I’m talking about the replacement lug nuts that require a special key in order to get them off. These are promoted as an anti-theft device for tires and wheels. But it seems to me that if you buy a set of, say, Gorilla brand wheel locks, the key will fit ALL Gorilla wheel locks. Same for other brands. So a thief would just need to spend $50 or so for the top brands, and would have the keys for any wheel he chooses to steal. What am I missing here?
It’s been many years since I had them, but as a “prank” someone loosened the lug nuts on one of my wheels. And this led to bad consequences (but nobody was hurt).
So I went out and bought some locking lug nuts. At the time, there were different keys - one for each set (of 4). I bought 2 sets, so I needed 2 keys. I suspect there are only a finite number of different keys, but there are different ones.
They do help with tampering, but I will tell you the tire replacement guys will be cursing you (especially with 2 different ones on each wheel).
I have always thought of them as being a total pain in the ass. The keys always roll somewhere difficult to find when you need them and the last set I had experience with had really shallow engagement profiles, so god help you if the threads were frozen. What would break loose first? The bolt or the keyway?
Here’s the biggest problem: most people keep the lock in the car’s glove compartment or center console. Thieves know this.
I was riding the train home one day & “Dayum, what is that low & sexy car?” Turns out it was a car sitting on it’s rotors which is why it was so low.
Another time I saw a guy (I believe) was stealing wheels off of a Vette. I’ve never seen someone deal with a wheel & not face said wheel. He was facing forward, like he was keeping a lookout. I called the cops but got on my train so I don’t know the outcome as waiting for them to show up would have made me an hour late(r) than I already was.
Breaking glass makes noise, noise attracts attention. You can be almost invisible crouched down between two parked cars in a parking lot (unless, of course, someone is going into work late).
ETA: Do NOT buy them from a dealer; they’re ridiculously marked up there vs Pep Boys or Auto Zone or someplace similar.
We bought a used Toyota from a Toyota dealer and the wheel lock was missing. I went back and told them, and in the service department they brought out a box of maybe 12-18 wheel locks, found which one fit my car, and gave it to me. Presumably they ordered a replacement for their stock. I think there is a black market for everything, and I have no doubt that if someone needed a set of Toyota wheel locks they could get one.
Gorilla uses thousands of different keys.
IMHO a mechanical device that depends only on the shape of the key could be defeated by someone clever enough. I mean, if a guy could open a Kryptonite lock with a Bic pen, you can get a wheel off a car. I found a video by a car repair guy who demonstrates what he does if someone doesn’t have the key or the key is stripped. You need some exotic tools: A socket wrench and a hammer.
And how common is it for thieves to steal wheels, anyway?
There have been two vehicles de-wheeled in my neighborhood in the past couple of weeks, which is why I’m asking. Also, some custom wheels are very expensive.
One of my friends had some and lost his key. Took me about 90 seconds with a lock-splitter
and a cordless Dremel to remove it.
They might be better engineered now, but I doubt it.
Spend about 5 minutes on Lakeview neighborhood news and you’ll see. But this is very densely populated area with street parking at a premium as many places don’t have parking.
That’s the scam part of them. They’ll try to charge up to $300 for the same brand sold at an auto store for $25-$30.
I’d say in general they’re useful, they can be defeated though.
if you don’t have the key, you can hammer a socket over the nut and remove the them that way.
if the lug nuts are recessed in the wheel you’ll need to use non impact (chrome) sockets due to their thinner wall thickness.
for the locks with the inside pattern, you’ll need to use a 12 point socket that you’ve taken a die grinder to to knock the edges off the points on the inside of the socket (to better match the perfectly round outside circumference of the nut).
the socket can split sometimes. once you’ve got the nut off, it’s wedged in the socket which requires a vise, punch, and hammer to separate them.
if someone were to want to use this method to steal someones wheels they’d just show up with 4 modified cheapy sockets and have the wheels off about as quickly as someone would by using the actual key, just a little noisier.
In one sense they are useful in that theives may pass by a car with them in favor of one without. Crimes of opportunity, and all that.
After watching the guy at Discount Tire quickly spin them off, I’m less confident of their usefulness. Customer couldn’t find the key, but it took them seconds to have the wheels off. I should note they had a pneumatic impact wrench, which a thief isn’t likely to carry, so there’s that.
I don’t use them on my truck, but I have used them on boat trailers. These are frequently left at lonely ramps for many hours and I want to add some difficulty to the wheel removal process. I keep the key in the boat, so it’s not nearby. This probably ensures I’ll get a broken window in addition to missing tires. :rolleyes:
Where I live, wheel theft isn’t really a problem. My personal feeling is the inconvenience to me is far greater if I lose the key or the keyway strips out than the likely benefit to me reducing wheel theft. Your mileage may vary.
You’re right. I’d guess that wheel thieves would carry cordless impact wrenches instead. This one generates 700 ft-lbs of torque, which would work on even the tightest lugnuts.
Dude, with friends like that, who needs enemies?
I guess I live in a bubble. I find it interesting that there is such a market for used stolen wheels. I wonder how the thieves turn them into cash.
Came out once to a wheel on my pickup missing 4 of the 5 lugnuts. The one still on was my wheel lock. I suspect that was the reason my wheels were not stolen. Worth the $22 they cost me. A little hint the guy at the tire shop told me when I bought them. Keep the key with your spare tire. It will always be there when you need it and thieves won’t want to try to get at the spare looking for it.
I had a Nova with a Chrysler Dana 60 rear end, so it had two different threads on the wheels. In my poor youth I could only afford locks on the back wheels. One night my fronts disappeared.
Wheel locks worked, at least then.
Chop shops, Craigslist, eBay. Pretty easy, really, for the fancier wheels.
Tell me about it. Remember the discussion about Vincent’s car being keyed from “Pulp Fiction” ? If I ever catch the guy…