If you’re looking at forged beadlocks, you’re probably aware of the options out there on the market. There aren’t that many. They are much more expensive to manufacture than cast wheels… and for that reason, you don’t see many manufacturers offering them. Lock Off-Road is not new to the wheel game, but this is their first forged beadlock… and it’s absolutely stunning and lightweight.
Sizes Currently Offered
- 5×127
- 6×139.7
- 8×165.1
- 6×135
- Custom blanks (pretty rad, never seen this option before)
Find Them Online:Â
- Lock Off-Road Invaders: Check Price
- Weight: 28.5 lbs.
Table Of Contents
Beadlock Ring
The Invader’s beadlock ring is forged just like the rest of the wheel. It’s got a unique look with a portion of the ring coming into the dish on the top and bottom with their mountain logo machined in. It’s chamfered on the inside lip to help with tire bead seating. The ring itself has clean machine lines.
Hardware
Grade 8 bolts all the way around. Lock recommends 20 ft-lbs. and a criss-cross pattern like usual, and it’s worked just fine. We’ve wheeled with them at a wide range of PSI, and no leaks. Just make sure you’re patient if installing your own set.
Center Cap
Fully billet and low profile – absolutely amazing. On my KMC Impact Beadlocks, they didn’t even come with a center cap… and some other wheels that I’ve run in the past only come with a sticker for the cap. This is by far the highest-end center cap I’ve ever seen on a set of wheels. Not only is the center cap billet, but each center cap Allen bolt is real and mounts the cap into place. No blanks on this cap. It’s designed to be run both on and off if you have manual hubs or are doing frequent maintenance.
Width, Offset & Fitment
The standard spec is 17×9, and they offer a wide variety of offsets; everything from -38mm to + 25mm. I am running the +25mm on the 6th Gen 4Runner. They poke a little, but I like the look. I might consider running a wider stance with some spacers. We’ll see.
Design & Finish
The face is extremely clean. The spokes are chunky with clean windows throughout the Y pattern, and bevels all the way around each spoke, adding a lot of depth and contrast to the design. You can get them in raw (aka machine face polish), or custom anodized if you order through Lock Off-Road directly. The TACT (Tough Application Chemically Treated) coating. Formulated specifically for durability. My other set of Baja wheels have held up great, as well as other wheels I’ve seen on different trucks, and I expect the same for these.
Balancing & Mounting
We were surprised at how little weight the wheels took to balance with the 35″ Arroyo M/Ts. Each wheel only required about a strip of weights, and we were good.
I mounted these beadlocks down at Stellar Built in Sacramento (big shout to Stellar for letting me mount these beadlocks at their shop). Mounting the beadlocks did take me a while since it was just me doing it. All in all, all four wheels probably took me about four hours. That’s from start to finish. Mounting beadlocks is no joke. It takes forever… especially in 100-degree Sacramento heat. Beadlock bolts do move a bit after the first cycle, so re-check them after the first 100-200 miles and periodically for more routine maintenance.
Street Manners & Daily Driving
You can daily them, and a lot of guys daily with beadlocks, but… they are technically not DOT approved. This is the case with all off-road wheels. While they aren’t technically illegal, their “off-road use only” label is a disclaimer to protect brands. Naturally, you do all these mods at your own risk.
You’ll get a little road feedback, and you’re not gonna get the same balance as a cast wheel. That said, if you’ve got a decent suspension and keep your tires rotated and balanced, they’re totally fine for your daily. I really can’t tell the difference between a cast wheel vs. a beadlock wheel on-road, but some others claim to feel a big difference. Probably depends on the wheel, tire, etc.
Air Down Performance
This is why we run beadlocks… to air down as far as possible without losing too much ground clearance. We aired down to 5 PSI on our Arroyo MTs on Signal Peak, and it held the bead just fine. No leaks, and a ton of grip. They do what they need to do.
Final Thoughts
If you like the design of this wheel, and you’re looking for a lightweight wheel, weighing in at only 28.5 lbs., this is a killer option. You get what you pay for with beadlocked wheels, and these are a premium set. I like this wheel a lot, it would be cool if they made a cast version since it looks great and not everyone needs beadlocks. Let’s make it happen!
Damn these wheels look good!