Do you use wheel locks?

[JerryC]

A wheel lock deters a casual thief, that's all. But damn there is a lot them out there so yeah I put wheel locks on.

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[JediMcMuffin]

I used to, then I lost the key. Then I bought three sacrificical 20 or 21mm sockets from home depot, took a sledge to the wheel locks and in one hit on each i had them off. At Least the mcgard ones are nearly worthless in my opinion. Unlikely I will look into "better" ones.

 

[Aonarch]

Mine came with Gorillas and I didn't even realize it had a key for the lugs - I took them right off with a standard 12-point 19mm socket. Then I found the key and thought... hmm...

Ha yeah, a 12 point can work, you will just chew them up.

 

[seananigans]

Hm, would think the heavy ass 37in wheel would be a deterrent. My spare wheel is pretty banged up but now I’m thinking I should get some preventative measure in place.

 

[Kevin Scarbel]

Thinking about getting Mcgard wheel locks but have never had a pair on another car.
I feel like the spare may be attractive to thieves, but am not sure if anyone would try to steal the actual wheels on the truck because of how heavy it is.
Do you use wheel locks on the spare? All 5 wheels?

I use wheel locks.
I have Ford wheel locks on the Broncos, but have used McGard on my other cars.
Had a funny experience in China once.......McGard ever since.

 

[swamp2]

Advanced Wheel Locks on all 5.

Yup, same. Contrary to prior posts, I think these could even stop most "professionals".

 

[MFP2241]

Watch this video...



Good detail on how locks are defeted, and which ones will slow a thief down the most

 

[2023bronco]

More trouble than they are worth. Especially when the service tech over torques the lug nuts and you strip 4 keys trying to get one off.

But on the spare, yes.

 

[SeptuagenerianSasquatch]

I park on the street in a city known for it's um...compassionate treatment of poor, disadvantaged criminals. And as a former LE, I know what crooks can do. Pros will spot and ID your truck, possibly revisit it to plan the crime, then come back at an opportune time to steal it, or strip the tires. Tire thieves may work as a crew, jacking it up, sliding milk crates underneath, pulling the tires, loading them and go, all in just a few minutes.

The three elements to deter theft are: visibility, complexity of defense, and time.
Visibility: lighting, location, an video surveillance. Even a dummy camera or two can help. In my case, I have good street lighting and there is a lot of pedestrian activity, even late at night. But 4:00 AM? A sensitive motion detector might improve my odds.

Complexity of defense: Anything which can force the thief (thieves) to require more complicated tools and implements works to your advantage. You want him/them to look at your truck and think it's not worth the time and risk, and move on to a more vulnerable target, because hacking your rig is beyond his/their skillset (or toolbox) and will take too much...

Time, so yes, no lock is completely impervious to a skilled, determined thief, but you can make it "not worth his time and risk factor." Cracking bank vaults makes for exciting movies, but most thieves just want to grab stuff fast and get going.

With all that in mind, I bought the Advance Lock system. So far, no indication of attempted theft.

 

[Easy-v]

Just on my spare

 

[Lowcountry Bronco]

I park on the street in a city known for it's um...compassionate treatment of poor, disadvantaged criminals. And as a former LE, I know what crooks can do. Pros will spot and ID your truck, possibly revisit it to plan the crime, then come back at an opportune time to steal it, or strip the tires. Tire thieves may work as a crew, jacking it up, sliding milk crates underneath, pulling the tires, loading them and go, all in just a few minutes.

The three elements to deter theft are: visibility, complexity of defense, and time.
Visibility: lighting, location, an video surveillance. Even a dummy camera or two can help. In my case, I have good street lighting and there is a lot of pedestrian activity, even late at night. But 4:00 AM? A sensitive motion detector might improve my odds.

Complexity of defense: Anything which can force the thief (thieves) to require more complicated tools and implements works to your advantage. You want him/them to look at your truck and think it's not worth the time and risk, and move on to a more vulnerable target, because hacking your rig is beyond his/their skillset (or toolbox) and will take too much...

Time, so yes, no lock is completely impervious to a skilled, determined thief, but you can make it "not worth his time and risk factor." Cracking bank vaults makes for exciting movies, but most thieves just want to grab stuff fast and get going.

With all that in mind, I bought the Advance Lock system. So far, no indication of attempted theft.

I fully agree with everything you said, if you can extend the amount of time or the complexity it takes to steal something then most thieves will move onto something easier to take.

However, a bolt extractor made short work of those:

 

[ABorges]

Thinking about getting Mcgard wheel locks but have never had a pair on another car.
I feel like the spare may be attractive to thieves, but am not sure if anyone would try to steal the actual wheels on the truck because of how heavy it is.
Do you use wheel locks on the spare? All 5 wheels?

I have used wheel locks for years, I say it's better than nothing. The thief might go to a vehicle with out them.

 

[Wilbur's son]

I weave a very heavy duty bicycle chain lock thru my spare and carrier. Better than a wheel lock and a thief would need a strong bolt cutter.

Same here. Plus factory wheel locks.

 

[onestout]

My dealer put the locks on, wish they hadn't, if anyone has any OEM non-locking lug nuts around let me know, dealer wants more than I am willing to pay for a nut. Thanks

 

[JeffL]

no i don't use them.

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