New to me Beadlocks - Any Helpful tips?

Arizona

Arizona

New member
Hey everyone, I recently picked up a stellar deal on some very lightly used AEV Pintler Beadlocks for my JK. Now, this will be my first time ever running beadlocks on my own rig. I wanted to reach out here and see if anyone has any helpful tips or special care instructions that I should know before venturing into this new category of wheel. I understand the bolts need to be torqued down every now and then. For you guys out there who run beadlocks daily, about how often do you re-torque the bolts?

Thanks for the help!
 
olram30 said:
Not sure on your torque specs, but at least every oil change and tire rotation along with other bolts on the jeep.
Not trying to bash, but those rims have been known to crack. Keep a eye out for that also.
Here is a link
http://wayalife.com/showthread.php?23488-Pintler-Beadlock-Problems
Click to expand...

Thanks for the help olram30. I did see that some people had issues with the wheels cracking and that they are made in China... Im going to be keeping a very close eye on them!
 
In all fairness, pretty much every wheel is made in China now a days. It sucks but there really isn't much you can do. The Pintlers are especially known for cracking so do keep an eye on them. Also, their small bolts are known for breaking due to the way the rings get fastened onto the wheels so you need to be aware of that as well.
 
wayoflife said:
In all fairness, pretty much every wheel is made in China now a days. It sucks but there really isn't much you can do. The Pintlers are especially known for cracking so do keep an eye on them. Also, their small bolts are known for breaking due to the way the rings get fastened onto the wheels so you need to be aware of that as well.
Click to expand...

Yes, I have had a tough time trying to torque down these bolts because of how close the ring sits. Im beginning to think I got such a good deal on these because they're a PITA!
 
A buddy of mine had a set of the AEV beadlocks and had two rims destroyed by rocks in the same day. A rock became lodged between the brake and the inner wheel and punctured the metal.
 
Routine bolt maintenance is important as already stated, especially right after you first mount the tires. With my Slabs, I installed the tires and torqued everything to spec. Drove 500 and then jacked up the Jeep, aired down the tires to 0, and then rechecked the torque. Probably 10 bolts per wheel were short of the specified torque value. Nothing was lose, just not 100% tight.

As a side note, I had a set of black Pintlers (non-beadlocks) and loved the look of the rims. However, I had one crank within 7000mi/5months of being new. AEV took care of it under warranty, however, it is something to keep an eye on.
 
I had the beadlocks for 2 plus years. No issues with them at all. Had MTRs and Coopers on the wheels. No cracking on my wheels. Only thing I did was get rid of the button head bolts for hex heads. I checked the torque every oil change and none of mine ever came loose.

Only reason I got rid of them is to get a wheel with more backspacing.
 
upnover said:
I had the beadlocks for 2 plus years. No issues with them at all. Had MTRs and Coopers on the wheels. No cracking on my wheels. Only thing I did was get rid of the button head bolts for hex heads. I checked the torque every oil change and none of mine ever came loose.

Only reason I got rid of them is to get a wheel with more backspacing.
Click to expand...

When you switched to hex head, did you have a tough time tightening the bolts? I tried replacing the bolts too but am having a tough time fitting the socket into the space on the bead ring because of such a tight space... Any help would be much appreciated because I too would like to switch these out!
 
Just look for a thin wall socket. Mine socket fit on just enough but you just have to take your time. Make sure you use a little anti sieze too on each bolt. Start by hand and go from there.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom