Lowest "safe" tire pressure with a bead-locked 16.5" wheel?

[TruckNutzDude]

I'm toying with the idea of adding bead locks to my 12x16.5" wheels, but I want to know a little bit about their advantages. I know I'll be adding some width to the rim, my tires can handle that (44x18 TSL's) Will the single edged bead lock hold the tire on at 5-10 p.s.i. or can I run lower? Is the inside edge of my rim going to hold the tire well with low pressure or should I just start looking for a hummer wheel or those bladder type (tube style) bead locks? My spare tire is only 38" so if I were to lose a bead I'd be in a world of hurt until I got home. Should I just invest in a bigger spare tire?

 

[jekbrown]

if you can't go 5-10 psi with them, Im not sure I see the point of beadlocks... I go below 10 without them, so with'em it shouldn't be a problem. As you said, there is the inner bead... but if I had to guess I'd say it will be fine at 5-10. Getting a bigger spare would be a good idea tho....

j

 

[79Stomper]

On my 12" wide rims, the back bead seating area is a great deal larger than the front. I am running weld on beadlocks and plan on dropping mine down to like 3-5 psi for the trails. Same size spare is something required if running a locker of any sort. I ran with a 33" spare when I had 35's, luckily never needed it. Now I have the locker running same size spare just in case.