[TR] Tubes?

[Randall]

> As I understand it, wheels without a safety bead need tubes to make 
> sure you don't have an air-out in a sharp corner.

A very common myth, but not true.  The safety beads do help retain the tire
on the wheel after it is flat, but they do that whether there is a tube or
not.  The confusion arises because the safety beads were introduced not too
long after tubeless tires, as a further safety improvement.

Kind of like air bags; an incremental improvement in safety, but won't
automatically kill you if you should dare to drive a car without them.

>  Do stock TR6 wheels have a safety bead?

Some do, not sure about all of them.

>  If not, are you running tubes in 
> your tires?

I've run well over 100,000 miles with tubeless tires on wheels without the
safety beads (stock TR3 wheels don't have them); including some very
spirited driving, the occasional flat tire, and at least a few unplanned
off-road excursions; and NEVER had a problem due to lack of safety beads.

> I also discovered some tubeless tires will void the warranty by 
> running tubes...

That is because the tire must be de-rated when used with a tube.  The tube
adds friction and interferes with the cooling of the tire, so maximum load
must be decreased to keep the tire from overheating.  Modern tire makers
don't want to bother with the fuss of publishing (and enforcing) the
derating information, so they don't.

Randall