Ditch the Beadlocks: 5 reasons you don’t need them!
Ditch the Beadlocks: 5 reasons you don’t need them!
A Beadlock wheel offers a lot of the right stuff for the right occasions and circumstances, but do most folks actually need them? Absolutely not. For those uncertain, a Beadlock is a component within some wheels that mechanically secures the tire bead to the rim. As you shop for a new set of wheels for your rig, here are a few reasons you can skip them altogether:
1. Shooting skeet with an RPG: Now yeah, that would be awesome! But only to imagine. In practice, I think we can all agree an RPG is a tickle too much for the activity in question. Beadlocks are essentially the same. They have a use, a function, just as an RPG does, but do you need one? It’s something to consider. Beadlocks are predominantly used in extreme off-roading scenarios to gain advantages over the ordinary wheel and tire combos. These include airing down below 15 psi maximizing traction, adding lateral strength to the bead seal when using the sidewalls of tires for grip, rotating 40” tires with extreme speed, and added security for harsh landings while jumping. All this culminates in a reduction in the risk of de-beading when out in no man’s OR woman’s land. Especially when victory is at stake. So, you can pretty much skip them unless you need to outfit a trophy truck or a competition-level rock crawler.
2. Maintenance heavy! Using Beadlocks helps a trophy truck avoid time-consuming tire malfunctions, but they also come with a lot of additional weight, complexity, and a ton more maintenance. Wheel manufacturers often recommended to service and thoroughly clean a Beadlock wheel after each outing and you cannot use spray lubricant to loosen those stubborn bolts, sometimes up to 102 bolts on each wheel! Imagine all the brake dust, road salt, and grime you accumulate on your going-to-town rig! That maintenance and attention-seeking Beadlocks will get the better of you, eventually. Unless you truly need them, it’s a toxic relationship waiting to happen.
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3. Bowie and Queen in their wildly successful song: Under Pressure famously said “Mmm num ba de – Dum bum ba be” Those are the actual lyrics, look them up and god bless the 1980’s. Looking into those lyrics, they’re clearly talking about airing up and down all-terrain, mud, and snow tires for off-road uses. Open your eyes people! It’s a well-known fact that airing down is remarkably helpful in gaining traction in certain circumstances, widening your contact patch, and could very well be the extra inch you need to go the extra mile. BUT it’s also well researched that most tire and wheel combos can reliably remain beaded with as few as 15 PSIseses, and that’s pretty darn low. Unless you’ve got a set of Iron Side Road Manglers with robust 5.5-inch-thick sidewalls, you’re going to notice added width in your contact patch and increased traction over a fully-inflated tire. So, get on out there, and surprise yourself with what terrain you tackle with non-Beadlocks! You can even quote movies Gen Zer’s won’t understand, and you can pretend it’s an original quote- we won’t tell.
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4. Style points Broh: Bolted stuff makes a rig look badass, right? Of course, it does! Industrial, purpose-built, utilitarian stuff that gets the job done looks cool bar-none. The same is true for our rigs- we’re talking over-fenders, lighting, rail systems, bash bars, and even the wheels. The more bolts, the more badass- that’s a positive correlation: MATHEMATICAL! While yes- Beadlock wheels have… so many more bolts. If that style is what bakes your taters, then good news! There’s a ton of choices to pikachoose from.
5. Save some coin: Beadlock wheel prices start at $350 a corner- and can go well into the thousands per wheel! After you get a decent set of tires, that can be a hefty price tag! Depending on your circumstances and intentions- that’s money you could better spend on tires, lift kits, suspension, heck you could get a livery and the stuff previously mentioned. Look we don’t want to tell you how to spend your hard-earned coin, but definitely consider these 5 reasons to ditch your Beadlocks, or not buy any in the first place. If you are looking for a new set of wheels, check out our inventory at Blackhorse Wheels.com!
Thanks for reading!
