Theft and prevention

[rohrt]

I'm getting more into going on trips with my old cars. Would love to get nice rim$ for large brakes, but leaving a car at a hotel is a bit concerning. While on PowerTour there was a bunch of cars in the lot with Rims that cost more then my whole car.



Mostly I don't venture far from home with my old rides. Would like to take some bigger trips with the cars.

What about you guys with the Forgline's or other high dollar rims?

[Schwartz Performance]

If you have that concern, wheel locks are good to have.

-Dale

[Build-It-Break-It]

If a thief wants anything enough they'll take it regardless. Wheel locks, alarms etc only slow them down. I'd be more worried about the car getting stolen then the rims.

[csouth]

Do yourself a favor and get a good insurance policy. I hear too many stories about underinsured classic cars.

[BonzoHansen]

If you have that concern, wheel locks are good to have.

-Dale

Eh, wheel locks only seem to stop owners

[Schwartz Performance]

In a wheel that has the lug nut set into the center (like most Forgelines) it's hard to get an extractor on it. It'll need to be drilled first then use an easy-out.. Slowing them down quite a bit where it may not even be worth it.

Or Loctite the lug nuts on.

Kidding!

-Dale

[Build-It-Break-It]

Found a solution

[rohrt]

I guess I was wondering if wheel theft is a concern for most others. Do you guys ever take your cars out of town and leave it at the Days Inn over night?

Maybe if you can afford Forglines then maybe loosing them is not a big deal for you.

[Build-It-Break-It]

My wife works for the police department and gets calls all the time for stolen car's /rims/car trailers with cars /airbags/rear bench seats/tailgates etc. I think there really isn't anything you can do except wheel locks to slow a thief down. If anyone wants something bad enough its going to be there's. I think you would have to literally chain the rims to the chassis and even then they can just cut the chain. This may be extreme but you can hire a local off duty police officer to watch your car while you sleep in your hotel. Extreme, yes. But you would at least have piece of mind. I know at my wife's police dept you can hire an officer in a police unit on his day off as long as you pay his wages.

[Great White]

People will steal anything they think can make a buck on these days it seems.

About all you can do is a set of well lock nuts (deep bore rim is harder to get them off) and be smart in where you park it.

Alarms are pretty much useless these days unless you can hear your own car. Even then, you probably don't want to confront a couple guys with wrenches stealing your rims.

Personally, I'd be more worried about a smash and grab of interior goodies (ie: kit bags, ipods, stereos, etc) or theft of the entire vehicle vice coming out to find it on blocks.

I haven't heard of a wheel theft in a long while that wasn't a car left abandoned somewhere out of the way. It just takes too long compared to stealing the vehicle to strip it somewhere else or just grabbing the contents.

Crappy thing around here is that they usually steal your car, rifle through anything they can take easily and then light it on fire to cover their tracks, usually only getting a couple hundred dollars worth of stuff.

If I had a choice, I'd rather get it back just all messed up instead of it being burned to the ground.