|
How does the Staun Internal Dual Bead Lock work?
|
A Staun Internal
Dual Pneumatic Bead Lock divides the tire’s air chamber into two
compartments (look inside)
through two valve stems. The bead lock portion is inflated to
50 PSI
and forces the tire beads against the rim and holds them
tightly together. On a 15 inch rim, we calculate that there
is over 4,523 pounds of force holding the beads against the rim!
This is in addition to the force required to pop the beads over
the rim’s bead bumps. Through another special valve stem,
the balance of the tire can be inflated or deflated to any
pressure less than 45 PSI.
How Staun BeadLock works.
Advantages of low pressure |
|
How new are Staun bead locks?
|
They have been sold and used throughout Australia,
within the cities and in the outback since 2002. We are not
the guinea pigs for this revolutionary product. |
|
What are the advantages of Staun bead locks over
mechanical bead locks?
|
Primarily, they
lock both the outside and inside beads (look
inside). There are no balance or
“street legal” issues. They prevent rim "spin"
within the tire. They improve traction, and with a flat, preserve
the rim, and typically the tire, by keeping it up off the terrain so you can limp back to
camp (see "limp flat").
|
|
How are easy
are Staun bead locks to install? |
In
2007, Staun made manufacturing and material changes that make them
very easy to install.
See install
video. |
|
Can I use Staun
bead locks
on my existing rims? |
Yes. They can be fitted to virtually any alloy or steel rim.
The only exception that we know of is on very wide reversed offset
rims with the standard valve stem in the center of the offset. Our
Air Channel does not reach the valve stem that far in (see
Air Channel). |
|
What size rims will the Staun beadlocks fit?
|
Staun makes bead
locks to fit rims from 9 to 20 inches in diameter and 6 to 12
inches wide, with a few gaps in all combinations of diameter and
width.
|
|
Are the Staun bead locks tire specific? |
The bead locks are
rim size specific, but regarding the tires, we have no special
requirements. If kept properly inflated, the bead lock will
last you through many sets of tires. |
|
Are Staun beadlocks street legal? |
According to
California Highway Patrol Public Relations officer Chris Johnson,
there are no California Vehicle Codes prohibiting the use of Staun
bead locks in California. Federal government wise, he reports there are no DOT,
NITSA and NHTSB regulations or requirements prohibiting the use of
Staun bead locks either.
|
|
How much do
Staun beadlocks weigh? |
Depending on size,
each complete bead lock only weighs 4 to 5 pounds. |
|
How about wheel balance?
|
The Staun bead
lock is symmetrical from inside to outside and around the rim. Further,
all of the weight is located within and near the rim, so there are
no balance issues whatsoever.
Back
to Top |
|
Can they be used with internal shot or powder
balancers? |
We conclude from several competitive
test application that shot does not affect bead lock reliability or
function. I am fearful that constant airing down and up will
clog valve cores and this has never been tested. See
Cody
Waggoner tests. |
|
How far can I drive on a "limp
flat"?
|
Obviously, it
depends on the starting condition of your tire, the terrain you
are driving over, and how fast and long you drive on the
limp flat. We have several
reports of limp flats holding up on the trails all day with unknown flats.
There was another report from Australia where the 4X was driven on
the freeway for 20 miles at 60 MPH. The BeadLock and rim
survived, but the tire was thrashed.
|
|
Can Staun bead locks be used on the highway?
|
Although they are not sold for highway use, they have been used for
over two years on Australian highways with no ill effects. This is
because the bead lock only touches the tire right at the beads (see
details).
They immediately pull away from the remainder of the tire. This means
there is no touching, scuffing, rubbing or friction of any sort.
With no contact, there is no heat and hence no problems. |
|
How are Staun
beadlocks at
high speed? |
The product was
invented by an Australian offroad racer. Many of their races are
like the Paris to Dakar race – a combination of rough and high
speed. Speed does not affect the Staun Bead Lock.
See details.
|
|
Are they
run-flats? |
Definitely not!
They are designed to keep the tires on the rims, but not sacrifice
your ability to air down. A run flat does not allow this;
however, the slight “cushioning” effect produces what I call
a "limp flat."
|
|
Can I use CO2
in my tires and Staun bead locks? |
Yes. CO2 is virtually completely
inert, so it will not affect the inner tube or the polyester Cap.
Although it's a common question, CO2 is what's in
our soft drinks and it is actually put in bags of potato chips to
keep them fresh with no "CO2 people" problems. If
it does not affect our bodies, the it is certainly safe for rubber
and polyester. It's interesting how they get the CO2
in the chip bag. They actually put a tiny pellet of dry ice
(CO2) in the bag which turns to gas.
Cody
Waggoner fills his tires in the field with CO2. |
|
How long do Staun
beadlocks last? |
Since the product
is completely contained within the tire, they never see
deteriorating ultra violet radiation or ozone. These are the two
principle contributors to product failure. They should last
indefinitely and through many sets of tires.
|
|
Are Staun bead
locks guaranteed? |
Yes. There is a
5 year limited warantee against material and workmanship failure. What we do not cover are
the tubes, for any reason: improper
installation, pinched inner tubes or mis-drilled holes in your
rims. Our
Installation Manual will go far towards preventing these
installer-caused mistakes.
|
|
What kind of
terrain have Staun beadlocks been tested on? |
We have ongoing
tests in rocks, sand, mud, snow and all sorts of race vehicles. We
have equipped
Team
Waggoner's rock
crawling championship buggy with test and event success.
Send us your email address and we’ll add you to our
update list. You will then be periodically notified when we learn
something new.
|
|
Where can I read
more about the Staun bead locks tests you have performed? |
Our
first tests.
Team
Waggoner tests.
Back to Top |
|
How do Staun
beadlocks affect
air up and down time? |
If you use
standard valve stems, you will most likely not see much affect.
Consider this. The bead lock occupies approximately 5% (44"
tires) to 30% (31" tires) of
the tire’s total internal volume. This means you are inflating
and deflating a smaller volume, but the
Air Channel does
slightly slow air up/down, so draw your own conclusions. See details.
|
|
How much do Staun
bead locks cost? |
The Staun bead
locks are about the same price as conventional, mechanical bead
locks, but more than twice the product. In addition to the
outer bead, they also lock the
inner bead and provide a "limp flat"
capability. Further, since they are not tire specific, they
can be use on many sets of tires. |
|
Staun bead
locks look simply
like some material and an inner tube. How come they cost so much? |
At first glance,
we agree, but there’s a lot more there than meets the eye. Most
products are labor intensive which accounts for the bulk of the
production costs. Surprisingly, our bead locks are just the opposite. Over
two-thirds of the cost is in the material even though it seem like
just cloth. Due to the construction,
there is a great amount of material wastage. Further, there are
three types of very heavy, wide webbing that are specially made for us, and
that too runs the cost up. Look at it this way: It’s about the same
price as a mechanical bead lock and more than twice the product!
It locks both beads and gives you a
limp flat capability.
|
|
Are they available in the US, now?
|
Yes. Dealers, please contact us at (949) 645-7733
or email the ol' Coyote. |
|
Where can I buy Staun bead locks ? |
Use
this link, then select your state.
If you have a favorite 4WD store that doesn't yet carry Staun, have
them contact us. |
|
I don’t have
tire changing equipment. Who installs Staun bead locks ? |
Although we cannot speak for all 4WD or tire stores, we believe that
most are capable of installation, particularly with our
Installation
Manual. |
|
Can I use an
inner tube with them? |
No.
The bead lock occupies the entire rim cavity up to the tire beads.
This prevents you from bringing the inner tube’s valve
stem to the outside of the rim. |
|
I’m a retailer. How can I find out about handling Staun bead
locks in my store? |
Email us. |
|
|
Back
to Top
|
About
Book
FAQs