• From: Saratoga, CA
  • Registered: 2011-10-11
  • Posts: 150

Topic: Losing a Wheel at Thunderhill

Our Audi 4000 'Ghost' shears a wheel hub clean off at Lemons Thunderhill 2012, 20 minutes before the end of the race. No contact with the 944 'Ladybug' team to our right, just years of abuse and potentially some wheel-to-wheel damage earlier in the weekend compounded by the vibration of flat-spotted tires.

http://youtu.be/sbDOkDxb3MY

We later found the wheel, complete with brake rotor, brake caliper, and what was left of the wheel hub about 200 yards from where it parted from the car, 100 yards off the racing surface, over an electric fence, face up in a pile of of weeds.

I had been out for maybe 15 minutes before this happened. I guess I'm allowed to say I've 'literally driven the wheels off a car'. If you look closely you can just make out the tire hopping the electric fence in the distant upper right hand corner.

Team OLD Farts
1987 Porsche 924 "Pac-Man"
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  • m610
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Re: Losing a Wheel at Thunderhill

Good job not taking out those cars around you.

Momentum is a terrible thing to waste.
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3 Reply by Team Sensory Assault (edited by Team Sensory Assault 2012-09-17 08:28 AM)

  • From: Alvin, TX
  • Registered: 2010-02-22
  • Posts: 2,143

Re: Losing a Wheel at Thunderhill

Welcome to the club!

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  • From: San Jose
  • Registered: 2011-01-13
  • Posts: 21

Re: Losing a Wheel at Thunderhill

m610 wrote:

Good job not taking out those cars around you.

seriously, good heads up driving.  also love the commentary at the end of the video!

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  • From: St Louis, MO
  • Registered: 2009-08-06
  • Posts: 1,014

Re: Losing a Wheel at Thunderhill

Welcome to The Brotherhood Of The Tripod.

http://i1249.photobucket.com/albums/hh503/PunisherBass/GTPWheelHub1.jpg

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  • From: WOOTville USA
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Re: Losing a Wheel at Thunderhill

Walking through the pits I saw your car sitting there with nothing in the wheel-well except what appeared to be a spindleless spindle, and had to do a double take.

"@#$%^!! Well isn't THAT something?!?"

Great save, hilarious commentary.

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  • From: Saratoga, CA
  • Registered: 2011-10-11
  • Posts: 150

Re: Losing a Wheel at Thunderhill

Thanks for the comments! I'm hoping someone else has footage of it too.

When we went to go pick up the wheel, we talked to the corner workers at 2. They were clearly amused at our wheel's antics... It disconnected well before their station, overtook a few cars and went waaaay out into the weeds. When we found it, it was face up and we could see the brake rotor and caliper on the inside, as if it was still on the car.

I've never seen a hub failure like this, usually stud failures. Spindle, hub, brake caliper mounting points, brake lines all snapped. Our studs were still securely torqued to what remained of the wheel hub, which is resolutely stuck inside the wheel.

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  • From: Van Nuys, CA
  • Registered: 2011-02-11
  • Posts: 3,862

Re: Losing a Wheel at Thunderhill

I lost one on a street car once, but luckily it was a big drum brake car and I just lost the wheel due to not tightening the nuts. It past me going downhill.

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  • From: Saratoga, CA
  • Registered: 2011-10-11
  • Posts: 150

Re: Losing a Wheel at Thunderhill

I was lucky enough that one of my team members took a picture with me smiling like I could do no wrong. I was pretty happy when I found out it wasn't the lug nuts that failed or loosened, because I was the last one to check them. You can see in this shot how the spindle, caliper adapter, and brake lines are snapped and the hub is ... MIA

http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/292897_980712178070_852164359_n.jpg

Team OLD Farts
1987 Porsche 924 "Pac-Man"
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1991 Audi 200 Ghost 'Clyde'
  • From: place of bad smells
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Re: Losing a Wheel at Thunderhill

"Houston, we have a problem..."

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p246/EchoSixMike/2010-07-28_06-22-17_311.jpg

Flying wheels are no joke.  S/F....Ken M

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Re: Losing a Wheel at Thunderhill

SforSancho wrote:

I was lucky enough that one of my team members took a picture with me smiling like I could do no wrong. I was pretty happy when I found out it wasn't the lug nuts that failed or loosened, because I was the last one to check them. You can see in this shot how the spindle, caliper adapter, and brake lines are snapped and the hub is ... MIA]

You really have to be careful.  If you over tighten the lug nuts, it can rip the entire hub assembly off the spindle..

bs

  • trekkor
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  • From: Napa, Ca
  • Registered: 2009-08-26
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Re: Losing a Wheel at Thunderhill

Got pics:

http://i944.photobucket.com/albums/ad286/trekkor/car%20photo%20dump/P1160105.jpg

http://i944.photobucket.com/albums/ad286/trekkor/car%20photo%20dump/P1160106.jpg


KT

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  • From: Vancouver, WA
  • Registered: 2009-11-24
  • Posts: 934

Re: Losing a Wheel at Thunderhill

A failed wheel bearing/hub nut can/will cause that.

Lorin Mueller
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  • From: Saratoga, ca
  • Registered: 2009-06-29
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Re: Losing a Wheel at Thunderhill

It's back together and track ready.  Two are now operational with one to go.

  • From: San Diego, CA
  • Registered: 2011-11-26
  • Posts: 596

Re: Losing a Wheel at Thunderhill

Thats how I started out my Lemons racing.. but it was in practice the day before. Was at Buttonwillow in 2010 going full speed (slow) around the sweeper at the end of the strait. Did a nice long slide out into the dirt.   They found it way in the back corner...

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  • Registered: 2009-11-16
  • Posts: 81

Re: Losing a Wheel at Thunderhill

You should be able to sue the manufacturer.

  • FJ40Jim
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Re: Losing a Wheel at Thunderhill

Hub fatigue failure is common in VAG crap of this era.  We replace our wheel hubs every few events w/ new german parts, just to be safe.

See this thread for more examples:
http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.p … t-lost-one

Jim C.
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  • From: Saratoga, CA
  • Registered: 2011-10-11
  • Posts: 150

Re: Losing a Wheel at Thunderhill

FJ40Jim wrote:

Hub fatigue failure is common in VAG crap of this era.  We replace our wheel hubs every few events w/ new german parts, just to be safe.

See this thread for more examples:
http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthread.p … t-lost-one

Wow, thanks for the link!

My main concern is that we weren't able to predict failure, even after checking for damage the night before. The failure mode was fairly benign, but losing a rear wheel would have been much more .. exciting

Team OLD Farts
1987 Porsche 924 "Pac-Man"
1986 Audi 4000 Ghost 'Speedy'
1991 Audi 200 Ghost 'Clyde'
  • From: Pearland, Texas
  • Registered: 2011-03-01
  • Posts: 52

Re: Losing a Wheel at Thunderhill

Wow.  The wheel got more tracktime than the car did!!  :-)

Oh, and if you should ever find yourself in the situation where a car-less wheel is heading your way, fight EVERY urge to stop it.  Wheels carry a LOT of momentum and can seriously mess you up if you try to stop them.

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