Aftermarket beadlock rings

[nd2002]

edit: flimsy metal

I’m no metallurgist, but they seemed pretty damn solid to me (to be able to drill through).

Have you removed one and checked it out? Might be worth doing.

Sponsored

 

[Roll Sound]

This is an amazing thread. They are not flimsy metal. Hahahaha.

 

[Roll Sound]

Or plastic!!

 

[BlueBronco]

And it would be quite simple to clamp one atop another, offset by so many degrees (15 to be precise) and a home workshop drill press or even a handheld drill and your 12 hole ring now has 24 holes.

This is actually a great idea if one wantes to get a beadlock look. Get some pins to line up the bolt holes, clock the top ring one bolt hole left. Mark and drill. Clock right, mark and drill. Boom, done.

 

[JohnnyBronco]

let me clarify for you, since I was either very unclear or you completely missed the point.

i want 24 bolt beauty rings - gives it the beadlock look WITHOUT the hassle of re-tightening every empty gas tank AND avoids the technicality of DOT safety. (oh man he's faking it, why didn't he just spend the $1000, that's chump change)

i went wheeling at 15psi without beadlocks, unsafe? - I am asking if going to 15psi without beadlocks is safe or not, which was already answered, I can see how this can be too vague for some people.

also, I'm not going to just "simply drill holes" into the factory rings, that shit would be crooked as hell and probably crack one, they're just plastic. I am not about to pay to have them drilled.

Yes, I guess I missed the point. My impression was Beauty rings are just beauty and non-functional for any purpose other than looks. And when installs actual beadlocks they come with functional rings that actually do something (like connect to the lock that is inside the tire)

Obviously I also missed any discussion that the thousands of Broncos out there everyone has to retighten their beauty rings every 300 miles - glad I have plain wheels if that's the case or the beauty rings would be hanging on a hook.

And, no I did not read through the whole thread but certainly you would have received a correct answer that rolling at 15psi without beadlocks was not unsafe (depending on the terrain) but between the lines you did return safe with no flats I presumed.

I do not deny that beadlocks have a purpose and rock crawling between rocks that are closer than your tires are wide or racing across Baja at speed limiter but if the purpose is sand crawling at 15 mph in the off-road area north of Corolla, NC then no, you don't need actual beadlocks for that, even at 15 psi

My suggestion was only that if you wanted the 24 hole look without buying anything you could double up the holes in what you have - or buy a set of 24's with the same hole location diameter and only use half the holes - otherwise you will be buying a full set of wheels.

And unless someone knows better, a beadlock only locks the outer bead and keeps tire from turning relative to the rim if you lose inflation or the friction of the surface you are driving on overcomes the friction between tire and rim. It cannot by design prevent a rock or other obstacle from deflating the tire from the non-outer side of the wheel

 

[lobbs611]

You price out aluminum billet and a CNC mill with a 20” x 20” bed lately?

Price out 5 full beadlock wheels?

It can be done for like 670 if you shop hard, there is no better way currently. Doubt anyone do rings for much cheaper that are high quality.

If you need them, you need them.

Yup. All this. People really have no idea how expensive, in both material and machining, things like this can be that are of any quality.

 

[lobbs611]

Obviously I also missed any discussion that the thousands of Broncos out there everyone has to retighten their beauty rings every 300 miles - glad I have plain wheels if that's the case or the beauty rings would be hanging on a hook.

Huh? The beauty rings shouldn't need to be re-tightened every 300 miles...the Bronco "bead-lock capable wheels" have two distinct areas of the wheels to bead the tire. Use the inner bead and they function like any other conventional wheel out there. In this scenario, the beauty rings are just that. They are there to look pretty and cover up the threaded holes. To use them as bead-locks, you'd mount the outside bead of the tire to the outer groove and use the functional 24 bolt bead lock ring that everyone is talking about to clamp the tire's bead. Under no proper usage scenario, is the 12-bolt beauty ring from the factory being used to secure the bead and needing to be checked on a regular basis.

 

[JohnnyBronco]

Huh? The beauty rings shouldn't need to be re-tightened every 300 miles...the Bronco "bead-lock capable wheels" have two distinct areas of the wheels to bead the tire. Use the inner bead and they function like any other conventional wheel out there. In this scenario, the beauty rings are just that. They are there to look pretty and cover up the threaded holes. To use them as bead-locks, you'd mount the outside bead of the tire to the outer groove and use the functional 24 bolt bead lock ring that everyone is talking about to clamp the tire's bead. Under no proper usage scenario, is the 12-bolt beauty ring from the factory being used to secure the bead and needing to be checked on a regular basis.

It was not me complaining about retightening "every empty fuel tank" . I would not expect any nuts or bolts to work loose if properly installed.

And maybe this thread or a different one, the torx bolts holding the beauty rings have threadlock.

 

[Werkedperformance]

There is what appears to be a centering ring built into the lock rings. These are thick. Made from over 1” thick blocks

 

[BottleShark]

Yup. All this. People really have no idea how expensive, in both material and machining, things like this can be that are of any quality.

There are companies that make steel beadlock rims. I would be fine with steel rings if it was a bit cheaper. Heck, I can get the complete Rough Country hidden winch mount, 12,000 pound winch AND wiring for less then 5 beadlock rings. That is just dumb and over priced.

BUT, maybe I'm just being cheap............

Hidden Winch Mount | Ford Bronco 4WD (2021-2022) | Rough Country

 

[Werkedperformance]

Welp.

Sponsored