Beadlock wheels

[BurbanAZ]

I’m looking to get new tires and found a set of wheels and tires for that I want to get but the wheels are beadlocks. Has anyone run beadlocks on a truck that is going to be driven on the highway a lot.

We only use the 4Runner for trips so it sees a lot of off-road time but still a ton of highway miles getting to the spots and also pulling our small trailer.

I like the ability to patch from the inside if I want and to air down really low but I’m unsure about how they perform on highway and also if there are any safety issues.

What do you guys think?

 

[jacobconroy]

I'm running a set of used AEV beadlocks. They have been reliable (holding air, etc.). Beadlocks are heavy and I can have lost some HP and MPG because of them. I don't think they are ideal for road driving, but being able to air down is comforting if you happen to get stuck and are alone. They look cool too!

I haven't found any local outfits that can assemble beadlocks without leaks (nor have my buddies). We have to change our own tires to get it right. Might be something to consider. I don't think the big box tire stores will work on them. Could be wrong though.

 

[BurbanAZ]

Yea I figured most shops wouldn’t want to mess with them. I mainly worry about how they perform at highway speed or if there are any safety issues.

 

[bkg]

There are safety issues, sure, but easy to manage. I.e. never tighten with pressure in the tire and check torque often.

But do you really need them? Are you really going to air down so much that losing a bead is a real risk?

I am pretty happy with the walker Evans beadlocks on my xtracab with the exception of the location of the valvestem.

 

[jacobconroy]

I've been running them for 18 months and haven't had any failures, leaks, or issues. That said, I do have a full matching spare so that if one does pop bolts or leak, I don't have to monkey with fixing it while out in the wild.

Next time I will get regular wheels though. No more beadlocks for me.

 

[BurbanAZ]

There are safety issues, sure, but easy to manage. I.e. never tighten with pressure in the tire and check torque often.

But do you really need them? Are you really going to air down so much that losing a bead is a real risk?

I am pretty happy with the walker Evans beadlocks on my xtracab with the exception of the location of the valvestem.

I don’t need them and I rarely air down close to where I risk losing a bead, but I found a pretty good deal where even just the tires are worth the total cost to me. I’m hoping to get the whole set which is wheels and tires but then I’ll need to decide if I want to put the tires on my current stock wheels or mess with the beadlocks

 

[Mundo4x4Casa]

Only deal with beadlocks if you 'plan' on rock racing or sand running, over and over at the very lowest tire pressure. The pressure varies with the weight of vehicle. On my bro John's (JR) Hammer Racing rigs we ran 42's at 3 pounds to 10 pounds of air depending on the speed. I ran standard safety bead wheels on a variety of 4WD's over the years and have never felt the need for beadlocks. Heavy Jeeps were usually @ 10 pounds for trail running. For deep sand, 6 pounds worked fine and never lost a bead. On the 10K pound truck camper, plenty of running @ 20 pounds pressure, the lowest I could go with that weight to get full floatation. One of the issues I hear over and over again is the balance issue. Do a search for user reviews.
I think you'd be better off with the faux 'bead lock look' wheels than actual bead locks. Here's the 16.4K pound TC with Jeep on car trailer @ sand running pressure at absolute bottom: 20 pounds front; 18 pounds rear on super singles, before lowering pressure:

after lowering pressure: the squatting sidewall is what you want to see.


jefe