Method 'Bead Grip' Wheels vs. Non 'Bead Grip'?

[ryancalhoon]

I've got a 2020 Rubicon and I am looking for some after market wheels to mount my 35x12.50.17 Nitto Ridge Grapplers on. It will be only rarely that I will be airing down as low as 12-15 psi when playing off road in the rocks or snow or whatever. It was suggested to me that I get some of the Method Bead Grip wheels which are a less expensive option than full on bead lock wheels, to help make sure I don't lose a bead when I do air down lower. I do prefer the looks of some other wheels (the Method regular non-Bead Grip wheels included) so I'm trying to figure out whether or not I really should get the Bead Grip wheels or not, or if other 'regular' wheels would still work fine for me?
My long term plan is to eventually install a 2 1/2" long arm suspension lift and move up to 37's which will lead to even more off road use down the road, so I want to make sure whichever wheels I pick now will still work well later as the Jeep build slowly continues over the next few years. Thanks.

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[DOOKEY]

Everything that isn't a bead lock will let the bead come off. Bead Grip is more for keeping the wheel from spinning in the tire at lower pressures. While I'll always advocate for beadlocks I'd say get whatever wheel you want and invest in an air compressor and tools to help seat a bead if you push one off.

Let me know if you need a quote on something.

Andy

 

[ryancalhoon]

Thanks for the reply. So I guess the question is, if I'm off road and airing down to 15 psi or so, how likely am I to have issues with a 'regular' non-Bead Grip and non-Bead Lock wheel?

 

[OBJLU]

Beadgrip is fine down to 12, but if you off-road on the rocks you’ll tear up the sides of the wheels and eventually will get a wobble, I learned the hard way and eventually got beadlocks. They are easy to maintain , I got the method 108’s which have Beadgrip tech on the inner lip.

You can also look into the teraflex noMad which is similar to the Beadgrip but has replaceable rings

 

[DOOKEY]

Thanks for the reply. So I guess the question is, if I'm off road and airing down to 15 psi or so, how likely am I to have issues with a 'regular' non-Bead Grip and non-Bead Lock wheel?

That's always the concern and why beadlocks exist. 15psi is good and should allow you some comfort. Even at full PSI you can push the tire off. So it's best to account for the issue whether you get beadlocks or carry the provisions to fix it on the trail. ?

 

[jessedacri]

Thanks for the reply. So I guess the question is, if I'm off road and airing down to 15 psi or so, how likely am I to have issues with a 'regular' non-Bead Grip and non-Bead Lock wheel?

I regularly wheel pretty hard on trails like Holcomb Creek and John Bull and go down to ~12psi as my comfort zone on both my 35" Patagonia MTs in load D and now my 37" KM3s in load D. I've never had an issue with losing a bead with both Fifteen52 Traverse HD wheels and now XR wheels in non-beadlock mode. When I first got the 52s and examined them I was worried the ridge that holds the bead in was too mild compared to the Method Bead Grip stuff, but honestly I had my sidewalls all scrunched up and folded over at times and never actually popped a bead across probably 25k miles on that set, 70% of that being wheeling. You can of course always get unlucky or have a driving style that contributes to loss of bead, but I learned on this rig over the last three years and have been on all sorts of gnarly trails many, many times now.

I do probably plan on scooping up the beadlock rings for the XR wheels eventually, but it's not high on the list.

 

[bjm00se]

As mentioned above, it's possible to break anything loose, even at street pressures, if you try hard enough.

The Jeep community does love actual bead locks, but they're overkill for the wheeling that most (not all!) of us do with our Jeeps. And most tire shops won't install or work on actual bead lock wheels. It's nice to be able to get a rotate-and-balance or flat-repair from a standard shop without seeking out a specialty off-road shop. And I personally am too old to be carrying and using old-skool tire irons.

Which brings us to "bead grip." There are some cool youtube videos of folks running around 8psi deep in the rocks on those things, which makes them a credible middle ground.

But you wrote:

It will be only rarely that I will be airing down as low as 12-15 psi when playing off road in the rocks or snow or whatever.

Which makes me think you should pick whatever wheels you want and it should be OK. 15psi isn't really all that low as airing down goes. I've done a fair amount of wheeling at 13-15psi on 33" tires on 17" ordinary rims and never lost a bead.

The main thing, when picking wheels for airing down, is to follow the fundamental rule - "more tire, less rim." i.e. run the smallest wheel diameter you can for your hubs and brake calipers; in our case that's 17"

As always, advice you get on the Internet is worth exactly what you paid for it. Your mileage may vary. If you break a bead out on the trail, I won't be there to help you re-mount it. Nor will I be there for you when you have to pay off your MasterCard/Visa bill at the end of the month.

 

[Philly_]

As mentioned above, it's possible to break anything loose, even at street pressures, if you try hard enough.

The Jeep community does love actual bead locks, but they're overkill for the wheeling that most (not all!) of us do with our Jeeps. And most tire shops won't install or work on actual bead lock wheels. It's nice to be able to get a rotate-and-balance or flat-repair from a standard shop without seeking out a specialty off-road shop. And I personally am too old to be carrying and using old-skool tire irons.

Which brings us to "bead grip." There are some cool youtube videos of folks running around 8psi deep in the rocks on those things, which makes them a credible middle ground.

But you wrote:



Which makes me think you should pick whatever wheels you want and it should be OK. 15psi isn't really all that low as airing down goes. I've done a fair amount of wheeling at 13-15psi on 33" tires on 17" ordinary rims and never lost a bead.

The main thing, when picking wheels for airing down, is to follow the fundamental rule - "more tire, less rim." i.e. run the smallest wheel diameter you can for your hubs and brake calipers; in our case that's 17"

As always, advice you get on the Internet is worth exactly what you paid for it. Your mileage may vary. If you break a bead out on the trail, I won't be there to help you re-mount it. Nor will I be there for you when you have to pay off your MasterCard/Visa bill at the end of the month.

Hit the nail on the head right here!

I have Method 704’s (bead grip) and so far I love them. Only aired down to 10 psi in some really slick mud and loose sand, but I wouldn’t have been worried with standard wheels either. I doubt I will ever take the plunge on beadlocks unless I move back out west because the added weight and maintenance aren’t worth it to me.

If you have no plans of being in the rocks, standard wheels are great, and I would try to stay as light as possible. I routinely aired down to 15psi with my factory Rubicon wheels and tires and only burped air from one tire on a single occasion. It was a nasty rock garden in Hot Springs, Arkansas where I was following a group of Jeeps on 37’s…

Essentially, bead grip is a compromise any way you slice it. They’re heavier than a standard wheel, but lighter than a beadlock. They hold the bead better than a standard wheel, but not as good as a beadlock. They are likely overkill for light wheeling, but might also fall short on the toughest trails. Right in the middle.

So long as you understand the limitations of your rig, I think they’re a great choice for what they are and that’s why I went with them. They are in no way a replacement for a true beadlock, though.

 

[Maverick909]

Do note weight does contribute to popping beads. If you're running overland gear and doing moderate trails i tend to run about 18-20psi. If i do not have the RTT on the jeep and dont have much more than tools and my compressor ive gone to 15psi without issues on my 304 dbl standard method wheels.

 

[Discount Tire]

There are a lot of solid comments from members with personal experience. As they mention it depends on what type of trails you are going to be on.

I have a set of the Method bead grip wheels on my 4 seat RZR that I ride in the deserts of AZ and UT including many rock crawling trails in AZ and Sand Hollow. I run 32x10R-15 tires at low pressure and have never last a bead in about 5,000 miles but I have seen a few of my friends pop a bead on the same trails.

Granted a side by side is not the weight of a Jeep but we do some extrema trails as well.

I would agree, get what you want and trail ride accordingly. Let us know if we can help.

 

[bjm00se]

UPDATE:
I've been running Method 701 "Bead Grip" for a while now on some pretty challenging trails. Let's say 15000 miles. 37x12.5 Maxxis RAZR AT tires.

13-16 PSI more times than I can count.

I ran 8/9 psi at Pismo with no probs.

I ran 11 PSI on a couple extremely rough rock crawling expeditions with no probs - except that I think that's actually too low and I prefer a little more pressure for a little better clearance.

Recently, I experienced a blow out. Now, here's the interesting thing; earlier today I took a phone call from the technician replacing the blow out tire:

And the tire machine at the shop couldn't break the bead free. They had to cut the tire off the rim!

I said something like "I guess the bead grip really works." Reply: "Yeah, maybe too well."

After this I'm not going to be afraid of running any low pressure I want that's suited to any condition.

Maybe not Zero PSI Snow wheeling. But pretty much anything else.

I think this tire was damaged in a boulder field and then blew out the following day on an "articulation challenge" type deep gully trail. The trail it blew on wouldn't normally blow a tire (but might force a bead to be broken)

 

[OBJLU]

I blew beads 2x with these that said they are still a good alternative to beadlocks.

 

[bjm00se]

I blew beads 2x with these that said they are still a good alternative to beadlocks.

Interesting. What pressure? What circumstance?

I assume you switched back to real beadlocks?

 

[OBJLU]

Interesting. What pressure? What circumstance?

I assume you switched back to real beadlocks?

Once on the rocks at 9 psi and the other time a quick turn on the sand, maybe going 25 mph at 15 psi or so, yes I went with beadlocks, the method 108’s with the bead grip on the inner lip.

 

[Old Jeeper]

Everything that isn't a bead lock will let the bead come off. Bead Grip is more for keeping the wheel from spinning in the tire at lower pressures. While I'll always advocate for beadlocks I'd say get whatever wheel you want and invest in an air compressor and tools to help seat a bead if you push one off.

Let me know if you need a quote on something.

Andy

X2

I run my Beadlocks at 3-5 psi and have never lost a bead...

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