OK.. we dont drag race to where our tires spin on the wheel. 4 wheelers just pop beads due to funky twist on the rubber while pressure is low. So do we reallly need screws thru the rubber like the bead locks use. Wont a huge lip due just fine.

With that in mind why not just a medal ring that you install when u put ur tires on ur rig. Ur lug bolts hold it in place? Simple and much less expensive Could be one inside and out. Inside would add a tiny big of width but marginal compared to wheel spacers.

Input on this idea? I know.. Longer lug bolts needed.. and wont work on Mags with resessed holes that the lugs go into.

UHH, just a guess here, you've never seen a bead lock, or how one works??? the bolts don't go into the tire on a beadlock, they clamp the bead of the tire between two disks, one welded to the rim, and one freefloating. the tire bead sits on the inner ring, and the outer ring clamps it tight against the inner ring with the bolts.

Originally posted by CrazyHorse
UHH, just a guess here, you've never seen a bead lock, or how one works??? the bolts don't go into the tire on a beadlock, they clamp the bead of the tire between two disks, one welded to the rim, and one freefloating. the tire bead sits on the inner ring, and the outer ring clamps it tight against the inner ring with the bolts.

ok..... I thought I had read they went thru the tire. Anyhoos.. that does not change my idea does it.. is an inner and outer lip needed? how does the tire pop its bead.. does rubber material roll inward releasing more air then pop outward? or does stress on the low tire just pop the rubber outward from the start. If the later is the case then then any way you creat a larger outer lip should work. I would think

Originally posted by coachgeo3


ok..... I thought I had read they went thru the tire. Anyhoos.. that does not change my idea does it.. is an inner and outer lip needed? how does the tire pop its bead.. does rubber material roll inward releasing more air then pop outward? or does stress on the low tire just pop the rubber outward from the start. If the later is the case then then any way you creat a larger outer lip should work. I would think

when you pop a bead it is from it being pushed inward, it doesn't pop off of the outside of the rim, it gets pushed into the middle of the rim. what a bead lock does is rigidly clamp the bead to the outside of the rim.

Originally posted by CrazyHorse


when you pop a bead it is from it being pushed inward, it doesn't pop off of the outside of the rim, it gets pushed into the middle of the rim. what a bead lock does is rigidly clamp the bead to the outside of the rim.

hmm wez idz buck to de dwayin board din. Menz it haud to tawk wid ur futz in ya mowf

Back to Rock locks I guess. He sells a kit (if its still avalalbe) that creaets an inner bead with a fiberglass strip of cloth and epoxy. Harder to install a tire on a wheel but harder to pop a bead too is the theory. It did not make much since to me why it worked till u just enlightened me on the pop a bead process

if youre lookin for cheap, i have heard of people drilling the wheel and screwing into the rubber. Seems hokey to me, and i dont think ill do it, but its an idea.

Nah.. I'lde be scared to ruin my MTR's

Ive actually never popped a bead but the idea is to keep the mods ahead of the potential problems right?

Originally posted by coachgeo3
Nah.. I'lde be scared to ruin my MTR's

Ive actually never popped a bead but the idea is to keep the mods ahead of the potential problems right? if you have never lost a bead its not a big deal, its when you start t lose beads frequently or if you plan to air way down that you really should look at beadlocks. If you have 8" wide wheels and never go below 8-10 pounds you should be fine. Me on the other hand plan on running big bias ply tires on a light truck wich means I will be going down to 4-5 psi so I plan on getting beadlocks if money is there

Originally posted by NE-RokToy
if you have never lost a bead its not a big deal, its when you start t lose beads frequently or if you plan to air way down that you really should look at beadlocks. If you have 8" wide wheels and never go below 8-10 pounds you should be fine. Me on the other hand plan on running big bias ply tires on a light truck wich means I will be going down to 4-5 psi so I plan on getting beadlocks if money is there

I just moved to more of a snow belt so I may end up doing more snow wheeling than before which means wayyyyy low air pressure. I usually go 8 when hardcore wheeling on hard and 6-4 in the snow, but I use to do snow so rare Im thinking I have just been lucky to have not popped a bead. I do have 8" rims which is a large reason I have yet to pop a bead.

when you are aired down to 4 psi and the entire weight of your rig is on 2 wheels as you are leaned over at 40 degrees and there is a big hairy cliff next to you ....800 bucks for some bead locks doesn't sound so bad. shop around i think sam's off road has some pretty good deals on inexpensive locks. also guys like neckster and rock stomper are starting to develop so viable diy kits.

Originally posted by coachgeo3
Back to Rock locks I guess. He sells a kit (if its still avalalbe) that creaets an inner bead with a fiberglass strip of cloth and epoxy. Harder to install a tire on a wheel but harder to pop a bead too is the theory. It did not make much since to me why it worked till u just enlightened me on the pop a bead process

It works... I suppose not as good as a standard bead lock, but $200ish for 4 wheels, I can't complain. And they are on the inside as well as the outside of the wheels. I have them on 2 sets of wheels/tires. My normal set of 42x15 TSLs on 15x10s & on my 39x18 Mickey Thompsons on 15x12s. Both sets have been run at 1psi in the rear, although only in soft terrain (sand & cinders.) I've yet to lose a bead, & both have been wrapped underneath pretty hard. They do become pretty difficult to mount, & I assume dismount too, I havn't had to take mine off yet.

Originally posted by Rokcrawla
if youre lookin for cheap, i have heard of people drilling the wheel and screwing into the rubber. Seems hokey to me, and i dont think ill do it, but its an idea.

It does seem "hokey" - but it works. A few guys in my club run theirs like that. The only down side is if you want to remove your tire - you have to remove all the screws. But that's not really different from removing beadlock screws. My 2 almost bald 39.5's are screwed to the rim - and I'm going to leave them that way. But when I save up for 2 more new tires - I'm going to get the Rockstomper weld on kits.

The only problem with screws in the tires is that if something goes wrong then you're really screwed because it will rip the tire.

Originally posted by camo
when you are aired down to 4 psi and the entire weight of your rig is on 2 wheels as you are leaned over at 40 degrees and there is a big hairy cliff next to you ....800 bucks for some bead locks doesn't sound so bad.
Ah, the voice of experience:D

Originally posted by COMPLAINE

Ah, the voice of experience:D

cliff? In OH?.... I don't think so?
:flipoff2: :p

OK my limited experience with beadlocks has been mainly with HMMWVs, which lock/hold both the inner and outer beads to the rim flange. From what I've seen of the aftermarket beadlocks, they only clamp the outer bead to the rim, right? Why don't they try to clamp the inner bead also? Doesn't the inner bead want to peel off also?:confused:

Just to play devil's advocate (and relay some useful info too, I'd hope)...

I've had problems with spinning rims inside the tires. I'm not the only one I know who's had that happen, too.

Low pressure (8psi), plenty of power (EFI V8), plenty of traction (slickrock and/or big rocks) and plenty of gear (123:1) combine to spin the wheels inside the tires. Sucks when you've got the traction to go on, and the wheels are slipping on the beads.

Problem for me was, once the wheels started to spin, it didn't take much to squeeze the bead off, since it was already "breaking" loose from the wheel... then with the wheel spinning inside a broken-loose bead, the rim edge cuts through the sidewall, and voila, no amound of onboard air will fix the four-inch gash in my Swamper. :(

Suddenly it's fairly clear why I made beadlocks. :)

If you look at the cross section of a wheel, the inner surface of the wheel is flat for a longer distance as you go towards the center of the wheel. The outer bead area of the wheel drops down towards the axle centerline after only an inch or so. What this means is that the inner side of the tire may move inward but it will slide right back out and reseat, whereas the outer bead as it moves inward will fall into the "well" and not reseat.

Hey how do I get ahold of the guy that sells these rock locks? Will they work for 16.5s?

I know how beadlocks work and everything, but what are those "street locks" that I've seen in catalogs? What do those do? From what I've seen, they only have a rounded lip which "decreases the possibility" of breaking a bead. Aren't they just for that "bead-lock" look?
:jeep:

street locks are fake beadlocks. = :rainbow:

Originally posted by PTO DAVE
Hey how do I get ahold of the guy that sells these rock locks? Will they work for 16.5s?

No, the rocklocks just build up the existing bead in the wheel... since a 16.5 has none, they won't work with a 16.5
but 15, 16, & 17 are doable...

Ah, I see. The HMMWVs wheels/locks look to be a better design. It's a shame they have such a radical offset. You would think some wheel manufacturer would try to copy it. Think of it, removing a tire from a rim out on a trail with nothing more than a couple of ratchets!:smokin:

Actually, you can remove a tire on the trail with only a socket if you have any bolt-on beadlocks. Just take out the bolts that hold the ring on, pull off the ring, and the tire pops right off! You can get MRT, Stockton Wheel, Champion, or one of the many others available.

Just don't go out and get the :rainbow: streetlock fake beadlocks that have the "look of real beadlocks" I saw a guy that had those on an otherwise well-built rig and his excuse was that he wanted it to be street legal. My response: "Then get normal wheels, not these lame-a$$ poser wheels!" In my opinion, that dude just proved himself a :rainbow: :barf: .
There's nothing wrong with running without beadlocks if the conditions you are in don't regularly pull the bead off the wheel. If you don't need them, they're an added complication and one extra thing to worry about, if you actually need them (I can easily blow a bead every trip if I'm not careful) they're awesome and well worth the minimal extra hassle.

Of course, everything I say could very well be wrong!

-John

I haven't seen those fake street locks up close. Is there any way they could be converted to be functional?

Originally posted by Grandpa Jeep
I haven't seen those fake street locks up close. Is there any way they could be converted to be functional? NO!


coachgeo3'
It doesn't sound like you should worry about beadlocks with the type of wheeling you do.

Originally posted by Grandpa Jeep
I haven't seen those fake street locks up close. Is there any way they could be converted to be functional?

This should answer that question :D
http://www.kingspeedproducts.com/images/streetlock.gif

Nothing more than a cosmetic ring on the wheel :rainbow:

Coach, if you've never popped a bead, I would think there are better things to spend that money on. Like said above, if it was a common occurence with you, I'd look into it but....

Check the summit catalogs, they sell Bart Beadlock kits i believe for $50 a pair (need 2 pairs)... They are a weld on kit, but they seem cheap enough... i am running full Bart Beadlock circle track wheels, 1/4" steel wheels and have never bent or mangled a ring, while my friends have managed to do so with the Eatons... Much heavier rings on the barts... Its worth a look, i may get a kit so i can build a spare beadlocked whee, cuz man its great being able to change a tire in the woods with just a high lift and a ratchet... I have noticed that my inner bead on my wheels grabs hold of the tire more than the eatons too, as i have to use a high lift and my bumper to break the inner bead everytime... Could be a good thing... Hugh

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Rover Addiction
[B]Actually, you can remove a tire on the trail with only a socket if you have any bolt-on beadlocks. Just take out the bolts that hold the ring on, pull off the ring, and the tire pops right off! You can get MRT, Stockton Wheel, Champion, or one of the many others available.

Just don't go out and get the :rainbow: streetlock fake beadlocks that have the "look of real beadlocks" I saw a guy that had those on an otherwise well-built rig and his excuse was that he wanted it to be street legal. My response: "Then get normal wheels, not these lame-a$$ poser wheels!" In my opinion, that dude just proved himself a :rainbow: :barf: .
There's nothing wrong with running without beadlocks if the conditions you are in don't regularly pull the bead off the wheel. If you don't need them, they're an added complication and one extra thing to worry about, if you actually need them (I can easily blow a bead every trip if I'm not careful) they're awesome and well worth the minimal extra hassle.

Of course, everything I say could very well be wrong!

I've heard the same lame excuse! Also, if this guy is in an area in which they enforce ("enforce" is the key word here) that law, then he'll sTILL get pulled over and have to show (or convince) the officer that they are a non-beadlock rim. No biggie, right? But he's now given this cop a perfect opportunity to look over the rest of his rig and modifications.

Originally posted by dawhipp
OK my limited experience with beadlocks has been mainly with HMMWVs, which lock/hold both the inner and outer beads to the rim flange. From what I've seen of the aftermarket beadlocks, they only clamp the outer bead to the rim, right? Why don't they try to clamp the inner bead also? Doesn't the inner bead want to peel off also?:confused:

yeah, inner beads pop too, just not as often...

Wow, sorry 'bout the last post all. Not sure what happened there, but the last paragraph was mine for all that matters!

website for the Barts?

I never was able to find any infor on the barts online, you can check with local race shops and such, pretty popular wheels on the track... Maybe the summit catalog online? heres a link to the weld-on kit (sold in pairs, so like $100 for a set of wheels i guess)

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?d=17&s=15&part=11313&page=1

my connection on the RockLocks was thru Ed of Mr Ed's Excellent Adventures (http://www.mreds.com/index.html) . Go here and email him asking if the guy is still making the product. Both are out of AZ.

Make sure you tell him Coach George says HI.

Originally posted by camo
also guys like neckster and rock stomper are starting to develop so viable diy kits.


Thanx for the props camo, but it's Bigfeck (aggressive offroad), not me.......... and his are a complete beadlock, not a diy. :flipoff2:

Im anxiously waiting for my new Aggressive Off Road beadlocks, Gabe shipped em yesterday.
You SNORT guys are turning out some pretty nice fabrication these days.
I have always had good luck with MRT's also, but I like Big Fecks design, with more bolts, and the big ring should add some protection to the wheel and valve stem.
One point about the inner beads , breaking loose occasionaly. when the inner bead does fail, its usualy very easy to reset the bead on the rig, since you arent fighting with the front bead, its usually just a matter of positioning the rig with most weight off the tire, cleaning the rim, and leaning on the tire while you give it a strong blast of air pressure with the core removed.
The bolts arent that much trouble, hell Id run them on the inside too if someone made em with an inner beadlock.

Originally posted by punkskalar
Check the summit catalogs, they sell Bart Beadlock kits i believe for $50 a pair (need 2 pairs)... They are a weld on kit, but they seem cheap enough... i am running full Bart Beadlock circle track wheels, 1/4" steel wheels and have never bent or mangled a ring, while my friends have managed to do so with the Eatons... Much heavier rings on the barts... Its worth a look, i may get a kit so i can build a spare beadlocked whee, cuz man its great being able to change a tire in the woods with just a high lift and a ratchet... I have noticed that my inner bead on my wheels grabs hold of the tire more than the eatons too, as i have to use a high lift and my bumper to break the inner bead everytime... Could be a good thing... Hugh

i ran the bartlocks from summit or a while. they are a do-it-yourself style. just weld the inner ring on and you are set. the thing is they are realatively thin compared to some others. i say this but i never had a problem with them either. they went away when i went to 8lugs so next time i get a set (already in the works) they will be of thicker metal. also $50 a pair means a pair of inner and outer rings. that means $50 per wheel. they got me when i ordered mine. i ordered 2 pair and got two sets.

Originally posted by H8monday
The bolts arent that much trouble, hell Id run them on the inside too if someone made em with an inner beadlock.

H8monday, I'll make 'em if you want 'em... but the problem is, you won't be able to install 'em, unless you put your brakes someplace else. Inner bolt-style lock rings won't clear anything bigger than Honda Civic-size brakes. :(