Keep them on a vehicle primarily used for off-road excursions, and preferably have a second vehicle for occasional and commercial use. At least have other wheels if you`re not climbing mountains. Until then, grab a pearl blocker for your off-road adventures. They are therefore not approved by the DOT. Does that mean they are illegal? It`s important to research the state you live in to be safe, but here`s our opinion. There is a lot of discussion about the legality of pearl wheels. Here`s why: Beadlock wheels are suitable for extreme off-road use. These are not for the faint of heart. For truck and jeep drivers up to the challenge, they will make a difference in your off-road fun. “Psh, no one can prove that they are not legal on the street.” Just because you`ve tightened your bead locks doesn`t mean you only do it when you`re fitting new tires. Beadlocks require regular maintenance and inspection. We`re talking about something that contains an essential part of your Jeep. This is something you don`t want to fail at highway speeds.
Beadlock wheels have an additional annular piece that fits along the perimeter of the wheel surface. During installation, slide the tire lip between the bead and the bead locking ring and tighten it with a series of sturdy screws. In this way, you lock the pearl. There is usually an air duct that allows the valve stem of the wheel to inflate the tire separately from the inflatable ball blocker. They inflate the bead blocker to attach the tire beads to their seats, then use the air pressure in the tire to adjust them. Finally, you will inflate the trunk and inflate your tires properly. Beadlock wheels are not for everyone, but for those of you who want to unleash the full potential of your off-road monster machine, beadlocks fit your goals perfectly. First, the screws of the correct length are mounted on the inner half of the wheel. The Rock Monster Wheels therefore require no maintenance. Then the rubber ball blocker is placed in the tire so that it sits between the beads of the tire.
The inside of the wheel is placed on the inside of the tire after lubrication. However, if you`re a cyclist who takes his off-road adventures seriously, you`ve probably thought about attaching a few pearl locks to your faithful trail companion. The other manufacturer is Hutchinson with its DOT Beadlock wheels under the Rock Monster Wheels brand. Unlike BAD, their internal bead locking device is clamped together by a two-piece wheel with a rubber locking ring that sits between the tire beads. Two companies manufacture DOT approved Beadlock wheels. Beadlock Assist Device (BAD) and Hutchinson wheels. We do not want to sweeten it – bead wheels have serious drawbacks. They cost a lot more, they weigh a lot more, and you could pay a lot more for a “repairable” ticket. So, with each oil change and each time you ventilate your tires, check the torque of your bead screws.
If they hatch in wells in the ring, clean them before inspecting. If a screw requires rotation, remove and inspect it and the wheel threads to make sure they haven`t been damaged in any way. The bead of the tire is located here and is tightened between it and the locking ring of the bead. So you mechanically lock the pearl on the wheel and why it got its name. Now some wheels will have a traditional heel seat and the large bridle. We`ll talk about that in a moment. There are also rumors that a professional desert racing team is currently testing something like this. It uses a wheel-tire combination that allows them to get the required footprint at a higher tire pressure and without a bead locker.
Once perfected, the off-road world will be potentially revolutionary in something no one ever thought possible. At least on the tire and the wheel in front. “I have $100 for anyone who can find evidence that the pearls are illegal in their condition.” What distinguishes a BAD Eclipse 17 from a standard pearl lock is the way it secures its locking device. The ring you see on an eclipse 17 is usually just a sacrificial beauty ring (or one of their balance rings). The screws pass through the surface of the wheel, and a locking device is located inside the wheel. When mounting the tire on the wheel, keep the inner bead loose and out of the wheel. The screws attach the ring to the wheel. These are made of high-strength steel (or even titanium for those looking for full running performance in terms of weight loss and strength) matching the length needed to assemble the ring. Some manufacturers offer longer bead bolts for thicker aluminum bushings or for cases where the tire bead is thicker. Yes, like the advertised tire size, the pearls vary from one tire manufacturer to another. If a few screws came loose, the tire could quickly deflate.
If you`re driving at 80 miles per hour on the highway, we don`t have to tell you that the sudden loss of one of your wheels causes problems. If a product is sold as “For off-road use only” or “Not legal for highway use”, is it illegal for the customer to install it in a road vehicle? What is the purpose of a bead lock, what types are there, why should you use them and when? We will talk about pearl strands in this article. Similar to previous articles, you`ll probably want to read it as well as the basic articles of the wheel before continuing this article. A few terms could be glossed over here. Don`t worry, if you happen to get lost in a term, come back to it. Almost all other terms are fully referenced. While holding the wheel bolts, slide the bead locking device over the bolts. They then squeeze the nuts until they are all tight and tight.
These wheels are also “maintenance-free” and achieve this by using a hairpin clip on the screws. This prevents the nuts from loosening and causing the pearls to fail. The only major problem with these locking wheels is that they are not legally approved by the Department of Transportation (DOT). In some states, they may not be legal because they may not allow wheels that are multi-piece or do not have DOT approval. If so, there are legal beadlocks that can be used on the highway and function as a functional beadlock. However, if the owner plans to ventilate, he can remove the outer bead from his seats and replace the display ring with a real locking ring. This makes the wheel a real beaded wheel with all the pros and cons that come with it. “There are real Beadlock wheels that are legal on the street and FAKE wheels that are not!” There are only three main components for a ball wheel: the wheel, the ring and all the screws. At Rent A Wheel we offer a variety of beaded wheels for trucks and jeeps, including the KMC KS250 or MSA M37 Brute. Both are powerful and high-quality heel locking wheels. No? Then you`ve probably never heard of Beadlock wheels, and you probably don`t need them.
Again, we can`t stress enough: check your bead bolts as part of your regular maintenance and before your tires deflate and after inflating. If you drive a lot off-road at this time, you need to be able to reduce your tire pressure low enough to maintain the wide contact area or sidewall bending for rocks. If this is the case, you will need a pearl blocker. Would you like to be interested in what these wheels might look like on your vehicle? Check out our state-of-the-art visualizer, where we have almost every brand, model, and color option available.
