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Tire Beadlock
Purpose
Air pressure within a tire forces its bead against the wheel rim and ensures
that they rotate as a single unit. When more traction is needed for an off-road
vehicle's tires, drivers will often lower the air pressure to cause the tread to
spread out and create a larger contact patch. This practice can create a safety
hazard as there may not be enough pressure to secure the tire to the wheel. In
certain situations where there is a lot of pressure pushing the tire to one side
or the other, the bead of the tire may come off the wheel. It is also possible
for the tire to have more traction on the ground than there is friction between
the tire and wheel. In this case the wheel would spin within the tire without
being able to turn the tire. Beadlocks are therefore designed to "lock" the bead
of the tire onto the wheel.
Standard beadlocks
A standard beadlock is designed to clamp the tire bead between an outer and an
inner ring. The inner ring may be welded onto a standard wheel or may be formed
as part of the wheel when the wheel is made in the factory. The outer ring is
then bolted onto the inner ring with the bead clamped between them. Anywhere
between 16 and 32 bolts are used around the circumference of the wheel to keep
the clamp tight. The rings and bolts can cause problems with balancing the wheel
and tire because all the added weight is on one side.
It is important to note that most standard beadlocks clamp only the outside
bead. This is fine in most cases because the outside bead is the side that comes
unseated most often while off-roading.
Internal beadlocks
An internal beadlock is very much like an inner tube within the tire that pushes
the bead of the tire tight against the wheel. The internal beadlock is inflated
via its own valve stem. The side of the beadlock closest to the tread, the
"case", has a layer of thick fabric, generally polyester, which keeps the
beadlock from inflating too far up into the tire. This forces the sides into the
tire which compresses the bead of the tire against the wheel.
Streetlocks
Some people will want their vehicle to look like it has beadlocks without
actually paying the additional cost of real beadlocks. Many wheels are therefore
made to look like beadlocks but they don't actually lock anything. The off-road
community generally refers to these as "streetlocks" since the owners typically
don't use them for off road use.
