Are locking lug nuts worth it?

[Neil E]

I used to work in a tire care center, and there were so many customers that had factory locking lugs and had no idea where the key was. I would say we had at least 20% of customers with locking lugs that never found the key.

 

[Jim Bowker]

While I know that it [wheel theft] happens, I've only personally seen it with my own eyes once. And that vehicle had locking lug nuts.

 

[Harley Harrold]

I have a set on my truck and on my trailer. I think anything that will dissuade some thief from hitting my wheels is a good thing. These augment my alarm systems and helps keep insurance premium lower.

 

[MT Hillbilly]

due to the socket that slips over them, locking nuts are less likely to scratch the finish of your wheels, when you change a tire. I big plus if you have aftermarket wheels that have a step out to get tire away from radius arm!

 

[pat phillips]

Thanks Guy's. I did not know about Gorilla Brand Locks. Love the two stage locking system. Have a lot of money ******* in rims for Jeep & Truck.

 

[alschief]

I borrowed my sons truck for a out of state job. On the way home just after midnight in a time before cell phones a tire blew out. I got the spare of on a country desolate road only to fine he had install locks but kept the key in his room. That settled my opinion on locks

 

[Graygoose]

I have a cap over mine, then they are spline underneath. Anything to slow them down helps.

 

[tomb]

My truck has lugs with one oddly shaped(no key) and a special lug attachment that only fits that one lug. So far no problem-just keep that piece in the console.

 

[Gary2]

That is referred to as a key . I feel it has a lot to do with where you park your truck. I have never needed a set but many of my Rams came with them. I keep the key in that useless foam cup holder in the bottom of the door so it makes no noise and easy to get to when I forget to get it out .

 

[Grant211]

I mean you can buy keys over the counter, so are they worth it?

I'm on the fence about buying some

If they want your wheels they will take them.

All you need is a slightly larger socket and you can get a hammer and smack it on the locking lugnut to get it off. I’ve done this before on a used car.

Fwiw- I have them on my vehicles


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[mjf6175]

After being in law enforcement for 35 years I think I saw and learned some tricks used by the "undesirables". Some of their methods were somewhat genius. If you do decide to put on some kind of locking lug you should put 2 on each wheel. Yes I know you are now asking WHY. The "because" is that you can remove a wheel with only one locking lug using just your hands. Example: a wheel with 5 or 6 lugs. Remove all of the non locking lugs and you are left with just the one locking nut. Now take both of your hands and grasp the back of the rim, directly opposite the locking lug, and YANK the wheel. The wheel stud brakes rather easily with the leverage you have and only one lug left. Put 2 on.

 

[BJetski]

I worked in a shop that had many Techs that could get them off as easily as a non lock nut. oversized impact socket does the trick.

 

[buddy guy]

Not on my custom wheels. You can barely get the lock in never mind anything oversize.

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[BWL]

I had them. Took them off and put the regular lugs on. Only so many hiding spots in the truck for the key and it's not like I'm going to keep it in my pocket. Good thief can get them off with or without the key and tire shops have a habit of forgetting to put it back so I end up without a key with a roadside flat and no tools to remove it if I forget to check. Too much hassle for the minimal potential benefit as far as I'm concerned.

 

[BobSacomano]

I mean you can buy keys over the counter, so are they worth it?

I'm on the fence about buying some

To a large degree, it depends on your situation. Does your vehicle get parked in a garage? or right outside your bedroom window at night? Or are you an apartment dweller where the vehicle is parked far away at night? Do you drive your vehicle to a lot of places where thieves might lurk? Flea market lots, campgrounds, parks, festivals and concerts where there are a lot of vehicles parked?

If your vehicle is a show piece that rarely leaves the indoors, then no, zero value in locking lugs. The more you leave your vehicle unsupervised outdoors, the more valuable they are. Frustration and 80 bucks is a small price to pay to hold onto your two thousand dollar wheels.

 

[Tim7139]

If I had an exposed spare tire I might get the expensive Gorilla ones to stop opportunistic theft, but otherwise they seem to be more of a problem than a solution.

Last summer parked at an event for an hour the two RAMs near mine had their locked wheels stolen. One had a window smashed and the wheel key was missing from the glove box so I guess it gave them trouble. Thankfully my unlocked steel wheels were left.

My dad looses wheel keys as a hobby (he claims the repair shops he frequents forget to give them back). He had the original gorilla locks but did not want to pay the shipping to Canada. I needed to heat a socket to allow it to get a grip on them, but had them all off in just a few minutes. One was very rusty, which was kinda disappointing given the price. Not sure the other brand, McGuard I think, the outside spun. Hammered roofing nails into one to keep the outside from just spinning enough to use socket, but with the others found I could just hit it with a punch a few times and that ring broke off as they were very brittle.

A few spline drives were included with my Harbor Freight lug nut socket kit so don't believe that would slow enough people down to be worth any cost.

BleepingJeep tests 8 or 9 removal methods against several different lock types.

 

[Addicted2fishing]

My experience..... years ago I was changing over my Jeep wheels and snapped the key (cheap metal). It messed up the actual lock nut too. They had to torch it off and messed up my wheel.

Also, snap on sells a socket that slides over and bites into the nut allowing removal.

If someone wants my wheels that bad they can have em lol. Just leave my truck on blocks is all I ask [emoji18]


60% of the time it works every time....

 

[corneileous]

They have a purpose and will slow down, not deter, but slow down a competent thief.

I hate pointing this out but since almost every auto parts store and countless other online stores carry them; it’s no secret they exist but with emergency tools made for when you lose your key, it’s almost kinda like, why bother. I saw one of these “tools” at my local O’reileys and almost asked the guy at the counter why they sell such a thing that it pretty much makes traditional locking lugnuts obsolete.

I dunno, maybe there’s another type of locking nuts that these “tools” don’t work on.

If you decide to use them, purchase them AFTER the sale for $50 instead of paying $200-500 that the dealer wants.

I didn’t notice that right away but you’re right, if you buy a brand new truck with them pre-installed from the factory, it’s like an added $200 cost but if you do like I did and wanted them but bought a truck that didn’t come with them, it was only like 50 bucks and some change at the dealer parts counter.


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[corneileous]

After being in law enforcement for 35 years I think I saw and learned some tricks used by the "undesirables". Some of their methods were somewhat genius. If you do decide to put on some kind of locking lug you should put 2 on each wheel. Yes I know you are now asking WHY. The "because" is that you can remove a wheel with only one locking lug using just your hands. Example: a wheel with 5 or 6 lugs. Remove all of the non locking lugs and you are left with just the one locking nut. Now take both of your hands and grasp the back of the rim, directly opposite the locking lug, and YANK the wheel. The wheel stud brakes rather easily with the leverage you have and only one lug left. Put 2 on.

Never thought about that.Your tire guy might not like it and it may make rotating your tires a pain in the ass having to use two different key adapters but that makes sense about just breaking off the one lug stud that has the lock. That’s almost kinda like how traditional locking hitch pins are kinda worthless since all they gotta do is just take a piece of steel pipe that’s just a little larger than the lock and just use the leverage to bust off the end of the pin where it’s at its thinnest. It’s almost like your just better off to use a 5/8’s grade 8 bolt to secure your hitch, somethin’ that’s a lot harder to get a pipe over to break the bolt. Plus, the bolt on the end where the nut goes isn’t thinned for the locking mechanism.

I’m seriously thinking about doing that because the locking hitch pin that came with my WeighSafe hitch is just like that where a piece of pipe slid over the lock, it wouldn’t take much to break it off. But then again, I bought we a hitch tightener and found on the internet some special conical nuts for it that require a special socket to remove......[emoji41]

You might get a pair of vice grips on it but there’s not a whole lotta meat there and they’re kind of in a spot that’s hard to access....[emoji16]


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[Gary2]

I would bet with todays hub centric wheels its not as easy as it sounds if at all to break the one remaining lug with a lock on it off. Hell some wheels damn near won't come off with all the lugs removed on some hub centric wheels. I always felt that any of the anti-theft stuff was mainly to slow the thief up so you or some one else may see whats going on. Cheap way of slowing up the process anyway. Where I live you would probably end up shot anyway for trying . Many Pineys packing around here