More to stop your expensive alloy wheels going missing than your car, but nonetheless locking wheel nuts do a very good an relatively inexpensive job of protecting your rims. They work on a simple principal, one nut / bolt on each wheel is replaced by one of these, and it requires a special key to release the bolt. These adaptors come in wide varieties width masses of combinations personalized to the manufacturer, meaning the thief having access to the right adaptor is very difficult. The more expensive the bolts, usually the more combinations and the harder to remove they are.

 

The trick is to hide the adaptor somewhere inside your car where it will not be easily found, as if it is in your glove box or somewhere similar the thief could just smash a window to get to it, but at the same time, you do need it in the car, so if you have a tyre puncture or blow out and need to change the wheel, it is available there and then.

 

Manufacturers are starting to fit locking wheel bolts as standard now to most cars with alloy wheels, but if your doesn’t have them, or you have purchased a nice set of aftermarket rims to enhance the look of your car, then spending another 30 dollars or more on some locking wheel  nuts may be a shrewd investment.

 

Finally a big thank you to the guys at Orangewheels.co.uk who supply new Toyota UK Cars who gave up their time for free to help us put together this information site.

Posted: 11|3|09 at 4:46 pm.