What Are Beadlock Wheels?
Beadlock wheels were designed to lock the bead of the tire to the wheel so that under aggressive conditions the tire never pops off of the bead losing all of it’s air. Essentially air pressure pushes the tire into place and keeps it on the bead with normal rims. Properly seated tires roll with the wheel without slipping under normal driving conditions.
However Jeeps were made for abnormal driving conditions. Off-road enthusiasts have been airing down their tires for years to help increase the size of the contact patch on the ground. This enables the tire to grip obstacles better, increase traction surface and allows the tire to mold around sharp objects like rocks and trees. However if a tire is deflated too low it runs the risk of popping off of the bead. This will disable the vehicle until repaired. Beadlock wheels prevent a tire from unseating from a wheel by taking clamping the bead of the tire between two rings. The inner ring is attached to the wheel. The tire is placed into the seat and then clamped shut between the inner and out rings. The Outer ring is typically bolted to the inner ring with bolts all placed very close together around the entire wheel, which prevents the tire from unseating. This allows drivers to lower the pressure of the tire significantly. It is not uncommon to see Jeeps running 4-12 pounds of pressure depending on the terrain, weight of the vehicle and tire. Airing down is especially effective when dealing with sand, snow, mud and extremely rocky terrain. It is not recommended to lower a tire below 18 pounds of pressure without using a beadlock wheel.
How To Reseat A 4×4 Tire Bead?
There is more than one way to tackle this task. Spend a few minutes on YouTube and you can find several effective ways to accomplish the task.
Do Beadlock Wheels Require Maintenance?
The short answer is Yes but not a lot. It is recommended that once you install your beadlock wheels that you check the bolts after the first 200 miles or so and re-torque as necessary. We also recommend checking them after each wheeling sessions or every 3000 miles of pavement driving. Also keep a close eye on your tire pressure it is pretty common for tires running beadlocks to develop slow leaks, most of the time this can be fixed by just tightening things up. Last but not least just keep an eye on how the hardware is wearing over time. The shear number of bolts to seal a beadlock just means there are a few more bits to keep an eye on.
How Much Do Beadlock Wheels Cost?
Like all Jeep parts the cost can vary greatly depending on the brand and quality of a product. Generally beadlock wheels cost more than traditional wheels, this is partially due to the fact that they are heavier and include extra parts. It is not uncommon for beadlock wheels to cost anywhere between: $200-$500 per wheel.
The KMC XD Series wheel is one of the highest rated beadlock wheels on the market. Shop their top selection here. KMC and XD Series make some of the highest rated beadlock wheels on the market.
Some of the best looking beadlock wheels out there are from Black Rhino shop their collection on Amazon.
Who Needs Beadlock Wheels?
Determining if you need beadlock wheels depends a lot on how you off-road. If you tend to spend most of your time running forest roads and relatively mild off-road trails then beadlocks are probably a little overkill and your hard earned cash would probably be better spent on some other type of Jeep accessory. If you spend a lot of time wheeling in the sand, snow, mud or doing hardcore rock crawling then picking up a set of beadlock wheels is going to help you unleash the traction potential of your tires. Beadlocks are expensive and heavy however they can be a complete life saver out on the trail. If you have ever had to stop a trip to help reseat the bead on a tire you know just how time consuming it can be. Additionally tires can be damaged beyond repair if they become unseated and are damaged from the rim or an obstacle before being fixed. Do you run beadlocks on your Jeep if so tell us why in the comments?