Beadlock rims on trailblazer, aluminum vs steel

[02trailblazerLS]

Hey guys im planning on buying some beadlock rims for my tb, i just dont know whether to go for aluminum or steel beadlocks, I know with steelies you can bend it back if they get bent and there alot more durable but there real heavy and that the aluminum ones are alot lighter but could potentially crack. Will the steelies affect my offroad performance in a negative way because their heavier? Or is that added weight beneficial? And with aluminum beadlocks some people were saying there great And better than steel and others say there not as good as steelies, im new to this so any help would be great.

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

I may be the only one that actually ran beadlocks on a TB. I had DIY steel ones. They were heavy, esp paired with the 36 inch swampers.

I would definitely choose Aluminum over steel for weight saving. I would not worry at all about cracking an aluminum beadlock.

I am curious what kind of offroading you are into that you think you need them. I only ran them a short time and went back to regular aluminum wheels. I generally do not air down to less than 15 psi so beadlocks are not really needed.

 

[02trailblazerLS]

I may be the only one that actually ran beadlocks on a TB. I had DIY steel ones. They were heavy, esp paired with the 36 inch swampers.

I would definitely choose Aluminum over steel for weight saving. I would not worry at all about cracking an aluminum beadlock.

I am curious what kind of offroading you are into that you think you need them. I only ran them a short time and went back to regular aluminum wheels. I generally do not air down to less than 15 psi so beadlocks are not really needed.


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I may be the only one that actually ran beadlocks on a TB. I had DIY steel ones. They were heavy, esp paired with the 36 inch swampers.

I would definitely choose Aluminum over steel for weight saving. I would not worry at all about cracking an aluminum beadlock.

I am curious what kind of offroading you are into that you think you need them. I only ran them a short time and went back to regular aluminum wheels. I generally do not air down to less than 15 psi so beadlocks are not really needed.


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Thanks for the info man, only reason i want to run beadlocks is because of how well they lock the tires in, i just cant risk popping a tire off the rim or bead out there offroading, i have no idea how to get one back on the bead, thats why I want The beadlocks. And i do plan on airing down pretty low when needed. And im going to be offroading alot this year, so im sure im going to be pushing the limits of the truck. Itll be seeing lots of mud, rocks, and sand. Man those 36s swampers w locks looks awsome! How did it perform? Im sure they were heavier but did it make a significant difference compared to aluminum rims? Ive read alot about the aluminum ones chipping and cracking but ive also read that some ppl have used aluminum locks for 15 years with no crackimg. Theres lots of mixed reviews. But with the steel ones everybody says there real strong and more durable but are pretty heavy. So im assuming the heavyness will affect power, gas mileage negatively, but Will it affect the but will it affect it offroad and on road in a good or bad way?

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

I have had a couple dozens sets of wheels on my truck. I have been lifting and offroading trucks for two and a half decades. I see no benefit to running anything but aluminum wheels unless it is a dedicated rock crawler or some shit. The aluminum wheels today are strong as hell and I have had stick and rocks stuck in the bead between tire and wheel and never had one crack. That kinda shit happens on cars not nice beefy truck wheels.

You get heavy wheels and you can feel the acceleration and braking performance go down. You start wearing all sort of components.

If you think you need them, go for it, but I would just get a good set of aluminum wheels in the smallest diameter that will clear your brakes and go with them. Doubt you will ever have any issues. I am yet to and I play fairly hard.

 

[02trailblazerLS]

Alright sweet! Sounds good man thank you! Looks like im goin with aluminum. Do you think the beadlock aluminum is necessary or just regular aluminum wheels?

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

Unless you are going stupid low rock crawling psi...3-4ish, you really do not need beadlocks. All sorts of trails in several states and generally 12-20 psi which is good for typical rock/dirt/mud riding has been fine without beadlocks.