bead locking rims

[sloth69mustang]

i have been searching for awhile and can not find a 15x10 bead locking rim that fits a ranger. does anyone have any and what brand where can i get it blah blah blah. i am trying to price out my next project for the truck bc i may be getting a new job in a couple weeks and be doubling my paycheck :yahoo:

also looking for a bushing kit for the front end. i would assume energy suspension has one but i couldnt find it on summit racing

[feellnfroggy]

you may not find a beadlocking rim that "fits teh ranger" in that size simply due to backspacing and offest requirements. You will most likely just have to order the size you want with the BS and Offset you want and just make sure to order it in a small ford 5 lug pattern. Or you can find some rims and take it to a shop that does the custom beadlock addons. those are pretty good too.

James Duff has some good bushing kits as does every parts store around. BUt you def need to invest in self lube polyurethane.

[straycat]

I have seen two types for a Ranger...the kind that you have to drill into the wheels and mount the bead lock and the ones that are already on the wheel. A buddy of mine bought some on Ebay last year. They are nice. 4Wheelparts should be able to get them. Jeeps have the same wheel pattern as our Rangers but the back spacing is not the same (almost). But you can use Jeep wheels on your Ranger.....I have before and had no issues.

[feellnfroggy]

Glad someone spoke up, I was making an intelligent guess based on what i have seen on here.

[sloth69mustang]

yeah i wasnt clear on my description. i wasnt looking for "ranger" rims. i was looking for any rim that was 15x10 with 5 - 4.5 holes. i couldnt find much of anything. i will check 4wheelparts

[heptofite]

yeah i wasnt clear on my description. i wasnt looking for "ranger" rims. i was looking for any rim that was 15x10 with 5 - 4.5 holes. i couldnt find much of anything. i will check 4wheelparts

try looking for 5x114.3

[sloth69mustang]

i looked for both and didnt find anything. 4wheelparts was a bust.

[--weezl--]

tirerack.com or you could get these...

http://www.eco4wd.com/Faqsftp/StaunBeadLockHow.htm

[sloth69mustang]

after looking for hours i finally found this site..... http://www.cwibeadlock.com/4x4wheels.htm

[--weezl--]

why are you putting beadlocks on an aluminum rim? if you're going to put it through enough abuse you might pop a bead, you would probably benefit from a steel rim's strength

[feellnfroggy]

Like weezl said and look for a jeep wheel, small bolt pattern, they are basically interchangable. Theres hella more out there for them. Someone got a year and model for him to focus on?> IM not really sure what came with what.

[--weezl--]

additionally to the jeep rims, i've always been told a jeep rim will fit on a ford, but a ford rim won't fit on a jeep, partially because of the hub diameter, but aftermarket rims usually have a 3.3" hub so there is no issue with that

[straycat]

additionally to the jeep rims, i've always been told a jeep rim will fit on a ford, but a ford rim won't fit on a jeep, partially because of the hub diameter, but aftermarket rims usually have a 3.3" hub so there is no issue with that

My spare wheel in the bed is a AR polished and it is for a jeep wrangler. The only difference is the back spacing is slightly different and the wheel is not as deep dished as my AR wheels are on the truck, but fit perfect on the truck without any issues. I mounted it up front and in the rear for a fit just to make sure after I bought the tire and wheel brand new and already mounted from 4wheelparts near me. I paid $145 for them both and that was a steal. I had to turn the wheel over to mount it in the bed since the wheel is not as deep as my other wheels but who cares for what I paid for the pair??


http://www.supermotors.net/getfile/793474/fullsize/img_0247_1.jpg

[--weezl--]

that's a damn good deal!

[feellnfroggy]

do you havea pic of the front of the wheel?

[LIMA BEAN]

Beware that alot of beadlocks are not DOT approved for street use and can make you dead.:shok:

[superds]

after looking for hours i finally found this site..... http://www.cwibeadlock.com/4x4wheels.htm

Like weezl posted, I would look at Staun Beadlocks. You can use them on whatever wheel you want. And, unlike most external beadlocks, the Staun is street legal, if that is important to you. The one you posted may be street legal, I just didn't read their site to know for sure.

[straycat]

do you havea pic of the front of the wheel?

Yes I do, on my thumb drive. I have to find where my wife put it. We took some pics off the computer last month and I will look for it for ya!!!

[xkotyx]

i looked for both and didnt find anything. 4wheelparts was a bust.

yeah, 4wheelparts is terrible. ive had such bad luck with them. wouldnt recommend them to anyone.

[59bisquik]

You can also get the simple 15x8 or 15x10 cragar soft 8's or something similar from 4 wheel parts or some other offroad place for about 50 a piece. Then go to somebody like crawlfab and get the beadlock kit to weld onto them. They work fantastic, easy to install and you can pick any design or even design your own. If you go that route however, a 15x8 will be more like a 15x9 since the bead is now on the outside. These are mine...
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k223/59bisquik/002-13.jpg

[sloth69mustang]

You can also get the simple 15x8 or 15x10 cragar soft 8's or something similar from 4 wheel parts or some other offroad place for about 50 a piece. Then go to somebody like crawlfab and get the beadlock kit to weld onto them. They work fantastic, easy to install and you can pick any design or even design your own. If you go that route however, a 15x8 will be more like a 15x9 since the bead is now on the outside. These are mine...
http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k223/59bisquik/002-13.jpg

see... this is more the style i want. i am not worried for it being street legal. i have never seen someone get pulled over for it in ohio. most people wouldnt even know what they are from looking at them. now as for crawlfab, i would assume they are online and i could send them stuff? i dont think there is anything here like that in ohio.

[--weezl--]

it's not a matter of them getting you a ticket or impounded, it's the fact that they aren't designed to spin @ 60mph, the g forces on a tire that size, at 60 mph are massive, this is why tires, rims, and even valve stems have a speed rating on them (for instance, z rated tires) the reason is under heavy g forces, things tend to disintegrate, and if that bead lock comes off at 60mph, is it A) a massive projectile B) going to make your tire fail massively C) going to make YOU 100% at fault for the accident that just happened and you civilly and criminally responsible for all damages and/or injuries/death or D) all of the above?

honestly dude, for what it's worth, and the safety on something like that, don't mess around, just do it the legal way... the non DOT bead locks are fine for massive torque off roading, because you aren't spinning them 1000000 times per second, you are putting lots of torque on them and there is accelerating g's but no centrifugal g's the most you are going to get accelerating wise is maybe 3-4g's MAX

i'll put tires that are legally too big on a truck, i'll put more lights on than are allowed, i'll make my exhaust sound like what ever the hell i want, but this isn't the same deal...

i worked this out long ago, but on a standard size car tire, the outside of the tire spinning at approx 30km/h i think was putting out 8 g's, so at 90km/h (about 55mph) you are looking at about 22 g's if my memory serves me correctly

to put THAT into perspective, not only is that equivelant to putting 22x the pull of gravity on something, (22g's) but because it's centrifugal, these 22g's are all working to pull each part outwards, away from the hub as hard as possible...

for the price difference, just get ones that are DOT approved, much safer, and shouldn't be much different in price, the staunt ones are DOT approved and work on ANY rim, much safer, and you aren't liable if anything DOES happen

[59bisquik]

Crawlfab is on the net and make some nice stuff. Not sure if they will weld them for you or not. I did mine myself. When I was looking for these, I looked at a bunch of different online companies, so there are quite a few out there. You might call around and see if they will weld them up. Rockstomper is another brand that comes to mind. If you have the cash, there are a few companies out there that make them too. You can even run Humvee wheels and have them recentered for a RBV bolt pattern too. This allows a double beadlock and the use of inexpensive military tires. Locally, I can get new 37's for around 100 a piece!

The downside of beadlocks however, you will have to mount them yourself, since most tire shops dont want to work with them. Either they are unfamiliar and/or because they are labor intensive (just think of the time for 32 bolts per wheel). Secondly, you will need to check the torque of the bolts regularly. I run the pinchlock nuts and install everything with a torque wrench. I have never had a loose one yet, but that doesnt mean it cant happen. And lastly, they are much heavier than stock. I am running 35" Goodyear MTR's with my beadlocks. The box of shipped beadlock rings was 62 lbs without hardware. So they are a real bear to change just from a weight persepective.

In the end, my rig does see highway use and ALOT of trail time. It is primarily a rock crawler... The beadlocks were a fantastic upgrade and were well worth thier time and hassle. :icon_thumby:

[LIMA BEAN]

see... this is more the style i want. i am not worried for it being street legal. i have never seen someone get pulled over for it in ohio. most people wouldnt even know what they are from looking at them. now as for crawlfab, i would assume they are online and i could send them stuff? i dont think there is anything here like that in ohio.

If I saw illegal bead locks on the street I would report that person in a heartbeat. The lives of everyone else are more important than some dudes cool factor who is not "WORRIED" about killing people.

[feellnfroggy]

They arent difficult to mount yourself though. A medium prybar and some common sense gets the back side over the lip and then the front is cake except with alot more nutz (bolts I guess LOL)

[RavoHimself]

We put Rockstomper bead locks on our jeep. you have to weld them on yourself but that makes it really inexpensive to buy. we drive it on the road all the time and no one has said anything yet. they work great. we air down to 4 lbs and could go more if we wanted.
http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l305/RavoHimself/023.jpg
here is a pic of them welded on before we painted them.
http://rockstomper.netfirms.com/shoppingcart/nfoscomm/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=95
thats the website. they are really good quality
http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/Simple-Steel-Beadlock-_p_1605.html
it might have been ballistic bead locks. these are cheaper but you need to buy the bolts

[59bisquik]

we drive it on the road all the time and no one has said anything yet

The children...what about the children??? Tires could start flying off at any minute! :icon_rofl::icon_rofl::icon_rofl:

[59bisquik]

When looking at DIY beadlock kits, there are primarily two types. One that mounts flush with the outside of the wheel and then is welded around the outside edge. The Crawlfab's mount inside the front lip of the wheel. Then you fill the gap all around with weld. I found this type the easiest to weld with good penetration. :icon_welder::icon_welder::icon_welder: Just your preference really...

[RavoHimself]

the ones we got sit inside the outer lip. we welded it and smoothed it out with a polishing wheel to remove any burrs.

"The downside of beadlocks however, you will have to mount them yourself, since most tire shops dont want to work with them. "
mounting them your self is extremely easy since you only need to get one part of the tire over the lip instead of both. put a little bit of soapy water on the tire and put it on. put the other ring on and put all the bolts in and torque it down. seat the beads by filling with air(duh) and let them sit for a bit. mount. set air pressure. dah dah!

as for the bead lock falling off. why would it. it's perfectly centered so its really not experiencing any g's at all. just rotating. if it was off centered that would be completely different.
but even still there are 32 bolts with lock nuts and lock washers all torqued to 10lbs/ft. that 320lbs/ft in all. i don't think they are going anywhere.
personally i think they are road safe as long as you check them once in a while. general maintnance just like checking your tire pressure.

[--weezl--]

g forces are NOT the same thing as vibrations, and you don't add the torque of the bolts together, you don't say you tighten your wheels to 500 ft/lbs...

g forces still effect everything, regardless of balance and vibration...

[LIMA BEAN]

Man I need to take a step back and inform myself about these. I thought NOT dot approved meant illegal but apparently not or at least its a state by state issue. Liability in an accident because of them may be a big issue though. Here is one article from a forum I thought was neat that shows old school and new school formed bead sections.


http://www.jkowners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6332

[--weezl--]

i don't feel like reading all of that, but basically it's not the fact that you have non dot approved things on your vehicle that is illegal, it has to do with the fact that you are removing a safety feature (rims) that ARE DOT approved

short lesson: DOT is Department Of Transportation, a government group that regulates automotive products, certain things must be approved by them to be used on the street, these include illumination lighting, safety lighting (tail lights) windows, windshields, rims, tires, ect... take a look on your rims they will have "DOT approved" stamped on them, same with tires, windows, headlights, any modification to any of these products renders the product no longer approved as it is modified... this is why nightshade is illegal...

in canada, there is Transportation Canada, which is much the same, the regulations between the countries are much the same, with a few differences like daytime running lights in canada...

when you modify rims they aren't the same rim that the DOT approved, when you bought them... this is also why techincally painting your headlights (like i have done) is illegal, because you are modifying the headlights...

beadlocks in themselves are NOT illegal, it's people who are unlicensed to modify rims, modifying rims and putting them on vehicles to be driven on the street that is the issue... that's why you can buy DOT approved beadlocks

[RavoHimself]

Well we had a professional welder put on the bead locks. I have no question about their safety and reliability. We mainly only use it off road or as a sunday driver. Highway driving usually doesn't happen because of the gear ratio but still sometimes high speeds are used. I would agree that if your not a professional welder then you should not try this yourself. But like I said. We had a professional do it so it is perfectly safe for how we use it

[--weezl--]

fair enough, there is nothing wrong with them being used in general, the aftermarket non dot ones just aren't designed for highway speeds is all... i just wanted to warn you all, nothing more i can do than tell you my opinion on the safety, and inform you of the laws

[straycat]

do you havea pic of the front of the wheel?

Yo, Bro!! I got the thumb dive from the wife. If I doid not find the picture I was just going to take off the spare and take a photo.

This is a Jeep Wrangler rim that works on the Ranger. It is just not as deep as the AR rims I have on the truck.


https://www.supermotors.net/getfile/846876/fullsize/ranger-jeep-spare-tire.jpg

[sloth69mustang]

Man I need to take a step back and inform myself about these. I thought NOT dot approved meant illegal but apparently not or at least its a state by state issue. Liability in an accident because of them may be a big issue though. Here is one article from a forum I thought was neat that shows old school and new school formed bead sections.


http://www.jkowners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6332

this actually as a lot of good info. and i would trust something like this setup. i may look into this a lot for my truck. my truck will see freeway speeds but i usually dont even make it to 70 bc of my ratios.

[LIMA BEAN]

this actually as a lot of good info. and i would trust something like this setup. i may look into this a lot for my truck. my truck will see freeway speeds but i usually dont even make it to 70 bc of my ratios.

Those Racelines are way sweet, the Walker Evan's are nice too though.