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Locking wheel nuts

3K views 17 replies 9 participants last post by  kimstice 
#1 ·
Hello. I did search for locking wheel nuts and found some cool info. regarding where to stow the key and torque settings but I did not find a recommendation for actual locking nuts. Does anybody do some that match the other lug nuts?
 
#3 ·
Pretty sure that they don't fit on most cars... :wink:
 
#5 ·
When I acquired one of my coupes, it came with wheel locks.
I can not tell if the locks are OEM or not.
 
#6 ·
The stock wheels are pretty much worthless, even in like new condition, but that doesn't stop amateur thieves from taking what they think are fancy valuable wheels off a nice looking car. Which is pretty much all the locks are good for. Because they're hardly going to slow down a professional thief, or even a shade tree mechanic like myself.

The far more likely scenario is that you lose the key, (or in my case, never get it from the previous owner) and the guy at the tire shop who rotates your tires damages a wheel removing them 4 years from now and you end up a few nuts short of a set.

But to answer your original question, look for lug nuts that are "spline drive." They are closer to OEM in diameter and appearance then the face drive ones that are common now and pictured below after I removed it from my car.
 

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#7 ·
Have there been any reports of wheels being stolen from a Kappa? I haven't heard of any.

Unless you get a locking nut that actually requires a key, aren't you just limiting the theft to someone who can go out and buy one of the special drivers?
 
#8 ·
The problem is knowing what driver/key to buy (and coughing up the money to get it.)

But as I did, 9 times out of 10 you can just use the closest-but-slightly-smaller socket you have and a few light taps from a hammer.
 
#11 ·
I had to have a tire repaired on a 2016 Tahoe (which has OEM 'protective' lug nuts) and the tire shop pulled out a box that contained various lug adapters that fit just about everything...

Bill
I think we are all saying the same thing. A security lug nut is going to slow down or even stop the casual thief, but isn't going to stop someone who really wants your wheels.

This is probably similar to the kit that most tire shops own:
 

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#9 · (Edited)
I had to have a tire repaired on a 2016 Tahoe (which has OEM 'protective' lug nuts) and rather than trying to find the Tahoe's adapter the tire shop pulled out a box that contained various lug adapters that fit just about everything...

kinda like locksmiths supposedly having a set of master keys (which may be true to some extent)

Bill
 
#13 ·
OK. I guess that's that then. Saved a few dollars. :)
One question about a remark though. "Pretty much worthless"? I may be naive but I think they are decent looking wheels. What cool wheels do folks recommend for aftermarket. Have to say that black wheels might look interesting on my mean yellow, not so mellow machine.
 
#14 ·
Not worth stealing does not mean undesirable. I like the OEM wheels also.

One thing in our favor for theft avoidance is that we have a fairly rare bolt pattern, so there aren't a lot of other cars that could use them. An amateur may not know that, but a professional would, and would stay away.
 
#15 ·
"Pretty much worthless" because a used set of wheels only sells for about $100 these days. Maybe $500 if they are brand new and never run, but if you're stealing them off a car left in a parking lot in the middle of the night, they're probably going to fall into the "used" category.

As John said, someone that makes their drug money stealing and selling wheels is going to target the high end German brands or aftermarket wheels from Enkei, OZ, etc. since they can sell them for $1,000 or more.
 
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