Locking wheel nuts - still worth bothering with?

[laser wheels]

New tyres on the Ka a couple of days ago. Got to the fitter and found one of the wheels was running on three bolts and it was the locking one what was the one what was missing. This meant either a. it was knicked b. it fell off or c. was never there to begin with which is odd as you would have thought the MOT man would have picked up on it. Anyway, this means I need to find a new locking nut and this gets me to the point - are they still worth bothering with anyway? Do people still rob rims these days? Personally I think I'll slap a bog standard nut on and be done with it. So, locking wheel nuts - yay or nay?

[fatharris]

For a Ka, I don't think I would bother with them, I'm trying to find a reliable set of normal nuts for the Rover because I don't bloody trust them.

[barefoot]

I run titanium wheel nuts on the Porsche, they're lovely and significantly* reduce the unsprung weight. I imagine that fitting heavy, locking nuts would render the car undriveable.

[gordonbennet]

Arseholes been known to wind down the spare wheels on pick ups and dig the underslung spares out of other cars, but the newer or rarer or more expensive (or more looked after?) the tyre/wheel combo the more likely for scum bags to do their thing.

Much depends on where you park, day or night.

I've never run decent alloys without lockers, haven't a clue if that prevented a theft but gave me some peace of mind, some arse nicked the spot lights off the front of my previous Landcruiser years ago so they will have things away if they can.

 

Amusingly i picked a load of defleet sale cars up from Man Apt many years ago, Fiesta Classic current at the time, checked the underslung spare and a manky rusty wheel complete with manky perished tyre from i suspect a 1970 Escort dropped to the floor.

[Sigmund Fraud]

Any member of this forum would tell you that they're pointless - they can be easily removed with a slightly smaller socket !

 

On a different note, I find the thought of a locking wheel nut being stolen particularly amusing... In fact, the next time someone asks me what I do for a living at a cocktail party, I'll tell them I'm a "locking wheel nut thief".

[Barry Cade]

LOCKING WHEELNUTS ARE THE WORK OF THE DEVIL. The amount of time I have had stoled from me in the last 25 years runs into the millions. Bastard, bastard things. Especially at 3 am at the side of the motorway, with a family heading to the highlands,with a car full of kids,bikes,tents dogs and sweetie papers... Have you got your locking wheelnut key sir?..... Yes, it's in there somewhere.

 

 

 

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[DSdriver]

... I find the thought of a locking wheel nut being stolen particularly amusing... In fact, the next time someone asks me what I do for a living at a cocktail party, I'll tell them I'm a "locking wheel nut thief".

 

I was mildly amused when some friends put a set of electrically controlled metal gates on the front of their property, only to have them hiabed away by scrotes a couple of weeks later. It reminded me of the Steptoe and Son where they had the only valuable thing in their yard - the security camera - nicked.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Locking wheel nuts are for people who haven't grasped how little their wheels are worth. I hate em.

[stripped fred]

Not worth the bother in my opinion.

[HMC]

Every tyre fitter I've ever been to breathes a sigh of relief when I tell them my cars didnt have them. I dislike them and when your running (eg) stomils on 14s they're kind of irrelevant.

[UltraWomble]

The tyres are worth more than the alloys to which they are attached.

 

TBH, I think the days of 17YO scrotes nicking wheels to either sell for a bag or gear or shove on their own car have passed, possibly due to mobile phones being easier to nick for a bag or gear and 17YO's driving round in financed Punto's & Ka's with alloys as standard.

 

I have a set on the Almera which if I come across four standard nuts I'll file in the hedge with the adaptor bolt.

[lisbon_road]

I had an aftermarket locking nut shear in half.  Clearly not made of any sort of decent steel.  That put me right off.  Also, presumably if they want them bad enough, they'll break into the car to find the key.

[beko1987]

Ive had peugeot 206 locking nuts shear off on me, and the place I took the puna to get its clutch done royally fucked the key, luckily the nearby ford dealer got them off with a special 'fits all' set they had.

 

Dont have them, hate thrm. They caused minutes of panic when we couldnt find it in Mo's BMW, until we found the toolkit

[xtriple]

My beloveds Colt had lovely fancy and expensive multi spoke wheels in gloss black with good tyres fitted 'cos she wanted them for her birthday (told you she was a special lass!) and they had super dooper fancy and mega expensive wheels bolts that were each anti-theft as they needed a special socket to remove them. The bolts lasted about three removal sequences before they had 'belled' and had to be replaced.

 

Arse.

 

The Mazda has nice wheels, no locking bolts, in fact, horrible bolts they need replacing.

 

The Bentleys wheels worry me no end: the wheels are highly desirable (if you have a Bentley that is!) and Flying spares sell them for about £2500 plus VAT for a set. That's secondhand fuck knows how much they would be new... They have covers over the bolts and that cover is held on with a special locking bolt with a proper key that's on the key ring... I live in fear of someone working out how easy it is to get them off without the key or doing any damage!

 

The other thing that worries me is: the wheels on the left of the car have left hand threads. When mine was serviced two bolts on one wheel were stripped and one on the back was missing! When my car went to the local tyre place for the rear puncture, I told the guy in the shop it was LHT, I told the bloke that came to fetch the car and then I shouted at the bloke doing the work 'wrong fucking way!' as he was still trying to tighten the bolt rather than loosen it. I now have spare studs and nuts in the boot.

[dave21478]

Locking wheel nuts are like most front door locks - they will stop an honest person. If a thief wants them, locking wheel nuts will not hinder them.

 

I had lockers on the C2 and the first time I tried to undo one the key sheared to bits. I ended up welding a nut over each one and replacing them with normal bolts.

[captain_70s]

I keep the key for the locking wheel nuts in the Civic's glovebox for ease of access, not that it needs them. I keep my Corsa D's wheel nut key in my parent's garage, problem is I sold the car over a year ago, oops.

[Dick Cheeseburger]

If they slow down or put off an opportunist, then they were worth it. Anything to put off thieving bastards is a good thing.

*Edit, I hadn't fully clocked the context. Weighing it up, it''ll probably be better investing the locking wheelnut funds in sheet steel, welding wire and pog.

[Asimo]

No.

One of the first things I remove and chuck when I get a new motor. I wish other upgrades were as easy to make.

[HH-R]

I haven't got any locking wheel nuts and I'm forever having my 14" steels with Primewell tyres nicked!111

[sierraman]

As I lost the key to the Focus wheel nuts I ended up removing them and fitting standard nuts from breakers. Had the old ones off in about 20 seconds with the impact and the remover with the reverse thread on it.

[egg]

Fusion had 'em when I bought it. I feel embarrassed when the tyre place ask for the key. I mean who would nick these? Need to get rid of them.

 

[richardmorris]

My dad has just had to buy a new key (£65 please!) from Citroen as ats said it was worn and couldn't unlock the two front wheels that they were supposed to be changing the tyres on. Cost more than a tyre for the c3!

 

They claim it was damaged by green flag (using a torque wrench on the side of the m40 two years ago) and only rattle guns should be used. I call bollocks on this as my own specialist garage has said they need to be careful with locking nuts and only use a manual torque Wrench to be safe.

[pshome]

put this as a wheel nut, thief will be totally puzzled and move on...

 

[For Fiats Sake]

These look better and don't have locking nuts!!!

 

 

 

Nah, no one wants 13/14/15" 20 year old alloy wheels off Fiats - apart from me, which is why I have 2 refurbed sets in the living room and one raw set in the hall.

 

It's not that I don't like steelies especially when hidden by a period hubcap, more that if I'm paying out for new tyres I want them to be wider and grippier than the tyres they replace.

 

 

[vulgalour]

There is another benefit to locking wheel nuts.  Some of you will remember the spate of having my wheel nuts loosened a couple of years ago, it was no fun at all.  Locking wheel nuts made sure at least one was always tightened up properly.  Mind you, I didn't use the annoying modern type with the little pegs, I bought a NOS set of Cosmic ones that accept a garage door type key, suited the Lotus alloys pretty well, surprisingly.

[Pillock]

Not really.

If your wheels are that special that they're likely to be nicked, but are bolted to a typically shite car, then they'll just nick the car. 

[Barry Cade]

The tyres are worth more than the alloys to which they are attached.

 

TBH, I think the days of 17YO scrotes nicking wheels to either sell for a bag or gear or shove on their own car have passed, possibly due to mobile phones being easier to nick for a bag or gear and 17YO's driving round in financed Punto's & Ka's with alloys as standard.

 

I have a set on the Almera which if I come across four standard nuts I'll file in the hedge with the adaptor bolt.

I think I have 4 standard nuts, but for steelies? I also have the rear lighter socket, without a flap. Yours if you need 'em?

[SiC]

My dad has just had to buy a new key (£65 please!) from Citroen as ats said it was worn and couldn't unlock the two front wheels that they were supposed to be changing the tyres on. Cost more than a tyre for the c3!

 

They claim it was damaged by green flag (using a torque wrench on the side of the m40 two years ago) and only rattle guns should be used. I call bollocks on this as my own specialist garage has said they need to be careful with locking nuts and only use a manual torque Wrench to be safe.

My last civic had a locking wheel nut smashed by a tyre monkey using a rattler gun on it. Instructions on the packet specifically forbid using one. Tyre garage refused responsibility, Honda dealer refused liability and refused to claim under manufacturer warranty - I ended up paying £130 to get it fixed (nieve 19yr old).

[sierraman]

You aren't meant to rattle locking wheel nuts on. Do them by hand.

[burraston2006]

My dad has just had to buy a new key (£65 please!) from Citroen 

The one for the merc broke and the main stealers only charges £24. They must do it alot for them to be cheap.