How Do RC Beadlock Rims Work?

When it comes to upgrading the tire and wheel combo for your RC car, truck, or crawler you have a lot of options that you can choose from. The first decision that you will have to make is whether you actually want RC bead lock rims in this first place or not. 

Often people will choose to change to headlock rims on their RC vehicle because they are tired of the glue coming off of their RC car tires over and over again and don’t want to mess with ungluing and regluing their tires ever again. 

RC beadlock rims allow you to simply put the tire on your RC rim and then clip the beadlock into place to keep your tire on the rim. This prevents you from having to fix the glue on your RC tires and also makes it much easier to swap out the rubber for different types of terrain rather than having to change your tires every time. 

Another amazing thing about beadlock rims on your RC car is that they look much better than the traditional tires and rims that you would normally have on your RC car. There are many different beadlock rims available that all look nice (such as the ones found here) but they all come with a downside. That downside is they are also much more expensive than the cheap traditional rims that you see on most RC cars. 

To learn more about RC beadlock rims as well as to learn some of their advantages and disadvantages you will want to keep reading the rest of this article. 

To see how to install RC beadlock rims you can also check out the video below (be warned the intro music is quite loud!)

What is a beadlock rim?

In simple terms, a beadlock rim can be defined as equipment that is used to firmly attach a rubber wheel to the rim right along the bead. 

If the RC tire is inflated, it creates pressure that pushes the bead against the wheel rim. This helps keep the tire on the wheel so that they can rotate together. In some cases, when there isn’t sufficient pressure to hold the bead in place, you need to use a beadlock.

You can also use a beadlock to avoid having to glue the RC tire on. Most RC tires will have foam insides instead of being air filled but the constant process of regluing the tires to the rims over and over again can be quite annoying so beadlock rims fix this issue. 

The main purpose of a beadlock rim is to simply hold the RC tire in place on the rim without needing to use glue or some other adhesive. A beadlock rim will also prevent the tire from flying off your wheel. In the event of the glue giving away during a race you may lose your RC tire or even crash your RC car entirely but with beadlock rims this shouldn’t happen.

Can you put beadlocks on any rim?

Many people think they can simple order a replacement beadlock part from the internet or local hobby shop and it will work just fine but is this true? 

In general for the beadlock to work properly your RC rims have to be the exact size as well as the same pattern that is on the beadlock. In most cases the beadlock and rim for the RC car are sold together so you have to buy both of them at once. 

You cannot just randomly pick any beadlock you find  and try to put it on your rims. It has to be of the same size, have the same holes and most importantly, the beadlock you are going to attach should be designed for the rim you have. 

In most cases this won’t happen so you will simply have to purchase a beadlock and rim at the same time. 

How do you install RC beadlock wheels?

Here are the steps you need to follow to install RC beadlock wheels:

1. The first thing you need to do is make sure that you have the right wheel clearances and all the required equipment.
   
2. In this step, you need to insert the beadlock side of the rim into the tire. To create more space for movement, you need to adjust the bead in the center divot of the rim.
   
3. You can use a pair of tire spoons to insert the rim into the tire.
   
4. Once you insert the rim completely in the tire, flip it over and start installing the beadlock ring.
   
5. Maneuver the tire correctly around the rim until it sits perfectly onto the beadlock clamping area.
   
6. After that apply some lubricant onto the hardware.
   
7. Now tighten the bolts/screws. Make sure that they are snug in place.
   
8. To attach the outer bead, spray some lubricant around the tires.
   
9. Once you are done installing all the tires on your rims, you can attach them to your RC vehicle.
   

Installing beadlock rims on your RC car is actually relatively easy and is certainly much easier than trying to glue your rims all of the time. That is especially true if you constantly get water or debris inside your tires often and so you are constantly removing and reapplying the glue. 

In that case beadlock rims will save you all kinds of time with your RC car! 

How do beadlock rims work?

Beadlock rims are considered to be an important part of the RC vehicle. They keep the rubber tire secure in its place and help keep the vehicle function properly by keeping the tires working well. It also magnifies the total force applied which impacts the performance of your vehicle. 

Beadlock rims are available in different sizes, colors, and styles. By changing the rim of your RC wheel, you can change the look of your car by quite a bit. However, it does more than just making your car look good. With the help of good beadlock rims, you can improve the performance of your vehicle and never lose a race due to the tire glue coming loose ever again! 

Not just that but it can give you a much smoother ride as well which should increase your RC cars race position. 

Are beadlocks rims necessary?

When people first hear about beadlock rims they sound amazing! Afterall never having to glue your RC tire again is something everyone in the RC world would love! However once people see the prices of Rc beadlock rims they quickly begin asking if they are necessary or not. 

Beadlock rims are not a necessity to have on your RC car but if you race your car often then they are really nice to have. Being able to easily swap out the rubber or change the foam inserts can make racing much easier and a lot more fun. 

If you are simply using your RC car to drive around your neighborhood park on the weekend then having beadlock rims for your RC car is not a necessity at all as having to reglue your tires at some point likely won’t bother you. 

However if you often race your RC car and stand a chance of winning prizes doing so then having beadlock rims becomes much more of a necessity since having a tire come unglued could mean you lose a race or even the entire competition. 

Advantages of beadlock rims 

Just as with anything there are always pros and cons that come into play. This is true with beadlock rims as well. Some people swear by them and would never go back to having a normal RC tire ever again while other people prefer the traditional look and feel of normal RC tires. 

Some of the advantages of having beadlock rims can be found below. 

1. Beadlock rims will allow you to never have to spend hours taking off the glue from your old RC rims and then reapplying it. This is probably the biggest advantage of beadlock rims.
   
2. Beadlock rims are strong enough to take a beating against hard surfaces like rocks, stumps, etc. and you won’t have to worry about the glue breaking off during those rough races.
   
3. Beadlocks wheel rims make your RC vehicle look cool. You will find that beadlock rims come in many different styles and shapes and by changing the beadlock rim, you can change the look of your vehicle entirely.
   

Disadvantages of beadlock rims

There are a few cons associated with using beadlock rims as well. Before you install them on your RC vehicle, you should take a look at the items given below and see if you are ok with these downsides. 

1. Beadlock wheels are normally heavier as they have more equipment and metal than normal RC rims. Depending on the type of rims you get this weight could be negligible or it could be considerable as well.
   
2. Beadlock rims are considerably more expensive than normal RC rims and honestly this is the biggest con that they have. Most people who choose not to go with beadlock rims for their RC car often say the main reason is that they are simply too expensive. 

Conclusion 

Although RC beadlock rims are more expensive than normal rims in my opinion they are well worth the additional cost. Let’s say you have to go through the process of taking off and reapplying the glue to your RC tires once a month. That process will likely take 2-3 hours depending on how you take the glue off the rubber and how well you clean the rims and tires before gluing them back together again. 

At once a month and assuming that you have 6 months of RC use per year that means you will spend 12-18 hours a year simply messing with the glue on your RC tires! If you spend fifty bucks on beadlock rims for your RC car that means you are actually paying yourself only $3-4 an hour to hassle with that glue and that’s assuming the beadlock rims only last one season! 

From the above example, we can conclude that beadlocks rims are not really that expensive when compared to the sheer amount of time that they save you in dealing with the dreaded rim glue and that example doesn’t even include the cost of the glue either so it actually works in the beadlock rims favor even better! 

To see some specific beadlock rims for RC cars as well as how much they are currently selling for you can check them out by clicking here.