Trail Worthy Fabrication H1 Hummer Beadlock Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the difference between 8 and 12 bolt wheels?
A: There are a few differences. First of all the 12 bolt wheels have 1/3 more bolts holding them together which in theory makes them stronger. 12 bolts are made of a little bit higher quality of steel. 12 bolt wheels have a hex shaped air valve that is held in by a nut on the back side of the wheel and require a small o-ring in the valve assembly.
(Pic above shows the Nut on the back of the 12 bolt dish.)
(Pic above shows the dish on the shell of a 12 bolt.)
In stock form the WMS(wheel mounting surface) is on the "dish" part of the wheel.
(Picture of the dish)
This is the part of the wheel that is taken off of the shell. This is the piece that we water jet out the stock centers.
(Picture of the shell)
(Picture of a "dish" getting the stock WMS WaterJeted out.)
The shell of the 12 bolt does not have a WMS as it is on the dish as noted above (Shell is the part of the wheel that when the 12 nuts are removed and the wheels are split in two retains the 12 studs and makes up for 90% of the wheel assembly.
The 8 bolt Shell holds the stock WMS. Because these are too tall for the water jet we Plasma out the stock centers from the shell of the 8 bolt.
(8 bolt wheel together, note: The "Ring" in this picture has been painted Silver and the stock WMS is not. These are non recentered 8 bolts and spacers were run on this rig)
Another picture of a stock 8 bolt wheel that has not been painted
The 8 bolt does not have a dish. It has a ring, this ring is what has the 8 holes thru it that the studs go thru when set on top of the shell. When you impact the 8 bolts of the ring your wheel is put back together.
(Picture of the rings only on an 8 bolt wheel)
(Picture of the "shell" of a stock 8 bolt wheel. Notice that the stock centers where the WMS is are still in these wheels)
In short be it 8 or 12 bolts when we cut out the stock WMS and supply the new centers, the new centers are welded into the shell on the wheels making them all but the same design. Only real difference is that one has 8 bolts and the other has 12. I know at some point the 12 bolt is a stronger wheel but I'm yet to see an 8 bolt fail. As a rule of thumb I tell people if you are going to run them on a heavy tow rig or run a tire over 44" tall to go with the 12 bolts. Anything 44 or less, 8 or 12 bolt wheels work just the same.
(Picture of a recentered 12 bolt wheel.) This wheel has been recentered with a pressed center and does have rock rings added to it, has been powder coated.)
Note: This is an 8 bolt with a pressed center and no rock rings welded in. Wheel has been powder coated)
Q: Do I need to recenter the stock wheels?
A: In short 99% of the time the anser is Yes. The wheels are 9" Wide with a 7" Back space or (BS). This means that your wheel will be tucked under your rig 7" of the 9" width. Most can get away with this on the rear axle. But on the front you will hit your tie rod. There are ways to run the wheels in stock form. Wheel spacers. As spacer that bolts to your stock hubs, these spacers have a different set of lugs in the same 8x6.5 bolt pattern that are spaced out 2" further than your stock hub. This allows you to run the stock wheel. For the hardcore wheeler spacers are not the best choice, recentering the wheels would be a better route. There are companies that make HighSteer arms that make it to where you run a shorter tie rod. stock wheels can be run that way. The last way is if you use Hubs off of a truck that had dual rear wheels. Those hubs are wider and allow you to run stock wheels. All in all most of the time you are better off going with a recentered wheels as the list of things above will prob. end up costing you the same if not more than just starting with a recentered wheel.
Q: Can I run Radials on my 8 bolts? Can I run Bias ply on my 12 bolts.
A: Yes. Both wheels work the same with radials or bias ply tires. I suggest PVC inserts for all wheel purchases. They are what make the wheels double beadlocks when installed and they do not have a profile like "run flats" do. They allow you to air all the way down to 0 Psi if you would like and not have any problems.
Q: Are these DOT approved?
A: To cover my ass I have to tell everyone that anything I sell is for off road use only. That being said. The stock wheels are stamped DOT approved. These are the wheels that all the humvees blaze down the road on every day.
Q: Do I need Rock Rings?
A: Rock rings are there for a reason. If you were to air down on a wheel that did not have a rock ring welded in there is a chance with low enough air pressure that you could bend the outer lip of the wheels.
(picture of a recentered wheel with no rock ring)
Notice how in the wheel above the studs are exposed so you stand a chance of damaging the studs. You can also see how the wheel looks much like an average wheel. it is lacking the support that you get by adding rock rings to them. The picture below does a good job of showing a wheel with a rock ring welded in.
You can see how if you were wheeling with the wheel (above) you could air down and beat on them and not have to worrie about stud damage or bending the lip of the wheel.
We offer 3 different styles of Rock rings.
Pictures above are 8 bolt wheels with a welded in "Half Ring" These rings are a lower profile and are about "half" as wide as the other 2.
Pictures above are of "Wicked Rings" These have a flame tip design.
Pictures above are of Wheels with "Standard rings"
