Locking Wheelnuts.

Post by **wanderinstar** » Wed Sep 10, 2008 7:26 pm

When I get these 5.5" rims fitted with 185/70 x14 tyres fitted. I would like to keep them fitted . Don't want any sticky fingered oik relieving me of them. I know you can get wheelnuts that have an adapter that fits in wheelbrace to fit them for alloy wheels. Question is can you get any for standard rims, though not standard, if you know what I mean.

Post by **mike.perry** » Wed Sep 10, 2008 9:47 pm

I don't think there are many cars around these days with the same stud thread as the Minor besides most of them seem to use wheel bolts.
You could always try moving to a less crime ridden part of the country. The Isles of Scilly???

Post by **bigginger** » Wed Sep 10, 2008 10:05 pm

Check if the ones for the alloys have the same taper on the bottom as the steel wheels (hope that makes sense). If so, use them, I'd have thought

Post by **bmcecosse** » Wed Sep 10, 2008 10:27 pm

Dunno if there are locking nuts - most are as said above locking wheel bolts. beware - I snapped the special 'key' for my Meriva when trying to undo super tight lock bolts - and it cost a small fortune to get a new one. In the meantime of course I couldn't get any of the wheels off, and I was in the middle of a brake pad change. You could cut the head and short piece of shaft off large Allen screws - and then machine them into nuts to suit the Minor taper, and then use a largish Allen key to undo them. I did something similar many years ago to make lock bolts for an SRi Cavalier I had at the time.

Post by **bigginger** » Wed Sep 10, 2008 10:40 pm

bmcecosse wrote:Dunno if there are locking nuts

There are.

Post by **bmcecosse** » Wed Sep 10, 2008 10:42 pm

Can you point us to them Andrew ? Would need to be 3/8" UNF and correct taper for Minor wheels - which is NOT the same as Mini wheels!

Post by **bigginger** » Wed Sep 10, 2008 11:35 pm

Well, I know a certain company that provides them but modesty AND the moderators terms and conditions forbid me from saying who ;)

Post by **PSL184** » Wed Sep 10, 2008 11:46 pm

I think we are talking about Bull Motif. I got some for my alloys this week at about a tenner for the 4 so I am hoping they are suitable for the job. They look as though they fiti nto the taper OK.....

Post by **bmcecosse** » Wed Sep 10, 2008 11:49 pm

Andrew may have been suggesting another supplier. Possibly JLH!
Let us know how the BM ones go PSL!

Post by **PSL184** » Wed Sep 10, 2008 11:55 pm

Not sure if this pic will show up very well but the taper fits the rim OK and tightens up fine. I've not run the car yet to check for any dynamic issues but I will report back if any show up after a good blast....<br>

<br>

Post by **bmcecosse** » Wed Sep 10, 2008 11:57 pm

Very shiny!

Post by **polo2k** » Thu Sep 11, 2008 6:47 pm

wow thats a beautiful finish!!!
Kudos if you polished them yourself
-if not-
the rest of the car will have to be just as shiney ;)

Post by **wanderinstar** » Thu Sep 11, 2008 7:02 pm

Roy, you are not far out in your guess about BGs supplier.

Post by **PSL184** » Thu Sep 11, 2008 7:26 pm

Yes, I need to get on with polishing the rest of the car now as the wheels are showing everything else up

Post by **bigginger** » Thu Sep 11, 2008 7:36 pm

wanderinstar wrote:Roy, you are not far out in your guess about BGs supplier.

Damn rules... ;)

Post by **wanderinstar** » Thu Sep 11, 2008 8:07 pm

Andrew you have a PM. Seems I may have been wrong.

Post by **bigginger** » Thu Sep 11, 2008 10:08 pm

PM replied to

Post by **paulhumphries** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 8:12 am

After the key to the factory fitted locking nuts on a mates MGF broke last week, and the struggle I had removing them, I'd be careful what you buy.
At least make sure you have a second, duplicate "key", safe for if the original breaks.
Might seem OTT when you buy a brand new set of locking nuts to then have to source a duplicate key but all it takes is one of the prongs on the locking key / tool to shear or burr over and you are stuck with no way of removing the wheel.
Personally I'd not fit them - there again I prefer standard Minor steel wheels than flashy alloys

Paul Humphries

Post by **PSL184** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 8:18 am

There are some fairly easy ways to remove locking wheel nuts if you loose the key without having to destroy the wheel, although it would not be convienient at the roadside - it's a workshop job. MGF use standard Rover locking nuts (if original ones still fitted) and any Landrover dealer will sell spare keys for £9.00 each.....

Post by **paulhumphries** » Fri Sep 12, 2008 9:14 am

PSL184 wrote:There are some fairly easy ways to remove locking wheel nuts if you loose the key without having to destroy the wheel, although it would not be convienient at the roadside - it's a workshop job. MGF use standard Rover locking nuts (if original ones still fitted) and any Landrover dealer will sell spare keys for £9.00 each.....

In the end after trying everything else I'd got I hammered on an old 12 pointed 3/4" socket and that worked.
The actual nuts were chewed up by the damaged locking key so even a new key wouldn't have helped in this case. My mate found a set of 4 standard nuts in the scrap yard on a crashed MGF and is going to use those rather than buy another set of locking ones.
When thieves can get tools to remove them is it worth having locking nuts anyway ?
After all Minor wheels PCD are only going to fit a limited number of cars so they are hardly desirable to the "Max Power" types

Paul Humphries