Quick Release Steering Wheel?

I'm thinking about how to make my truck as theft-proof as possible. The number of car thefts across America are going through the roof. Landed on the quick-detach steering wheel option, easy pop-off and pop-back-on. Short of towing the whole truck, I think having no steering wheel makes it pretty damn theft-proof. It doesn't stop any smash-and-grabs but at least my truck will still be in the parking lot after work.

Has anyone done this on a 1st gen Tundra? Anyone used NRG brand?

Doing a quick Google search doesn't yield me very many results. Apologies if this has already been addressed in another thread.

 

I'd need a way to trick the computer in my state, pretty sure any light, including an airbag malfunction light, would have me unable to pass inspection. I'm sure there's probably a way to bypass the airbag sensor though, using a resistor or some similar method, but maybe your state's not like mine.

What I would say before you spend the money is this, thinking about history: If thieves want it, they'll grab it as we've seen with wheel thefts. People started adding wheel locks, so thieves started carrying assortments of common ones out there. If they don't have one on-hand that works, they'll use clay or silly putty to make a cast, then come back to you later. Likewise, you'll be doing all this work to swap to a pop-off wheel, I have no doubt any self-respecting car thief has a rig for just that situation...

Kinda like that "The Club" steering wheel product. Worked great for a couple of years. Then thieves realized you just need a pair of bolt cutters to cut thru the thin steel ring inside the steering wheel to split the wheel and remove it.

Anyway - genuinely curious, how do you plan to deal with relocating the cruise lever, wiper stalk, light stalk, etc?

 

I feel like at the very least getting rid of the airbag to prevent the very slight risk of theft doesn't seem like a great tradeoff. To each their own.

 

Yeah the airbag is a consideration...

Someone did it on a 2nd Gen. https://www.tundras.com/threads/aftermarket-steering-wheel-install.81212
Doesnt look like he needed to modify the controls stalks.
The kit seems to have come with an airbag light bypass.

Still considering the airbag problem.

 

Fair point, nothing is theft-proof. But I see it as more of a deterrent than a "club" steering wheel lock that can be defeated with a simple set of bolt cutters or something to saw through the wheel itself.
I saw some people say thieves can drive without a steering wheel using vice grips. I'll need a wheel hub lock for that problem.

 

Hidden kill switch to the fuel pump. And dont ‘hide’ it under the dash. Get creative and hide the switch somewhere new. The kill switch to my jeep is under the drivers seat.

 

In one of the cubbies under the rear seat.

 

you wanna be able to flick it without anyone noticing. In the ashtray?

 

Too obvious. Put a PLC in it so the floor switch won't work unless you press it a certain pattern? I don't know.

 

I was looking for the clip where rick aligns the flies to access his ‘lair’

but this works.
https://youtu.be/ZcN09gQ1PoI

 

Thanks

 

Hide it in plain sight: In a bank of switches.

 

Console dash light. Whoever changes it from the max setting? Repurpose it for the kill switch.

 

Actually this comment gave me an idea. In the audio/musical world, some amps, guitars, and other things come with push-pull potentiometer style knobs. If knob is in standard pushed position, it adjusts the level of one thing up and down. When in pulled position, it adjusts another thing up and down. I wonder if you could find something like that for the dash light, where, when pulled out, it adjust the dash light, and if you push it in and crank it all the way down, it kills ignition. Or maybe a knob that's push-pull where, when pushed in, one circuit is "OFF" and when pulled out, it adjusts the other.

 

My top 2 concerns with the kill switch option:
1) I don't know how to wire things. Electrical stuff is scary to me beyond light bulb swaps and plug-and-play headlight harnesses. How difficult is setting up a kill switch?
2) My experience with killswitches on 2-stroke motorbikes has made me perceive them as unreliable, aka cause lots of little electrical problems here and there, or sometimes even kicking in at the worst times. How safe would a killswitch be on a Tundra provided I don't hit it by accident?

 

Yeah, they make them. I don’t see anything unusual about that knob size to implement it.

 

My old car had a toggle switch in the glove box under all my crap.

 

Every vehicle ive ever owned has had a fuel pump relay kill switch. The only trouble is ever given me is when i park in a bad area, the next morning or whatever the first time i try to start it and had forgot i flipped it, its kinda embarrassing, and i look at myself in the mirror and call myself a dumbass.

havent done the tundra yet. Would be a decent little project.

 

Definitely would. But my bigger concern, frankly, is someone sawing off my cats. Bastard move that puts me out $3k. I'd almost rather they stole the truck, stripped and scrapped it. There's still enough good options on the market, I could probably get my money's worth out of it and have enough to upgrade handsomely.

 

A simple mechanical toggle switch (you can buy locking ones) would be pretty reliable as long as it's kept out of the environment unlike a motorbike I would assume.

 

That's pretty brilliant really. Disguise it as a fog light switch or seat warmer or something.

 

You've got enough people on here that know electrical that we could walk you through it. Some could even draw you pics. We like pics. Like, a lot.

 

OK I just realized switching the steering wheel would make me lose cruise control. That + losing the airbag makes it no longer an option for me at this time. Looks like I'm going the killswitch route for sure.