The beauty of most four-wheel-drive upgrades is that they're self-explanatory. In our dirt and rock world, we keep flowery verbiage to a bare minimum. Want a bumper that'll hold a winch? We call it a winch bumper. Want to lift the suspension of your truck? We call that a suspension lift. Yep, we keep it simple. So what do we call a wheel that locks to the bead of a tire? You guessed it, a bead-lock wheel. More simplicity. Ain't it great?
So what's up with bead-lock wheels? To answer that question, you have to look at how a standard wheel works. On a normal wheel, air pressure pushes against the beads of the tire, firmly pressing them against the lips of the wheel. Weights are used to balance the wheel and tire combination. Under normal driving conditions with the tires property inflated, this bead contact area is more than adequate to keep the tire firmly attached to the wheel. Heck, this system works so well, you can even air down your tires to about half their recommended pressure to improve traction.
 This is Center Line's I.C.E....  This is Center Line's I.C.E. wheel. It's a 17x9-inch three-piece forged unit made from T-6061 billet aluminum and it's DOT-approved. You'll notice that it doesn't have a bead-lock ring. This is because it uses a patent-pending inner bead lock. A centering element extends inside the tire's air chamber to lock the tire in place. This wheel is available in 5- and 6-lug bolt patterns (2,200-pound load rating) or 8-lug (3,200-pound rating). It is air-sensor-compatible. Delivered, these wheels are $475 each. |  The Hutchinson Rock Monster...  The Hutchinson Rock Monster cast-aluminum alloy wheel is unique in that it locks the inner and outer tire beads to the wheel via a molded rubber sleeve that fits inside the tire and clamps the tire beads between the two wheel halves. Hutchinson also says this wheel is street-legal and DOT-approved. There are a variety of applications available and each wheel assembly includes assembly studs and locking nuts, an O-ring seal, and hub cover. |  Trail-Gear offers this 17x9...  Trail-Gear offers this 17x9 bead-lock wheel with 3.75 inches of backspacing. This aluminum wheel features an inner bead lock that is cast as part of the wheel. Trail-Gear points out that this wheel is super-strong and heavy-duty. The locking ring is affixed to the wheel by 24 Grade 8, 5/16-inch bolts, and all 24 bolt holes feature Time-Sert inserts to prevent galling. Each wheel has a weight rating of 2,800 pounds and an MSRP of $299. |
But here's the thing: If you decrease pressure too much, the tire can spin on the wheel, throwing the pair out of balance. Worse, you can actually peel the tire's bead from the wheel. Let's use sand as an example. Let's say you head to your favorite beach to do some fishing. You air your rig's tires down to 12 psi to improve flotation. You've now decreased the amount of pressure holding the beads onto the wheel. As you power through a turn in deep sand, the outer bead on one of the front tires breaks loose from the wheel, leaving you stranded. What a pain. This scenario can also apply whether you're crawling rocks, blasting mud, or battling snow at low tire pressures.
This is where bead-lock wheels come into play. There are a few variants to bead-lock wheels, but we're going to talk mostly about bead locks that use a bolt-on ring to clamp the outer bead (the most likely to defect) of the tire to the wheel. With bead-lock wheels, you can air down to single-digit psi, which will allow your tires to mold themselves around obstacles as well as flatten out for incredible flotation and traction without risking the tire spinning or debeading. Bonus: Most bead-lock wheels also allow you to mount and dismount tires without a tire machine.
 The folks over at American...  The folks over at American Expedition Vehicles offer a variety of bead-lock wheels for Jeeps. AEV's wheels will fit '07-and-up JKs, '97-'06 TJs, '05-and-up Grand Cherokees, and '06-and-up Commanders. Made from the highest-quality aluminum alloy, they have a lifetime structural warranty, hubcentric design, recessed valve stem, and a durable powdercoat finish. Further, they are tire-pressure monitor-compatible and have a toothed positive-lock forged-anodized aluminum bead-lock ring that is replaceable. Each wheel has an MSRP of $269. |  High-Impact offers full competition-grade...  High-Impact offers full competition-grade rockcrawling bead-lock wheels like the Rock 8 (shown). These Allied Wheel-manufactured wheels have solid steel construction and a 32-bolt lock ring. High-Impact says that these rugged wheels are suitable for up to 44-inch tires. They are available in black or chrome in sizes 15x8, 15x10, 15x12, 15x14, 16x8, 16x10, 17x8, and 17x9.5 in all popular bolt patterns. High-Impact also offers aluminum bead-lock wheels in sizes 15x10, 17x8, and 17x10. The 15x7 Rock 8 weighs 34 pounds and has an MSRP of $179. |  One of TrailReady Products'...  One of TrailReady Products' offerings is this HD17 wheel. It is available in a variety of bolt patterns and measures 17x8.5. Backspacing of 3.5 to 4.5 inches is available. TrailReady says it is a purpose-built wheel for off-road competition motorsports. It is pressure-cast with an extra thick back bead to resist inside bead failure commonly caused when rocks are driven between the brake bell and caliper. The bead-lock ring is manufactured from 6061 T6 aluminum and is secured with 24 countersunk 5/16-inch, Grade 8 bolts. |
Is there a downside to bead-lock wheels? Well, yes. First, they're more expensive than a standard wheel. Second, they're often heavier than a non-bead-lock wheel. Third, most require more maintenance than a normal wheel because the lock-ring bolts have to be checked often to ensure they're tight. Finally, some manufacturers (but not all) clearly state that their wheels are for off-highway use only. As with any other mod, it's up to you to make sure your rig is in compliance with the law in your state.
So do you really need bead-lock wheels? If most of your driving is on the street, probably not. But only you can answer that question, and your analysis has to be based on the type of off-highway travel you do the most. If you travel off-highway a lot on brutal terrain and you sacrifice traction because you're afraid to air down and risk spinning or peeling a tire from a wheel, bead locks might be for you.
So what bead-lock options do you have? Quite a few, actually. Following are a sampling of bead-lock wheels available now. All prices quoted here were as of press time.
 Walker Evans integrated years...  Walker Evans integrated years of racing experience into his rugged bead-lock wheel. This one-piece pressure-cast aluminum wheel uses Grade 8 bead-lock bolts that thread into steel inserts. The wheel is designed with the valve stem recessed into the wheel so the stem is less likely to get damaged on the trail. Each wheel has a healthy 3,800-pound weight rating. Wheels are available in all standard 5-, 6-, and 8-lug bolt patterns and in a variety of backspacings. Custom backspacing is also available. The wheels come with a standard machine/shotpeen finish but can be polished or powdercoated. The bead-lock rings come standard with a polished finish but can be anodized or powdercoated in black, red, or blue. Prices start at $325 per wheel. |  This is Champion Wheel's new...  This is Champion Wheel's new Rock Thrasher wheel. The outer ring features integrated "Rock Knobs," which are designed to protect the tire, wheel, and bead-lock mounting bolts. Champion says that these Rock Knobs offer added traction against rocks on the trail. Champion carries the Rock Thrasher already installed on American Racing 15-, 16-, and 17-inch wheels, or they can convert your existing aluminum wheels in two to three business days. Wheels are available in polished red, blue, black, or gold finishes. MSRP for conversions start at $234.95 for the 15-inch size, and complete wheels start at $331.80. |  Raceline offers several different...  Raceline offers several different bead-lock wheels including the brand-new RT-232 cast-aluminum wheel. Referred to as the RT-Monster Diamond, it uses the latest in counter-pressure casting technology. This method creates a stronger, lighter wheel, while keeping an economical price. It has a thicker and stronger inner rim lip that helps provide superior inner strength to the wheel. It comes with a 32-bolt bead-lock system that has been cast into the wheel. This 17x9.5 wheel has 4 inches of backspacing and is available in most bolt patterns. The RT-Monster Diamond has an MSRP of $375. |