Wheel Lock Key - wtf?
Thread Starter
Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 24,460
Likes: 7
From: sw Ohio
Wheel Lock Key - wtf?
I'm trying to put new brake pads on my '85 but I cant get that one last special lugnut off on each wheel. Yes I have the key to this but how does it work? There are no instructions and yes I can see that you have to match the pattern up but it doesnt want to stay. Oh and why do these cars have wheel locks? Nobody wants to steal these things.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 988
Likes: 7
From: Sarasota Fl
I'm trying to put new brake pads on my '85 but I cant get that one last special lugnut off on each wheel. Yes I have the key to this but how does it work? There are no instructions and yes I can see that you have to match the pattern up but it doesnt want to stay. Oh and why do these cars have wheel locks? Nobody wants to steal these things.
And concerning the theft comment- tell that to the guys that have been left on blocks with stock or aftemarket rims - there has to be more than one that has happened too. To me, the security is worth the extra minute.
Team Owner
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 21,094
Likes: 282
From: Phila., PA burbs
I never liked the stock locks much. I rotate the lock on the lug nut untill I feel it seat a bit. Then sometimes you gotta give it a little tap to seat it fully. The key is 19mm on the other end, so any 19mm socket (or 3/4") will do the trick. Mine have corroded over time a bit which makes it a bit more difficult to seat the key. When you get them off you might want want to run a wire brush over them if corroded.
Drifting
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 1,493
Likes: 94
From: Westfield MA
I agree with you here, it is certainly a matter of personal choice, but I am more concerned about loosing the key and really being in a jam than I am about my wheels being stolen. I also think that the locks would only foil the really stupid thieves, I would bet that 99.9% of us store the key in the console. So that means that when they take the covers off of the lugs and realize there are locks, then they have to break your window to get the key out. So I am not sure of their effectiveness and with stock rims I will risk it. I am sure though that if I spent some bucks on nicer rims, I would use the locks.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 5,107
Likes: 171
From: Dublin CA
Check the key that fits over the nut. Is there an outside "shield" that slides in and out (may be spring loaded)? If this is the case, the key has threads. You align the pattern on the key to the lug then push the shield in and rotate...this will screw the shield onto the lug and pull it tight into the the lug locking the special pattern of the key and lug and holds the key and lug together. You should now be able to use your wrench to take the lug off. DO NOT USE A IMPACT ON THE KEY.
