When you have expensive, high-performance tires on your vehicle, the last thing you ever want to have happen is to approach your parked car and see that its tires and wheels have been stolen. Your auto insurance company can help you through the process of making a claim, but you'd likely prefer that you were never targeted in the first place. Although you can't completely eliminate the risk of having your tires and wheels stolen, there are some steps that you can take to be less likely to be a victim. Here's what you can do.

Install Wheel Locks

Installing wheel locks is a simple job that you can do yourself or have done at a local tire shop. Wheel locks are similar to conventional lug nuts but cannot be removed without a dedicated key—which you get when you buy the set of wheel locks. Technically, a professional tire and wheel thief can use a specialized black market tool to bypass the need for a key, but the average person looking to steal a set of tires and turn them into cash won't likely target your vehicle once he or she sees that you're using wheel locks.

Adjust Your Parking Habits

Changing how you park can further decrease the odds of having your tires and wheels stolen off your vehicle. At home, try to always park in the garage; this is one of the best things you can do for the security of your vehicle overall. When you're out in public, being smart about how you park can also be advantageous. For example, if you wish to park in the street, snug the tires on one side of the vehicle up close to a high curb; this will make it difficult for someone to remove the tires and wheels.

Upgrade Your Security System

A basic anti-theft system might deter people from breaking into your vehicle, but it won't necessarily prohibit them from removing your tires and wheels. The good news, however, is that some security systems are equipped with a tilt sensor. This means that if your car is lifted onto a jack so that its tires and wheels can be removed, the sensor will get triggered and the alarm will sound, allowing you or someone else to quickly call the authorities or simply scare the person away before he or she can remove your tires and wheels.

Contact an auto insurance company like Ahlquist Insurance for more info.