I bought a 95 Firebird late last year and just now realized there are locking lug nuts on the wheels. I have no key! Does anyone have an idea how I can get the tires off the car? I tried a vice grip-no luck. I tried to chisel the locking lug nut off-but I stopped because I don't want to damage the rim.
Any help would be appreciated!

 

You may have to shave the end of one down, weld a regular nut to the lugs and remove them that way. These things can be a b**ch! We've come across a few vehicles in the shop that we had to do this to.

Deez

 

if you cant find a key their are special impact drive socket's around .any of the tool out fits .here's one on line .http://www.bigdogtoolz.com/lt1250.html here's another http://www.wescotools.com/p-13707-lo...moval-kit.aspx

 

I had this happen to me some years ago...the socket stripped on me when I was taking the last lug off. Ended up taking a chisel and chiseled a slot into the lug. Once I got it deep enough, I attached a couple of pairs of vise grips to the chisel and used it like a 3 way lug wrench. It was a pain in the ***, to say the least.

 

Old dog has the best suggestion with his second link.

 

First, try to think what the original owner did with the key. In the event you can't reach this person, empty the trunk(including the spare wheelwell) empty the glovebox, look under AND between the seats,(Think how pissed you'll be if you take extreme measures and THEN find the key.)re-look everywhere.

If you got it used from a lot, it probably got thrown away during the used car detailing de-trash,(This also explains why the driver door on used cars is loose on it's hinges, they use the open door as a lever to push the car down the wash line.)

Back to basics-if your wheels leave the nut exposed, you can easily do a variety of things.
The vise grips is good, but first, try to grind two sides of the nut smooth to get a better grip. A little Liquid Wrench wouldn't kill ya right about now.
Sometimes you can take a slightly larger 12-point deep-socket, beat it onto the nut, then remove it.
If you can grind a small groove into the side of the nut with a dremel, and a nutbreaker will fit, you can break the nut, and it should thread off easily.

If the rims have deepwells which completely cover the lugnuts on the sides, your options are much more limited. Liquid Wrench and tapping eventually works, but it may take many hours of patient tapping. You can combine this method with tapping a chisel onto the top of the nut slightly CCW.

If you know which manufacturer made the locks, you may be able to get them to help you.

Keep in mind these locks are designed to discourage a thief from quickly stealing the wheels, not to keep a determined owner with tools,time, and resources from removing his rims.

Patience and persistence, dude, best of luck.

 

You could also try a tire dealer or two they can usually take these off with no problems With the rims and locks they sell today this is a common problem.With little to no expense if it's one you deal with regularly.

 

its very good to know how to lock our most valuable things else you will feel sorry for your lifetime, security is at risk specially with the improvement of newer technology, however Portland locksmith have made my home 100% secure by using some kind of alarm system in my vehicle