VSK Vehicle Survival Kit

[Coldwood]

Jeez Skunk, a guy's taking a dump at 50 mph in a bag of kitty litter? Is this in a snow storm or an ice storm? I hope he saves it for traction after he goes off the road! Thanks for sharing.

Otherwise, you gotta take a pee, take a pee, regardless of gender, open the door wide so no one can see you.

What I carry in my truck: SAK, Mora, machete, umbrella, poncho, pepper spray, flashlights, emergency red flasher, longhandled shovel, tool bucket full of tools, empty 5 gal bucket, long heavy duty jumper wires, daytime and nighttime prescription glasses, AAA card and bumper sticker, cell phone with phone numbers...if I get stuck I'm calling AAA then my wife, credit card and checkbook and cash, and coins, large and small plastic bags, gloves, hat, plastic tarp, couple extra cheapo folders, Bic...I still need power bars and jerky and a canteen full of water.

 

[x39]

I have BROKEN several stock lug wrenches in half, I have also bent and twisted one of the less expensive X handled lug nut wrenches (from sears, looked tough).

Which is why I will not allow any garage that works on my vehicles to tighten the wheel lug nuts with an impact wrench. Many shops WAY over-torque the nuts, making them almost impossible to get off with hand tools. A good thing to check on before hitting the road, even under the best of conditions.

 

[ninjajoe]

Which is why I will not allow any garage that works on my vehicles to tighten the wheel lug nuts with an impact wrench. Many shops WAY over-torque the nuts, making them almost impossible to get off with hand tools. A good thing to check on before hitting the road, even under the best of conditions.

Good suggestion, as I'm sure you know, over-torqueing can also lead to the studs failing and rotor / hub warpage. I would insist on this too if anyone else but me worked on my vehicles.

Here's a good incompetent garage story: I used to work mall security on the weekends, and one time I was driving around the lot and saw someone stopped in the middle of one of the public roads along the mall. I drove over to take a look and it looked like the back end was really low. upon closer inspection, bolth of his back wheels had FALLEN OFF they were just leaning in the wheel wells, the axle whas sitting on the ground. Aperently he had just been to Firestone and they, well, forgot to put his lug nuts back on (the guy called them, they looked around and found them sitting in a tray) I guess this is the opposite of over tightning them.

Most of the lug wrenches I have broken were when helping others change their flats. When I twisted the sears lug wrench it was obvious somone had torqued the nuts with a impact wrench, and maby it had been a while since they had been off. I also ALWAYS apply good copper anti-sieze to my studs whenever I have my wheel off, or when I help somone change there flat. I recomend this to everyone, it makes it verry easy to get them off later, and is just another thing you can do to think ahead.