Replacing all lug nuts with wheel locks and issues

[Pablo654]

Do wheel locks affect wheel balance?

Going to be putting 5 wheel locks on each wheel as they love stealing wheels in Chicago, has happened to me before. This is for a AWD Subaru Impreza.

I know wheel locks can be removed , but the hassle of having to go through 20 locks on the car will definitely be a deterrent. And if they steal the car, that’s what My insurance is for. I would rather they steal my whole car and I get the money from it through insurance rather than they leave the car lying on the frame after taking the wheels destroying components of the car.

Yes, in Chicago when they steal wheels they don’t even put it on bricks or wood. So I wouldn’t even want to deal with repairing a car that was sitting on its frame and suspension bare.

Thanks

 

[Pablo654]

Bascially replacing all lug nuts with locks

 

[Cruisin'n5thgear]

Shouldn't matter if all are replaced with the same weight locking lugnut.

 

[Gimpy1]

I shouldnt affect wheel balance, because the lugs are so close to the center.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Wheel locks don't prevent wheel thefts at all. Thieves just take a socket just smaller than the wheel lock, hammer it on, and steal the wheel anyway

 

[Pablo654]

Wheel locks don't prevent wheel thefts at all. Thieves just take a socket just smaller than the wheel lock, hammer it on, and steal the wheel anyway

Yes. Now imagine doing that 25 times vs only 4 times , when there are wheel locks for all lug nuts and when there’s only 1 lock on each wheel. It won’t make stealing the wheels impossible, but thief’s don’t go go the hardest fruit to pick . And it would be very loud if they were to use a hammer.

If they used the spline method, it would still take more time than if it had no locks. And that is the deterrent

 

[mk378]

They use the stripped bolt sockets that grab anything and spin them off. Once set up to do that, they'll use them on all the nuts whether they are locks or regular nuts. They don't even look.

Left handed wheel studs might be fun to keep them busy for a while.

 

[Pablo654]

Im going from the OEM silver accent wheel to the all blacks wheel. So I sort of feel like the OEM are flashy enough they would’ve been stolen the 3 years I’ve had the car. Both are 18 inch.

But one never knows . Lol

 

[atikovi]

I would rather they steal my whole car and I get the money from it through insurance rather than they leave the car lying on the frame after taking the wheels destroying components of the car.

Won't insurance pay for either scenario? And unless you're car jacked or its towed, it's pretty hard to take a car without the key these days.

 

[Pablo654]

Won't insurance pay for either scenario? And unless you're car jacked or its towed, it's pretty hard to take a car without the key these days.

Yes, but if the car was sitting on its frame and suspension, there’s a chance it will get crack under all the weight . And I don’t want the insurance to do some cheap **** like weld the frame on a 2019.

And in Chicago they steal cars using this computer tablet thingy. No keys needed . They basically program a key themselves on the spot . Just need to break into your window to do it first.

 

[atikovi]

Get a remote battery disconnect. Can't start it if the battery is disconnected.

 

[2010Civic]

You have 25 lugs on your car??

I definitely think having all locking lugs would help deter theft.

 

[Pablo654]

You have 25 lugs on your car??

I definitely think having all locking lugs would help deter theft.

Not yet I will with the new wheel

 

[krzyss]

Does your Subaru Impreza have frame?
I thought it is unibody.

4x5 = 20
5x5 = 25

Your car has a 5th wheel and a frame!

Are you sure that you know what you are doing?

Krzys

 

[Pablo654]

Hah. Long day at the office man, brain is broken.
You’re right it’s 20. And I’m not sure about that, I assume all cars have frames. I didn’t necessarily check if it was unibody before buying it or not. Not sure anyone does check that really.

And that’s why I came onto this forum to ask lmao . It is a forum right ?

 

[Pablo654]

when I say frame , I mean like the chassis of the car

 

[krzyss]

If you cannot count and do not know about lack of frame you put yourself in bad position.
Weight all the locks, 25 of them, and check that they weigh the same or very close.

Lugs/nuts are rather close to the axis, so their rotational inertia is not as bad as if they were on the edge of the wheel.

Krzys

 

[Pablo654]

I will make sure to do my time tables again teacher!

 

[oldhp]

Well you might as well get used to checking "all" the lugs for being tight from now on. Pretty sure thieves will want to punish you putting locks on all the studs.

 

[Wolf359]

Why not get some caps on top of that? They'd have to take the caps off then realize that they're locks.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N2K9H1Q