Locking Wheel Nuts - warning

Mark332
Mark332 Forum Participant Posts: 4
edited July 2020 in Caravans #1
Be aware that locking wheel studs may be a nightmare to remove if you need to change a wheel in a hurry. I found this problem with the milenco locking wheel studs whilst removing a wheel recently.
One of the locking studs was stuck so fast that I stripped the internal key fitting on the stud itself whilst trying to get it off.
I must point out the caravan is new and the studs have only been on for 1 outing. They were torqued correctly yet no way could I shift one of them.
The problem seems to be that that the key material is too soft, the grip area is very small and the angle of your removal bar makes it difficult to keep the key square on the stud. This results in wear to the stud or key and makes removal difficult .
Milenco offered to send me a new key for £30 and my local garage offered to weld a nut onto the stud for the same price.
If you look on YouTube you’ll see that this is a common problem so be aware. I eventually got mine off and threw all 4 locking studs in the bin. I can’t imagine the nightmare I might have had trying to remove a wheel in an emergency so please be aware of the problem.

Comments

  • Phishing
    Phishing Forum Participant Posts: 597
    500 Comments
    edited July 2020 #2

    I always take mine off and replace with OE nuts. I dont think stealing alloy wheels has happened since the 1980s.

  • Mark332
    Mark332 Forum Participant Posts: 4
    edited July 2020 #3

    Having explored this a little more it seems that it’s reasonably straight forward to remove locking wheel studs without the key. There are numerous YouTube clips showing you how to do it. The Milenco ones I had installed had a rotating outer collar to add to the security. This made it more difficult to remove without damaging the wheel but still quick and easy if you had a few smart tools at your disposal.
    Halfords and others actually sell tools to remove locked studs but the easier option is simply to hammer a tight socket onto the locked stud. Might damage it but if your stealing the wheel that’s not an issue.

    So which is the bigger risk? Getting stranded on the motorway with a puncture and being unable to get the wheel stud out or chancing having the wheels stolen. Seems a no brainier to me. It’s more likely that the van may be stolen rather than the odd wheel so get the van secure and forget the wheel locks.

  • Mark332
    Mark332 Forum Participant Posts: 4
    edited July 2020 #4

    Must point out that Milenco were very helpful in offering to send me a new stud key and I have many of their products which I find to be well made and of good quality. I would guess that other types of locking studs have the same problems. The small key area in comparison to a standard wheel stud and the angle of the removal bar greatly reduce the amount of leverage you can apply without damaging the stud or key fitting even if torqued to the correct setting.

Categories