Method Bead Grip wheels how low have you gone?

[Deleted User 38384]

Have you watched Outdoor Auto's video on the topic? I'm not sure it's as simple as welding on two new beads per wheel. Note that you'd have to do it in a manner that makes it possible to remove the tires too!

You would literally just mimic what method has done to their wheels on the new wheels. Obviously it's not just as simple as applying a bead of weld to the rim on each wheel. That's why I mentioned the machinist shop. You'd have to grind it down to match the height and type of edge that method has done to their wheels. Regardless it would still be significantly cheaper than paying $350 for method beadgrip wheels, And if you ever damage them, because you would be running steel wheels, you could easily fix them in the moment on the trail. You wouldn't have to wait to get home and keep them up to try and repair them.

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[3TV]

Your machine shops must have labor prices that are a lot cheaper than around here.

I won't let local tire stores do any work on my bead lock wheels. I have bead lock wheels on my rock crawler Can Am UTV that runs <8 PSI and bead grip wheels on my Jeep that runs 11 psi. I have taken bead lock wheels to a tire store before with UTV wheels. And they had some kid with an air wrench tighten the bolts. All four wheels were damaged, they ruined two wheels, and the other two could be repaired. They flat out refused to replace the wheels they ruined, and I don't have enough time in my life to deal with lawyers. I haven't been back to that tire store for anything in the 6 years since, and I haven't been to any tire store for a tire mounted on a bead lock, except to break the bead on the back of the wheel. Then I dismount and remount the tires myself. Bead lock wheels are not worth the hassle if not used on either a dedicated rock crawler, or a desert racer.

 

[Ratbert]

You would literally just mimic what method has done to their wheels on the new wheels. Obviously it's not just as simple as applying a bead of weld to the rim on each wheel. That's why I mentioned the machinist shop. You'd have to grind it down to match the height and type of edge that method has done to their wheels. Regardless it would still be significantly cheaper than paying $350 for method beadgrip wheels, And if you ever damage them, because you would be running steel wheels, you could easily fix them in the moment on the trail. You wouldn't have to wait to get home and keep them up to try and repair them.

I'm thinking it's nowhere near as simple as you seem to be suggesting, nor is a machinist's time cheap. Have you watched that video and seen the unexpected details of what Method has done?

Note that many of us prefer to pay the experts to deal with those details instead of hacking at something that might have a chance to kind of come close to maybe doing what something off the shelf does...with a warranty.

 

[yokramer]

You would literally just mimic what method has done to their wheels on the new wheels. Obviously it's not just as simple as applying a bead of weld to the rim on each wheel. That's why I mentioned the machinist shop. You'd have to grind it down to match the height and type of edge that method has done to their wheels. Regardless it would still be significantly cheaper than paying $350 for method beadgrip wheels, And if you ever damage them, because you would be running steel wheels, you could easily fix them in the moment on the trail. You wouldn't have to wait to get home and keep them up to try and repair them.

no way in hell are you buying a steel wheel, and having them modified by a professional shop for <350 a wheel, and thats IF they are even willing to do it. Add to the fact you can get a set of 5 bead grips for $1276 with the onx deal puts them at $255ish a wheel and your out of touch theory is even more wrong.

 

[Deleted User 38384]

I'm thinking it's nowhere near as simple as you seem to be suggesting, nor is a machinist's time cheap. Have you watched that video and seen the unexpected details of what Method has done?

Note that many of us prefer to pay the experts to deal with those details instead of hacking at something that might have a chance to kind of come close to maybe doing what something off the shelf does...with a warranty.

I haven't watched it yet.

I didn't realize that video you kept linking me to was important to the design of the wheels themselves. I thought it was just a review video. But I'll definitely watch it when I get home hopefully tonight, and see what makes the ridges so special.

 

[azwjowner]

I'm thinking it's nowhere near as simple as you seem to be suggesting, nor is a machinist's time cheap. Have you watched that video and seen the unexpected details of what Method has done?

Note that many of us prefer to pay the experts to deal with those details instead of hacking at something that might have a chance to kind of come close to maybe doing what something off the shelf does...with a warranty.

There are plenty of folks that have been doing this. Just search the Pirate4x4 forums going back 25 years.

 

[Deleted User 38384]

no way in hell are you buying a steel wheel, and having them modified by a professional shop for <350 a wheel, and thats IF they are even willing to do it. Add to the fact you can get a set of 5 bead grips for $1276 with the onx deal puts them at $255ish a wheel and your out of touch theory is even more wrong.

Honestly I didn't want to tell you guys this, but I wouldn't pay a machinist to use a fancy machine to cut into a weld on some rims that I could do for myself for free with a Dremel tool.

It might take a few attempts, but at the end of the day it's just ridges that stop the tire from unseating inwards. It's definitely an original idea, but it's not like it's crazy scientific or anything. The only thing that would really matter is matching the depth of the ridges themselves and making sure they face the right direction so that the edge becomes a knife and not a slide.

I looked into these things while back and was looking up pictures of what the bead grip actually is, design and everything. They're not super complicated. I do agree paying a machinist to do it would be ridiculously expensive. That's why I'd much rather pay a friend to put a bead on the outside and inside rim of each wheel, and then cut it myself. I probably test it out with a single wheel and see if I was capable of doing that kind of intricacy myself, but at the end of the day I think theirs has three ridges, I could easily do two and it would be the same difference at the end of the day. Like I said it's not super complicated technology, it just makes sense at the end of the day and it's definitely an original idea.

 

[Rogersocal]

Honestly I didn't want to tell you guys this, but I wouldn't pay a machinist to use a fancy machine to cut into a weld on some rims that I could do for myself for free with a Dremel tool.

It might take a few attempts, but at the end of the day it's just ridges that stop the tire from unseating inwards. It's definitely an original idea, but it's not like it's crazy scientific or anything. The only thing that would really matter is matching the depth of the ridges themselves and making sure they face the right direction so that the edge becomes a knife and not a slide.

I looked into these things while back and was looking up pictures of what the bead grip actually is, design and everything. They're not super complicated. I do agree paying a machinist to do it would be ridiculously expensive. That's why I'd much rather pay a friend to put a bead on the outside and inside rim of each wheel, and then cut it myself. I probably test it out with a single wheel and see if I was capable of doing that kind of intricacy myself, but at the end of the day I think theirs has three ridges, I could easily do two and it would be the same difference at the end of the day. Like I said it's not super complicated technology, it just makes sense at the end of the day and it's definitely an original idea.

For me. I would rather buy it then spend my time making it. What little time i have i want to use Off-roading, fishing, hunting and plenty of other things. Just not worth my time to save $1300

 

[Ratbert]

Honestly I didn't want to tell you guys this, but I wouldn't pay a machinist to use a fancy machine to cut into a weld on some rims that I could do for myself for free with a Dremel tool.

It might take a few attempts, but at the end of the day it's just ridges that stop the tire from unseating inwards. It's definitely an original idea, but it's not like it's crazy scientific or anything. The only thing that would really matter is matching the depth of the ridges themselves and making sure they face the right direction so that the edge becomes a knife and not a slide.

I looked into these things while back and was looking up pictures of what the bead grip actually is, design and everything. They're not super complicated. I do agree paying a machinist to do it would be ridiculously expensive. That's why I'd much rather pay a friend to put a bead on the outside and inside rim of each wheel, and then cut it myself. I probably test it out with a single wheel and see if I was capable of doing that kind of intricacy myself, but at the end of the day I think theirs has three ridges, I could easily do two and it would be the same difference at the end of the day. Like I said it's not super complicated technology, it just makes sense at the end of the day and it's definitely an original idea.

Watch the video before thinking you can easily replicate it...on the outer and inner beads...within an order of magnitude of their quality.

 

[Nokones]

On my 23 Wrangler Rubi 2 Dr, I am running Mickey Bajas LT315-70-17 Load Range Es on Method 106 Beadlocks and I airdown to 10 pounds for the dirt and air up to 37 pounds for the road and I have had no problems.

I retorque my Bead Lock Bolts at the beginning of each month.

 

[Terrymo]

On my 23 Wrangler Rubi 2 Dr, I am running Mickey Bajas LT315-70-17 Load Range Es on Method 106 Beadlocks and I airdown to 10 pounds for the dirt and air up to 37 pounds for the road and I have had no problems.

I retorque my Bead Lock Bolts at the beginning of each month.

I’ve never had Beadlocks so I’m curious. Are you just.checking torque or are you actually retorqing them, meaning the bolt needs to be tightened?

 

[Nokones]

I’ve never had Beadlocks so I’m curious. Are you just.checking torque or are you actually retorqing them, meaning the bolt needs to be tightened?

Usually, there will be 2-4 bolts that are a tad less than spec on a couple of wheels. How much are they loose, they're not that loose and my guess is they barely turn and torque to spec.

 

[1996cc]

I check my beadlock bolts twice after initial install. Each time I deflate the tire completely and retorque. Then I never touch them again until I swap tires.

 

[BigMaCro]

I drop my Bead Grips down to 10-12. I haven't lost a bead.

However, when running at these lower pressures, in mud with roots and branches, woody material has gotton pushed into the bead. It hasn't caused problem on the trail, but I've had two tires lose air through the bead later on, requring them to be unseated and cleaned up. If I had beadlocks, this wouldn't happen (on the outside, anyway).

 

[zouch]

sounds like most of the good reasons.

(FWIW, i did the Rubicon on less than 12 PSI on standard Mopar "Beadlock-compatible" wheels.)

friends with the Bead Grips are finding their shops are not happy to see them come back a second time, as they're a good bit of trouble to deal with as well.
but yes, beadlocks are not maintenance free , and do require some commitment, at least initially. i'd expect that anyone using them has to commit to being able o patch a sidewall or pug a tire in the weeds themselves.

$600? what some people will pay for something they could do themselves amazes me.
$800? that's just the AEV tax, isn't it?

personally, i'm not worried about "protecting" an *inner* bead, but my uses for single-digit PSI is more about sand and snow, and i'm not doing extreme side-loading in either case..

as for the Methods; i thought i'd read those were heavy. how do those weigh compared to comparable beadlocks??

I guess it would be nice to air down below 12, but that wasn't required to do the Rubicon or a local level 9 trail.

Beadlocks require more maintenance than I want to invest in at this point. Additionally you're pretty well screwed if you have a flat on the road in a remote area that lacks a shop willing to deal with them. It takes a lot of time and dedication to mount them.

If I remember correctly, @Tredsdert paid $600(?) to have his mounted. Add that to the $800 for the rings and I'm not sure if it's worth it. Note that I'm pretty sure he ended up undoing his.

So no, I'm not really interested in something that's a pain in the ass that protects exactly half as much of the bead as Bead Grips.

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