Hey Gang!! My son was leaving to go to work this morning and found his lug nuts lying next to 3 of his wheels on his 07 TL-S. One was untouched. Apparently someone was trying to steal his Type-S rims. He's now looking to replace or add another set of wheel locks. What wheel locks are the best to prevent or slow down a thief? And, where can I get them?

Thanks

 

Gorilla is pretty good....

 

I've heard of them. Are there any others? I'd like him to have a few choices. Thanks

 

Mcguard....

 

sorry to hear this man. happening more and more now.

IMO, locking lug nuts are a false sense of security. if a thief wants the wheels, they'll get them one way or another. you can hammer on any sized socket on most lugs and break them free. best bet is to get 2 different types of wheel locks for each wheel. your goal should be to find a set that FILL in the lug nut space/opening almost flush to the edge (so that a thief will have a hard time getting a matching socket to fit over it...hope that makes sense).

a tilt sensor would be a nice add-on for you, and the DIY guitarplayer has is self explanatory.

 

^^^Yes, very true. If someone wants them bad enough there are ways. I'll look into the tilt sensor you mentioned.

 

One problem with getting aftermarket lug nuts for the OEM rims is the seat. OEMs have a ball seat and virtually all aftermarket lug nuts use acorn seats. I've heard that the different seat isn't a huge problem, but somehow I'm not so sure...

I agree 100% that locking lugs are not a safeguard, but more of a deterrent. The longer it takes to remove the wheel, the less likely a thief will try to steal them. Given this, I prefer lugs that all require a key or the two sets of locks.


The two sets are a PITA when you want to remove the wheel, but forces would-be thieves to circumvent two lugs per wheel.

 

^^^^ This is a HUGE PROBLEM if you want your wheels to stay on your car! Ball seat style lug nuts should never be used interchangeably with acorn/taper style or mag lug nuts because they will not seat properly and may cause unsafe driving conditions(like wheels coming loose). Make sure the locking lugs you buy are ball seat not standard!

 

http://www.team-integra.net/forum/21...at-safely.html

You can convert conical lug nuts to ball seat

 

^^^ Nice find. Here is the direct link:

http://www.pacificcustoms.com/mm5/me...ct_Code=WHL005

 

KYO-EI Dency 2000 Lock Nuts....so you cant used the pound a socket in the lugs when you lose a key or try to steal a wheel......

I was thinking about this , but its not a ball seat but since the posting above I might get these now..

here a video

You Tube

http://www.nengun.com/kyo-ei/dency-2000-lock-nuts

 

projec kics

 

some time I wonder if lock nut even work or just there to slow the thief down.

 

It would be nice to find some red ball seated locking lug nuts....

 

Yeah, I think they work but like the other guy said, if they want them bad enough they will get them. What they would most likely do is see that there are wheel locks and then go back after he finds the tools he needs. It just depends on how bad they want them.

Stuff like this pisses me off. The fact that someone would steal someones rims while they are parked somewhere is fucking ridiculous. 2 on each wheel is a good idea just to be safe. Luckily the ones he had on there did what they were supposed to.

 

Thanks for the responses guys

 

if you are looking for locks, i would def not go with gorilla....everyone has gorilla nuts () and the key for the same....

I would either stick to Acura or get some lug bolts....

 

I HIGHLY recommend switching to McGard using the conversion kit. My kit has 4 x splines and one locking lug per wheel...and from what McGard says, it's one of 7 or 12 different available keys. PLUS they come in black. Pricey, but I will be sticking with McGard and would recommend them to anyone!

 

Does anyone have any experience with this adapter? How well does it hold up? Any issues, for instance, does the adapter fall off when you remove the lug?

Thanks

 

Anyone?

 

I'm running stockies here, but they do have Acura wheel locks on them. (they came with the car).
My on locks are they are going to slow a thief down, maybe even make an amateur thief (punk kid) move on. As far as hammering on a socket goes, I figure that has to make a lot of noise (4 times) , is the car parked close enough that you or a neighbor might hear that and investigate?

Sorry love my tl-s, I'm not familiar with those adaptors

 

Love....i used the Gorilla lugs on my stock wheels for a period of 8 months without an issue....i checked the torque on them every couple days and they seemed to hold up well....

i did not have an option at that time and hence did it....but it worked out well

 

Man, stuff like this makes me paranoid about my waffles.
When I got the car, I was amazed it didn't come with wheel locks.
As soon as I got them home, I put a set up.
So I guess my first mod was to put on wheel locks lol.

 

Thanks for the responses guys. My son is going to get two sets of locking lug nuts and hope that's enough. I think he's also going to install a aftermarket alarm system as well.

 

I have the Acura stock locks on my chromed OEM wheels. Never had a problem. Don't know if that's because they've never attracted attention or if the locks served as a deterrent.

In addition, the shock sensor I added to my Clifford Matrix alarm will detect hammering and the tilt sensor will detect jacking. And the flashing blue led of the Clifford sends a message.

It's not foolproof, but a setup like this should highly discourage someone from even trying and send them on to easier "marks".

 

+1 on the McGard...the spline drive lugs are nice since you essentially need two different "keys" in order to remove them....plus lifetime warranty that they will never chip/rust/etc.

 

Is the message texted to you? That would be sweet!!

 

No, sorry, I meant the light sends a visual message...but the alarm does send an alert/alarm to the key fob if the low or high level setting on the shock sensor is activated.

 

Do know the range of the alert/alarm to the FOB?

 

Varies with obstructions... I think they advertise up to 1 mile/6000ft or something like that, but that would only hold true in a KS wheat field.

From my experience, 300-500ft in a congested/thick walled location seems easy to obtain. It may be greater than that, I've never really measured it.

 

Awesome!! That would be plenty of range.

 

This was a really helpful thread, and I wanna double check with some of you guys who might read this. (Regarding using the conical to ball seat conversion)

I'm thinking about getting the following on oem Type-S rims.

Conical to Ball seat washers (the cheaper one of the links):
http://www.pacificcustoms.com/mm5/me...ct_Code=WHL005

with these Mutekis (lugs + locks):

Amazon.com: Muteki SR48 Titanium Open End Lug Nuts 12x1.5: Automotive

Amazon.com: Muteki SR48 Titanium Open End Lug Nuts 12x1.5: Automotive

Muteki Titanium SR48 Locking Lug Set 12x1.5 : Amazon.com : Automotive

Muteki Titanium SR48 Locking Lug Set 12x1.5 : Amazon.com : Automotive

should be no problemo right?

 

I'm also planning to get a washer to put tuner lugs on my wheels. My OEM lugs are so rusty =(

ch1zo's car is a nice example of tuner lugs on OEM wheels

 

I have been using he gorilla lugs on my OEM wheels for about 2 years now without an issue...

I have been keeping an eye on the torque and they seem to be just fine

 

^without converters/washers?

think my proposed setup should be ok? :0

 

^^^ yessir without any washers or adapters or converters...

i believe these are the lugs I have:

 

Muteki!
Hex code keys and lugs they also come in cool colors

 

I have half spline and half hex lugs. GL thieves

 

i just switched from spline to project mu seven sided lugs. all splines are universal so it's really easy to get a lug lock socket but figured 7 sided would be a small step more secure (even though not eliminating a chance of theft)