Decent Locking Wheel Nuts ?
 

After hearing a horror story over the weekend, I need to get myself some decent locking wheel nuts. At the moment I have the ones that come standard with a newage scooby, the only thing that concerns me is it protrudes from the wheel quite far and some tea-leaf with time on his hands could use a grip of somekind and get the locking wheel nut off. On my old car I had a set of halfords ones that were the same size as a normal wheel nut and recessed in the wheel nut shaft. They also had small caps that went over the top, despite being thin plastic, they could sometimes be a pain to get off.

Anyway, to cut a long story short, a family members car was propped up on bricks when he got up yesterday morning. 'Apparently' the fuzz said these scumbags have shedloads of different locking nut keys and manage to find one that fits or 'half' fits and with a little elbow grease pop your wheels off in a jiffy. My dad told me the story and he mentioned the word 'eBay', so has some twit made a tool that can undo many different types of wheel nut and selling it on eBay??? Probably under the heading of "Lost your locking wheel key??? Buy my patented Multi Key Unlocker"

Sooooooooooo, I'm now paranoid and want to get a set of good quality locking nuts with emphasis on 'security'. Preferable small sized nuts that become recessed in the wheel when tightened.

Any recommendations?

i had wheels stolen from a ford focus a few years back, had mcgard locking wheels nuts on, the ones that win all the awards.

no one heard anything, and it was parked right outside my bedroom window. so i very much doubt they used brute force, 'multi lock' key of somekind definately.

Few weeks later a friend had his stolen from his ford focus and the cheeky gets left all the nuts behind all in neat rows, including the mcgard ones and there wasnt a mark on them, so they either had the exact match lock, or a very good 'multi lock' key.

Mark

I have McGuard ones and after slightly mis-shaping the key, I found them VERY hard to get off!! In the end I sent the key back to Germany for a free replacement..as nothing else worked (didn't try drilling them out though!)

But if someone really wants your wheels, there ain't much you can do - baring chaining a pit bull to the outside of the vehicle.

McGuard nuts are the best and theyre cheapest from a Subaru dealers. You can get any locking nuts off if you only fit one per wheel! Buy two sets and youll be fine.....

Simon

When my McGard wheelnuts were overtightened by the garage I chewed up the key trying to get them off. (The standard nuts required a scaffold pole :eek:) Backstreet motors had a big coarse threaded socket bit like a screw extractor that you drive on with a clubhammer. It tightens on as you undo the nut. Absolutely chewed up the end and not a stealth tool, but did the job. He had a set in different sizes.

Anyway my neighbours Toyota has very similar pattern locking nut but with an additional outer sleeve that rotates independently of the actual bolt, that would stop use of grips on the locking wheel nut. Are these available for the Scoob?

I agree with above about McGuard, probably the hardest to get off!

Halfords sell them too if your feeling lazy..

Also as above with ANY locking wheel nuts DO NOT let tyre places torque them up..

The later-type have the hardened spinners. I bought these from a dealers in Summer 2003 (up to about £20+VAT from about £18+VAT).

Simon

I'd lost the key for mine, removed three with a pair of pliers!!!!!! had to resort to some brute force with an old socket set and a hammer to remove the last one. After that little episode, I'm not goner bother replacing, just going to upgrade the alarm to include a proxsimity sensor.

Get the tilt sensor that goes off when the car is jacked up. You might find your wheels are in a dead area for the proximity sensor.

What ever you do don`t buy the Trilock ones (key has three studs and the nut three holes with a metal cover) that used to be fitted to the older models. Kwik Fit kindly put them on nice and tight for me and the studs bent when I tried to get them off! Had to go to the dealers to resolve the problem after complaining to Kwik Fit, their answer - the heat from the brakes must of stuck them on as they were torqued the same as ALL the rest!!!! :brickwall
Never been back since. :mad:

good idea, I'll look into that

Alternatively: use two sets of later-type McGuard locking wheel nuts. Theyll defeat any wheel thief.

Simon

If they can get one set off, whats to stop them taking two sets off?????

Im not going to tell you how, now am I? Suffice to say that with only one locking nut per wheel, its possible to get-around; without defeating the locking device itself. If you fit two then this isnt possible.

Arh, I see where your coming from now.