The Club (automotive)
Encyclopedia
The Club is the trademark version of a popular automotive steering wheel
lock, produced by Sharon, Pennsylvania
-based Winner International. The company was formed in 1986 for the purpose of marketing the device. The inventor, James E. Winner Jr.
, derived the idea for the device from his service in the Korean War
, where he and his fellow soldiers were instructed to secure the steering wheels of their vehicles with metal chains.
/molybdenum
alloy. A television
broadcast test showed that this form of attack now took several minutes of hammering. The most grievous flaw in the design is inherent in the modern construction of steering wheels; thieves can defeat this type of lock by cutting away part of the steering wheel's rim, allowing the device to be removed. This does, however, require access to a hacksaw
or other cutting tool, and ruins the steering wheel. However after the Club has been removed, it can be used to assist the thief in breaking the steering lock built in to the steering column
; some thieves target cars "protected" with the Club over other cars for this reason.
Recently, a device called "The Buster" has been designed for locksmiths. It is a big screw with a hook on one end and a large handle on the other and two legs designed to rest on the lock. It breaks steering wheel locks such as the Club by hooking onto the lock and tightening the screw with the handle. The large handle provides mechanical advantage
, concentrating the force applied by the hook and eventually forcing the lock to fold in half or snap in two.
Steering wheel
A steering wheel is a type of steering control in vehicles and vessels ....
lock, produced by Sharon, Pennsylvania
Sharon, Pennsylvania
Sharon is a city in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, in the United States, northwest of Pittsburgh. It is part of the Youngstown–Warren–Boardman, OH-PA Metropolitan Statistical Area.- History :...
-based Winner International. The company was formed in 1986 for the purpose of marketing the device. The inventor, James E. Winner Jr.
James E. Winner Jr.
James Earl "Jim" Winner, Jr. was an American entrepreneur and chairman of Winner International who created The Club, an anti-theft device that is attached and locked on to a car's steering wheel, making it more difficult for car thieves to steal the car...
, derived the idea for the device from his service in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, where he and his fellow soldiers were instructed to secure the steering wheels of their vehicles with metal chains.
Design
The device consists of two pieces which, when locked together, form one long, fixed bar with two protruding hooks opening towards the ends of the bar. Each piece has one hook, intended to fit around the rim of the steering wheel. The smaller of the two pieces fits inside the larger piece and slides in and out for sizing. When the lock is set, the larger piece's long handle protrudes out, so that the wheel is practically impossible to turn due to collision with other parts of the car or with the driver's legs, and the device cannot be removed because it is too large to slip around the wheel. To remove the device, the user unlocks the central bar, and slides the pieces together so that the hooks no longer surround the rim of the wheel; this allows it to slip out, freeing the wheel.Weaknesses
The Club as originally designed was prone to having its lock shattered by freezing with freon; later models addressed this issue by changing to a chromiumChromium
Chromium is a chemical element which has the symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in Group 6. It is a steely-gray, lustrous, hard metal that takes a high polish and has a high melting point. It is also odorless, tasteless, and malleable...
/molybdenum
Molybdenum
Molybdenum , is a Group 6 chemical element with the symbol Mo and atomic number 42. The name is from Neo-Latin Molybdaenum, from Ancient Greek , meaning lead, itself proposed as a loanword from Anatolian Luvian and Lydian languages, since its ores were confused with lead ores...
alloy. A television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
broadcast test showed that this form of attack now took several minutes of hammering. The most grievous flaw in the design is inherent in the modern construction of steering wheels; thieves can defeat this type of lock by cutting away part of the steering wheel's rim, allowing the device to be removed. This does, however, require access to a hacksaw
Hacksaw
A hacksaw is a fine-tooth saw with a blade under tension in a frame, used for cutting materials such as metal or plastics. Hand-held hacksaws consist of a metal arch with a handle, usually a pistol grip, with pins for attaching a narrow disposable blade. A screw or other mechanism is used to put...
or other cutting tool, and ruins the steering wheel. However after the Club has been removed, it can be used to assist the thief in breaking the steering lock built in to the steering column
Steering column
The automotive steering column is a device intended primarily for connecting the steering wheel to the steering mechanism or transferring the driver's input torque from the steering wheel.-Secondary functions:...
; some thieves target cars "protected" with the Club over other cars for this reason.
Recently, a device called "The Buster" has been designed for locksmiths. It is a big screw with a hook on one end and a large handle on the other and two legs designed to rest on the lock. It breaks steering wheel locks such as the Club by hooking onto the lock and tightening the screw with the handle. The large handle provides mechanical advantage
Mechanical advantage
Mechanical advantage is a measure of the force amplification achieved by using a tool, mechanical device or machine system. Ideally, the device preserves the input power and simply trades off forces against movement to obtain a desired amplification in the output force...
, concentrating the force applied by the hook and eventually forcing the lock to fold in half or snap in two.