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calemasters

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Great post Ted. I suppose not every beadlock wheel tire change is this challenging, but I see that that this can and does happen. I thought this stuff only happened to me. But until I have a tire dismount or spin a tire on the wheel I will continue with non-beadlock wheels. Thanks for your story.
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HungryHound

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Yeah, fuck that. lol.

I've done a decent amount of wheeling and have never broken the bead on a normal tire. I'll take my chances.




Thnx. for the good writeup.
I've busted one loose wheeling harder than I should have. Was down at 18psi and caught a little air trying to power past a mud hole. Swapped it for the spare. Cost $30 at a shop to have it unmounted, cleaned and reinstalled. If I had access to the original shop or had bought them from SAM'S or Goodyear, they would have fixed me up for free.

BTW....I did manage to make it thru that hole without getting stuck. Sometimes ya just gotta send it!
 

gato

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Nice write up, thanks for taking the time. Reinforced my decision not to go with beadlocks.

I found out that if I air down much below 18 PSI, it starts putting a lot of strain on the steering and making it hard to turn in the tight/rocky trails we have in New England. Also, I start losing ground clearance going to lower PSI. And, on top of that, you end up having to use more power/torque to move. All in all, I found that 18-20 PSI is my sweet spot.

So at 18PSI, being careful and mindful of the beads (e.g. avoiding extreme steering angles when of camber or bumping obstacles), the benefits of beadlocks would be marginal.

The hassle was covered well by the OP.

But then there is also the extra weight and stress on the axles they add.

Overall, not for me.
 

Jeep4Win

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This is an excellent write up! I myself do not run beadlocks. My sweet spot is 18-20 psi stock but totally contemplating a second set for extreme measures.
 

cmcclintock

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I put beadlocks on earlier this year on my 2018JLU. I really like them and being able to air down to 8 psi or lower. Just got back from the Pismo dunes and just shedded the dunes( rear lockers in hi & low on)with confidence … the Jeep also just floated across the dunes.

I mean these JL’s cost $40-$60k.. I do not mind paying an additional $500 bucks every 45,000 miles to mount tires on the beadlocks.. but I only put 5,000 miles on it a year.









Jeep Wrangler JL So you think you want beadlock wheels... sample of cost, time, efforts required C43BB98B-3C4B-418E-8818-4F8DD5611A10
 

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The_Jason

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Excellent write up! Very insightful. I am open to getting beadlocks, when I’m ready to take it to the next level. I have the same tires, but 13.5” wide. I spend most of my time on trails in WA and North Idaho. I air down to 8 PSI in the summers and 4-5 PSI in the snow. Haven’t lost a bead yet. It’s a matter of when, not if…
 

TCogs1

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Great write up! Thank you!!!

I run 8 method 101 bead locks and my stock set of rims tires ( street use or long road trips)…. Maxxis creepy 12x37 and maxxis trepadors 13x37.

On other rigs and my jl with bead locks peeling the tire off the bead is easy with or without, and it is common on hard rock trails @<15psi…

The rims I use are by method, which spec-use 8 grade steel bolts and I only had a problem when follow their torque specs ( too high). Once I adjusted and learned ( first two tires and wheels ).. then it was/is easier. Install 30min each, remove (after tire shop break the inner bead, great tip) and another 30min to clean, lube and install.

suffice to say, it depends, if you in hard rocks, think of it as another insurance policy 😀

Just sharing my experience and learnings…

PS: I use to run fully loaded (> 3 days off grid gear, food, water with m416 trailer) on the trail -8-10, now I’m adjusting to 12. - 15 psi. As for performance aired down, it’s night and day comparing 15-20psi to 8-12psi…

Jeep Wrangler JL So you think you want beadlock wheels... sample of cost, time, efforts required 96386F2C-27CE-4EBB-A8FD-3B9E8CE92DD9
 

RIVICON

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What are you putting on the bolts to keep the stainless from galling in the aluminum rim?
The bolts don't screw in directly to the aluminum rim. There are steel helicoil inserts in the rim itself that the bolt screws into. You can use antiseize to keep the bolt from seizing up against the insert and final bolt torque is less when using antiseize.
 
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wibornz

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To make you feel better, last time I pull my tires off, I snapped 2 bolts (at head), and another bolt messed up the thread, that I have to pay someone to extract and re-tap it.

No, I did not use any air gun, and I used plenty of anti-seize, and I also have a very expensive torque wrench.

There are newer offroad wheels that are designed to hold beads much better, but not through the traditional beadlock, like Method 70*, Teraflex Nomad, etc. Besides, most beadlock wheels don't have any lock on the inward side of the tire, so they only hold like half of it.

Also, it is heavy as hell. I mean you can hold 20-30 bolts in your hand and feel how heavy that is, which is basically going to be added onto the wheel.
You are right there, headlock wheels are heavy. I should of weighed the ring and the twenty four bolts to see what it added in weight.
 

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wibornz

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Icons new wheels may be the best of both worlds? Haven't tried them, but may be my next wheel.
Those look kick ass. I wonder if tire shops will mount them? Not that that would be a big deal.
 

Zandcwhite

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Those look kick ass. I wonder if tire shops will mount them? Not that that would be a big deal.
The only thing that seems like it could be a pain is getting the beads seated. Bolts can't go in unless the front bead is seated but tire won't hold air until the bolts are in...
 

PIG

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The only thing that seems like it could be a pain is getting the beads seated. Bolts can't go in unless the front bead is seated but tire won't hold air until the bolts are in...
Watch the vid @ 40 sec mark. Bolts get started but not far enough to catch the bead. Holes are partially blocked and will keep air from immediately dumpling out. You have a valid point but because the install happens on a tire machine there is not weight on it.
https://www.polyperformance.com/icon-alloys-17x8-5-rebound-pro-beadlock-wheels
 
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jellis4148

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I just recently put beadlocks on my Wrangler, and I love them. Mounting only took about 30 minutes each in my garage. Running the KMC KM236 wheel.
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