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Fake bead locks can be good.

Neil

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Oakhurst, CA
I just got back from the tire store where I had to have a valve stem replaced. A couple of weeks ago I went on the Swamp Lake run and had a rock gouge my rim. Not too bad I thought, what I didn't realize was that it had sheared the valve stem. Now there must have been a tiny piece of rubber holding it together untill today. Today I go out to the parking lot at school and find a flat. Bad news is the spare is at home.
My point here is that as useless as fake beadlocks seem they would have saved me all of this trouble, as the valve stem is located on the inside of the fake lock, therefore makiing it almost impossable to shear a valve stem off. Just my 2 cents

Neil
 
I had flat valve stems before, they take forever to air down with though so I had regular ones put back on. The fake beadlock wheels are much stronger than a regualar steel wheel also.
 
I just put on Unique 'street lock' rims, 50$ ea, only 12 more that standard. These are identical to Pro-comp's 'rock crusher desert lock', or whatever; at least from what I can tell.
The lips stick out a little further, but are a rolled reenforced edge, that looks much harder to bend.
 
Rubber valve stems can take a tremendous amount of abuse. Metal ones break easily and leak after a while anyways.

Just add a couple of spare valve stems and a cable type valve stem puller in your tire plug kit.

You do carry a plug kit and an air compressor, right?

Those two items and the skill to use them will be much more appreciated by your fellow 'wheelers on a trail run than streetlock wheels.
 
Sorry, fake beadlocks are :rainbow: and will still find ridicule on the trail.

My cop friend just built his TJ and put 33s on Street Locks. Too bad, I really wanted to take him wheeling too.

SeanP
 
Sorry, I hang around the dark side too much. Most of the crew I wheel with place function over form. Things that cost money but dont add traction or functionality are extraneous IMHO. But to each his own.
 
SeanP said:
Sorry, fake beadlocks are :rainbow: and will still find ridicule on the trail.

My cop friend just built his TJ and put 33s on Street Locks. Too bad, I really wanted to take him wheeling too.

SeanP

ah... no.. I think what you just said is gay...

I guess we're not "hard core" enough for you....:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

sometimes people get tired of bending the lip on wheels and dont want to run full beadlocks... (just FYI there not very safe on the street as a daily driver, because the bolts loosen up often and they are not DOT aproved) so go ahead and run full locks, just dont do it when im on the road.
 
steet locks are dumb. if you're worried about the strength of a wheel spend that extra $$ for a better rim, not one with a goofy beauty ring with some bolt heads in it.

Beadlocks can loosen, if you use the right fasteners they loosen much less frequently. Any bolt can loosen. oh yeah and not DOT legal? show me. They're as DOT legal as every other rim out there.
 
KarmirXJ said:
ah... no.. I think what you just said is gay...

I guess we're not "hard core" enough for you....:rolleyes: :rolleyes:

sometimes people get tired of bending the lip on wheels and dont want to run full beadlocks... (just FYI there not very safe on the street as a daily driver, because the bolts loosen up often and they are not DOT aproved) so go ahead and run full locks, just dont do it when im on the road.

Who gives a shit about what's "hard core"? It's about what's functional and what looks functional.

There's nothing in the DOT manual that states that beadlocks are illegal, they're simply not designed for highway use. And if you wanna get technical about it, Off Road Only has just come out with an SAE/ DOT approved beadlock wheel in 15" and 17" flavours. It's got a 1" thick ring and uses 24 counter-sunk stainless steel socket head bolts. They were in last month's 4Wheel & SUV.
 
If you want to know if a product is DOT legal, call the company and ask for a DOT file #. I can bet you most beadlock companies have not spent the coin to get them DOT cert. Some SS brake lines are not DOT...why? because if they are from a small company it costs $$$ to get them tested and filed.... like getting something UL'd

Chewy
 
I have to agree, each to his own. If someone wanted to spend the money, let them. I know a lot of guys who think this is stupied or that is dumb, but it really gets down to one thing. One guy has the money, the other doesn't. Simply...cut and dry.
 
Economos said:
Who gives a shit about what's "hard core"? It's about what's functional and what looks functional.

There's nothing in the DOT manual that states that beadlocks are illegal, they're simply not designed for highway use. And if you wanna get technical about it, Off Road Only has just come out with an SAE/ DOT approved beadlock wheel in 15" and 17" flavours. It's got a 1" thick ring and uses 24 counter-sunk stainless steel socket head bolts. They were in last month's 4Wheel & SUV.
http://www.4wdandsportutility.com/<-- there is the online magazine show me where it sais what you just said:rolleyes:

yes thick lips ARE functional..

"they're simply not designed for highway use":rolleyes:

thank you just just supported my comment:D I never said they are illegal, I said there not approved, you wanna get tichnical? keep reading.

xj4rocks said:
steet locks are dumb. if you're worried about the strength of a wheel spend that extra $$ for a better rim, not one with a goofy beauty ring with some bolt heads in it.

Beadlocks can loosen, if you use the right fasteners they loosen much less frequently. Any bolt can loosen. oh yeah and not DOT legal? show me. They're as DOT legal as every other rim out there.


ok, you give me the $ and ill go get it. you cant find a a wheel under $100 that can withstand abuse to the lip, but something that has a really thick lip wount buckle as easy...

you want me to show you proof?

http://www.rockin4x4parts.com/blue_torch.htm
scroll all the way to the bottom.[
Therefore they are not D.O.T. approved, and are not street legal.

http://www.high-impact.net/wheels/beadlockinformation.htm
this quote came from this site. (big company that makes beadlocks)
"NO beadlock wheel is DOT approved. Including the military Hummer wheel. (The military is exempt) "

http://www.rockcrawler.com/techreports/allied_rockathon/page2.asp
these are ALlied beadslocks (major manufacture of beadlocks)
They are not DOT-Approved, so be sure to check all applicable laws BEFORE running these wheels on the street.

http://www.wt4wheeling.com/tech/beadlock.htm
There is some talk going around about beadlock wheels not being DOT approved for street use. While this is true that they are not DOT (department of transportation) approved there is not law saying that your wheels have to be DOT approved to run on the street

http://www.mrt-wheels.com/beadlockinstall.html
Note: Beadlock wheels are not D.O.T. approved.

http://www.alliedracingwheels.com/mounting.html
majority of NAXJA /PIRATE guys run these wheels:rolleyes:
Note: Beadlock wheels are not D.O.T. approved.

http://www.bm-offroad.com/wheels.htm
Trailready Bead lock Wheels are not DOT approved and are intended for Off-Highway Use.

these are pretty much ALL the major manufacturers that make beadlocks for rockcrawling and dragracingso before you guys start spewin crap out, search...

xj4rocks said:
oh yeah and not DOT legal? show me. They're as DOT legal as every other rim out there.
Now that I made you eat your words its your turn to proove it

you want more? I got the penal code book I can take out and look. just to lazy to do it:D



its not so much the wheel being legal or not legal its all about the wheel being safe. I never said beadlocks are bad... I will most definatly like to have a pair. But I will NOT put them on a daily driver, that would be very inconciderate toward you and others on the road at the same time... It will be a major pain in the ass to check each bolt (128 bolts total) every few trips here and there... YOU GET MY POINT?


EDIT: I really dont care what you guys say, I wheel hard and am safe on the road at the same time. So why the F#$% am I going through all this trouble to proove my point?:rolleyes:
 
Last edited:
SeanP said:
Sorry, I hang around the dark side too much. Most of the crew I wheel with place function over form. Things that cost money but dont add traction or functionality are extraneous IMHO. But to each his own.

From the threads I've been reading Sean, you haven't been doing much wheeling at all. At least if Neil got some street locks, they would actually see the trail. :D

I know you have been busy with your little one, but Neil has a point in regard to valve stem protection.
 
Oh and one more thing xj4rocks:

most poeple dont have $250+ per rim to go with beadlocks... most people run regular rims on the street. for me I cant afford beadlocks. SO in turn I get the streetlocks for daily driving + the extra lip on the side... If I did have more money I would of gotten regular rims for daily driving and then gotten some beadlocks with some offroad meats and stuck them in the garage. So everytime I go wheelin, I stick them on for the trip. that would be the best way to do it. No dought beadlocks are better offroad than streetlocks, im not argueing that.


running beadlocks on the street is like running a offroad buggy on the highway what do have that you want to proove?
 
My beadlocks have a nice little DOT stamp right on them. Not only that, the US Government bought hundreds of thousands of them. I run 16.5x 8.75 military beadlocks with the magnesium run flats. No worries on bolts loosening.

And I will stand my by assertion that if you show up on Rubicon, Fordyce, Barret Lake (this trail sucks BTW) or any Moab trial with Street Locks, people will roll eyeballs at you. Buy hey, 4 wheel parts needs to make money too.

Sean"web wheeler extraordinaire"P
 
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