Short version: Richard (me) likes them. Daryl likes them. Joe likes them.
Long version: (for those who have never commented "TLDR")
I am not one of those "these are great, I can't wait until they arrive in the mail" kind of reviewers. I really dislike those BS reviews and have little respect for those who post them. I am not interested in your opinion of the sales pitch; I am interested in how well they work.
So, here are my experiences and opinions on Coyote's internal beadlocks.
I installed a set a little over a year ago. We installed Daryl's set a few weeks later. We have both been running on our beadlocked tires since. I figure a year's worth of experience is a reasonable time for a real test and a solid review. Recently, Joe installed a set on his White Wrangler, too.
I'll start at the beginning (that always seems the best place to start):
Installation-
I am not going to say the installation was particularly easy. It was a bit of work. It would be nice if I could have had them installed for me, but one of the negatives of almost all beadlock technologies is that very few tire shops will install them. If you are unable or unwilling to do the work yourself (or trick your...uhhh...I mean ASK your friends to help), true beadlocks, internal or external, may not be for you. However, as we did more tires, it got easier and easier. We just had to learn some little tricks and techniques. The third set took us less time than the first wheel we did.
Running the beadlocks:
There are no tricks to running the internal beadlocks. Once correctly installed, they are pretty forgettable. I suggest occasionally checking the pressure of the inner beadlock (tube), but beyond that, they are more "set-and-forget." None of that constant retorquing of the ring bolts is needed.
Over many years and different sets/models/sizes of tires, I have run as little as 4 PSI (6 PSI is more common), when wheeling in deep snow hundreds of times. While I have debeaded a tire about 3 times over the last 20 years, it has not been something I was all that worried about. Still, having the Coyote Internal Beadlocks has been comforting. I no longer need to travel quite as slow or be as careful on side hills or when turning as is generally required for running low tire pressures without beadlocks.
Our group experience with these has been mostly uneventful. We did, however, have two occasions when having beadlocks made a clear difference.
On one occasion, Daryl's Jeep had to be spun around in the trail due to a mechanical issue. Several people were concerned that he needed to add air pressure before dragging the vehicle around so the beads would not break or burp. He was at around 5 PSI at the time. Daryl told them he was good, and rather than airing up and then back down once he got turned around, they spun his Jeep, and the beads held just as expected.
Another time, while down to 10 PSI, Daryl slid sideways into a ravine. He came to the bottom hard enough that he almost tipped, and we were all glad for the beadlocks. I have no doubt that it hit hard enough and at such an angle that he would have at least burped the front tire, if not debeading it altogether.
Pros:
- You can use your existing rims (more often than not).
- Lock both the inner and outer beads.
- Relatively inexpensive (we all got ours during one of their 4-for-3 sales)
- Requires very little maintenance after installation.
- Have limited limp-flat capability.
Cons:
- A PITA to mount.
- Like most beadlocks, getting tire shops to mount/service them is rare.
- Best for 10" or thinner wheels.
- You have to drill a 2nd stem hole in your wheels.
I have had no issues with airing up or down. Both happen at about the same rate as before I installed the internal beadlocks. I did have one issue due to an installation goof on my part. Thanks to my error, I had to replace an air channel.
For me, airing down is not some kind of competition, so beadlocks are not about bragging about how little air pressure I can run. I only go as low as needed for the condition. What these do for me is add extra confidence about bead retention when I air way down, even when going a bit faster, turning, or being at steep side angles. Simply, they are comforting to have.
