Need wheel lug key in central Brevard County

[98SF19]

SHORT VERSION: I need a wheel lug key (I know there are several designs) as I have new tires waiting to be put on, and need new rear pads (metal on metal - scoring). If anybody's willing to meet up with me sometime this week to see if theirs fits my lugs, call me at 321 288-5723. I can't wait for Ford to order one from NY and don't want to ruin the security lugs I have now (I plan on future wheel upgrades).

LONG VERSION: So I was shopping for tires recently and having gone with tirerack.com the last 3 times, I decided to try to throw some business to a local shop. After 3 attempts at letting them at least come CLOSE to tirerack (via lifetime balance, alignments, rotations, valve stems, nitrogen, etc.) they never bargained with me for the same tire, just found a different tire, which caused me to start the process all over again. The manager also knew nothing about the Gen 3 SHO and said that it was not appropriate to put UHP tires on something that doesn't have the performance of other stronger sports cars. I took this as an insult. So after 3 go 'rounds, I went with tirerack . . .

I go for an oil change at the same shop 2 weeks later, still wanting to give them any business I could, and tell them about my decision on the tires. Well, the new manager proceeds to punch some numbers in for over 5 minutes before telling me how much he could have saved me. I was insulted a second time by this.

He then bashes the shop that I chose to ship the tires to, saying to watch out for any malfeasance on their part and that they're a hole in the wall, etc. etc.

The next day at the tire install shop, I find the people polite, and when the lug key turns up missing (Scary Movie 5 reference), the OWNER comes out to help me go through the car to look for it . . . yeah, the owner! This isn't the impression I was given of this shop. To me, this indicates a subconscious admission of guilt by the manager of the original local shop, and an attempt to avert attention away from himself.

So anyway, the key had been in the center console since day one (which was back in 2000 for me), and all of a sudden, the day after the oil change, it's missing. My strong suspicion is that, out of a sense of passive-aggressive spite, the key was lifted by the shop that I had originally intended on helping with a tire sale because I went with tirerack.com

Hope that wasn't "too" long!

 

[SHOtime2511]

hmm ******.
I wish I could help you but I don't have ford wheel locks.

 

[K-Dawg]

I don't think I have any factory lug nut keys anymore. I'd just get them off however you can. Search the forum for ways to do this. Nobody wants the wheels on your 10+ year old Taurus.

 

[kumba]

I don't think I have any factory lug nut keys anymore. I'd just get them off however you can. Search the forum for ways to do this. Nobody wants the wheels on your 10+ year old Taurus.

Find a 12-point socket that feels like it might fix over the old wheel locks with some sledge love. Then go find the cheapest crappiest tool place you can. We call then Harbor Freight around here. Buy 4 of that size socket and a decent sized sledge.

Now for the technical part:

Go home, and beat that socket onto the wheel lock like it owes you money! Grab breaker bar (and cheater-pipe) and remove

At least, that "procedure" worked on an '85 T-Bird that had the factory wheel locks. They do make an actual wheel lock remover tool that is just a sleeve that you beat over the old lock to remove. Call a tire shop, they might have one and pop 'em off for a few bucks too. That's assuming the car runs and all that. Mine didn't, so I used the throw-away socket approach I think it cost me $10 in parts.

 

[SHOtime2511]

Find a 12-point socket that feels like it might fix over the old wheel locks with some sledge love. Then go find the cheapest crappiest tool place you can. We call then Harbor Freight around here. Buy 4 of that size socket and a decent sized sledge.

Now for the technical part:

Go home, and beat that socket onto the wheel lock like it owes you money! Grab breaker bar (and cheater-pipe) and remove

At least, that "procedure" worked on an '85 T-Bird that had the factory wheel locks. They do make an actual wheel lock remover tool that is just a sleeve that you beat over the old lock to remove. Call a tire shop, they might have one and pop 'em off for a few bucks too. That's assuming the car runs and all that. Mine didn't, so I used the throw-away socket approach I think it cost me $10 in parts.

this^

Nobody wants the wheels on your 10+ year old Taurus.

Scrap yard will give $10-12 per aluminum wheel

 

[32MTX]

wish you were closer to me, I woulda helped you out with a lot less hassle!


maybe next time if you ever want to make the drive

I can do tires at my shop, we don't have a badass road force balancer or anything but it does a good job I think, I will install you own tires if you want no problemo.... I can get tires for you, I can't get every brand at my local distributor but things like sumitomo, general, continental, yokohama, michelin, cooper, uniyoral, BF Goodrich.... of course if I whent through my shop you'd be paying my retail price on tires, which is about 20 cents on the dollar, but includes mounting. I usually beat tire rack prices when its all said and done. I also have a nice alignment machine at our shop that I'm the only one who uses it. Other small stuff I could do on the side for you if you ever need work, like brakes, hoses, radiators, alternators, belts, shit like that

 

[SHOtime2511]

wish you were closer to me, I woulda helped you out with a lot less hassle!


maybe next time if you ever want to make the drive

I can do tires at my shop, we don't have a badass road force balancer or anything but it does a good job I think, I will install you own tires if you want no problemo.... I can get tires for you, I can't get every brand at my local distributor but things like sumitomo, general, continental, yokohama, michelin, cooper, uniyoral, BF Goodrich.... of course if I whent through my shop you'd be paying my retail price on tires, which is about 20 cents on the dollar, but includes mounting. I usually beat tire rack prices when its all said and done. I also have a nice alignment machine at our shop that I'm the only one who uses it. Other small stuff I could do on the side for you if you ever need work, like brakes, hoses, radiators, alternators, belts, shit like that

Man I wish you were closer,I'm dreading handing my keys to some retard for an alignment.

 

[SuperchargedSHOguy]

Todd, can you get Riken tires?

 

[32MTX]

negative, I can make a call tho to another source

only place I've seen them is summit......

 

[Eric VerValin]

Man I wish you were closer,I'm dreading handing my keys to some retard for an alignment.

I double check shops.. go to one for the work.. .then go to another for a free check.... I found a few places that thought close enough was good enough. Shoulda watched that first guy.




How about this.... have you tried over torquing the other nuts? Might get lucky and that one in between them might come off. I drilled 4 out of a BMW when I bought it.... same story.. no one had 10 year old lug keys for me if I didn't have a code.

If you have to drill start small, drill until you get to the top of the stud.. then slowly increase bit size... they usually get to the size right before and then either pop off cause they are hot and expand and release off the threads.

 

[32MTX]

brian if u ever want an alignment i can meet u halfway or something and trade u sho's until I get urs done

goes for other people on here I know too

 

[SuperchargedSHOguy]

brian if u ever want an alignment i can meet u halfway or something and trade u sho's until I get urs done

goes for other people on here I know too

I may take you up on that with mine eventually. Had my YJ done a few weeks ago and need to take it back (6000 miles to correct it) because it just is not right.
Andy in Daytona got Riken from somewhere. I had them on the rear of my Typhoon and loved them. Going to put a set on the SHO.


O.P.: I've always just banged on a larger socket. Sometimes you can then bang out the key with it in a vice and reuse the socket and sometimes you have to buy a new one. I've tried all sorts of things in the past from drilling to vise grips to even welding on a nut to it with no luck.

 

[32MTX]

just in case I can get rikens what model and size do u want

 

[SuperchargedSHOguy]

just in case I can get rikens what model and size do u want

Let me see whats on my SHO. I'll let you know later tonight.

 

[notbange]

You can buy large easy outs that are designed to remove rounded off lugnuts or wheel locks that have no key. They sell them on the tool trucks (got mine from Matco), something like this I work at Firestone, we use them probably once a day for the customers that have no clue where their wheel lock key is. That's not the same set I have, the one I have just has 5 fluted nut removers and nothing for GM hubcaps.

 

[32MTX]

I can't get rikens at my 2 distributors, try summit, they make a 225-50-16 that will go good for a slicer....

 

[SuperchargedSHOguy]

Yeah, thats where I planned to buy from. Figured if you could get them I would give you the business.

 

[98SF19]

Solved

What I didn't expect to happen . . . happened. Went back to the shop that had it, but the tech that always happens to be the one that does the work on my car wasn't there. So I told another guy about it, saying the other guy musta just *forgot* to put the wheel key back in my car when I opted out of the rear brake job. Next day I go back. He's there, wheel key's there, and I make my last exit from the place.

Glad that I didn't have to go through what some of you have mentioned. But I appreciate the suggestions - I may very well have had to go with them had I not gotten the key back.

Kumho Ecsta LX Platinums (600 A A) are on, and I noticed that they've gone up $13 PER TIRE on tirerack.com since I bought mine (went with 225/60/16 which a month ago was about $10 less PER TIRE than the OEM 55 section width equivalents!). This came with a $50 mail-in rebate. Tires are very quiet, and seem to hold fairly well, although not as well as the General Exclaim UHPs I just took off.

 

[SuperchargedSHOguy]

The ecsta's are good tires.

 

[SHOtime2511]

So what shop was it?