|
As stated above, it is not specifically a beadlock that is illegal but rather if it is DOT certified or not. Non-DOT certified parts are technically not legal to used on vehicle operating on public roadways. I do this type of stuff for a living.
With that said I really doubt you would ever get a ticket for having beadlocks, both because they are not specifically illegal and the average law enforcement agent probably doesn't even know what they are. Almost every commercially available rim I have seen is DOT certified (look and you will see a stamp on them), and then these rims are converted to beadlocks. Even though the DOT certification was done without the beadlocks and thus now void (any significant modification voids DOT certification and I'm pretty sure beadlocks would fall under this clause), they do still have a DOT marking on them. A trooper or such would have to dig pretty deep to verify that the DOT marking was not valid, and thus a reason to issue a citation.
I wouldn't really consider DOT certification "hype". Granted the actual DOT only tests a very, very small percentage of products randomly. The manufacturers are required to "self certify" the parts, meaning they assume the responsibility that the parts in question meet the requirements of the DOT. It is well worth their time and money to perform the tests because if they get caught it could cost them a huge sum of money in fines or recalls.
|