Beadlock Wheels

Beadlock Rings

So you’ve decided you want to dress up your beadlocks with a nice new set of beadlock rings. Perhaps you’re just looking to create your own by picking up some weld-on beadlock rings.  Regardless, you’ve come to the right place.  Beadlock wheels work by clamping the bead of the tire in place between the rim and an outer ring, these rings are called beadlock rings, and they come in a very wide variety of size, shapes, colors and designs.

Before we consider the cosmetic side of a good looking set of beadlock rings, let’s take a look at the benefits that each size and design of beadlock rings has.  The first thing you need to think about is what type of wheeling you do with your rig.  Do you do a lot of off-roading in the mud?  Is most of your trail time spent in the rocks? 

The inside diameter of your beadlock rings is often determined as a direct result of your type of wheeling.  Rings that have a larger width will often protect your valve stem better, but will subsequently cause more mud to get trapped inside of the wheel, throwing your rotating assembly out of balance.  So if you plan on spending most of your time in the mud, make sure you think about how well your beadlock rings will clean out.

You will also need to decide how many bolts you want (beadlock rings can have provisions for anywhere from 16-40 bolts).  The more bolts you have, the less likely you are to have a single point of failure, but at a certain point they can just become overkill.

Regardless of the size, color, or material you pick, installation is very important.  While it’s not the most difficult task, if you’re not comfortable mechanically, you may want to call someone who is.  You will discover that most tire shops will not install them for you, as they are not street legal.  So if you bought your beadlock rings to go along with a set of rims from the same manufacturer be very careful to follow the installation instructions very carefully.

As a general guide, you will install the tire over the rim, and then place your outer beadlock rings on the wheels and visually line up the bolt holes.  Then install the first four bolts in to the beadlock rings, one at 12o’clock, 6 o’clock, 3 o’clock and then at 9 o’clock.  Just turn them in 4 or 5 turns.  Next, install the bolts at the halfway point between each of the 4 you just installed.

Always make sure that you do it in a criss-crossing pattern. So once you install a bolt at 1:30, make sure to install the next one exactly across from it at 7:30.  Continue in this manner until all the bolts are started in your beadlock rings with 4 or 5 turns in them.

Now, visually inspect everything and make sure that your tire is well centered on the rim.  Many beadlock sets have special provisions to help you center your tire, but regardless, if your tire isn’t perfectly centered, you’ll run in to significant problems. 

Once you’re certain everything looks ok, tighten your bolts in the original criss-crossing pattern.  On the first pass just make them snug, then follow up with a pass at 8 ft/lbs, and then another pass again at around 14 ft/lbs.  Regardless, don’t exceed 15 ft/lbs unless specifically instructed to by your manufacturer. Despite this sounding redundant, retorque everything at least three more times. The rubber tires, and your beadlock rings can both stretch and bend as you install them, so be certain that you take this step.

Once you’ve aired them up and seated your inside bead (use soap to help with the seating) put them on your vehicle and drive around the block, then again, retorque your bolts.  Once you’re comfortable, take it down and have your tires balanced.  Above all, make sure you follow your beadlock rings’ manufacturer’s instructions very carefully when it comes to maintenance.