[Guest]

I'm going to some new rims to replace my bent ones. Are bead locked rims difficult to keep balanced? I've heard that they aren't very practical unless your hardly ever going to see the pavement. Is this true because I'm thinking about getting them unless they aren't easy to balance.

I'm specifically looking at the rock crawler bead locked rims I saw advertized by 4 wheel part wholesalers.

Thank you,

Ben

 

[Guest]

I never had a problem with beadlocks on centerline two piece rims, but this was SODA racing. Beadlocks are not DOT approved. Everyone involved has disclaimers warning against the use of them on public highways.
jjc

 

[Guest]

Why aren't beadlocks DOT approved? Say you're driving on normal (non-beeadlocked) rims and you have a blowout. Pieces of tire fly everywhere and hit other cars, causing a fifty-car pile-up and several small brush fires. Now say you have that same blowout on beadlocked rims; wouldn't there be less tire shrapnel and ecosystem-destroying flames?

Ed

I live, I breath, I Jeep

 

[338]

If the bead bolts were to become to loose then Sudden Tire Deflation(blow out)could occurr. They cant trust people to check them often enough, considering how poorly many folks maintane thier cars. As far as ballancing, yeah they are a pain in the butt and most tire shops will charge anywhere from $10 to $20 extra per tire to mount and ballance. The problem is that if you just start cranking down the bolts in a cross pattern the tire can be on crooked. The tire shop has to start the bolts but not tighten to much,then spin them to allow the tire to adjust, then tighten then spin then...... I had a shop ballance them using a ballancer that applies load pressure as they ballance, and they seem OK on the road. They are awsome off road if you like to air way down. The question is whether you like to do the kind of wheelin that requires 2lb or 3lb of pressur. If you are only airing down to 6lbs or more then steel wheels will hold you pretty well. I've never had much luck with aluminum wheels and used to walk off my aluminum American Racing Wheels all the time at 10lbs. I wouldnt buy the Bead locks for looks, but if you wheel to need them they're outstanding.
Jeff
89 Wrangler

 

[Guest]

I bought the pro-com MT beadlock package last month. Didn't know they were illegal on the street until at least a dozen people stopped to check them out as I drove around town and all of them just felt they had to tell me. I've put about 1000 miles on them so far and no problems. Off road with the pro-comp MTs (INCREDIBLE) highly recommend them. Anyone running them ever get in any trouble with the law over them? If so, what happened? Any good maintenance recommendations are greatly appreciated.
Mike

 

[338]

The bead lock bolts should be checked at least once a week. They do loosen, especialy after using them off road with very low PSI. No trouble with the long arm of the law up to this point, but Im in Reno Nv its pretty much a live and let live attitude out here. The beads are also more suseptable to rock dammage and a little more caution should be taken while wheelin in the rocks, not to slide the tires off of, or around rocks to facilitate turns. Ive dammaged one baddly already and another marginaly, the replacement beads for the Pro Comps(King Racing Wheels) are $47. I had to call them because no one was carrying the rings seperately yet, 4 Wheel Parts in Fresno says that they will be stocking them since my recent Ph calls in about a week. Im not sure if Ill run them in the future for anything but extreme Wrecking Ball types of trails. The Canyon Crawler Steel 15 x 10 wheels I have been using are only $40 to replace the entire wheel,they are the excact same style as the King Racing bead locks, they are easier and cheaper to have installed and ballanced and I have never walked off one of them(in good shape)down to 6 PSI with 35x12.50 Swampers. There are just so few trails that I need to get down to 3 or 4 psi that I think Ill pull them and save them for just those conditions.
Jeff
89 Wrangler

Jeff
89 Wrangler
If at first you dont succeed, your replacement will try and try again.

 

[Guest]

Hey Guys -

I've had 15x8.5 aluminum Champion Beadlocks on my Jeep, as a daily driver, for 2 years. Never had any problems with loosening, never had any problems with balancing, NEVER had anyone even mention them being illegal, and I went through the inspection lanes with them on. I live in Delaware, so maybe people just aren't in tune with them here to know they're illegal...

Anyway, you have to tighten the bolts in a pattern like you're torqueing down a head or something, and it usually takes about 4 times per wheel until they're tight. Mine have 24 5/16 grade 8 SAE bolts, and they thread through about 1/2" of forged aluminum - maybe that helps, I kinow I've seen some beadlocks with less bolts. - Chuck

Chuck Hadley

 

[DRM]

That is what worries me about the "rockcrawler" beadlock wheel packages - they only have like 15 or 16 bolts. I would consider the 18 bolt Marsh wheels to be the minimum. Champion used 24 bolts, and Marsh even offers a 36 bolt version (that is a lot of bolts on a wheel!)

I am waiting on my 18 bolt Marsh wheels to arrive, and will be able to give a better "review" after running them for a while...

<a href="http://www.tennessee4x4.com/toyota">

 

[JEEPN]

Are they much stronger? I use 8" regular steel wheels with the 33x12.5" TSL's and routinely run them at 4 psi, I've even run them flat a few times (by accident). Could it be the 8 ply sidewall that allows me to do this? The rims have taken quite a beating, I have to dismount the tires and beat the rims back into shape. I'm just wondering if the extra cost is worth it.

JEEPN
'81 CJ-8 Scrambled!
GM151/SM465/NP205 twinstick/7"Lift/33"TSL's/IHC D44's 4.10's Lock'd

 

[DRM]

Well, it depends on what tires you run, and what you do with those tires /wwwthreads_images/icons/wink.gif

As for added cost - I got a STEAL on mine for $110 a wheel - and since I needed new wheels, at that price I could not pass them up /wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif

Besides, I run 16" wide boggers on 9.75" wide rims - it was hard enough to seat the tire, much less get them to come off! /wwwthreads_images/icons/smile.gif

<a href="http://www.tennessee4x4.com/toyota">

 

[Guest]

Well, I too agree that the cost is pretty ridiculous - mine run $249 each new, but I bought them off a guy in California used for $200 for the set. Keep your eyes out - I even got them off of this board!

Chuck Hadley