Cruzer's Re-Build for the Rubicon

Since I can’t see, will randomly poking at it disable said hinge? Or do I have to hit it with precision?

 

Nope I swirled the pry bar around and wedged it against it until I felt like it broke lol very scientific method

 

This method works well!

 

I f’ing love your guy’s style.

 

About 10 minutes in
https://youtu.be/4B3gvZXfq2Y

 

A lot of not-good noises coming from that truck

 

When was this and why wasn't I invited

 

This was back in late March. It was supposed to be an "easy" trip where I was supposed to practice recording with my drone. I figured it would've been boring for you - although I did consider inviting you . But then Ken happened

 

Ordered a 6lb hammer with a 16” handle. Think I’ll be prepared for the next shitshow

 

Gonna use it to kill some crickets?

 

Not sure that's big enough. Anything less than 10lb is for babies.

 

Jajaja! I just got this.

 

Well... I done did it. Couldn't wait any longer so I pulled the trigger on these bead grip 705s. After hearing @SAGE63 and someone else on the forum talk about how hard the tire shops were having de-beading the tires I figured I'd give these a try. Also, I'm still a bit paranoid about wheels going out of balance so real beadlock wheels would probably freak me out. Decided to not go with faux beadlocks cuz they tend to hold onto mud inside the lip, which leads to whacky out of balance wheels. Hopefully, America's Tire can install and balance my 40s!!

With a 10% discount for 4 wheels came out to ~$1400 OTD

 

Eeshhh lol

 

Why not true beadlocks ? Just a question, I have a ton of experience with them on ATVs, I know not the same. I would run pressures anywhere from 2psi all the way up to 15psi with a lot of abuse and never a problem. Broke the centers out of a couple of wheels but that was about it.

 

Well, on my way to T2S my passenger front wheel decided it wanted to go on a detour by itself. During the whole drive I thought the tires were out of balance shaking the way it did. Little did I know the studs were breaking off. So now I’m paranoid anytime the wheel starts to shake on the freeway. Beadlocks have a history of being difficult to balance. So it in a twist of fate the wheel gods decided for me that thou shall not drive on beadlocks.

 

I can attest, they do hold mud. But, so far, it's more a cosmetic problem and I haven't noticed problems balancing. Mine weigh a lot less than yours though-- probably could make a difference.

 

Never bothered me much before T2S

 

those 705's are slick looking. good choice

 

Have you looked into balance beads? As I understand the theory of them they are basically perfect for offroaders. They will self-adjust your balance forever is the claim. You already decided against the bead locks for now but these are still an interesting concept and I'm curious if anyone else has used them. I snagged a few weights off my rock warrior 17s putting my summer tires back on and going away from the stick weights seems like a good idea for anyone running a 17.

Couple of interesting videos, the first is a company that makes the beads, and the second is a guy with bead locks and big tires

 

That is some good info! Balance beads it is then. I too am guilty of knocking off the balance weights when I remove or reinstall the wheels, that’s how I got into this whole balance mess in the first place.

 

I've never used balance beads in a car but they are in the tires on my boat trailer and seem to do just fine, but I've read lots of threads online where some people like them and some people don't.

 

I've never had issues balancing beadlocks or issues with their street manners. I had some Trail Readys I ran all through college on my 4Runner and did lots of road trips with them (they're now on my FJ40 but that only goes to the burger joint and not very fast at that!). I would suspect most people that have beadlock balancing issues is more due to the types of tires usually seen on beadlocks.

With that said, I've heard good things about the bead grips. I was watching a video the other day of some dudes in Canada and one guy had bead grips and was dropping into the low single digits without issue. The bead grip seems like a nice middle ground to allow higher speed or lower pressures without worry of the bead coming off, and without the hassle of the beadlock--and if you're not going really fast, and not snow wheeling, beadlocks are probably overkill for most speed/pressure combinations. I also like the bead grip since it doesn't have the full poser look of fake beadlocks like a lot of modern wheels.

 

Wheels and balance beads will arrive this week. Seriously considering mounting the tires myself.


What do y’all think? Doable?

https://youtu.be/DzUIIt9zlXM

 

With 40's it's probably doable if you have some good tire irons. If you're gonna seat the bead using the old starting fluid fireball method, make sure to post video!

 

Fire and beads might not be a good combo but does sound fun though.

 

That's how all the cool youtube offroaders do it. It does look fun

 

Wellll, since I do want to be cool , I emailed Counteract to find out if their balance beads are fire friendly.....waiting