Are Wheel Locks Really Necessary?

wheel locks

It takes an experienced thief about 10 minutes to steal four wheels but only about 30 seconds to steal an entire car.  So, if you were a thief, which would you choose?

Wheel locks are intended to replace the lug nuts that come standard with your wheels.  They differ from lug nuts in that wheel locks require a specific key in order to be removed.  Seems like a great idea...until you are on the side of the road with a flat tire and you have no idea where the key is.

Cue a tow truck to take your car to the nearest auto repair shop where the technicians will need to use a socket, a breaker bar, a hammer, and a torque wrench in order to successfully remove the wheel lock.  Needless to say that your wheel lock will not survive this process and will require replacement.  So now you've paid for the tow truck, double the amount of labor, and new wheel locks, not to mention the loss of your valuable time.

And the best part of all?  Wheel and tire thieves can easily obtain the same tools that your technician would use the remove the wheel locks without a key.

Seems like a no-brainer to us, so we recommend saving yourself the time, money, and stress by sticking with standard lug nuts.

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Written by Wilton Auto and Tire Center