Problems with ATX wheels?

Ok. Asking an honest question. Have anyone on here or anyone know of someone bending a atx bead lock? Not the ring but the rim.
 

OverlanderJK

Resident Smartass
I've heard of one but didn't actually see it. Mel mangled a rim during KOH this year. Greg can tell more about it as he was in the race.
 
The only reason I'm bringing this up is because talking to 3 different people (not mall crawlers) that have had problems with them in the past. I don't know if it was a early problem or not.
 

GCM 2

New member
It is definitely not impossible to bend an ATX beadlock ring, they are aluminum. However, I would like to see some photos, or at a minimum, know more details on the backstory of these bent rings because it would honestly be a first. Also to clarify, we did not bend a beadlock on the EVOTJ during this years King of the Hammers. Infact after cutting a tire and not having a spare, we drove almost 30 miles on a flat that would at some point shred the entire tread section and inside sidewall free of the tire, leaving us only the outer sidewall still completely attached to the beadlock. We made it almost 2/3rds of the way up Aftershock (a canyon filled with rock gardens, refrigerator sized boulders, waterfalls ranging from 2' to 5'+) on that rim and frayed sidewall. When we finally did get a spare onto the race car, we ended up using all the beadlocks as a hi-lift jack point to make it out of Chocolate Thunder.



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These wheels are designed to be raced, the same wheels that are on all the daily drivers running ATX Slabs or Chamber Pros, are the exact same off the shelf wheel the factory sponsored guys who win lots of races with zero failures. The same set of wheels in the photos from the 2014 KOH above we're just raced this weekend on the same race car and they are perfectly fine


If you look at the design of the beadlock, it has an extremely thick crossection. It also does not stick up very far above the surface it mounts to (as in the direction toward the wheel center) like the massive "Star" type of beadlock ring used on the Spyderlocks, which oddly enough is an ATX Slab wheel with a different beadlock. I know Wayoflife had mentioned in the past when he ran the Spyderlocks that he had trouble keeping the wheel balanced due to the "Star" section of the beadlock bending/deflecting in or out after taking rock hits.



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Again, I am definitely not saying bending an ATX beadlock cannot possibly happen and I am no ATX rocket surgeon, but I have put my Slabs through hell and been a part of putting the ones on a stock class race car and Unlimited class race car through the absolute worst possible conditions with zero beadlock issues. So if you could get some more info and possibly hard facts that would be sweet ;)
 
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OverlanderJK

Resident Smartass
It is definitely not impossible to bend an ATX beadlock ring, they are aluminum. However, I would like to see some photos, or at a minimum, know more details on the backstory of these bent rings because it would honestly be a first. Also to clarify, we did not bend a beadlock on the EVOTJ during this years King of the Hammers. Infact after cutting a tire and not having a spare, we drove almost 30 miles on a flat that would at some point shred the entire tread section and inside sidewall free of the tire, leaving us only the outer sidewall still completely attached to the beadlock. We made it almost 2/3rds of the way up Aftershock (a canyon filled with rock gardens, refrigerator sized boulders, waterfalls ranging from 2' to 5'+) on that rim and frayed sidewall. When we finally did get a spare onto the race car, we all the beadlocks as a hi-lift jack point to make it out of Chocolate Thunder.

This is what I was referencing. I thought I heard you say the rim was mangled too. Guess it was just the tire. Thanks for the response. :thumb:
 

GCM 2

New member
This is what I was referencing. I thought I heard you say the rim was mangled too. Guess it was just the tire. Thanks for the response. :thumb:

No problem :thumb: The next day when we drove back through Aftershock in the Unlimited class race, we looked for the spare rim from the stock class race car and someone had picked that sucker up! The wheel was still perfectly good, just really had a chewed up beadlock. So if you ever see someone with a Off Road Evolution/Discount Tire "red" ATX Slab on their rig, thank them/congratulate them for picking that thing up for us :icon_crazy:
 
Thanks for clarifying. I'll ask the individuals for photos or proof. They also run the king if the hammers.... When we were talking about bead locks. I told them I was going off the allied racing and buying a set of atx. That's when they (at separate times) started telling me that they keep bending the rims. I was really confused wondering how you would bend a rim on those. I have seen them in person several times and was impressed with them.
 

GCM 2

New member
Thanks for clarifying. I'll ask the individuals for photos or proof. They also run the king if the hammers.... When we were talking about bead locks. I told them I was going off the allied racing and buying a set of atx. That's when they (at separate times) started telling me that they keep bending the rims. I was really confused wondering how you would bend a rim on those. I have seen them in person several times and was impressed with them.

You know, I originally mis-read your OP. So my mistake in thinking it was the headlock ring. But again, yes you sure can bend the rim portion too and especially if you are running lower air pressures. We typically don't run as low of air pressure during the race, as we would if we were just wheeling for weekend fun. The speeds you hit and pace you attack obstacles at during the race are just too high to run really low weekend warrior tire pressures. The race "stickies" most of the teams run (Only in unlimited class though, not allowed in other classes) make up for not being able to run single digit, or even low teens, air pressure numbers.

So now that I have understood your original post (my fault, not yours :doh:), yes you definitely could bend a rim and the likelihood of that is much higher than a headlock ring.
 
You know, I originally mis-read your OP. So my mistake in thinking it was the headlock ring. But again, yes you sure can bend the rim portion too and especially if you are running lower air pressures. We typically don't run as low of air pressure during the race, as we would if we were just wheeling for weekend fun. The speeds you hit and pace you attack obstacles at during the race are just too high to run really low weekend warrior tire pressures. The race "stickies" most of the teams run (Only in unlimited class though, not allowed in other classes) make up for not being able to run single digit, or even low teens, air pressure numbers. So now that I have understood your original post (my fault, not yours :doh:), yes you definitely could bend a rim and the likelihood of that is much higher than a headlock ring.

After asking the one of the individual, he said they bent the inside. Running too low air psi in the ultra 4. He was trying to sell me on some trail gears.
 

GCM 2

New member
He even has the "just woke up but my hair still looks awesome" hair. :cheesy:

The proper term would be "helmet hair" in supermodel racing circles. Little known fact: The "Helmet Hair" block of instructions at the Milan School for Euro Racer Boys is approximately 19 minutes long (or 3045 credit hrs) and does require a practical exercise as part of the final examination.
 

10frank9

Web Wheeler
The proper term would be "helmet hair" in supermodel racing circles. Little known fact: The "Helmet Hair" block of instructions at the Milan School for Euro Racer Boys is approximately 19 minutes long (or 3045 credit hrs) and does require a practical exercise as part of the final examination.

Dare I ask what the practical exercise consists of?? :eek:
 
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