Lets talk about beadlocks, A?

[Primo]

So I searched the forum for some talk on beadlocks, didn't find much.
So lets talk about them.
I have absolutely no experience with them, they are not street legal here in utah with the exception of one Brand, this one. http://www.high-impact.net/wheels/dot_approved_beadlocks.htm
These are the first 50 state legal dot aprooved beadlock wheels ever.
Still I am not sure that I wan't to go this rout. I really like the idea of having a set of beadlocks with some tsl's of some sort (I really like the truxus) and my stock rims with some nice all terrains for street use.
It just so turns out that 33" tsl's are a lil spendy ($200.00 ish) and say tires like my yokahoma geolanders not only cost tons less they have a 60k mile warenty on them thus the reason for keeping a set of them around.

So say I want a affordable option for beadlocks, what are some of the things you all have found?
I think we should really get into this one so that we can all have means of figureing out what is for us or not for us.

It might be cool to have a set of the high impact bead locks so that if you need to hit the pavement between trails or if you have a trail close to home but need to drive alittle bit o pave you can do so leagally.

I know there is the whole tow rig option too and for some of you that is the way to go but I will always want to drive my xj both on road and off.

What do yous guys think???:hmmmm2:

[2000XJ]

Good topic.

You could always go with Staun Internal Beadlocks. They're a little pricey as well, but they're hidden within the tire so no one would actually know that you have beadlocks.

Another good option is a set of DIY Weld-On beadlocks. Basically you weld on a ring to something like the Cragar Soft 8's, and then you get the actual beadlock ring and bolt it on. I have seen tons of these in action and they work flawlessly and can be used with a variety of rims.

[Mudderoy]

Oh and they are not DOT approved so they are not legal to run on the public roads. Still when I visited 4 Wheel Drive Parts here in Houston, there was at least 5 rigs in the parking lot running bead locks. I was going to run them on my daily driver until I got a ticket. I think the look cool, but I want the for the functionality not just the looks.

[4.3LXJ]

Normal bead locks can be a pain in the backside. You have to retorque them bolts often or they will back out. Another issue brought out in one of the magazines I get is that not all tires are the same thickness in the bead. So it is possible to be using a 3/4" thick bead on a bead lock designed for a 5/8" bead. The result is that the ring will not seat properly. Personally, I will use the Staun bead locks on some Mickey Thompson Classic wheels with a fake ring on it. The nice thing about the Staun is it also gives you run flat capability. As for price, have you priced some of the bead locks lately?

[TXstiGUY]

Internal beadlocks functional and no tickets :cool0010: http://www.offroaders.com/directory/products/Staun-Internal-Bead-Lock.htm

[Primo]

Awsome start guys!!! I would really like this post to be a full on buyers guide for all XJ'ers so lets keep going.

So I add. . .
Staun BL's start at around (each) $120.00
High impact Rock monsters start around (each) $380.00
Jconcepts 3314 Wheels with beadlocks start around (each) $48.00
DIY rings That you dont DIY you mail out (each) $175.00
Diy rings That you do DIY (each) $20.00 to $100.00

I know there are a lot of other options and I will add them (the good ones any way) to this post as we discover prices.

I love the staun option, my only question is how hard is it to change the tires when you need to?

[RTPG]

STAUN!

You get 2 bead locks with each Staun!

I have ran/sold the Staun's since they 1st came out and they are awesome!

I use Staun's in my Land Cruiser (don't flame me) and I wheel the you know what out of it.

When it came time to build my 1st XJ I didn't even have to think about what beadlocks I would run. In fact... I ordered the Staun's before I even had the Jeep titled in my name. :eek:

I run ZERO PSI in my TSL's and 35 PSI in my Staun's. I can pretty much go anywhere!

Here's my Land Cruiser in the snow climbing a huge crack in the rocks:

http://www.4wheelingplus.com/images/funny-rocks-102007-fj40.jpg

No trick photography here. That is the angle of the rocks.

That crack is tough in the summer let alone in the snow. I couldn't have made this far without letting all the air out of my TSL tires.

If I didn't have Staun beadlocks I might have popped a bead. :mad:

Also: The steel "bolt on" beadlocks are pretty cool but besides all the legality issues, retourquing (sp?) issues, there is the fact that they only lock one side/bead. :confused:

What happens when you are side hilling and the inside bead pops off?? :eek::eek::eek:

[xj4life2]

Although I have not personally run the Stauns I have sold many and have had nothing but great reports back. I would definately say Staun is at the top of my list.

[4.3LXJ]

There is another issue that the Stauns cover that a conventional beadlock does not. If you lower the tire pressure a little too much, 12# in the case of my swampers, the construction of the inner bead on the down hill tire distorts and you loose your air on the side that is not locked. The Stauns keep both beads locked and take care of that issue.

[Mudderoy]

Did I read that with the internal bead locks you can run the tires flat?

I might need to elude the police and I'd like to have these if they put the spikes out. :patriot:

[4.3LXJ]

:hitsfan: Naughty naughty

[2000XJ]

Don't mean to hijack, but can someone fully explain the science behind the Stauns. I wasn't aware that you could run such an extreme difference in PSI between the beadlock and the tire.

I've tried several times to understand the Stauns, and have looked at their diagrams/photos but it just doesn't seem to fully make sense. Also, how is the install done on them?

[4.3LXJ]

Think of the Stauns as a belted inner tube. The belt is in the middle on the outside, much like the belts under the tread of your tires. The side walls are soft and stretch like a regular inner tube. You drill another hole in the rim, and have two valve stems. The Staun you inflate to 50 #. The other tubeless stem is surrounded by a spacer on both sides that goes under the Staun to one side and up past side of the Staun. That way when air is put in with this valve stem it is connected to the rest of the volume of air in the tire.

[Primo]

STAUN!

You get 2 bead locks with each Staun!

I have ran/sold the Staun's since they 1st came out and they are awesome!

I use Staun's in my Land Cruiser (don't flame me) and I wheel the you know what out of it.

When it came time to build my 1st XJ I didn't even have to think about what beadlocks I would run. In fact... I ordered the Staun's before I even had the Jeep titled in my name. :eek:

I run ZERO PSI in my TSL's and 35 PSI in my Staun's. I can pretty much go anywhere!

Here's my Land Cruiser in the snow climbing a huge crack in the rocks:

http://www.4wheelingplus.com/images/funny-rocks-102007-fj40.jpg

No trick photography here. That is the angle of the rocks.

That crack is tough in the summer let alone in the snow. I couldn't have made this far without letting all the air out of my TSL tires.

If I didn't have Staun beadlocks I might have popped a bead. :mad:

Also: The steel "bolt on" beadlocks are pretty cool but besides all the legality issues, retourquing (sp?) issues, there is the fact that they only lock one side/bead. :confused:

What happens when you are side hilling and the inside bead pops off?? :eek::eek::eek:

Very good points all of them. I did not know that they came in pairs, care to share how mutch you got them for or what your retial price for a set of 4 say 8 inchers?

[RTPG]

Don't mean to hijack, but can someone fully explain the science behind the Stauns. I wasn't aware that you could run such an extreme difference in PSI between the beadlock and the tire.

I've tried several times to understand the Stauns, and have looked at their diagrams/photos but it just doesn't seem to fully make sense. Also, how is the install done on them?
No real science. Just an inner tube inside a heavy duty casing. Add air to the inner tube and it naturally pushes both tire beads onto the rims.

They are not hard to install if you have a tire machine. Our local tire shop charges us $35 per tire/rim combo for a 33" tire. It goes up $5 per tire size so a 35" tire is $40 and a 36" tire is $45, etc.

Here's a link with more details and pics of the Staun install on my Land Cruiser: http://www.4wheelingplus.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=415

NOTE: The pics of the pink Stauns going into my 36" Swampers are the original versions that I had installed 3.5 years ago. I am happy to report that they are still working perfectly!

Staun has improved these a lot over the years and they are now even easier to install and are supposed to have a much better life expenctancy.

The only maintenance I do on my Stauns is to check the Staun and tire air pressure before each wheeling trip. I make sure the Stauns are above 35lbs and that the TSL's are below 20lbs. When I get to the trail I deflate the TSL's to under 5lbs. Sometimes I let all the air out and run them at ZERO PSI!

When I get back to the trailer/home I put about 10-20 psi into the tires so the sidewalls don't bulge so much. Just a personal thing I guess? :confused:

[RTPG]

Here's a pic showing the original Staun's in a tire:

http://store.4wheelingplus.com/images/staun-beadlock-benis.jpg

[warrpath4x4]

i have a set of http://innerairlock.com/ i got them when they first came out and were on sale. now you can get a set of 4 for $450+ s&h.

basic setup like a staun, from what ive heard if you do manage to pop a staun you have to buy another from a dealer (like i said, from what ive heard). with the inner airlocks you can go to any tire shop and buy a replacement tube.

other options are tek screws (self tapping screws), re-centering a set of H1 rims.

[RTPG]

i have a set of http://innerairlock.com/ i got them when they first came out and were on sale. now you can get a set of 4 for $450+ s&h.

basic setup like a staun, from what ive heard if you do manage to pop a staun you have to buy another from a dealer (like i said, from what ive heard). with the inner airlocks you can go to any tire shop and buy a replacement tube.

other options are tek screws (self tapping screws), re-centering a set of H1 rims.
Those look like copy cats of the Stauns??? I like the black look but you don't get to see them once they are installed. :(

They look similar to the Stauns but I doubt they have the testing and engineering resources that Staun has to perfect them?

Staun offers a 5 year warranty whereas the innerairlock system has a 1 year warranty.

To try to clear up what you heard about the tubes: Staun uses a heavy duty low profile innertube with a valve stem that is threaded all the way to the tube. This is key for proper tire sealing and tube longevity. That does make it a little harder to find a spare at your local tire store BUT Staun and all of their numerous World Wide dealers sell extra tubes for $15+ depending on what size you need. Remember that these are not typical "motorcycle" inertubes like others might be using.

Now: I tried calling innerairlock to get some more details on their product but I got an answering machine. If they are anything like me, they are under a Jeep in their shop with dirt in their eyes and can't get to the phone before it stops ringing. :smiley-laughing021:

As for the screws: It works! I wheeled the you know what out of a set of 33" TSL's for 10+ years after screwing the beads to the rims. My dad gave me the idea after telling me stories of when he was drag racing in the 60's and they used screws to hold the drag slicks on the rims.

Take a look: http://www.4wheelingplus.com/beadlocks/

[LizardRunner]

Staun and the hummer bead lock rims are about the same. The principles they both use are nearly identical and these two are the only truely locking beads. Most on the market are for one bead on the tire, the out side bead. so that leaves your inner bead loose and able to roll out, which will cause devistation to the rig's suspension. I have been looking at the Staun and the military humer bead lock rims. for the Hummer bead lock rims, The more bolts to hold the two rim halves together, the better. Hummer's come in 8 bolt and 12 bolt configurations. The 12 bolt model will hold enough air to pass inspections, plus it will allow 50+ miles per hour, the 8 bolt won't. It seems to me that if you are wanting real bead locks, there are only the double bead lock systems to even think about. The Staun and the inner air lock are basicly an innertube designed to pinch the beads to the rim, does mean that you can use regular rims so who would know you are bead locked, but these two are just a second, dual bead locking system. Before you decide, think of your tires as you would an engine, would you want to run your in line 6 cylinder on only three cylinders? that's basicly what you do if you run outer bead locks only, you've left half your beads unlocked. I've seen what a blown inner bead can do to a suspension, it ain't pretty, but it sure is expensive to fix.