Running beadlocks on the highway?

I've seen people saying not to run Bead locks if you use your vehicle on the highway. However I like the look of a bead lock rim. is there any truth to that statement? And if so why is it that way? I work at a tire shop. I do tires of all sizes. I know a thing or two but with my knowledge of standard rims and how a tire attaches I cant seem to figure out what the problem is. To me as long as you torque the lock ring bolts to the specified ft-lb then you should be okay. But that's what this forum is for. Asking questions you don't know the answer to and hopefully getting the answer you're looking for. I use my truck as a daily driver. I run M/T tires. I don't rock climb or anything like that. I do like to play in the mud however. I was hoping that someone could clear this and provide an explanation. Thanks

- Jw Simpson
P.S. Are there any members from Georgia who would be interested in meeting up and possibly doing some off-roading?

 

@G.T. @bullaculla

 

Home made / custom built BLs aren’t legal for use on public roads. Most don’t care, but some do. Had to turn back into Canada once to help a mate find some cheap wheels and tires so he could cross back into the States.

I run BLs all the time but they are Hutchinson Rock Monsters and are DOT approved. Not the least expensive option but removes all the legal issues that might arise.

 

If you work at a tire shop and are TIA certified then you should know that bead locks are illegal to use on the road.

 

I'f you don't need them why buy them? They are more expensive and much more of a pain in the ass to mount.
Have you ever blown a bead? Do you have the need to air down to 5psi for traction?
There are tons of wheels out there that are not bead locks but still have the fake bead lock look.

 

I'm not TIA certified. I've worked on vehicles and such my whole life. It's in my blood. My dad works for Delta Airlines in Atlanta. I work at the Tire Shop after school. and during the summer. Seeing as to how im a Junior in Highschool

 

I was also considering a cb radio. but I was cautios of the load on my alternator/battery being that have a lightbar, aftermarket radio, all time charge usb outlet, its a brand new alternator (my stock one went out one night while I was visiting some friends) would a cb and possibly an air compressor for airbags be too much?

 

Lots of great information to be found here on TacomaWorld, find some free time and just browse through the different sections. You’ll find detailed answers to your electrical questions waiting for you.

Welcome to TacomaWorld.

 

Beadlocks sit in a grey area of the law. Do your own research and look around every site you can find and make your own conclusions. There aren't many people that run them on TW so it's not a good source for information.

If you aren't rock crawling, doing high speed desert stuff, or have less than 35" tires they aren't really worth it. Beadlocks aren't something that you run for "looks".

 

The oem "beadlocks" are a good option. The ring is larger than many aftermarket wheels, and removable.

 

As mentioned above, real beadlocks are not something you run just for looks. They are prone to slow leaks, difficult to balance, and a lot of work to dismount and mount. Although it's rumored all over the internet that they're not street legal, it's probably iffy on whether a cop could or would write you a ticket.

I run beadlock wheels on my Ford because I debeaded a tire running it a 9PSI. I don't run them on the road because I don't want to wear out my comp cut Boggers. I drive on highway tires to the mud, swap them out when I get there and then change back to the highway tires at the end of the day. Here's pics of my truck.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/just-how-capable-is-my-tacoma.570249/page-3#post-18803357

As for your electrical question, you can run as much electrical stuff as you want, as long as your continuous use does not exceed the output of the alternator. A winch or a 2000 watt inverter draws much more than the alternator puts out but you only run them intermittently.

Look at it this way. Your battery is like a bucket of water. Your alternator is filling the bucket. Your electrical loads are like holes in the bucket. If you have a bunch of tiny holes, the bucket remains full because you're filling it faster than you're draining it. Now if you have a very large hole, you can drain it for a short period of time and then stop and let the bucket fill back up.

 

if you like the look just get fake ones. DOT approved and can look the same.

 

This ^

 

And they are sexy

 

SCS RAY10’s.

All you’ve ever need.

 

Getting ready to pull them and list them for sale. Going to switch out for homemade BLs and then just run street wheels until I get to where I’m going.

 

That's what I do. I welded up a lifting thing with a boat winch on it, that plugs into the receiver hitch. It works great to lift the wheels up onto the tailgate and then roll them into the bed.

 

I’m selling the whole rear bed with FlipPac and HC bumper to build a tray and canopy. Keeping the trailer and building a boat loader onto the canopy so I can mount the crawling wheels onto the top of the trailer.

 

Very cool!