any thoughts on wheel locks??

Same here, looking to get some but not wanting to pay the dealership $150 to do it.

I got wheel locks for my Fiesta and Fiesta ST at my dealer upon delivery. They were Gorilla locks that cost $50 installed.

I've seen sets of spline drive lug nuts that are cheap but can't be undone with a regular lug wrench. They come in sets of 20 so you don't have mixed nuts.

The splines might not seem like real security but neither are the other types, if someone wants your wheels badly enough there are tricks that can defeat wheel locks for about $5/car.

If you have fancy wheels and park where they could get stolen, get some cheaper wheels or think about finding somewhere safer to park.

wash said:

I've seen sets of spline drive lug nuts that are cheap but can't be undone with a regular lug wrench. They come in sets of 20 so you don't have mixed nuts.

The splines might not seem like real security but neither are the other types, if someone wants your wheels badly enough there are tricks that can defeat wheel locks for about $5/car.

If you have fancy wheels and park where they could get stolen, get some cheaper wheels or think about finding somewhere safer to park.

Click to expand...

Wheel locks saved the wheels and tires on my GTi once, found the caps next to the wheels one morning...I do realize a determined thief can defeat them
with the right tools but it is cheap insurance at $20 and really paid off last time...but thanks so much for the helpful advice on cheap wheels and parking

If someone wants your wheels (or car) bad enough they're going to take them. My friend had his rims stolen off his truck in the middle of the day, in the parking lot of the bank he worked at, 2 blocks away from the police station, in our very low crime rate town. Unfortunately that is just how it goes. No real amount of preparation or prevention is 100%. You're best off taking any route that is available to you to dieter this sort of thing because sometimes they will work out in your favor as noted above. But don't limit yourself simply because anything can happen to anyone, anywhere.

One thing to think about is that while splined nuts or traditional locks might not deter a pro, they could stop a kid who wants to pimp his ride and they will both do that about equally.

As far as finding a better place to park, if you live in a place where your rims are likely to be stolen by a pro, you probably spent too much on rims and not enough on your housing...

wash said:

As far as finding a better place to park, if you live in a place where your rims are likely to be stolen by a pro, you probably spent too much on rims and not enough on your housing...

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WOW! that is really brilliant stuff on so many levels....I'll start looking for a better place to live...you have truly been a font of wisdom on this thread and a few others, and all of it delivered without a shred of arrogance :thumbsup:

I'm glad to be a public service.

I just placed an order on Amazon for a set of 20 Gorilla brand short open end chromed spline drive lug nuts and a Powerbuilt 644999 ratcheting click style 1/2" drive torque wrench.

I'll probably get an old impact socket to weld to the spline drive adapter, pop it on the torque wrench and throw the whole thing in the trunk.

So light weight theft resistant lugs and a method for properly torquing them all for under $50.

The lug nuts came in last night. I will swap them out soon.

They are around 1oz each, not a lot of extra metal there and the spline section is thin, you really need the right type of socket to grab the nut.

Security-wise, I think they are good.

The chrome finish should keep them looking good and rust free (the roads are not salted around here).

My one worry is that the open end will leave the stud exposed, the exposed threads may rust and the nut could get stuck. I may measure the exposed threads and make a set of wheel studs with the exposed threads turned down to the root radius. That would eliminate the possibility of stuck nuts and help avoid cross-threading at the same time.

I installed today McGard 65457BK Black spline and locks... They look damn nice.

I was thinking about black but I was worried that the finish would scratch or crack and rust might form.

Chrome seems to be fairly reliable and I know it won't look out of place on the stock wheels so I went that way.

When I get race wheels they will be painted or otherwise finished in a dark gray or black probably and I'll think about changing lug nuts again because they are cheaper than center caps and usually more visible.

Please let us know how the black holds up.

The reason why I went Mcgard black is becasue of their great reviews and how good the black finish is. Mcgard's lug finish dont flake/peel like Gorillas or other brands. These sell for $100 for a reason.

Yeah, I went for cheap but I hope as long as I keep an impact wrench away from them that the chrome will survive. I'll probably use a little anti-seize for extra protection.

I was just thinking that QPQ Nitro-carburetion (Melonite) would be just about the best corrosion resistant black finish for a lug nut. I should figure out who uses that process.

I dont think you should have any problems with the chrome...its the colored lugs that flake from what Ive read.

Well its Black Friday so I stopped by the local Harbor Freight and picked up another ratcheting 1/2" drive click style torque wrench and a 1/2" breaker bar.

The torque wrench is a good buy because it came with a case and it was only $9.99. My Amazon wrench had no case, it will become a spare in the tool box. The case makes me feel much better about throwing it under the load floor. The breaker bar is for loosening the lugs without throwing the torque wrench out of whack.

I'll be able to ditch my lug wrench after I swap out my lug nuts (maybe tomorrow).

If you miss Black Friday, there is a coupon in the January 2014 Super Street magazine so you can get the same deal.

I had a set of wheel locks that screwed me. It was a set where the key fit inside the nut like in Bluto's pic. The nut was torqued down and split down the side while I was trying to back it off. Trying to turn the nut just let the crack spread and the key just turned in the groove.

I took it to a tire shop and they wound up using an air chisel to back the nut off. The tech slipped a few times with the chisel and really boogered up the wheel.

I'm sure this was an exception, but I doubt I will ever trust wheel locks again.