Locking wheel nuts - still worth bothering with?

[Danblez]

Only a couple of years ago pikeys stole all 4 steels from the mother in laws micra.

 

They got replaced with locking wheel nuts.

[Mr A Lawrence]

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.

 

 

 

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Or, describing what it looks like to the stranded customer only to be told "oh, that, I wondered what it was, it's in the kitchen drawer at home!" Once happened to me!! Unable to get the locker off resulted in a trip fron north wales to Swansea ah 1am!!!!!!

[Mr A Lawrence]

When I was at ATS I went out to a Bentley conti GT with a puncture and no locking nut.

 

Guy got a kit sent from Bentley that had all the locking nuts in it which amounted to approximately 12 different keys!!

[Richard]

The Punto I've just bought from Rainagain came with locking wheel bolts. I saw the box and made a mental note to delete them immediately, then discovered that Rainagain had beaten me to it.

 

Locking wheelnuts are like car alarms and radio codes- a massive inconvenience to the owner but no problem at all to thieves.

[rovamota]

I recently discovered that my my locking wheel nut socket for my MG ZT was missing after visiting a tyre centre to have two new (ok, part worn) front tyres fitted. It was in the tool kit last time I used it but I must have misplaced/lost/dropped it in the gravel at home. Anyway, as they didn't have a matching pair of decent part worns they offered me a pair of new Lunlop Aquaplanes, which came highly recommended and were only slightly more expensive than PW's, so I went for them and fitted standard wheel nuts in lieu of the now shagged locking bolts, as I figured no one nicks Chinese tyres.

 

I have to say the new tyres are superb - they are actually Jinyu Tyres - and grip far better than the Dunlops I had on there previously. I am impressed.

[laser wheels]

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

 

IMG_20151014_164336652.jpg

 

IMG_20151014_164346294.jpg

 

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.

 

Those Pandas are ace.

[laser wheels]

So in summary: pointless. Time to ditch them, then.

[brownnova]

My modern has locking wheel nuts, and when it last went in the dealer dropped the key somewhere in a crevice in the back of the car. I can't reach the bastard, but I can hear it rattling round every time I go round a corner!! Infuriating!

 

On the Mazda, I have no idea where the key is... Not sure I was ever given it by the p.o. I'll have to hunt around!!

[UltraWomble]

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?

I'll message you when I'm on proper Internet and not the phone.

G don't know if the steel bolts and allow ones eider greatly mpwat all con that car

 

Sent from my SM-C105S using Tapatalk

[myglaren]

Chucked mine away - who would want to knick the alloys from an old C5?

[forddeliveryboy]

Wider tyres do not equal more grip

 

I agree. Except that for many who driving Euroboxes with cheapo MacPh struts and so the necessary stiff anti-roll bar, wider tyres will usually give more grip. Because the rubber's a little softer (less heat to get rid of with lower profile tyre) and the stiff roll bar transfers most of the load away from the inner tyre, so the outer one needs to be wider than otherwise. 

 

It's one of those viscious circle things, which is why double wishbones and a wide track are so elegant, simple and effective. 

 

PS sling the nuts, guaranteed to cause heartache when puncture happens, esp in dark. No bother for crims.

[Junkman]

The last locking wheelnuts I hitherto bothered with were the ones on my current 405.

I bothered with them in the usual way, which is taking them out and throwing them onto the garage roof, where they belong.

[nigel bickle]

Rare or interesting rims may well get nicked, so I use well greased locking nuts.

 

With scrap low, ordinary alloys probably hold no real interest, currently- but that may well change when the Chinese get back into gear,and scrap rises again. No lockers

 

Steel rims, are simply down to the tyre fitted and the desperation of the thief. I'll take that risk too, so no lockers

[Chris2cv]

It depends what they are holding. The 2cv has normal nuts, but the wheels and tyres are only any good for 2cvs (and related). The Clio has them as I know that the alloy wheels are £180 each, on a 13 year old car! Clios are not rare, so the chances of them disappearing are a fair bit higher. 

 

 The number of customers we get who claim to have never had a locking wheel nut key, is huge. It generally turns out that they have put it "somewhere". I generally find that I get punctures when I am out in the car, rather than when I am sitting at home! Keep it in the car! Most cars have ample hiding places nowadays, so they do not have to be on display, just somewhere you can remember.

 

Incidentally, I note that I have been promoted from the rank of Toyota Starlet to Austin Metro, both cars I have had! I must fit in here rather well!

[Kiltox]

Always swap them out for normal bolts if I can especially when the box with the key has 4 normal bolts in

[Tamworthbay]

Having read this, there is an evil part of my brain that wants to fit four different locking wheel nut sets to a car then sell it with no keys.

[forddeliveryboy]

Having read this, there is an evil part of my brain that wants to fit four different locking wheel nut sets to a car then sell it with no keys.

 

That would take a tyre garage an extra minute to undo, then. 

[solid61]

Back in the day along with coded radios and aftermarket alarms, locking wheelnuts caused me more greif than they are worth,first thing i do now is take them off and throw them as far as i can.