# Car keys **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Tags:** suzuki, xl7\ **Created:** [January 8, 2010, 7:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-keys/42081 "2010-01-08T19:41:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LIBRENOW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/977dab/32.png) [@LIBRENOW](https://community.cartalk.com/u/LIBRENOW)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 7:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-keys/42081/1 "2010-01-08T19:41:18Z")
HI GUYS, MY DAUGHTER THE LOGICAL ONE IN THE FAMILY SUGGESTED THAT MY KEYRING IS HEAVY AND MAY AFFECT THE IGNITION. I’VE LEARNED OVER THE YEARS TO HEED HER ADVICE, AND WEIGHED MY KEY RING. IT WAS A TAD HEAVIER THAN I THOUGHT. I IMMEDIATELY REMOVED WHAT I THOUGHT WAS NOT ESSENTIAL. WHEN I REWEIGHED THE KEY RING IT WAS 13 OUNCES. IS THIS CONSIDERED TO HEAVY, AND WHAT IMPACT CAN THIS HAVE ON MY IGNITION? ---
**Author:** ![UncleTurbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9a140/32.png) [@UncleTurbo](https://community.cartalk.com/u/UncleTurbo)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 7:52pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-keys/42081/2 "2010-01-08T19:52:45Z")
In general, lighter is better. On my key ring I keep the car key, remote, a house key, and some store discount tags. If you have lots of other keys it is best to keep them on a separate key chain that won’t have to bouce around hanging from your ignition switch. I don’t know about what weight is OK or too much. Think about the cumulative effect over years, and less weight means less wear and tear. Perhaps someone out in cyber land worked for the auto company design department and can tell us the weight the switch was designed to withstand, and for how long, and how many jiggles and vibrations it was subjected to in testing. Everything is designed and tested, so there is an answer, just not one I know. ---
**Author:** ![mcparadise](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mcparadise/32/32_2.png) [@mcparadise](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mcparadise)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 7:54pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-keys/42081/3 "2010-01-08T19:54:34Z")
Turn off the caps lock, please. If the key ring weighs 13 oz AFTER you removed the non-essential keys, how much did it weigh before you removed them? Heavy key rings cause excess wear on the ignition cylinder. Lighter is better. Out of curiosity, I just weighed my key ring. It contains one ignition key and one house key, and weighs 1.01 oz. You must have to deal with a lot of locks. ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 8:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-keys/42081/4 "2010-01-08T20:41:02Z")
Yup, too heavy. Why take the risk. A few suggestions: you could carry a key in your change pocket to use daily, with a spare on the key ring in case you lose the pocket key. You could get a quick-disconnect at eth hardware store to enable you to redaily disconnect and reconnect your car key to the ring, and use it disconnected on your daily drives. ---
**Author:** ![dagosa](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/dagosa/32/9837_2.png) [@dagosa](https://community.cartalk.com/u/dagosa)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 9:03pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-keys/42081/5 "2010-01-08T21:03:24Z")
Just like a person going down stairs can subject his/her knees to as much 7 times their carrying weight at rest; consider that the lock mechanism can be subjected to much more force than the 13 oz. when the car is in motion. I’m sure most cars can take some abuse for a while…but think of the next owner, or not.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Docnick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecae2f/32.png) [@Docnick](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Docnick)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 9:33pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-keys/42081/6 "2010-01-08T21:33:50Z")
Agree; the less weight on your keychain, the better. Other than a tiny penlight, your door opener,and some other keys, that’s all you need. Time to take off the Pamela Anderson statue and other weighty stuff! ---
**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 11:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-keys/42081/7 "2010-01-08T23:27:40Z")
Does that mean my churchkey has to go? NO! Not my Pamela Anderson statue!!! ---
**Author:** ![dagosa](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/dagosa/32/9837_2.png) [@dagosa](https://community.cartalk.com/u/dagosa)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 11:31pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-keys/42081/8 "2010-01-08T23:31:10Z")
And my rabbit’s foot ? ---
**Author:** ![bscar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/bscar/32/34_2.png) [@bscar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/bscar)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2010, 11:38pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-keys/42081/9 "2010-01-08T23:38:24Z")
You mean that those full sized cinder blocks I carry on my key ring has to go?, but what will I throw at the other cars when I get road rage in the middle of rush hour? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![dagosa](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/dagosa/32/9837_2.png) [@dagosa](https://community.cartalk.com/u/dagosa)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2010, 12:24am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-keys/42081/10 "2010-01-09T00:24:55Z")
And to think I went through all the trouble of drilling a hole in the finger rest at the bottom of the clip of a Glock 26 so my wife and I could swap it from one set of keys to another depending upon who was driving out to get the mail in the morning…jeeze !