Thunder vs Venture Wheelbase

[Global Moderator]

I have been trying to find out without a shadow of a doubt if Thunder trucks shorten your wheelbase due to the way that are drilled centered on the baseplate as opposed to Venture, which drills more traditionally towards the back of the truck.

I know that kingpin angle and pivot stem play a part in this too as wheelbase is actually axle to axle and not solely dependent on how your deck is drilled...

That being said, I've measured axle to axle with both Venture 5.0 Lows and Thunder 145 Light lows on a 14" wheelbase and the Thunders seem to be about 0.125" inches shorter axle to axle, but I can't guarantee if I'm lining things up correctly due to variances in axle tilt and human error.

Anyone have any info they can contribute to this? This might be discussed in the trucks set-up thread, but didn't see anything while looking for it.

[Level 60 Dwarf Paladin]

I think the wheelbases are really similar, but a lot of the confusion may be coming from Venture's baseplate being bigger.

[oneOone]

Tried both Trucks (Venture 5.2 low ligths vs. Thunder Titanium 147) lights on flat on the same Board.
Did not notice much difference only that the Ventures felt a little bit more stable and the Thunders had a slightly quicker pop.

Next time I am setting up a new board I would also measure the WB.

[franquietits]

This dude estimates that ventures stretch out the farthest. It's dated 2012, but I'm sure it hasn't changed much.

http://skateboardingismylifetimesport.blogspot.com/2012/03/axle-placement-of-various-trucks.html

[Global Moderator]

Thanks for all the help! Looks like Thunder axles are a bit closer to center, so I'm gonna step up my wheelbase to 14.125" with Thunder 145 Low Lights to mimic the feel of a 14" wheelbase with Venture 5.0 Lows.