Locking Wheel Nuts

[AndrewSchofield]

How likely is it that our alloy wheels will get nicked? And therefore, are locking wheelnuts really necessary.

The reason i ask is that I recently tried to remove one of our car wheels and, having been tightened by the garage with an 'air gun'; using the locking wheel nut adaptor and a wheel brace, it was next to impossible for me to undo the locking wheel nut - I ended up using a ratchet socket set and a steel tube to apply the required leverage. If we'd had a puncture at the side of the road, I would have had no chance of changing the wheel. I'm seriously thinking of getting rid of the locking wheel nuts and fitting normal hexagonal nuts - not least because the locking wheel nut adaptor is always in the car, so if someone really wanted to nick the alloys (which are nothing special and not in great condition anyway), then i'm sure they'd happily break into the car to find the adaptor to help them on their merry way to removing the wheels (although the overtight nuts might stop them anyway!!)

A friend of mine had to call out the AA at the side of the road because he was completely unable to loosen a locking wheel nut that had been tightened in a garage.

If I get rid of the locking wheel nuts - am I really likely to find the car on bricks one day?

 

[iwaters]

To be honest if someone really wanted to nick the alloys off your car they would have suitable locking nut set in their 'toolbox'.

They are not supposed to use windy guns for tighting the locking nut but unfortuntley this concept is lost on most tyre fitters.

As to whether they are likely to be nicked it depends on the car and the wheels. A set of 16" off a Vaxhaul Vectra are unlikely to go missing but some 20" Porsche alloys are.

 

[AndrewSchofield]

iwaters - cheers, you've pretty much confirmed what I thought. I think the bog-standard 16in alloys on our 307 come in the first category. I'd be more inclined to consider locking nuts if the alloys were worth £120 a piece, but if ours are worth that then i'm gonna take 'em off and sell 'em anyway, cos I don't think i'd give £120 for all four!!

 

[gregers]

is that including the tyres?

just imagine if and its BIG if,you came out in the morning and found all four wheels gone and your car sitting on bricks?

you could be looking at near on 1k for total replacement,obviously dependant on quality of tyres.

on my car the tyres can cost up to about £160 each,then theres the wheel.

think about it fella.

for the sake of 20-25 quid for locking wheel nuts.

 

[AndrewSchofield]

Wasn't really considering the cost of replacing them if stolen - more whether their value would be enough to offset the effort made by the guy in the black and white stripy shirt to bother jacking all four wheels up and nicking them? And then, if he still thought it was worth the hassle (and assuming, as 'iwaters' says, he hasn't got an adaptor of his own to fit the locking nuts) would he be bothered about breaking into the car to get the adaptor??

I'm more concerned about getting a flat tyre on the motorway, or in the middle of nowhere and not being able to get the wheel off to fit the spare. Or worst still, SWMBO getting a flat tyre and being stuck somewhere with the kids in the back of the car and not being able to get the wheel off.

And it's nowt to do with the cost of locking wheel nuts - the car already has them on, i'm thinking of taking them off and putting normal ones on!!

Its just an offset of the inconvenience of having them against how effective they'll actually be in preventing them being stolen against how likely it is that anyone will/would want to steal them anyway.

I'm glad i'm not buying new boots for your car! I dread having to replace our £70 a piece ones!!

 

[gregers]

I'm glad i'm not buying new boots for your car! icon_wink.gif icon_smile.gif I dread having to replace our £70 a piece ones!!

so am i,thats why i dont spend that much on them.

with mine they have to be xl tyres.

 

[djrock]

I have seen the special tool kit for removing locking wheel nuts. All it does is cuts a reverse thread on the locking nut to grip onto it.

But there is another way which, most people will have this tool in there toolbox.

I would check with your insurance before changing to standard wheel nuts. Since they might not payout if your wheels do get stolen.

Also you should be checking you can undo all your wheel nuts. Especially after taking it to tyre fitters/garage. Some people are utter dumb and just gun them on with the air gun and don't check the torque.

The last time I was at a big name tyre fitters, the tyre fitter was incorrectly using a torque wrench.

 

[alfajon]

Agree check with Insurance if they are standard to have locking wheel nuts (lwn) on the car. I have had lwns that have seized and broke the adaptor. Bought one of those removal tools for next to nothing, if they want your wheels they would have the same. However in my opinion, why do it otside the house, surely easier to nick the car and do it somewhere secluded? With so many aftermarket wheels that have wheel/tyre combos almost as cheap as tyres alone its the tyres that are worth the money.

Question: When was the last time you saw a car with its wheels stolen? (excluding Only Fools and Horses ) Is this down to locking wheel nuts or that Alloy wheels are so commmon nowadays?

 

[JohnD]

frightfully common

 

[AndrewSchofield]

However in my opinion, why do it otside the house, surely easier to nick the car and do it somewhere secluded? With so many aftermarket wheels that have wheel/tyre combos almost as cheap as tyres alone its the tyres that are worth the money.

Question: When was the last time you saw a car with its wheels stolen? (excluding Only Fools and Horses ) Is this down to locking wheel nuts or that Alloy wheels are so commmon nowadays?

This is pretty much what i'm getting at. Considering our alloy wheels aren't anything special and the time it would take to get all the wheels off, thus increasing the risk of being caught, I can't see anyone wanting to nick the wheels off our car. Unless you park your car somewhere secluded, I'd have thought the risk of being caught greatly outweighs any benefit of stealing the wheels.

I take your point re. the insurance though, will have a look at that.

And in answer to your question, I personally, have never ever seen a car having been left with its wheels stolen. But i'm sure it must happen....

djrock, this is definately the problem here, the guys with the air gun have over tightened them. I can just get the normal bolts off with the wheel nut wrench, but i can't apply the required turning force to loosen the locking wheel bolts whilst simultaneously applying enough horizontal force to keep the adaptor on the locking wheel bolt head. I'm going to have to take it back to the tyre fitters and ask them to take them off and put them on a little less tight!!

 

[foxhole]

Just go round the car loosen all nuts and then tighten again, that way you know you won't be caught out when doing a tyre change.

 

[jetex]

Most cars come with alloy wheels as standard now, so very rarely get nicked. I've taken the locking wheel nuts off my car, even though I'm a mechanic and know how to tighten these correctly. Theives will usually be after the tyres, rather than the wheels themselves. If they want just one wheel/tyre, they'll nick the spare from under the car. Aston Martins don't have locking wheel nuts as standard, as they will only fit another Aston......and Aston owners don't go round nicking each others wheels !

 

[Mickymoody]

Although it's been said who would nick alloys thesedays, a set of locking nuts costs what? £10 if not fitted already?

So lose upto a £1000 of wheels and tyres, or £10..? It's more an '80's crime..

Now you are more likely to be dragged out of your car, or burgled in the middle of the night.

A multinational should not be over torquing wheelnuts.

 

[solarsecurity]

If you already have them on, leave them on. If you are worried that the wheel nuts will be on too tight if you ever get a puncture then i would recommend you undo all the wheel nuts with your home-made breaker bar at home and then tighten them up again using the correct wheel brace. And next time you get a tyre fitted just ask the tyre fitter to do them up with a brace, by hand. They will happily do this for you.

 

[Mickymoody]

Another problem with locking nuts, apart from losing the key; is that they are made of steel, and as they are rarely removed, get stuck to the alloy wheel, and are impossible to remove.

Also a little gem of information; If you get a flat tyre, the spare is rarely an alloy replacement, but a steel wheel or a space saver. What is rarely known is that it is illegal to fit that onto a driven axle, as they usually have a different ratio. So if you have a 4x4, a spare is useless. However, it's also illegal NOT to carry a spare, even though it may prove useless in an emergency. And you should not drive over 50mph on a spacesaver, but most are unaware of the above, so flout that law also.

It's lose/lose, however how many are caught is another thing.