Bead lock or not?

[Glad Jeeper]

I am looking at upgrading my JTM wheels but have not decided if I should go to bead lock or not. I am not doing any rock crawling except what I might find on overland roads. 85% of this trucks driving is daily use. We are going to stay with the stock 33's and increase for some time. So advantages and disadvantages would be helpful.

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[Fouts]

Not sure I would spend the extra money. Most will use for airing down and not having to worry but I have run as low as 5lbs air pressure with no issues. Also with the 33" tires not much benefit.

 

[hjdca]

I am looking at upgrading my JTM wheels but have not decided if I should go to bead lock or not. I am not doing any rock crawling except what I might find on overland roads. 85% of this trucks driving is daily use. We are going to stay with the stock 33's and increase for some time. So advantages and disadvantages would be helpful.

Bead Locks are super heavy and will hurt your acceleration. Most of them are not even street legal. They are meant for rigs that are constantly below 10 psi and doing rock crawling. I went with the new Method "bead grip" rims which are super light and have an extra ridge behind the tire to keep them from de-beading at low PSI. Method claims you can go below 10 psi with this technology. I usually run 14 psi with them and have gone down to 10 psi at Pismo beach. They work perfect. Take a look.

 

[Jefe1018]

Camping back roads are usually meant for people with big trucks hauling fifth wheels, RVs and minivans. If that’s all you’re doing, then beadlocks would be a waste. With the cash you save, you can get that skottle you’ve been eyeing.

 

[FitfulGoat]

Have you seen the newer wheels from icon?

https://iconvehicledynamics.com/innerlock/

 

[TheTrailGeek]

Bead Locks are super heavy and will hurt your acceleration. Most of them are not even street legal. They are meant for rigs that are constantly below 10 psi and doing rock crawling. I went with the new Method "bead grip" rims which are super light and have an extra ridge behind the tire to keep them from de-beading at low PSI. Method claims you can go below 10 psi with this technology. I usually run 14 psi with them and have gone down to 10 psi at Pismo beach. They work perfect. Take a look.

Have you had any issues with the "Bead Grips"? I was at a Jeep shop a few weeks ago and they said they had someone with some who wanted a winter set of tires and they ended up destroying a tire trying to remove it. I guess that means they hold well, but wondering what your experience has been so far.

 

[hjdca]

Have you had any issues with the "Bead Grips"? I was at a Jeep shop a few weeks ago and they said they had someone with some who wanted a winter set of tires and they ended up destroying a tire trying to remove it. I guess that means they hold well, but wondering what your experience has been so far.

I have had the Method "Bead Grip" Rims for a few years now. This is my second set of 37" tires on them. I also had the first set of 37" Goodyear MTR tires flipped on the Rims. "All the work has been done by Americas Tire, Discount Tire. We reused two of the worn out 37" Goodyear MTRs as Spares. I am now running 37" yokohama geolandar mt g003 tires. No problems with the Rims whatsoever.
Note: I am running 37" tires with 17" rims, so, there is a ton of sidewall and I live in a warm climate. With all this rubber sidewall, I cannot imagine an issue with mounting and dismounting these tires on the bead grip rims. Maybe, the story you heard was with a much less sidewall that was stiff and somehow fused to the rim in cold weather ?
The bead grip works well. The lowest PSI I usually run is 12 psi, but, I am usually at 14 PSI off-road. The Geolandars have a soft sidewall, so, I never need to go below that so far. I have not noticed any tire "spinning" on the rims, ie. requiring rebalance. I am mostly in low gear rock crawling or cruising, I am not a high speed 4wheeling type. Anyway, Americas Tire/Discount Tire offers free rotation and re-balance every 5K miles, so, I take advantage of that with the Gladiator to get the longest life out of my tires.
My method rims have been scratched up a lot by the rocks. I have the flat black, and I usually paint them with Flat black paint (paint brush) when I get back from wheeling. This makes them look new. I would higly recommend the Flat Black, so, you can keep them looking good with some flat black paint.
I have not had any breakage with my drive line and the 37 inch tires, so, the lack of weight may have helped me.
I would buy the Method Rims again.
Note: I also like the 37" yokohama geolandar mt g003 tires - much better than the 37" Goodyear MTRs - both on road and off road.

 

[TheTrailGeek]

I have had the Method Rims for a few years now. This is my second set of 37" tires on them. I also had the first set of 37" Goodyear MTR tires flipped on the Rims. "All the work has been done by Americas Tire, Discount Tire. We reused two of the worn out 37" Goodyear MTRs as Spares. I am now running 37" yokohama geolandar mt g003 tires. No problems with the Rims whatsoever.
Note: I am running 37" tires with 17" rims, so, there is a ton of sidewall and I live in a warm climate. With all this rubber sidewall, I cannot imagine an issue with mounting and dismounting these tires on the bead grip rims. Maybe, the story you heard was with a much less sidewall that was stiff and somehow fused to the rim in cold weather ?
The bead grip works well. The lowest PSI I usually run is 12 psi. The Geolandars have a soft sidewall, so, I never need to go below that so far. I have not noticed any tire "spinning" on the rims, ie. requiring rebalance. I am mostly in low gear rock crawling or cruising, I am not a high speed 4wheeling type.
My method rims have been scratched up a lot by the rocks. I have the flat black, and I usually paint them with Flat black paint (paint brush) when I get back from wheeling. This makes them look new. I would higly recommend the Flat Black, so, you can keep them looking good with some flat black paint.
I have not had any breakage with my drive line and the 37 inch tires, so, the lack of weight may have helped me.
I would buy the Method Rims again.

Great feedback! Thank you!

 

[HooliganActual]

Great feedback! Thank you!

As has been mentioned, you might want to check with your Highway Patrol to see if they are even legal in WA. Be wary of a shop that tells you they are legal because they may just be looking to make a sale.

My $0.02 USD: Beadlocks are for serious crawling, or krawling, IMHO. You need them to keep the beads seated at the very low pressures they rock crawlers run.

I have run Jeeps for 40 years, I currently have 3. I wheel the heck out of my 2 Wranglers and overland in my Gladiator. I don't go in the dirt without dropping tire pressures to roughly 15-16 pounds. I have never lost a bead...ever. Not saying it can't happen, but even at half the recommended tire pressure, I haven't knocked a bead off. If you are predominantly doing forest services roads, don't buy bead locks, air down to 20# and enjoy the scenery.

 

[carsmarshall1]

Have you seen the newer wheels from icon?

https://iconvehicledynamics.com/innerlock/

I run ICON Rebound Pros with 40x13.5x17 tires. Great rim for low PSI.

 

[jac04]

As has been mentioned, you might want to check with your Highway Patrol to see if they are even legal in WA.

FYI, hjdca is talking about Method "Bead Grip" wheels, which use a slightly different geometry on the bead seat area to keep the tire bead in place. They are not a 'bead lock' that uses a bolt-on locking ring.

 

[HooliganActual]

FYI, hjdca is talking about Method "Bead Grip" wheels, which use a slightly different geometry on the bead seat area to keep the tire bead in place. They are not a 'bead lock' that uses a bolt-on locking ring.

Thanks...but for what it's worth...I wasn't quoting his post or information. I was responding to the OP's direct question of whether he should invest in bead locks or not.

 

[Free2roam]

I've got a set of the Icon Rebound Pros. Not installed yet. But they are dot approved. Plus no rash ring to make it heavier.

 

[antwon412]

Not if you enjoying being legal. There is no DOT approved beadlock.

They’re heavy, require lots of extra work to mount and unmount, you have to monitor them very closely and they’re heavy.
Go with something like a Method bead grip. You can run tire pressures down into single digits.

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

Legality of beadlocks is a long debated subject.

I don't recall ever seeing anything that proves they're illegal.

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