The driver is usually not the problem
Conventional wheel nuts do not have a locking feature and can therefore rotate loose. However, the blame for wheel nut loosening and wheel detachments is normally - and unfairly - placed on the driver and/or the vehicle owner.
Main reasons for wheel nut loosening
Wheel nut loosening is caused by one or more of the following factors:
• Poor road conditions
• Vibration
• Poor tightening technique or tools
• Joint relaxation
• Braking and acceleration
• Human errors during assembly
• Thermal expansion and contraction of wheel studs
• Unbalanced wheels
• Increased vehicle speed and capacity
• Oil leakage from axel onto wheel nuts without locking function
Safe wheel assemblies rely on high clamp load. Loss of clamp load leads to movement between the clamped parts in the joint, and causes rotation of the wheel nut. The Nord-Lock wheel nut safely secures wheels on heavy vehicles by maintaining high clamping force even under extreme operating conditions.