External / Internal beadlocks: are they worth a tought?

[Lorenzo Candelpergher]

With my super-heavy Nissan Patrol Y62 I incurred in many popouts, especially in my early days in the Desert. It was only after a recent transition from 275/60R20 tyres on 20" rims to 275/70R18 tyres on 18" rims, along with a better understanding about how to handle 400hp under the hood, that I eventually achieved a consistent trail of popout-free drives. 

In the process, however, I got curious and deepened the subject of beadlocks.

Coming from an engineering background, I see conventional external beadlock rims as an effective solution but with a few significant drawbacks: leaving aside aesthetics, which is a mere matter of personal taste, external beadlock rims require a lot of mainenance (i.e. frequent bolts retensioning), are prone to significant wheel balancing issues (especially on single-sided beadlock rims) as bolts tend to untighten due to vibrations, and generally imply more weight on the wheels, which means more angular momentum, i.e. slower acceleration/deceleration. For these reasons, I also have doubts about the full legality of beadlock rims, when used on road, as they constitute a significant deviation from the manufacturer's stock wheels (in some countries beadlock rims are outlawed or not ruled at all, making them not usable on-road). I'd like to hear some opinions by those who regularly use beadlocks: how frequent/serious are the above problems? What are the main pros and cons?

I also looked into internal beadlocks, i.e. Internal tube chambers pressurized at 30 to 50 psi to push the tyre beads against the rim from the inside. This sounds like a much more mechanically efficient solution which, while coming with the advantage of acting on both sides of each wheel, doesn't imply additional weight and requires minimal maintenance (only regular pressure checking), even though I have read that sometimes, if not properly mounted, internal beadlocks could give endless headaches for wheel balancing. Anyone using internal beadlocks? What are your takeaways? Pros and cons?

Edited October 25, 2020 by Lorenzo Candelpergher

[Alexander Alcala]

I have had beadlocks for several years now with no problem whatsoever.  In my case I like the rough esthetics so it is not a problem either.  But regarding your specific question, the deadlocks certainly make your wheels heavier, but not at the point of really affecting the drivability (in my experience).  I believe the cars have an engineering margin of tolerance that are not surpassed by this rims.