Bead Locks /Rim Screws

What’s wrong with a sufficient amount of rim screes on (what I would consider) a pretty fast car…..say around 150 MPH or slightly above? Are beadlocks really necessary, or has it become the “thing to do” on this type of application. I know some fast cars (150+) that are still running screws, as well as some not as quick 130+ cars running beadlocks. What’s the real deal?

Thx

Beadlocks clamp and support the tire bead evenly all the way around the tire. One more tool to help make the car repeat.

Screws grab hold of the bead at only a few places. Work a slick tire for a while with screws and you will begin to see witness marks in the side wall from each screw. At least run 16 screws per side if you are using them.

Very happy with our's and agree with the above. We changed to a beadlock wheel as it's not advisable to screw the bead on a radial tyre. We just used to fit them dry without glue etc, the tyre would move 270 degrees in the rim after about 15 passes. They are heavier than there non beadlock counterpart but you can change tyres real easy, once you get the technique down .

A bead lock is certainly not required at all. Rim screws aren't really either if the install is done correctly. Clean wheel and clean bead, they can even be glued if one so chooses. Beadlocks have certainly become the rage for most everyone. I have them on my truck sure makes changing tires at home simpler.

Sent these to MacFab to get done for the truck

I use to glue mine. Even did it for a while running tubes. Eventually the tire started to move. It ripped the tube. Screws now, 8 per side. No issues.
Doug

I hear it can be difficult to break the bead if you glue the rim. One guy told me he dropped a pair of wheels off to get the glued slicks replaced. The tyre guys had a real tough time breaking the bead, even with a machine and did a little damage to the rim. Maybe the guy put too much "glue" on them but he's usually pretty fastidious with his cars
The guys I use struggled to put the tyre on dry, it just wouldn't seat good and they're unwilling to put a lot of pressure into the tyre without a cage. They always put a little bead soap on there but said it would dry out. There's not a lot of tyre shops over here that understand the nuances of different slicks, most won't even do the job of mounting a slick on a 10 inch width rim let alone a 15 inch one

I am old school enough that if I see something with bead locks it better be fast. I couldn't put bead locks on my 10 second car. I see too many cars these days with bead locks and no cage.

I hear ya, mine ain't fast....... but it is heavy

My understanding is the small tire guys use them because the tire tread width is narrower than the wheel. The Alc and Nitro, P/M and P/S (high growth tires) guys are using them more as a safety measure vs using a liner most everyone else is probably just for looks. I run an Alc tire so I have bead locks but have a set on non bead lock rims as well but if I get to needing a second set of mounted tires will send them out to be converted to bead locks, liners are a pita.

My truck is only going to run 10.90-11.55 Seen bead locks on some of the big tire cars around here 26" wheel stuff

Your truck will run those ETs at 750MPH lol

I love my bead locks. Expensive yes..... However, I can switch back and forth from my slicks to my Drag Radials without the need of a tire machine in about an hour or so depending on the track or event/class I am in.
Also depending on the manufacturer and style of wheel. Usually anything more them 3"-4" back spacing will interfere with the inner bead lock if double beadlocked like mine with a 6" back space and will require the smaller Pro Stock (Strange Engineering) mini calipers to clear on a 15" wheel. A 16" Dia wheel will be fine.

MacFab put the beadlocks on my wheels. I run 5.5' BS, and Wilwood disc brakes. No issues, but the was the max BS they would do for doubles. The Pro's have already been stated. The Cons: They are heavier, and they collect track dirt like crazy.

With drag radials, you either glue them or get bead locks. Although I did run radials screwed to the rims for many years and never had any issues...they say it's a no-no.
I'm currently running them glued b/c I can't justify the cost of the bead lock conversion.

A couple of years ago, I moved my son from Pittsburgh to Raleigh for a new job. As part of my reward, I stopped at Mac-Fab https://macfabperformance.com/product/slick-rick-beadlocks/ and had them add single beadlock to my ancient Convo-Pros. I would have done both sides but Mac-Fab said that their jig could not add a beadlock to the inner side. I figure it would have cost $3000 to get a new pair of beadlock rims for the rear and I didn't have the budget for that so the $800 I spent saved me $2200 ... right? I called a week before to let them know I was coming. I dropped them off at about 10:30AM, took a little nap in my truck, went out to lunch and returned at 2:00PM when they called me. I inspected the work (they did a nice job) and put them back in the boxes. Once I got home, I mounted a new set of M/T ET Streets. I had a little trouble getting the tire bead to index into the beadlock recess. I had to trim some rubber flash from the ID of the tire bead. Once I had the outside figured out, I drilled holes for rim screws on the inside wheel flange. Then I mounted the tires, clamped down the beadock ring and added the rim screws. I took them up to my local tire shop and they balanced them with just a little bit of weight. My street 4-speed Cuda ran 11.70's at 120mph last September. I'm sure that rim screws would work fine at that ET. The car would go faster if I removed the exhaust system and air cleaner, had more of a chance to sort it out and get comfortable in the seat. It was the first time I had the car to the track in about 20 years. And yes, I do have a 6-point roll bar. Did I really need beadlocks? No but I wanted to drop the rear tire pressure down under 10PSI and didn't want to worry about the tire rotating on the rim and ripping out the valve stems from the tubes. And I really didn't want to drill the outside for rim screws. I suppose that some day, when I have the coin, I'll replace the Convo-Pros with something new and fancy. Yes, the beadlock does trap lots of little burnout rubber granules but I can blow that out with compressed air. And water pools in the rim when I wash the car. I have to use a towel to dry them out. But other than that, I like them. And you can mount/dismount the tire by hand. That's a nice benefit.

Thanks everyone for your experiences and insight. Much appreciated.