Sadly, I live in one of the worst places in North America for theft of auto, and anything attached to that auto. I'm looking for recommendations as to high quality wheel lock nuts (not sure of the name but they are the lug nuts that are "keyed" and you need a special socket to take them off.) Only problem is that when I go to local vendors and say I want 5, they look at me as if I'm insane. I just came into a set of 5 wheels / tires which I'd like to do my best to keep. Can anyone point me in the right direction?
Best wheel lock nuts - for 5 wheels
- Thread starter Martin White
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What vehicle are you wanting to put them on?
I hate to tell you this, but those locking lugnuts are a waste of money. My local Sears sells a special set of sockets that you can easily remove them with. My son used to work at a Sears Auto Center, and he said people would constantly drop off their cars for new tires and never mention that it had those locks on it. They would just grab one of the special removal sockets and pop them right off, very easy.
When I bought my Lexus it had them on it from the factory. When I picked up the car from the dealer, I walked into the parts dept and bought 4 plain lugnuts, swapped off the locking ones. I still have them, I was thinking I'd put them on eBay. Make me an offer if you want them, but I only have 4, plus the key socket of course. I actually have 2 sets, one that is the conical seat that steel wheels use, and the ones from my Lexus are the flat-style with the captured washer that you need for alloy wheels.
McGard makes the bext quality, BTW. I'm pretty sure that's who makes the ones that Toyota sells.
When I bought my Lexus it had them on it from the factory. When I picked up the car from the dealer, I walked into the parts dept and bought 4 plain lugnuts, swapped off the locking ones. I still have them, I was thinking I'd put them on eBay. Make me an offer if you want them, but I only have 4, plus the key socket of course. I actually have 2 sets, one that is the conical seat that steel wheels use, and the ones from my Lexus are the flat-style with the captured washer that you need for alloy wheels.
McGard makes the bext quality, BTW. I'm pretty sure that's who makes the ones that Toyota sells.
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You will either need to buy two sets of 4 wheel locks or if you are using the stock spare location under the truck, you can just use a padlock, I believe it's designed to use a padlock to lock the wheel to the fitting on the end of the chain where it goes through the lug hole.
There are some 5 piece sets available.
- Thread starter
- #7
It's for an HDJ81. But if the locking nuts are useless, do you guys have any other suggestions? I hadn't thought about those universal sockets. Good point.
Padlocks are just as useless. Boltcutters and 2 seconds and they are gone. Hmmmm. The spare tire is on a rear swing out carrier.
Padlocks are just as useless. Boltcutters and 2 seconds and they are gone. Hmmmm. The spare tire is on a rear swing out carrier.
It is not fair to say they are "useless". They can certainly be defeated but all most deterents do is divert thieves to "easier targets". They will not stop a derermined pro that has the "tools" to break and enter.
Do you have conical seat wheels or shank wheels?
Do you have conical seat wheels or shank wheels?
NeverFinis
SILVER Star
Just go to McGaurd and buy the 5th. I have a code that came with mine that allowed me to buy another key and another locking lug nut.
It would be in your interest to buy a second "key" to fit your locks. I have seen two of them screwed up by impact wrenches, and careless wrenchers working by hand.
On my 96, I finally bought regular nuts and replaced the locks. The "trouble" with them was not worth the deterrent they provide.
The last time one got screwed up, I had to look up an old thread here to find the solution to removing it.......it was to buy a socket at Sears which was the right size to "drive" onto the damaged lock using a BFH, and then just remove the thing with a breaker bar.
I guess it depends on the social environment where the car is most of the time, but for my money, you can keep those wheel locks.
On my 96, I finally bought regular nuts and replaced the locks. The "trouble" with them was not worth the deterrent they provide.
The last time one got screwed up, I had to look up an old thread here to find the solution to removing it.......it was to buy a socket at Sears which was the right size to "drive" onto the damaged lock using a BFH, and then just remove the thing with a breaker bar.
I guess it depends on the social environment where the car is most of the time, but for my money, you can keep those wheel locks.
If you want the spare to be safe, you can purchase a rather spendy chain. I think 'Kryptonite' sells one, the links are made of some super strong alloy, and the links are pentagonal or heptagonal in cross section, which apparently makes them nearly impervious to bolt cutters.
As for the wheels on the vehicle... best thing you can do is a set of wheel locks and park in a safe area. Nothing is impervious, well.. mabye the BOOT, but that is impractical for 4 wheels.
As for the wheels on the vehicle... best thing you can do is a set of wheel locks and park in a safe area. Nothing is impervious, well.. mabye the BOOT, but that is impractical for 4 wheels.
Grench
SILVER Star
Look inside your 'key'. See that raised print of the flower/shape/whatever in it? Now, look at what that 'key' is made of. Most of them are machined aluminum.
That raised design can shear off in the steel lug nut.
Now, picuture yourself with a flat, at the side of the road, in the rain, at night, with a sheared off security lug nut key. Now picture your wife there.
My wife's new to us truck came with security locks. I sheared the key removing the 2nd one.
If someone is going to steal your rims, that is an inconvenience. Locking lugs isn't going to stop them as they'll just pound a removal socket on it. Normally locks just keep the honest people honest anyway. Honest people don't wander about with jacks and tire irons. Rim thieves do, and if they're going to bother with that, they'll have a tapered pound on socket to go with it.
So, security gained = minimal. Danger of getting stranded BECAUSE of the locks = raised. Wheel locks give no discount to insurance that I've seen. Why on earth would you want them on your truck?
That raised design can shear off in the steel lug nut.
Now, picuture yourself with a flat, at the side of the road, in the rain, at night, with a sheared off security lug nut key. Now picture your wife there.
My wife's new to us truck came with security locks. I sheared the key removing the 2nd one.
If someone is going to steal your rims, that is an inconvenience. Locking lugs isn't going to stop them as they'll just pound a removal socket on it. Normally locks just keep the honest people honest anyway. Honest people don't wander about with jacks and tire irons. Rim thieves do, and if they're going to bother with that, they'll have a tapered pound on socket to go with it.
So, security gained = minimal. Danger of getting stranded BECAUSE of the locks = raised. Wheel locks give no discount to insurance that I've seen. Why on earth would you want them on your truck?
Grench
SILVER Star
Have Dan send you new lugs to replace the wheel locks. Go to your favorite area tire store and have them yank the locks with the removal tool. My local tire store did the two I wasn't able to do on my wife's truck for free. Of course I've bought like $2,000+ in tires from them in the last 3 years...
- Thread starter
- #15
Thanks guys, very interesting discussion. I'd agree that "useless" was perhaps an overstatement but if you lived here, you'd know what I mean. The thieves here are very prepared, and I'm sure would have pound on sockets as required to defeat locks. I'm not going to bother putting them on. I'll just check my insurance is up to covering them if stolen.
One thing I've seen on the Prado's and so forth in the middle east was a lock that went over the lug, and used the vehicle's ignition key to unlock. These weren't on the wheels, but were on all of the swing-away tire carriers I saw in Kuwait. They sure looked like they were OEM Toyota, from what I could tell. Even mentioned in the manuals, where they talked about changing a flat. That would be kind of a nice thing to have--same lock as the doors, or ignition. I wonder if CDan can get those, or if they're even a US-market item?
Theft of wheels actually in use on the truck isn't that common, around here. Theft of spares? Common. When the bastards stole my truck, they left the wheels on it, which suprised the hell out of me--PO had put on some *very* nice aluminum mag wheels. Apparently, taking those off would have been too much hassle, but they did steal the OEM steel spare. Go figure.
Theft of wheels actually in use on the truck isn't that common, around here. Theft of spares? Common. When the bastards stole my truck, they left the wheels on it, which suprised the hell out of me--PO had put on some *very* nice aluminum mag wheels. Apparently, taking those off would have been too much hassle, but they did steal the OEM steel spare. Go figure.
Have you seen the top of the line Padlocks made by American Lock? Very well made 1 piece loc cylinder with a super hardened bolt that my local Locksmith advised me that no bolt cutters will get through them. A torch or very noisey cutoff wheel is the only way to remove them. I wonder if freezing them and hitting with a sledge would work...
Shark
