Whats the infactuation w/ Beadlocks......seriously (1 Viewer)

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burnttoastburgos

burnttoastburgos

Joined
Aug 14, 2005
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Location
Ouray, Colorado
I've been wheeling the rockies for quite a few years,mostly white knuckle expedition wheelin.........Engineer Pass,Ophir Pass, Black Bear Pass, Imogene Pass,in and throughout the Wasatch/San Juan Range in So Colorado,and if im lucky popped the tire off the wheel twice.

Is this just a fad for looks with a little bit of protection? Mall huggers in need of attention? I see the DIY weld-on locks,whats the advantage to this set-up? Is it worth the aggravation of worrying if one bolt is overtorqued? If it is, who makes the best DIY?

Anyway,i've got 15" x 12" Bart wheels and 36" x 14.5 x 15 " radials..............With my cruiser seeing expedition wheeling and minimal rollover probability, based on my tire/wheel combo,are they needed? Thanks
 
Hey man...I am from durango, so I do alot of similar wheelin..Im pretty sure that the beadlocks are much more usefull when wheeling on hard rock..ie moab, or choke cherry in farmington NM....I never lower my air pressure as much up in the mountains as I do when im on slick rock. The only place IMOP where its nice to drop the pressure low enough that it could risk poping it off the rim would be on [FONT=arial,Comic Sans MS,times new roman] Poughkeepsie trail on the way into Ouray....

Just my idea on the whole beadlock issue....I dont have them because I spend most my time in the mountains
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I am running 37" Irok radials on 15x10 steelies. I have ran my air down as low as 8psi, and haven't broken a bead......yet. Do I want some beadlocks? YEAH! Someday I may wish I had them. But until I make a habit of breaking a bead, I can't justify the cost of even a DIY kit right now. One day though the coin may flip and i'll get a set.
 
Howdy! Way too many rigs run them just for BLING! I run 12 psi on the trail for my 35 x 13.5 Krawlers, and I have never spun a tire or popped a bead, yet. I have seen it done, but mostly on rigs that were driven on trails that I think they were under-equiped for. I might consider them if I had a Toybox and a torque monster engine, like a fresh 383 SBC pushing over 400 pound feet. John
 
if you must ask if you need them then im sure you dont need them,


oh yeah the look hella sweet 2
 
Great input. Thanks ,i'll run what i got till the need arises. Hey MOUNTAINCRUISER..........Bring me some Serious Texas BBQ. Love the ribs
 
NUMBTEL....im sure drivers error and decision has alot to do with it.
 
Some of the people I have wheeled with have used external beadlocks and a couple have installed internal beadlocks. From what I saw, I would install internal beadlocks as they appeared to be a superior solution. They are more expensive. I was under the impression that external beadlocks were not legal to run on public roads whereas internal beadlocks are.
 
As long as you think that reseating beads is fun. Then you do not need locks..

If you do not think it is fun. Then locks are for you. If you wheel hard, you really need locks. Driver Error can blow beads, so can being in a situation where you have no choice to fold the tire over. With locks you drive out. Without locks, you are suddenly driving on your sidewall and ruining you rims..

The weld on locks are nice, but will widen your rim by approx 2". So your 15x12" rim becomes a 15x14" rim. Way wide IMHO.

Inner locks. I have recentered hummer locks. Heavy as hell. But for $400 total price, you can't beat them. Other options out there are lighter. But you will pay more. The inner locks will lock both the inner and outer bead. Makes things nice and stable..

Outer locks. They typically only retain the outer bead. Your inner bead is not as likely to blow out. And even if it does, they typically do not completely fail. The DIY beadlocks are these style.

Legality..
Find me one single rule that prevents beadlocks from being run on the street.

I will never not run locks on a wheelin rig..
 
x2 the not illegal, maybe not dot approved but not illegal

i thnk their was someone paying mobey if you could find in writing where it was illegal
 
I run Second Airs internal bead locks and would not comp without them or play hard.

As for here, the legalaties lie with the alteration of D.O.T/A.D.R approved rims. Drilling a hole for a bead lock means that the rims are no longer D.O.T/A.D.R approved and therefor not road legal, Bolt on bead locks have pretty much the same problem.

Internal locks are less noticeable;)

PS who is Mobey and where do I collect.
 
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My ignorance is showing again:- when fitting beadlocks do you fit a lock to the inside as well? if not what stops the bead from breaking from the inner wall of the rim?
 
jus cruzin there is a ring that gets welded to the inside of the rim and then one that gets bolted to the outside of the rim...the tire bead is sandwiched between the 2 steel rings. you probably wont get much out of my discription so heres a better one:

http://www.4wdandsportutility.com/tech/0610_4wd_rockstomper_beadlocks/

i think that lots of mall crawlers do the beadlocks for looks but the actually are useful when doing some of the more hardcore rock crawling or actually any wheeling when your tire pressure is below 10 psi...having said that iv had mine down to 9psi without a blown bead...though it was by accident gotta pay more fricken attention when airing down!
 
Rockcrawler.com
"Bead locks can be unsafe and they can be very difficult to balance and are more prone to driveability problems than normal wheels. Please use caution when building and using bead locks. Remember to check your bead locks often, as it is common for bolts to loosen over time. Also keep in mind that bead locks are not DOT-approved in most states."

Show me one manufacturer that states that they are street legal as opposed to the normal disclaimer such as stated by OMF Performance "All OMF products are designed for off-road and racing purposes only. Never intended for sale or use on any street or highway application."
 
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I am sure you blokes would have something similar , but does anyone run a staun internal inflated beadlock system ? they are here in AUS not visible and by all accounts work well ?
 
darren cooper said:
I am sure you blokes would have something similar , but does anyone run a staun internal inflated beadlock system ? they are here in AUS not visible and by all accounts work well ?
Click to expand...

I do but I'm in Oz, though as I stated above they are still not road legal, or should I say the rims are no longer road legal once you drill holes in them for the second airs.
 
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