What are the secrets for wheels to choose: reviews

The secret is an uncomplicated device, which makes it possible to protect the car from theft of the wheels. It is a bolt (sometimes a nut), which has a unique head shape and is placed in place of one of the "native" fasteners. To remove the wheel, secured with a secret, you need to have a special key (or adapter), which comes with it. Today, we learn how to choose the secrets for the wheels and what criteria should be used when choosing.

Who and why steal the wheels?

Times when the new tires on the car wheels were deficit and they had to be extracted from under the floor, long gone. However, the problem with the theft of the wheels has been and remains relevant. This type of criminal business is developing and becoming more insolent. Wheels steal, and then sell on the Internet, do not hesitate to upload photos. Sometimes thefts even occur "on demand" on a certain car. Therefore, the secret to today are considered a very popular way to protect your wallet from unnecessary expenditure. A good example: the price of a set of good secrets is about $ 50, and a new rubber with medium-price disks will cost at least $ 300.

Material of manufacture

To understand which secrets are better for wheels, we will find out what they are made of. Good products are made from hardened steel or titanium. For a beautiful appearance and protection against corrosion, they are covered with chrome or nickel. If the fasteners are made of soft metal, its edges will quickly deteriorate, as a result of which the wheel can not be removed by both the attacker and the owner of the car. With a strong twist / unscrewing, the key-key contact will be deformed. Even simple tools will cope with a soft bolt.

Types of Secrets

Wheels of European cars are usually fastened to bolts, and Asian ones to nuts. Therefore, the secret is executed in the same way. To understand which secrets to wheels are better, you need to know what they are by the type of profile. The protective individual profile can be:

1. Figured. A profile is a collection of lines of different curvature. At the head of the bolt or nut squeeze out a closed shape of unusual shape. And on the key a convex pattern of the same shape is cut out. These secrets are produced on the most precise equipment, which provides a huge number of options for unique parameters. To pick up a suitable key, an attacker will have to carry with him a full trunk of options.
2. With an eccentric. The structure consists of two round profiles. The outer one is pulled away from the thread axis, and the inner one is centered. Products of this kind are easier to pick up, so they are usually used together with other species. Secrets with an eccentric are not the answer to the question: "Which secrets are better for wheels?". "VAZ" or "Lada" can still be equipped with them, but more expensive cars are not recommended.
3. Holey. A certain number of asymmetric holes with different diameters and depths are made in the bolt. The key is appropriately supplied with spikes with the same pattern. It happens on the contrary - a secret with spikes, and a key with holes. This option is more practical, since in the first case the bolt holes are clogged with dirt.
4. Asymmetric profile. It is an irregular polygon. The edges can be from 8 to 40. The more of them, the more reliable the secret.

Now, based on this classification, you can understand what secrets to wheels are better to choose.

How difficult is it to find the key to secrets?

As the reviews show, it is almost impossible. Branded secrets have several thousand profile options. The keys, respectively, are the same. This diversity is achieved through computerized production. To restore the key in case of loss, you need to contact the authorized dealer and show him the serial number of the product.

Do the secrets for stamped and cast discs differ?

The main difference is that the holes for the bolts in the cast discs have a recess that hides the bolt, and in the stamped one there is none. Therefore, when installing a secret on the stamped disk, you need to apply obichayku. It is a protective ring that will close the secret from the side access. This is a washer that loosely scrolls when the thread of the bolt is fully clamped. In the case of light alloy wheels, no additional devices are required, since it is not possible to tamper with the secrete from the outside.

Installing and removing secrets

Secrets are put in the holes for the "native" bolts (nuts), one copy per wheel. During installation, the protective bolt must be tightened last, and when dismounting, first unscrew it. This simple rule allows you to increase the protective properties of the secret. The thing is that thieves first of all try to tighten all bolts tighter, in order to weaken the pressure of the protective one.

When installing the secret, do not apply pressure greater than that provided by the manufacturer. The fact is that under excessive load the product can be deformed. If this happens, it will not be possible to unscrew it in normal ways. The probability of deformation increases, if the bolts are attached, the metal of the product is of poor quality, the grooves of the pattern are clogged with dirt.

If you can not unscrew the secret, try using penetrating grease. Fill it in the socket for fasteners and after a couple of minutes try to make your plans. Try to avoid contact of oil with surfaces covered with varnish or paint.

The key is lost

This is a fairly common problem among car owners. It has several solutions:

1. To start without fuss, try to find the key. Perhaps you forgot it at the tire shop or from the past owner of the car.
2. If you can not find it, you need to know the manufacturer of the product and its serial number. With this data, you can order a copy of the key from the dealer. The plus of this method is that the set of bolts will remain intact, and the minus will remain in the time spent.
3. Now let's move on to radical measures. The first of them is drill. Do it on the tire or service station. The disadvantage is that the secrets will become worthless.
4. Another radical measure is independent twisting. To do this, you will need a hammer, a torque wrench, a head and a new bolt. To begin with, you need to choose a head for the size of the secret. It must be filled with a bolt. In this case, of course, it will deform, taking the internal shape of the head. Now you need to put a torque wrench on the head and unscrew it. To unscrew it is slow, in order to avoid turning. If all was successful and the thread has survived, you can screw a simple bolt into place of the secretion and forget about the problem. And if the thread is damaged, you will have to contact the masters to restore it. Speaking about what secrets to wheels are better, we have already found out that the metal of the product should be of high quality. This method of dismantling, as shown by the reviews, is suitable for cheap versions of the secrets, which are made of pliable metal.
5. The last option - to weld to the secret of something that lengthens it or creates a lever and quietly unscrew.

Types of kits

Now you know what secrets to wheels are better. It's time to find out what bundles they are selling. Usually the kit consists of four bolts (nuts) and one special key. It can be either a full-fledged key or an adapter to a standard section. For such parameters as thread and length, the secret bolt must necessarily correspond to the regular bolt. It can be shorter, but by no means longer. There are also other kits:

1. Four secrets and two keys. Suitable for those who often lose small things.
2. Five bolts (nuts) and a key. An additional secret is used for the spare.
3. Eight bolts (nuts) and a key. For those who want to put two secrets on each wheel.

Why put two secret bolts?

Many prefer to do wheel protection double. Why do this, because if an attacker unscrews one bolt, he can unscrew the second one? This is done not for reasons of additional protection, but for their own safety. Having removed all the fastenings from the wheel, except the secret, the thief, naturally, will not spin them back. And if the owner does not notice that his wheel rests on one bolt, there can be trouble on the road. With two bolts on the wheel, it's much safer to drive.

Where else do they use the secret?

1. On license plates. They are also being stolen, and in order to obtain ransom. Usually the owner prefers to pay money to a thief, rather than apply to law enforcement agencies.
2. On the spare wheel. Used in the event that the reserve is hanging on the luggage compartment lid or under it.
3. For the hood. It is a kind of a regular lock or an electromechanical secret.
4. For the motor. These are anti-theft devices that will not allow the burglar to start the engine, even if it will get your car key.

Steal wheels: what to do?

It happens that as long as a person thinks which secrets should be put on wheels and whether it should be done at all, his car is safely left without shoes. In this case, the sequence of actions should look like this:

1. Call the police. Let them take a photo of the place of the theft and record all the important differences (scratches, chips, etc.) of your wheels.
2. Write the application and receive a confirmation ticket.
3. Browse ads for selling wheels on the Internet and try to find your own. If lucky, immediately record all the data of the seller and contact them to the police.

Secrets to the wheels: which is better, reviews

The testimonials of experienced car owners show that when choosing the secrets, you need to pay attention to such moments:

1. The product package must contain the name, designation, serial number and country of manufacture. Secrets that are drilled in the garages by folk craftsmen will lead to nothing good.
2. It is recommended not to buy secrets in the automotive parts markets, but in the shops. At the bazaar, anything can be slipped into the packaging of a good product. And the check you here definitely will not write. It is advisable to go for secrets to a specialized store, where they sell only the wheels and everything that is associated with them. If the firm is serious, it will never risk its reputation and sell fakes.
3. Consult the seller before buying the secrets on the wheels. Which is better to choose, you already know, but it is unlikely that metal products will join the reaction with alloy wheels. Again, in the market you will not get a qualified answer to questions of this nature.

Conclusion

Today we have considered such an important automobile issue, as the selection of the secrets on the wheels. In the end, it should be noted that these products will not give a 100% guarantee that your car will remain safe. Even the best secrets on the wheels can not stand the sophisticated thief. But the secrets will make the operation to steal the wheels more difficult and labor-intensive. Usually thieves surrender after a couple of minutes of working with the secret and are looking for easier prey. The time spent on dismantling the wheel plays an important role here, because the more an attacker is near the car, the more likely it will be noticed. And the harder he tries, the more likely the alarm goes off. So the secret is definitely not a hindrance.