Ok so the two I am looking at right now are....

Spline Drive, Closed top Lugs...



Or Tuner Lugs, Open top with the Hex key...



Which ones are better? And can you tell me why?

Thanks,
Doc

 

I went with the hex nut one.. They key for it is $3, so it's not like you're going to keep a thief from taking your wheels. It keeps honest people honest, as my dad would say. But if you think about it, anything that's out there the keys aren't one offs. I'm thinking of putting a wheel lock on each wheel even though I got those hex things, just cause I can't sleep at night .. "what's that sound?!" *runs the the door with flashlight in one hand, shotgun in other*

 

The hex kind can be takenb out with a 3/8 ratchet extension. Trust me I know

 

I don't doubt that a bit. I even asked the guy behind the counter "these look like you could take them out with a normal socket driver, no?" He said "Noooo.. buy them please" and I fell for it!

Thing is, the socket extention or wrench costs more than the tool anyway

 

Man........... any body who has a ratchet set has that extension. They even come in the cheapo $9.99 socket sets.

 

so frustrating to protect our rides and then to try to trick them out...

 

The only way is to slow them down. You can't really stop it, but you can make it hard. I put a different lock on every one of my lugs. So I have 4 keys for my wheels :twisted: :twisted: .

 

Yeah, I was thinking of doing the same thing.. getting two wheel lock sets plus the hex nuts and putting hex nuts on 3 studs then the wheel locks on one for each wheel, plitting the two between the two cars.. but then flats could screw you, ifn' you only had one lock per set.

 

the tuner lugs will be better. it gives a flush look and you will also want to get wheel locks. the tuner lugs are typically used because the bit used to get the closed top lugs off sometimes don't fit into the wholes on tuner wheels.

 

i'm using hte spline right now and that is what i recommend. built very well, won't rust and covers the stud, the turner ones leave the stud exposed and over time i usually see them rust a bit(either the lug or the stud. my 2 cents

 

i have the spline ones, and they are very nice, and give more of a chrome look to the wheel area.

 

I went w/ "tuner" lug nuts. I didn't want to scratch my wheels when taking off the "spline" type. Plus I couldn't find any black spline type lug nuts when I got my wheels. Sure the tuner types will rust, but it isn't something a q-tip and wd-40 can't take care of. I don't know about the threads rusting as I remove and re-torque them every 6 months any how.

 

If someone is determined to steal your wheels, no lug nut will stop them. If nothing else, they steal the whole car (pros use flatbeds) and work on them at their leisure.

One trick that will take off just about any lug nut is get a loosely-fitting impact socket, put a short length of 1/8 Allen wrench inside it, and then jam it over the fancy lug nut. No matter what shape the lug nut is, the hardened Allen wrench will cam on it, making its own groove and unscrewing the lug nut. I've seen this work even on the "free spinning" locking lug nuts, as the camming action squeezes the free-spinning part causing it to stick.

As long as owners lust after kewl wheels, people will steal them to supply the market.

George

 

spline