When it comes to beadlocks, there are a ton of options on the UTV market. Raceline Wheels, a division of Allied Wheel, has been at the forefront of the beadlock market for many years. Go to any UTV race or event and the majority of competitors are running wheels from this company.
Raceline has been a driving force of beadlock technology in the offroad industry for as long as we can remember and they are constantly pushing the envelope. They have created a game changer with their latest release of their forged double beadlock, the Raceline Ripper 333.
So, what is the purpose of a double beadlock and how does it give you an advantage in racing or on the trails? A traditional beadlock has several advantages. First, they allow you to run lower tire pressure without the risk of “losing the bead”. Traditional wheels rely mostly on internal air pressure to keep the tire seated on the rim. If the pressure is too low, the tire can peel off of the bead, resulting in a flat. This almost always happens on the external bead, which is why you see most beadlocks on the market with only a lock ring on the outside of the wheel.
The lock ring also prevents the tire from spinning on the wheel, which can happen with higher horsepower applications. With a beadlock ring, you can drive harder and faster with minimal worry about the tire being pulled off of the rim. However, there is always still that small chance of losing your inner bead.
Double beadlocks have been around for many years as a solution for this, though Raceline was the first to introduce this to the UTV market. However, it wasn’t enough for the company to move the technology from one market to another. Raceline also added the ability to change the backspacing on your wheels depending on how you want your UTV set up. Each wheel allows the owner to run either 2.375″ of backspacing to increase width and stability or 5.375″ to squeeze through tight and twisty trails with ease.
Raceline Wheels Race Division Director Greg Mulkey even took things a step further and suggested running narrow up front and wide in the rear for short course racing for a huge competitive advantage in vehicle handling and he was absolutely correct. There was a significant difference we felt in how our RZR felt on the track in testing. While doing this offset isn’t new (Polaris comes from the factory with different tire widths), having the ability to accomplish this without having to purchase multiple sets of wheels for different environments is a huge win in our book.
Adding to the features of the wheel, Raceline didn’t stop there and made these forged wheels. Most beadlock wheels on the market today are made of cast aluminum. While fine for casual trail riding, cast aluminum is not as strong as the forged alternative. A forged wheel handles speed, impacts and stress significantly better.
Finally, Raceline provides grade eight hardware for each wheel and each beadlock ring recesses the heads of the bolts to protect the heads when being punished in the rocks. Each CNC machined ring boldly bears the Raceline name. The deep center of each wheel also makes tire mounting significantly easier.
While all these features come with a price, we consider the Raceline Ripper 333 beadlock to be the best looking, strongest, most reliable and innovative beadlock wheel on the market today.
