Upgraded SVT optional Beadlock wheels

My Raptor has the upgraded optional beadlock wheels. I havent found a spot I cant get through with the tires fully aired up. I was considering converting my wheels to true beadlocks just in case I need to air down for something nasty. Is it street legal to run the SVT wheels with the beadlock conversion?

Nope. Unfortunately it is against DOT regulations to run the beadlocks on public highways.

Not, but you can run it like that. Who knows if your wheels are true or fake beatlocks. No officer has the right to stop you to double check your wheels

actually they can. converting to beadlocks on the street is not legal. and if a cop thinks they are, then he can pull you over. its just like if you had a light out in the back of you vehicle. however since there are so many fake beadlocks that look like real beadlocks, its mostly a lost cause. but they do have the right to inspect.

OK, I'll bite...

What makes "true" beadlocks inherently unsafe for road use?

They are not DOT approved but they're not illegal to run on the road from everything I've read. In California they may be but that's California. Some worry about the liability if you were in an accident and the lawyers found out you were driving non-DOT approved wheels. Of course, I'm sure they could dig up anything on your vehicle and make a case for being sued. There are DOT approved beadlocks so I don't understand why the Ford one's are not. 25 bolts holding the tire bead on the wheel. Check the torque occasionally and they should be safer than a regular tire I would think. I still haven't converted mine just because of some of these potential issues. Thinking about getting a second set and just putting those on for my more extreme adventures. Stinks that you even have to worry about it!

From what I have read beadlocks are not illegal but where the tire bead sits is the issue. I think the law says something about the tire must sit behind the bead (LIP) of the wheel and on beadlocks it sits in front. Hutchinson beadlocks are DOT legal because the tire sits behind the bead LIP of the wheel. The reason Ford OEM rims are DOT is the tire sits behind the bead lip until you convert them to real beadlocks in which case the tire would move to the front of the wheel bead lip.

i also think that since running a bealock tire requires more maintenance, people would forget and not check torque or air pressure. there is an accident waiting to happen.

It is not an actual CVC violation,,but it is a DOT legality violation. The term beadlock was removed from the CVC some years ago. You can be cited for a DOT catch all violation, if the officer knows what a beadlock is. Very very few know.

justvettn said:

From what I have read beadlocks are not illegal but where the tire bead sits is the issue. I think the law says something about the tire must sit behind the bead (LIP) of the wheel and on beadlocks it sits in front. Hutchinson beadlocks are DOT legal because the tire sits behind the bead LIP of the wheel. The reason Ford OEM rims are DOT is the tire sits behind the bead lip until you convert them to real beadlocks in which case the tire would move to the front of the wheel bead lip.

Click to expand...

The big issue is with improperly mounted or ignored maintenance of a multi piece rim. If the bolts aren't torqued right or are stripped/loose and the locking ring pops off during inflation or driving the liability goes through the roof.
I used to have a Duce and a 1/2 and it had 3 part rims, and one of the components was similar to the beadlock ring. Whenever we did tire maintenance on tires we had to put them in a cage in cast the ring popped off.
No real bearing on the legality just my 2 cents...can I get some change?