That freed up enough to get it into the ABC lot.

Was next door to my Discount Tire dealer, which I drove to with no prob but they dont fix studs and we had found one that had been pushed into the hub while that one remaining lug seemed stripped. Now it was jamming in reverse and making a rapid clicking noise rolling forward, even after they gave me a lug nut to pull out that stud that had been pushed loose in the hub. Headed to the auto shop next door to Discount.

They worked on that stripped lug for like 15 minutes before they finally got it off and found that the hub was jacked up and wouldnt hold a couple studs. They told me that only 2 were really good and tight so left it there for a new hub.

So after the tow bill and hub and labor and some lug nuts the total cost is just a couple hundred under the new snows on steelies. Gonna see what I can get from the guy but not too hopeful right now.

Bottom line - don't trust anybody with your lug nuts!!! I did and sure regret it.

KJ

[star_deceiver]

Man, that sucks!!!

I'm always nervous when others install my rims.

[joatmon]

Hope you can get the first shop to pay for the repairs

[ehoff121]

All together now...everyone!

The lug nut torque for 2003-08 is 76 ft. lbs.

Make sure anyone who works on your tires knows this, too.