Beadlock rims on a Stock Mustang - Is there a stigma?

[daSNAK3]

Just tell the officer it’s a simulated beadlock.. it looks like a real beadlock ring and hardware but it’s not. Say “my car is stock officer, why would I put a real beadlock on here”. I doubt 99.9% care… I drive on mine a lot in the summer time, no issues so far, I also have no front plate and too dark of tint on my windows.. nobody ever bothers me.

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[mejohn50]

I thought beadlocks are illegal for street use...

I lump this statement into the “your engine exhaust needs back pressure“ category.

I am confident this isn’t true directly in reference to bead lock wheels. It is possible there are portions of the federal and/or state requirements that bead lock wheels may not adhere to, but the arguments I’ve seen are unclear at best.

I‘d sure love to be shown I’m wrong on this because I run bead locks on the street from time to time and I spent a ton of time looking at the CFR that governs tires and wheels with with no definitive answer.

 

[JGalarse14]

I thought beadlocks are illegal for street use...

I pass by city cops, state troopers, sheriffs with them on and they could care less lol.

 

[robvas]

Cops probably aren't even aware. They're going to ticket you for your tires if they pull you over.

I'm sure they make a stick on beadlock appearance ring. Guys over on 7G are putting on brake caliper covers with fake Brembo stickers on them....they might be interested

always roll my eyes when I see a 4" cowl hood and welds on a car and it ends up being just an NA car...or even worse the guys running welds with freakin' all seasons

 

[JGalarse14]

Cops probably aren't even aware. They're going to ticket you for your tires if they pull you over.

I'm sure they make a stick on beadlock appearance ring. Guys over on 7G are putting on brake caliper covers with fake Brembo stickers on them....they might be interested

always roll my eyes when I see a 4" cowl hood and welds on a car and it ends up being just an NA car...or even worse the guys running welds with freakin' all seasons

Micky Thompson ET Street R and SS tires are DOT legal tires for street use, so that shouldn't be an issue.

 

[robvas]

Micky Thompson ET Street R and SS tires are DOT legal tires for street use, so that shouldn't be an issue.

Sure, when they are brand new. But once you get down to 2/32" of tread (at least in my State) they aren't.

 

[JGalarse14]

Sure, when they are brand new. But once you get down to 2/32" of tread (at least in my State) they aren't.

That applies to any tires on the road and not just drag radials...

 

[greasy]

To me it doesn’t make sense to run a bead lock on a stock car or even a car with moderate power. I’m not even sure if a standard street tire will be suitable in this application, you would probably want to reach out to the manufacturer of the tire you’re going with.

I understand you probably like the tough look of the wheel, but you’re probably gonna get a bunch of unwanted attention if you are running the appropriate tire on the street. People probably think you’re a drag racer and if you’re not running the appropriate tire, you’ll look like a poser.

I personally wouldn’t do it, but it’s your money. Looks aside, the big piece here is a safety aspect.

 

[robvas]

That applies to any tires on the road and not just drag radials...

No kidding. But when you run drag radials they catch the cops attention.

 

[D Bergstrom]

To the original question, who cares what others think, it's your car, do what you want.

My understanding is the majority of beadlock wheels are not DOT approved, therefore, they technically are not legal to be used on the street. That being said, is anyone really going to notice? I feel police have better things to do around here then pull people over for beadlocks. Of course, doing stupid things will get you more attention, so non approved wheels may be added on to the list of other violations, maybe. Guess it also depends on where you live, big city, may not be noticed, small town, you may be more likely to be noticed. (I grew up in a small town, police had nothing better to do than nit pick everything people were doing.) If you live somewhere that you need yearly inspections, then you may want to have a another set of wheels to swap out for the inspection.

If you really are worried about it, I am sure someone makes DOT approved beadlocks, find out who and buy those.

Doug

 

[Mach1Racer]

I’m not sure if most know that the Dodge Ram TRX come STOCK with Beadlock Wheels and is Street Legal/DOT approved from the dealership off the assembly line…

Does anyone have PROOF of Beadlock being legally prohibited for public roads?

 

[Skye]

I've found one specific reference, highlighting one aspect of the vehicle codes and how it applies to beadlocks. The requirement has to do with sudden loss of pressure and retention of the tire. In many (not every design) beadlock rims, once the lock ring is lost, so is the tire.

https://www.federalregister.gov/doc...icle-safety-standards-tire-selection-and-rims

"Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) No. 110 to make it clear that special trailer (ST) tires are permitted to be installed on new trailers with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 4,536 kg (10,000 lbs.) or less. It also excludes these trailers from a requirement that a tire must be retained on its rim when subjected to a sudden loss of tire pressure and brought to a controlled stop from 97 km/h (60 mph)."

https://www.nhtsa.gov/interpretations/86-139

"Second, in the event of a rapid loss of inflation pressure with the vehicle travelling in a straight line at 60 miles per hour, the rim must retain the deflated tire until the vehicle can be stopped with a controlled braking application."

There are DOT-aprooved beadlocks. The ones I have found are not for drag racing, but 4x4.

https://www.hutchinsoninc.com/rock-monster-internal-double-beadlock-system/beadlock-technology/

There are other aspects of this subject I've been reading, but have not confirmed references specific to those.

Not to insert drama, but consider another factor for any parts on our vehicles not DOT-approved: in the event of an accident, if that part is involved, it could lead to any number of consequences. I'm just sayin'. While virtually all of us maintain our cars to the highest standard, some don't.

YMMV.

 

[MAGS1]

Not to insert drama, but consider another factor for any parts on our vehicles not DOT-approved: in the event of an accident, if that part is involved, it could lead to any number of consequences. I'm just sayin'.

This is probably the biggest thing. In the event of an accident, insurance almost always looks for ways to reduce or even deny claims. If you’re running a wheel that isn’t DOT certified and you’re the cause of the accident, you better believe the insurance company will point to that and say nope you’re on your own

 

[stannypack]

Obviously there's a stigma. It's like a car screaming look at me I have so much power and then realizing it's stock LOL

 

[MAGS1]

OP, I highly doubt most people will know what a beadlock is much less be able to distinguish them from a normal wheel. It really comes down to a situation (like Skye references above) where if you’re at fault in an accident and you have “off-road” parts on your car in critical locations, like wheels, where insurance will say they will not cover it because you’re not DOT compliant. Could also open yourself up on the legal side as well.

It really comes down to how much risk are you willing to take from that perspective. From a looks perspective, who cares what anyone thinks. It’s your car and your money.

There are wheels out there that look like beadlocks but are not and fully DOT compliant. Maybe search some of those out so you get the look but also take the DOT risk off the table?

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