Been looking into this as a possible xmas desire, and wanted to ask some questions of those here who have different set ups. Mainly looking for opinions on Stauns vs Not-Stauns.

So, research and talking has yeilded this.

Stauns:

Pros- easy to balance, double beadlock, moderately easy to instal, (realative, of course, when it comes to beadlocks, not a whole lot is an "easy" instal), supposedly 100% street legal (not real concerned about that one, the rest of the truck sure isn't)

Cons- Price

Non-Stauns-

Pros- tough rims, cheaper,

Cons- Not so easy to balence, instal is difficult, not always legal, etc...

So, i after reading for a few days, i was out looking at some different locks, and was coming across the fact that price seemed about the same, not as i had read.

I looked at OMF locks, specifically ones that were sold as a full wheel, meaning, buying a beadlocked wheel, not just the rings and bolts. This was running 230-250 a wheel. Seemed pretty good. Then i looked at stauns, which are running 190 a wheel.

I know that you can buy kits, but as this truck sees a good portion of its time on the highway, i'd rather have someone who knows what they are doing put mine together, so i don't have a disaster out on the road.

Thus, if i got stauns and a new set of crapo steelies, id be at rougly 220-230 at each corner, same as the OMF's.

My question is, am i missing something? Is there a better, cheaper way to do this? Everything i've read has knocked stauns for their price, but it seems to me that they are rougly the same.

 

I have OMF beadlocks, on the Toyota wheels. I like the setup.

About the cons - in my experience anyway, I haven't had any trouble getting the wheels balanced. Install is indeed a bitch...not dificult, just time-consuming. Legal they may not be (I forget the latest on that debate), but I haven't had any trouble from the law. Before I got beadocks I remember reading a concern of them is that the bolts will loosen - not so, those suckers stay tight.

Good luck in your decision.
Either way, they won't let you down.
Get it...get it?

 

I have not gotten any static here for my OMF's.

Even if I got Stauns, I would get some MT Classic wheels, I think they have AL wheel Stauns out now.

I am into my locks for 275 a corner.

A fresh steel wheel with a Staun should end up close to that.

To me, the advantage is double lock. Staun on a steel is heavier than my OMF's.

 

weight wasn't my concern, and yeah, that is exactly what i saw, same cost per corner.

I was reading about stauns, and everyone was saying they were great, just really expensive.

You think AL over steel? I'm partial to the crappy steelies for 30 bucks cuz you can just beat them, then replace them. maybe i should look a bit more into AL wheels

 

Is this for your 4Runner or another truck?

 

Cheese, in the IH8Mud UA 2006 thread, Christo mentioned the beadlocks by Rock Monster Wheels. I don't know if they were on the shortbus or FJ. Do you have any feedback on these? I know squat about beadlocks but those look different than anything I have seen.

 

They were on the Short Bus. The FJ had some prototype Poison Spyder locks.

I mounted the the Rock Monsters, all 5.

They are, by far, the easiest beadlocks I have ever mounted. They have an internal run flat kind of insert that acts like the Stauns and locks both beads. I cannot say anything bad about them. Price, availability and BS options are the only limits now. I was mounting those 3 days before the trip, that was one of the first Toyota sets out. They are the only DOT approved beadlock I am aware of.

I like AL because they are, in my experience lighter and truer. My eaton's weren't worth a hoot. My AL locks road better, unbalanced with the same tires than the Eatons balanced.

With Stauns you get both beads locked, no obvious cop callers and a theoretical advantage in balancing.

 

I love my Staun's. I paid $150 each for mine, and already had the rims i wanted. I run them in a set of stock SR5 alloys and couldnt be happier. Yes, i did have one failure, but that was no ones fault but my own. Since correcting the issue i have not had any other problems, i was even airing the 4-runner out and blowing donut's at Silver Lake running my boggers at 4psi.

The one big downside to the stauns is that they dont offer any additional rim protection. But, at the same time, since i run stock toyota wheels i really dont care a whole lot. If i break a wheel, i go to the junkyard, buy a new one for $5, and put my old tire and beadlock in the new wheel.

If you already have the wheels you want, or can get them cheap, i say go with the stauns no questions asked. If you are buying wheels and then the beadlocks, it really comes down to your personal choice. I would still buy the stauns, but thats me.

 

I ran this rabbit a few months ago...and ended up with a DIY beadlock kit from GLO on Pirate. $365 to my door for 5 beadlocks (custom outer rings) and then $100 worth of Grade 8 bolts, washers and nylocks. Took some time to do the install, but well worth the labor vs. $$$. A set of Trail Readys etc would have cost me at least $1250 or so...but they are probably a better option if you are needing to drive on the road and balance.

I'd buy the DIY kit again in a second and won't ever waste money on another type of beadlock for a trailer queen. Pointless if you can weld IMO.

 

Are Stauns a no-no on AL wheels? I had not heard that one (but hadn't looked seriously at them either).

 

no, they have the stauns out for AL now, i believe. 4wp is advertising them at least.

If i go with standard locks, i'll get AL, but if i go with the stauns, it doesn't make much sense to go AL, simply becasue i can beat the rims and replace cheap. We'll see. Thanks for the good responses, i appreciate the help.

 

I went with some Champion beadlocks for my '85. They seem very well made and the locked bead has a good locating ring for the inside of the bead, holds the tire on properly centered. I added no external weight to the tires I mounted up, only my Centramatic wheel balancers to keep them running smooth.

 

and they are B-E-A-U-tiful.

 

You have the ability to beat them because you "have" to beat them

Out of all the vehicles that I've wheeled with the last 8 years or so, over some of the toughest trails in the SW, I never seen an AL wheel have a problem, but I can't tell you how many times someone has held up the group with they beat or try to beat a steel wheel back into shape






Fred

 

Never seen an aluminum rim fail huh? Well, here ya go:



any tire shop can fix a steel rim - when an aluminum rim fails, you're buying a new rim.

 

I really get bothered by this sort of coverage.

Yes, an AL rim will fail. Yes, a steel rim will bend.

Steel will bend before AL breaks. This is a fact.

The biggest part of the equation for street driven trucks are weight and trueness. My experience with Eaton steel wheels has put me on AL beadlocks.

Worse yet, we had a customer with steel streetlocks and 285's. They weighed noticably more than my 37's on AL real beadlocks.

I think all street driven trucks on non-swampers should have AL rims. I think on trail only trucks, heavy Swampers deserve heavy steel locks. High performance radials, like a light Krawler, should be on light AL locks.

 

Ah, so you've seen one fail (though it's impossible to see from the photo what's wrong), vs how many steel wheels





Fred

 

Mmmm, some people that I know installed some of the first released Stuans (and some of the prototypes) on aluminum wheels, no problems.

One of the huge advantages of Stauns, over typical beadlocks, is that the Stauns clamp both outside and inside beads to the wheel.





Fred

 

The thickness of the Stauns between the beads is changed steel to AL.

There was a 7-9" wide 10-12" etc. They are built to squeeze the beads and I think there is an issue with bead heigh/depth between steel and AL.

 

See the big crack at about 5:00?

I'm not saying steel rims don't bend - I'm just pointing out that you can break either, and it's easier to fix steel ones. Admittedly, it is easier to bend a steel rim than break an Al rim.

As for Flygtenstein's comments about weight, I would argue that far more of the weight is in the tire than the rim, and that a well designed, well made steel rim could weigh the same or less than an Al rim (strength to weight is about the same for steel and aluminum)