What is a Locking Wheel Nut Remover?

What is a locking wheel nut remover and why would you need one? A locking wheel nut is a nut that is designed to fix the rim of a vehicle's wheel to the threaded bolt shafts. There is a nylon insert that helps to align the centre hole of the nut; it is this that gives the nut its grip or lock on the shaft of the wheel. If the insert becomes worn or stripped, as it is commonly referred to, then it makes it much harder to remove the nut from the wheel.

Why use a locking wheel nut remover?

There are a number of different ways that people employ to try and remove the stuck nut

• Most people will attempt to use a wrench to remove the locking nut but this is not the best way to do things as there is a risk of damaging the wheel rim.
• Other methods involve using a butane torch, a hacksaw, a hammer or various other tools, but most of them pose a threat to your tyres, rims or the lug nuts themselves.
• The simplest and safest way to do this is to use a locking wheel nut remover or take your car to a company that offers this service.

How to use a locking wheel nut remover

If you’re unfortunate enough to need to remove a car wheel with stuck lug nuts, then using a locking wheel nut remover is the easiest way of dealing with the problem.

Start by pushing it onto your socket wrench. Once you have the locking wheel nut remover on your socket wrench, the next step is to fit the socket onto the wheel nut. Most wheel nut removers have tapered ends with grooves cut into the inner sides of those ends, so it needs a certain amount of force to fit the remover onto the locked wheel nut.

Take a firm hold on the wheel nut. You first need to tighten it by turning the nut clockwise. Turning the nut the wrong way before you remove it can force the nylon thread into realignment with the threads of the wheel nut. When the nut has been given a clockwise turn, the next step is to use the locking wheel nut remover to turn it anti-clockwise, as this should loosen the locked nut and enable you to remove it.

The process isn’t as simple as it sounds, and is still best undertaken by a professional for best results, and to avoid the risk of any damage to your wheel rims, tyres or lug nuts.

Find out how Wicked Wheels’ locking wheel nut remover service can help you.