Bead locks, Do I need em?

tech701

tech701

Member
Joined
Mar 23, 2005
Location
Clayton
You see, I already have a set of 15x10 steel locks with 35" tsl's. They're great don't get me wrong. It's an added since of confidence on the trail just having them. But..... it kinda seems like I'm loosing a significant amount of power out of my four banger spinning that much mass. I like to hit trails like lower 2 and sometimes play on the rocks at Crawford's, and one day I'd like to go to Moab. But most of the time its places like Uwharrie. So is it worth it to have the extra confidence of knowing I wont loose a bead, or do you guys think I could get away with regular set of rims and a can of starting fluid.
 
Guess I forgot to mention that I'm running 5.1 in the t'case and 4.88 cogs in the punkins. Crawl ration of about 91 to 1. I couldn't imagine being geared any lower, although I know many folks prefer way lower.
 
With my 4cyl I like my 2nd gear low range, about 104 krawl, so you're right in the same range. I guess if you feel like you need less mass you could let the locks go but I'd be looking for other places to save weight first.
 
might try the staun type or switch to a alum. wheel. When i had the zuke it didnt take much extra mass to make a difference, i was happy with MTRs running a little higher air pressure and more wheel spin...
 
I have never regretted the day I got my bead locks. Before them I had 8 inch wheels, and didn't loose a bead. before that I had 10 inch wheels and lost one or two every time I went out. But in neither case was I able to run as low of air pressure as I do now. 3lbs front, 4lbs rear.
 
yager said:
might try the staun type or switch to a alum. wheel. When i had the zuke it didnt take much extra mass to make a difference, i was happy with MTRs running a little higher air pressure and more wheel spin...
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I agree with Mike. The Stauns weigh next to nothing and they really aren't that expensive for a double beadlock. I have been very pleased with my Stauns so far.
 
And I know a Saun Dealer in the area that does quite a few of them and can hook you up with a good price on the rims and installation if you get interested.

Give me a shout.

Andy
 
I run 33x13.50 LTBs on 15x8s on my 4 banger TJ. I run them with about 8psi off road. I've never lost a bead, but if I had bead locks, I'd probably be running them with 3-4psi. I'm just not going to risk going that low without bead locks. LTBs are STIFF! Even with 8psi, they don't flex a bit on my TJ - they look like they're fully inflated. They'll conform to rocks and roots a bit, but I'd love to have them at 3-4psi off road. So, yeah, if you have the $$$, go bead locks.
 
linvillegorge- brings up an excellent point :)

Matching the tire to the vehicle. Sometimes you need a big wide tire. Sand, mud etc.. Sometimes a tall skinny works best. Reminds me of a video from one of Sheldons trips to tellico, Helecopter pad was denying everyone.. no traction etc.. guy in smallish TJ with 32x10.5s walks up.. It's all about tire contact size and preasure..

If you got a wide tire you will likley need more let out alot of air to get your contact pressure up. With a narrow tire you might have the same amount of contact size/pressure at a higher tire PSI. Also little things like tire sipes can make a world of difference. Age, tread of a tire.. all the detail.. The usual fix is, run low air pressue...

But is all the lost ground clearance worth it ? At URE ? At tellico ? Paragon ? lots to consider...
 
Joel said:
I agree with Mike. The Stauns weigh next to nothing and they really aren't that expensive for a double beadlock. I have been very pleased with my Stauns so far.
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I love my stauns and it helped with my rolling mass as well. I picked up a bunch of power going from Trailreadys to the stauns, I also changed to a lighter tire too.

Another vote for stauns
 
not so simple

yager said:
linvillegorge- brings up an excellent point :)
Matching the tire to the vehicle. Sometimes you need a big wide tire. Sand, mud etc.. Sometimes a tall skinny works best. Reminds me of a video from one of Sheldons trips to tellico, Helecopter pad was denying everyone.. no traction etc.. guy in smallish TJ with 32x10.5s walks up.. It's all about tire contact size and preasure..
If you got a wide tire you will likley need more let out alot of air to get your contact pressure up. With a narrow tire you might have the same amount of contact size/pressure at a higher tire PSI. Also little things like tire sipes can make a world of difference. Age, tread of a tire.. all the detail.. The usual fix is, run low air pressue...
But is all the lost ground clearance worth it ? At URE ? At tellico ? Paragon ? lots to consider...
Click to expand...
This is the best answer I have seen on the board in a long time vs. following the usual thinking instead of using your head. Our group runs no beadlocks but we have OBA. We have lost only one bead and have done Tellico including Lower 2 in the rain with 6-12 lbs. Of course that bead was dangerous and took a while to fix in bad position. My friend with fresh Truxxus 34s at 8lbs, did way better than beadlocked, cut boggers on Lower 2. Too many factors involved...
 
yager said:
linvillegorge- brings up an excellent point :)
Matching the tire to the vehicle. Sometimes you need a big wide tire. Sand, mud etc.. Sometimes a tall skinny works best. Reminds me of a video from one of Sheldons trips to tellico, Helecopter pad was denying everyone.. no traction etc.. guy in smallish TJ with 32x10.5s walks up.. It's all about tire contact size and preasure..
If you got a wide tire you will likley need more let out alot of air to get your contact pressure up. With a narrow tire you might have the same amount of contact size/pressure at a higher tire PSI. Also little things like tire sipes can make a world of difference. Age, tread of a tire.. all the detail.. The usual fix is, run low air pressue...
But is all the lost ground clearance worth it ? At URE ? At tellico ? Paragon ? lots to consider...
Click to expand...

I agree 100%.

I used to review some video's of my jeep running 33x10.50 AT's on the same obstacles as when I ran my 12.50 TSL's. My YJ is a light 4 banger, and about 60% of the time, the skinny tires worked to my advantage over the TSL's. The main draw back was flimsy sidewalls on a tire that always seemed to be back ordered (at the time).
 
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