If you have observed trucks and buses in Australia, or any vehicle of comparable size, then you must have noticed a peculiar ring-link component wrapped around their wheel nuts. These components are called loose wheel nut indicators, or LWNI for short. It is natural to wonder why some vehicles, especially those being used for commercial purposes, have this additional wheel nut component. Should you install this in your car as well?
While LWNIs are not necessary for the performance of car wheel parts, they are important for preventing accidents, especially when it comes to large-sized vehicles. Due to loose wheel nuts, your car’s wheels can suffer significant damage and may cost a lot of money in repairs or even replacement. Just to emphasize, loose wheel nuts cause a high risk to human life, not only to the people inside the vehicle but also to other road users.
What are the functions of LWNIs?
Considering the expensive and destructive potential outcomes of loose wheel nuts, LWNIs provide a much-needed safety check. Many Australian companies are manufacturing LWNIs in all shapes, colours, and sizes.
There are many reasons why a wheel nut can become loose over time. Even if a nut has been torqued as per its exact factory specifications, many factors can loosen it up. It is crucial to keep wheel nuts at their correct torque setting as recommended by the manufacturer, but it can be impractical to conduct a frequent check of all the installed wheel nuts.
To solve this problem, Peter Brawley, a truck mechanic in the UK, invented the LWNI back in the 90s. By installing LWNIs on all wheel nuts, truck drivers were able to check the fit by merely looking at the LWNIs of their vehicles. Drivers found out that it saved them time in inspecting their vehicles before every drive. Now, this practical tool is used globally by fleet operators. Some LWNI manufacturers have also upgraded the initial design to include additional features, such as the ability of the component to help stop the loosening of a wheel nut altogether.
Types of LWNIs and their Benefits
The simplest form of an LWNI, and also the cheapest one, is a plastic cap that has a tear-drop shape. It usually comes in a bright yellow or green colour and can fit easily on a wheel's nut. Since this type of LWNI comes with a pointy tip, it needs to be installed by keeping the pointy tips facing the same direction. If the number of nuts on a wheel is even, then the pointy tips can face each other. Regardless of their fixed position, drivers can quickly figure out if a nut has become loosened by observing the position of the tips. If a position has changed compared to other LWNIs, then that nut has loosened.
However, these LWNIs don’t provide any assistance in preventing a wheel nut from becoming loose in the first place, and that is why more advanced LWNI types have appeared over the years.
For example, there is a type of LWNI that connects two nuts in pairs, preventing one from becoming loosened while the other remains fixed in place. Naturally, this type of LWNI only works on vehicles that have an even number of nuts on their wheels. Once a nut becomes loose, the strap connecting the two nuts will become distorted or may even break, indicating to the driver that a nut needs re-tightening.
Some LWNIs connect the nuts on a wheel with a cap or thread. This type provides better prevention against the loosening of nuts, as it leverages the tension built up in all the nuts at the same time to prevent any nut(s) from becoming loose. It is most suitable for vehicles that have an odd number of nuts on their wheels.
LWNIs can also provide additional benefits, such as acting as an alert system to warn against overheating caused by a faulty wheel bearing or sticking brake. These are usually indicated by the discolouration/distortion/melting of the LWNI plastic.
Do You Need LWNIs?
The LWNI technology has much to offer, even if you don't operate a commercial vehicle. As long as you own and use a car, you may find the need to install an LWNI on top of your wheel nuts the next time you visit a car parts shop to gain peace of mind knowing that your wheels are secured with well-fitted nuts.
Many of us don't bother checking the fit of our vehicle's wheel nuts before every trip, mostly because it takes a considerable amount of time and effort to check every nut on all the wheels. With LWNIs, all you have to do is observe their position before every trip, and you will already know which one needs tightening. The LWNIs hardly take 10 seconds to install and is an inexpensive way of providing added road safety for you and your family members.
For more news and updates on the automotive industry and information on maintaining your car, visit www.carpart.com.au to access how-to guides and expert advice on car maintenance. Also, you can find the car parts you are looking for on our online auto parts buying and selling platform.
By Muhammad A. Lashari