In a message dated 96-08-16 18:15:00 EDT, you write:
<< 3) Then drive several miles. The centrifugal force on the knockoffs will
tighten them down properly.
They are designed to tighten as you roll. That is why they are "side
sensitive". >>
Sort of...
Actually, it's not "centrifugal force" at all. That apparent force tends to
make tires larger with speed and makes a car tend to slide towards the
outside of a turn, but has no effect upon the tightening or loosening of
center-lock wheel nuts.
The knock-off tends to tighten as the car is braked -- the "tighten"
direction is the same as the normal rolling direction of the wheels (on each
side) -- and the knock-off wants to continue spinning when the hub
decelerates (ie when the brakes are applied). Upon acceleration, inertia
similarly tends to loosen knock-offs (they want to remain at rest while the
hub starts spinning), but there isn't as much torque available to accelerate
the hubs as there is braking force to decelerate them. Thus, ON AVERAGE,
knock-offs tend to tighten with driving.
In any event, you really do need to tighten them and check occasionally --
they can and (as other list members have related) sometimes do come off !!
FWIW
-Karl
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