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Real or fake beadlocks


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Be thankful they're fake. Last I new, real beadlocks were not legal for use on public roads.

 

Why's that?  Legitimate question.

 

I'd take a guess and say it's damn near impossible to balance out a bead locked wheel, because seating that bead just right is difficult. High vibrations could mean devastating results at high speeds. Bead locks should be reserved for large tires on strictly off road rigs that frequently air down to 5 psi or so, because a regular bead on a tire would likely pop at that low of pressure. 

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Use balance beads.

 

I see on the Ultimate Adventure they had issues with that Cummins truck breaking Beadlocks bolts, on the street....

 

Yes it's not legal but I personally have never heard anyone get pinched for it. Could always just say they are fake unless you get a educated officer.... Play dumb.

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I have balance beads in my tires, as do my buddies with beadlocks.  They balance out just fine.   I assume the reason they aren't DOT approved is that the bolts could loosen up, which means they could fall out and hit other cars, or the tire could completely come off.   Just a guess.   Take a few bolts out, you'll be able to tell if they are real.

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I have balance beads in my tires, as do my buddies with beadlocks. They balance out just fine. I assume the reason they aren't DOT approved is that the bolts could loosen up, which means they could fall out and hit other cars, or the tire could completely come off. Just a guess. Take a few bolts out, you'll be able to tell if they are real.

Should I deflate the tire first?

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Yes it's not legal but I personally have never heard anyone get pinched for it. Could always just say they are fake unless you get a educated officer.... Play dumb.

It's highly unlikely that anyone would get pinched for having beadlocks on the street. The potential risk is that if you are in an accident caused by a blown tire (even if the blowout wasn't caused by the beadlock), your insurance might decline to pay, and if anyone is injured you could be facing a civil liability lawsuit.

 

Why take the chance? As PFCLeist commented above, the purpose of beadlocks (hence the name) is to retain the bead with the tire aired down to very low pressures. They are completely unnecessary at normal, street driving tire pressures.

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Yes I agree.

 

But if you are forced to drive your rig to the trail and you want low pressures....

 

I have wheeled for years on standard 15x8 steel wheels with 10 lbs of air in a radial tire and I have never popped a tire off the wheel, wheeling. I did peal a tire getting towed out of trail one time tho.

 

No Beadlocks on the street for me.

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Be thankful they're fake. Last I knew, real beadlocks were not legal for use on public roads.

 

{Edited 9/2/2014 to correct abysmal typing skills}

 

There are few street legal beadlock wheels out there, they are few and far between and extremely expensive.

 

Non of he DIY beadlock wheels, nor even the Staun internal beadlocks are street legal because you have to modify the wheels. The moment you do anything to a wheel except for painting or cleaning it you void the DOT certification.

 

Unmodified Humvee double beadlocks *might* be street legal. They do have a DOT stamp in them, But they also have a stamp that reads "For military use only."

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As to the legality of bead locks:

 

Although I have not researched every state I have researched several and not one of them has anything making the use of bead locks a criminal/traffic offense. Moreover not one person has ever provided a state law banning them no matter how many times I have asked for them on various boards. Based on the best available info at this time my conclusion is that bead locks being illegal is a rumor along the lines of anything attributed to the infamous "they" as in " You know they say..."

 

Some argue that because the wheels are not submitted to the federal DOT to be tested that they are not legal.  A couple of points:

 

First off federal DOT rules regarding such things almost exclusively apply to manufacturers, not individuals. Even so do you think JCR submitted their bumpers to the feds to see if they equal or exceed the OEM specs and received a number for the certification? I don't. Yet DOT specs exist for bumpers. Should we all remove our aftermarket and home-built bumpers? 

 

Secondly most bead lock rims are rims from major manufacturers that have been modified. They have been submitted for certification prior to modding. Do you re-submit your jeep for re-testing every time you modify it, such as with the bumper example above or if you do not have a functioning TPMS? Hell no and there isn't even a process for you to do so, anyway!

 

DOT rules that apply to interstate commerce are also applied to a business, even if it is a lone trucker, and not individuals. Many states, including Ohio, have commercial carrier laws that apply only to commercial carriers. 

 

Everything you do to modify a vehicle potentially opens you up to litigation or insurance issues.Your brakes were not designed to stop the heavier rolling mass of big tires and rims. Did that cause you to rear-end that Pinto thus burning a family alive? Did that metal bumper inflict more damage than the stock one would have?. Did your lift,  certainly not a factory piece, cause a lessening of control that kept you from avoiding hitting my client? Did the height of that modified bumper cause a greater injury? The list goes on and on. The mere act of DRIVING opens you up to litigation and insurance issues if any other party wishes to make it so. This is doubly true if your vehicle is modified from stock in any way. Heck the mere act of LIVING does that. If someone is truly that paranoid stay at home...but not in the bathroom as that place is dangerous.  :rotf:

 

I will try this again: If anyone can post up a link to verifiable information as to a law that not only bans bead locks on a private citizen's vehicle but also makes it illegal by specifically prohibiting it and ascribing a penalty please do so. And stories that  your cousin Jed's sister's babysitter's boyfriend got a ticket for it is in no way admissible. It would take a link to a state's law website or at least a code number and wording so that it could be verified. I have been waiting years for such things with no success. As such I will follow my research regarding the legality of bead locks. Anyone reading this is free to do their own research and reach their own conclusions.

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I have balance beads in my tires, as do my buddies with beadlocks. They balance out just fine. I assume the reason they aren't DOT approved is that the bolts could loosen up, which means they could fall out and hit other cars, or the tire could completely come off. Just a guess. Take a few bolts out, you'll be able to tell if they are real.

Should I deflate the tire first?

 

 

You would have to, you have to break the bead of the tire to put the balance beads inside of it.

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Not necessarily. Actual balancing beads are small enough to fit through the valve stem. Of course the valve core needs to be removed first. If using Airsoft BBs, then yes, you have to break a bead.

 

As for the bolts loosening, I doubt it. It is more likely that 5 lug nuts loosen rather than 32 beadlock bolts. The legality comes from the wheels not being DOT approved. I don't know of anyone who has actually been pulled over for it, but in case of an accident investigation it is something to be considered

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