Weld-On Beadlocks

[JFjeld]

I alluded to it in a previous post, but I'm in the process of installing weld-on beadlocks on my TJ. I already have a very capable TJ, complete with front and rear selectable lockers, but I'm wanting to take my rig to the next level. I've become increasingly frustrated with the rigidity of the sidewalls in my Cooper Discoverer STTs even at 6-8 psi, so beadlocks were the logical choice. I've been running the Cragar Soft 8 steel wheels; so rather than spend another $400/wheel on new wheels, I chose the weld-on beadlocks from Total Metal Innovations.

Below is my progress. Note that I have zero fabrication skills, so I sent out my wheels/inner rings for welding from a reputable local 4x4 shop, Brucker Brothers, Ltd. With the beadlock rings, hardware, welding expense, paint, and including the price of the wheels purchased 5 years ago, I estimate an investment of about $180/wheel.

• TMI Beadlocks: https://totalmetalinnovations.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=130&products_id=382
• Install Instructions: http://totalmetalinnovations.com/index.php?main_page=page&id=4

This is how the inner/outer rings come shipped:


A long weekend of priming, painting, and clear-coat:





I plan to start the mounting/balancing on Wednesday. Stay-tuned...

 

[Ahoragi]

Man I bet those wheels are heavy now huh?

 

[JFjeld]

Man I bet those wheels are heavy now huh?

I estimate I added 10-15 pounds per wheel, but yeah, the steelies with the Cooper Discoverers were already pretty heavy. I never really thought about the weight until I was at my neighbor's house yesterday (another TJ owner) and lifted his aluminum wheel with a 35. Big difference. If this was a daily driver, I'd probably care more...

 

[Chris]

Impressive! I suppose when you get to that level that you're at, this becomes one of the only options.

 

[JFjeld]

Holy hell! I totally understand all the bitching about mounting these bastards. Torquing down the 32 bolts takes quite a few passes so everything stays tight. I got one mostly done but haven't fully seated it yet. My goal is to have everything done and on the Jeep to check for leaks by the weekend.

 

[JFjeld]

Finished up this weekend. Once the 32 bolts were snugged down, it took approximately 3-4 passes to fully torque all bolts to 20 ft/lbs. I then filled each with approximately 10 oz. of airsoft bbs for balancing, before seating the tire. I sprayed with a soap/water mixture to ensure no obvious leaks. I'll check back in a few days to ensure no air loss. I drove to the car wash and the ride was fairly smooth; didn't get much above 45. The real test will be driving to the trail and testing these babies out!

 

[Stinger]

Looks great

 

[Slepnir]

Looking good. Not understanding the air soft bb's part. Never heard of that. Is that in your tire?

 

[Ahoragi]

They balance the tire.

Checkout http://www.innovativebalancing.com/ for more info.

I've run dynabeads and airsoft in the past with some good results.

 

[JFjeld]

^^ Yes, what he said . They go right in the tire and balance dynamically as the tire rotates.

 

[JFjeld]

Update: The wheels have not lost any air in the two weeks since I finished. I finally had a chance to take the Jeep on a wheeling trip on Saturday. The trail was 2.5 hours each way, which gave me plenty of time to evaluate the balance of the tire. I'm happy to report the 10oz. of airsoft bbs I added to each tire seems to be the correct amount to keep the tires balanced.