Are Beadlock Wheels necessary for rock crawling?

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CrushJK

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Are Beadlock Wheels necessary for rock crawling? What is the lowest tire pressure you can reasonably go with non-beadlock wheels?
 
CrushJK said:
Are Beadlock Wheels necessary for rock crawling? What is the lowest tire pressure you can reasonably go with non-beadlock wheels?
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Bead locks are good for dropping your tire pressure to a good 4-5psi or so, just helps not loosing bead. If you have a regular rim, you can wheel all you want. on a normal rim you can drop your tire pressure to 10-12lbs or so.
 
Yes beadlocks are for Airing down to low PSI 4-7 pounds I would say is low on a stock wheel I would not suggest under 18 PSI I have busted the bead a few times running 18 PSI but that was on wet rocks and the jeep slid pulling the tire off. Just glad I have a OBA system on my jeep if you plan on airing down I would suggest getting a air system and do go cheap get one you can use with air tools. It will make trail repairs easy and you will be happy you did it.
 
^ and make sure your OBA can reseat a broken bead if you don't get beadlocks

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My old samurai had non bead lock wheel with 10 ply tires n I used to pull the valve core out till the air almost stopped n that's where I left it like 2 psi but that's not a jeep haha

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I run as low as 4psi without bead locks. Only had it break the bead when doing hard turns in the sand and haven't popped the bead in the rocks yet. I "burp" the tires often, which kinda sucks, but that's life without beadlocks.
I always carry starter fluid in case I need to reseat the bead.
Do I wish I had bead locks? Heck yes! But I don't let that stop me from airing down to a good psi. Your rim width also plays a huge part in keeping the tire on the rim.

05 Tj, long arm, one ton, lockers, winches, 39.5" Iroks
 
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I don't know if this is a "dumb" question but, if you are running say 4psi how much more likely are you to hit your wheels. Just seems like you would
 
NatedTJ said:
I don't know if this is a "dumb" question but, if you are running say 4psi how much more likely are you to hit your wheels. Just seems like you would
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The type of tire you run will dictate how low you can air them down, and not have them squat much. David's tires are similar to what I run, and unless I am putting pressure on my tires (against a rock) you can't even tell I aired down at all. Most tires do not have a thick sidewall, and going lower than 15 psi can put you at risk of blowing a bead


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pvanweelden said:
The type of tire you run will dictate how low you can air them down, and not have them squat much. David's tires are similar to what I run, and unless I am putting pressure on my tires (against a rock) you can't even tell I aired down at all. Most tires do not have a thick sidewall, and going lower than 15 psi can put you at risk of blowing a bead


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So, if I'm understanding you right. The thicker the sidewalls the lower you can go without beadlocks. Is that correct? So for example if you ran KM2's at 6 PSI they would be at greater risk of blowing a bead then Trail Grapplers running are 6 PSI.
Is that what your saying?
 
As mentioned, bead locks are not necessary but will help ensure you won't roll a bead when running a low psi. A tire with a thicker sidewall (Toyo MT, Nitto Mud Grappler, etc) will hold up much better running at a low psi than would a thinner sidewall tire like a BFG MT or Goodyear MT/R.
 
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