air holes in beadlocks.

[M0D3RN C0WB0Y]

Hi I just received some g-made gt beadlocks, but they don't have holes in them for the air to escape. Should I drill a hole in all of them?

[Superbeast]

I was running stock wheels ( not vented) on my honcho, I bought some other tires/wheels from a friend that were vented and weighted and I'm still amazed at what a difference it made, I know I am now a huge fan of vented and weighted wheels.

I would say try them sealed, if you dont like it, vent them. If you don't like them vented you could always get some plastic epoxy and fill the holes. Not sure if that works or is a "hack" way of doing it, I just thought of it and thought I'd pass it along

[Devil Inc]

Originally Posted by M0D3RN C0WB0Y

Hi I just received some g-made gt beadlocks, but they don't have holes in them for the air to escape. Should I drill a hole in all of them?

Go for it, I've drilled all my wheel, except for my RC4WD Pro10s and steelies, for those I've vented the tires.

[Armistice]

Maybe get a 3mm drill and tap. Drill them out and run them. If you don't like it, tap them, and Loctite a set screw in the hole. Will look better than epoxy or silicone. And if you change your mind, take the set screw out

Actually, that's a cool idea. Then if you go play where there's water, just put in the set screw and you don't have to worry about your tires filling up and ruining your foams.

[Meatwad]

Depends on your terrain. For instance if you run in water at all, probably best to leave them sealed.

[alexchen86]

IMO just have 2 sets if you plan on running a set in wet conditions. Your plastic G made beadlocks aren't too expensive to drill through for a crawling set. You could have another set for mudding/wet runs. The way I run my wheels/tires no matter how well I plan to seal up a hole with CA or a set screw I'm still paranoid about water destroying my Crawler Innovation foams....

[DemetriM]

set screws. what genius. can't wait to take advantage of that little trick.

[YJ_Driver]

I go in water or snow occasionally so I cut two holes in the tire thread using small side cutters. This way the water has a way out or I can squeeze it out. I don't know if the foams will deteriorate faster but this is the simplest solution I've found that leaves them vented all the time.

[RBD1]

If you vent the rim, water and sand will build up inside, if you vent the tire cent. force will help keep things out. Leather punch works great for venting tires.

[crowninshield3]

Water wasnt an issue with me for vented wheels. I like the platform of vented wheels because of the obvious reasons better tread coverage etc etc. Ive ran in water at gtg's and comps and just take the time to unscrew every single screw and dry the foams afterwards. Some dont care and just run, or do not have the "time" to go through the process. Take care of your gear or equipment and youll see happy trails

[Hoosierdady]

Originally Posted by RBD1

If you vent the rim, water and sand will build up inside, if you vent the tire cent. force will help keep things out. Leather punch works great for venting tires.

IMO the best way to vent a tire is with a soldering iron. Hole punches and snips will leave the tire prone to tearing on rocks when you're in a bind. Using the soldering iron seals the hole and will prevent the tires from ripping.

[alexchen86]

Biggest mistake I did on a first attempt at a first generation scx10 was running a 9.6v NiMH hump pack with 2.2" softened New Bright rubber Rc toy truck mud tires with chevron treads. Drilled 4 holes at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o clock positions.....instantly crumpled under the rig's weight.

Just experiment with your rig and its weight distribution per pair of tires front and rear. Also quality foams are critical too.

[Duuuuuuuude]

I used to vent the wheels, but switched to vented tires long ago and it's a much better setup. I've never once torn a tire because of it. No sand\dirt buildup or water retention. Park your rig on a towel with the holes facing down and most of the water will wick its way out.

[mikebecher]

Originally Posted by Duuuuuuuude

I used to vent the wheels, but switched to vented tires long ago and it's a much better setup. I've never once torn a tire because of it. No sand\dirt buildup or water retention. Park your rig on a towel with the holes facing down and most of the water will wick its way out.

Same here, I use an old soldering iron to melt holes through the tires at 90° intervals. I used to be adamant about not putting holes in the tires to keep the water out but it gets in there anyhow. At least with holes it can drip out or you can force it by spinning the wheels. And the tires breath much easier so they bounce less. I figure at some point the foams will suffer but I'll probably need new tires by that time and foams are relatively cheap.

[Jus]

Most of my foams are not water proof so I vent the wheels and stay out of the water if the particular rig they are run on sees a little water. No sand or dirt builds up at all, I drill a single 1/16" hole just so the pressure equalizes. It's important for me because my house is at 800ft elevation and I crawl on mountaints at 2000+ft and the tires would balloon if I didn't vent them

IMO, getting "most" of the water out by having holes in the tires isn't good enough. Foams still rot and break down if they are moist at all, I've had it happen several times, and it was with foams that I liked and are hard to replace without buying more tires to get them.

[Duuuuuuuude]

Most of it wicks out, the rest will follow eventually. I've had the same set of CI foams for over a year and they're still fine. Since the inner is closed cell and essentially waterproof, only the outers would need replacing, and they're fairly cheap.

If I spent a ton of time in mud or water, I'd probably keep them sealed. I don't like cleaning after a run, so I don't go out of my way to make a mess, by at the same time I'm not at all afraid to.

[justinart24]

How To: Venting and adding weights to beadlocks...