What’s keeping you from using wheel locks?

[Northern]

Have cheap wheels, but I suppose they're popular/flashy and popular honda/VW bolt pattern. I have studs and black anodized Motorsport Hardware Aluminum tuner nuts.

I think all the locking nuts he offers are steel, and are only available separately(to my knowledge.) Not sure if I'm really worried about weight differences so close to the hub, but I avoided buying them anyway.

Between living in a nicer neighborhood next to a military base and RCMP station ease my fears, monitored parking at work, and high traffic downtown being the main places I go in my car, I'm not overly worried about wheel theft. Door dings, roundel theft, and people breaking taillights/bumpers/trim are more on my radar.

[DrJosh]

If someone wants your wheels bad enough then they will get them. Wheels locks are simply wishful thinking.

[TurboJake]

I don't run wheel locks purely because I have yet to see one that I couldn't get past in about 30 seconds. IF someone really wants my wheels, they'll get em regardless. It's just a matter of how much damage you want to do the car and I'd rather have it be mostly intact, than have the knuckles cut off with a cordless sawzall.

Plus I live in the middle of nowhere, so that helps.

[ST1G]

The car in your sig? a long reach jack would get it up by the diff, trailing arm or spare tire well.

I was being sarcastic.

The fact that crime is a rarity where I live is what keeps my wheels on.

[ravenlord89]

300lb impact gun. Who need locks nuts when you have "Cross-thread"*.



*Patent pending.

[gazellebeigem3]

It sounds like poverty wheels are the best deterrent. Beyond that, insurance?

[nando]

Nobody is going to steal my wheels. Wheel locks are an annoyance - i don't live in compton.

Also, the bullet nosed studs i use don't help.

[AndrewBird]

^^^What he said.

People who steal wheels are likely to have a wide assortment of "keys" for wheel locks, so other than having a hubcap that locks over the bolts/studs, there really isn't anything that is going to stop someone.

[PaintPro21]

Are we assuming that current wheel locks on the market have an easy to defeat key design where basic tools or an assortment of keys would defeat the lock very quickly?

What if that wasn't the case? Hammering a socket on wouldn't work, drilling wouldn't work, a reverse thread extractor socket wouldn't work.

What if the lock actually functioned? (for sake of discussion)

[dsphil]

I don't use wheel locks because if they want my wheels, at least they don't steal the whole car. If they want to steal the car, there is a chance that they may leave my bottlecaps behind if I don't have wheel locks.

[Red_liner740]

Twice now ive seen the horror of a tire shop idiots using impact guns on lock nuts and shattering them followed by hours of hammering, air chiseling etc trying to get them off. In our area noone steals wheel and tires. Id rather risk it then having to go through the trouble when one fails.

[mr2peak]

For $30 each I can get GPS trackers that will tell me where to send the cops, and let me know when they have moved. If they find it, I'll still know where they dismounted the tire. Might be a shop with cameras, or more likely their house.

[DrJosh]

Are we assuming that current wheel locks on the market have an easy to defeat key design where basic tools or an assortment of keys would defeat the lock very quickly?

What if that wasn't the case? Hammering a socket on wouldn't work, drilling wouldn't work, a reverse thread extractor socket wouldn't work.

What if the lock actually functioned? (for sake of discussion)

Then only if it did not compromise cosmetics and was very unlikely to fail.

[DER E30]

Twice now ive seen the horror of a tire shop idiots using impact guns on lock nuts and shattering them followed by hours of hammering, air chiseling etc trying to get them off.

And this is why I bring my wheels separately from the car, and tq my own lugs...

[PaintPro21]

Then only if it did not compromise cosmetics and was very unlikely to fail.

Anyone else have feedback regarding the changes wheel locks need before you'd consider them? The idea is to create a lock worth running.

We've already established that many members don't consider their wheels worth enough to warrant locks.