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Wheel Locks for the Model S - anyone doen this or have an opinion?

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Does anyone here have experience adding a wheel lock brand to their Model S? I have the 21" wheels and I'm concerned about their security. :crying:

I found Gorilla Guard brand that looked reasonable, and even though they state that the pair of nuts and tool are coded and different from set-to-set, I worry the population is small enough that this wouldn't stop an average wheel thief.

Thoughts?

David

p.s. I started a new thread because I only see a wheel lock thread in 'roadster' section.
 
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Can any regular ol car jack even be used to jack up the model S in order to steal the rims? Are there even jack points? Usually the typical jack need to latch into the frame but the model S is a bit different, right? Even if there is a spot, could the typical jack take the weight without crushing? (I guess so since SUVs are also around the same weight, right?)
 
Can any regular ol car jack even be used to jack up the model S in order to steal the rims? Are there even jack points? Usually the typical jack need to latch into the frame but the model S is a bit different, right? Even if there is a spot, could the typical jack take the weight without crushing? (I guess so since SUVs are also around the same weight, right?)

The Model S has jack points. They are pictured in the manual.

Yes, any jack can be used if it has sufficient capacity. At about 2500 lbs/corner a standard two ton jack will lift it. If you use the jack regularly to lift up a Model S, then a three ton is far better.

Personally, I'm not particularly worried because the 19" wheels look like every other alloy wheel. Also I expect that most thieves want a wheel that they can easily resell.
 
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I don't think any thieves would want the Model S wheels. I don't think there is a market out there for these wheels. I don't think there are enough people out there that would want to use the Model S wheels on other cars. I say save that money and use it for something else on the car.

The main thing locks to is keep the high school kids from stealing the wheels for fun. Wheel locks don't really deter real theives because they are easily circumvented. If you have a common car, they may persuade the thief to go to the next car that doesn't have locks, but I wouldn't count on it.
 
I would hope that anyone trying to take wheels off our Teslas would kindly use the jackpoints! If anyone steals wheels from a Tesla I'm pretty sure they'll just stick an jack under anywhere and go for it, causing major battery damage and maybe even a fire.

In addition, the MS is so heavy they might just get themselves pinned under the car as it crushes the battery pack, trapping, then roasting the thief from the resultant puncture fire!

Joking aside I did end up getting wheel locks out of habit : $80 or so is a minimal cost in the bigger picture of an MS.
 
I just purchased the Gorilla Guard 61641 wheel locks, since the Tesla ones look like custom keyed McGards that can easily be defeated with a lugout.

14mm x 1.5
Amazon.com: Gorilla Automotive 61641 Acorn Guard Locks (14mm x 1.50 Thread Size) - Set of 4: Automotive

I'll report back here with the results and pictures when they arrive.

Chris, do let us know if they fit. I've considered them before, especially after the price increase on the 21"s. The black 21s just seem like too great a theft target.

The Gorilla Guards, with their rotating collar, look more effective at preventingh a thief from just hammering on a socked wrench as is the case with other locks, including the Tesla ones.

Only minor issue is I'll need to paint them black first, since Gorilla doesn't offer the 14mm x 1.5 Guards in black. Should be easy enough to do and would also provide additional corrosion resistance, a problem reported by some of the Amazon reviewers.
 
Alright, here are my pics and review for the Gorilla Guard 61641 locks on my Model S:

First off, both the key and the nuts appear to be well made.
If you get these, take a picture of the registration card and either email it to yourself or put it in cloud storage (like Google Drive). Putting it in the glovebox is asking for a future headache.
I do like how the outer sleeve gives some resistance so you can easily start them by hand without them slipping too much.
As you can see in the pictures, they don't stick out past the non-locking nuts, and don't give too much bulk in the nut well.
The finish is more chrome than the stock stainless finished nut covers (the stockers are two piece units that have a SS shell that covers the nut) and you can slightly tell the difference when you're staring right at them. At a glance, it doesn't stick out at all.

As you can see, the area that appears to be the contact cone is smaller on the Gorilla Guards. Don't be afraid! The actual contact patch when torqued to spec really is that smaller than the stockers, as you can see from the shiny part of in the first pic.

A+. Would buy again!

Now, for the pictures:

nutscomparo.jpg
tightened1.jpg
tightened2.jpg
 
I actually bought five sets of these Gorilla locks for my other car almost ten years ago. i put one set on each wheel, and then the fifth set gets distributed among all four wheels (five locks per wheel). I was super-paranoid. But after trying to explain my locking system to the technicians at the local tire shop, they refused to spend the time to deal with it so I ended-up only using one set eventually. Too much hassle having to guess which key goes with which wheel. To my knowledge, no one has tried to steal my wheels, so I'm not sure if they work or not as a deterrent.