Spitfire formula four

[Mbrimson88]

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Having kind of the same problem with some 58mm OG classics. The bearings in my front heel-side wheel keep coming unseated. Initially I thought it was axle slip, but I measured my protruding axles and they are bang-on even.

I tried rotating the wheels but no luck. Going to swap the bearings and see if that does it. Bummed either way because these are pretty new wheels.

[close]

So just the one specific wheel, or it is happening to one wheel in the front heel position, regardless of which wheel in the set you have on there?

Specific wheel = definitely something funny.

Any wheel in that position = what trick or movement might be causing it?


Either way it is a pain, but I know as silly as it sounds, some roughed up around the outside ring / kind of grubby looking older bearings actually stayed put in my wheels with issues, more so than brand new well lubed bearings (around the wheel bearing seat too to get the bearings in more easily) but at the end of the day, these things are made to fit perfectly so if a bearing is a little smaller, or a wheel bearing seat is a little bigger, things are not going to fit as intended.

[close]

Same wheel in a different spot. Ashamed to say I went as far as thinking both axles slipped before I measured and realized it was the wheel. FWIW, I am running year old reds...just a bit surprised because I've never had any QC issues with F4s.

Spitfires in general have minimal issues, so it is more common to think there would be something else wrong.

This is what everyone keeps saying, but on occasion there will be one wheel (more often just a single wheel than whole sets) that have an issue or something that cannot easily be fixed.

I guess this is that one.


If the bearing seat is still square and not somehow mis-shapen, at least the wheel will still roll ok, but for others like the one wheel in a set I had that just didn't take a bearing at all, it was not even put on a board and went straight back in the shrink wrap to go back and get checked.

[Murge]

I’m going through some wheel madness. I fell away from god/spitfire really enjoy the bones v5 shape but it just don’t feel the same.

I live in the Midwest so street spots are rough but parks are smooth.  I mostly skate ledges and dabble on transition. Idk which would be more universal ledges/tranny/park/street My shop has: 53m 99a conical fulls( what I think may be the best?)
54m 101a conical fulls ( I know they are harder but  will they still slide good being 101a and may still be good on rough ground?)
56mm 99 classics (maybe wear them down to 54mm and they will feel great?)
 54mm 97a classics (I do a lot of slides so I’m kinda afraid the 97a will stick too much)


I want plain 53/54mm 99a conicals but don’t wanna order them but will.

[Hedgehog In Da Fog]

The bearing-popping out-problem only happened to me when I tried using spacers, because they were wider than the inner race of the wheel.

[LebowskisRug]

I have some 53 Classics that I retired a while back and recently took them out from a bin. I'm having a similar bearing movement issue in 2 of my wheels. If I land remotely primo or off center the bearings shift and the wheel binds. I did used to use spacers in them and wonder if that somehow caused torque to wear away the bearing seat enough for this to keep happening. On my last set of 52 Classics that I used for a year this never happened once and it's annoying because the 53's have a ton of life left.

[art hellman]

I’m going through some wheel madness. I fell away from god/spitfire really enjoy the bones v5 shape but it just don’t feel the same.

I live in the Midwest so street spots are rough but parks are smooth.  I mostly skate ledges and dabble on transition. Idk which would be more universal ledges/tranny/park/street My shop has: 53m 99a conical fulls( what I think may be the best?)
54m 101a conical fulls ( I know they are harder but  will they still slide good being 101a and may still be good on rough ground?)
56mm 99 classics (maybe wear them down to 54mm and they will feel great?)
 54mm 97a classics (I do a lot of slides so I’m kinda afraid the 97a will stick too much)


I want plain 53/54mm 99a conicals but don’t wanna order them but will.

also in the midwest.  53/54 99a conical FULLS get anything and everything done for me.  sometimes in the winter months I go bigger (55-56) and sometimes in the summer, I go smaller (52)... but 53/54 99a is always perfect.

[Ok]

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I’m going through some wheel madness. I fell away from god/spitfire really enjoy the bones v5 shape but it just don’t feel the same.

I live in the Midwest so street spots are rough but parks are smooth.  I mostly skate ledges and dabble on transition. Idk which would be more universal ledges/tranny/park/street My shop has: 53m 99a conical fulls( what I think may be the best?)
54m 101a conical fulls ( I know they are harder but  will they still slide good being 101a and may still be good on rough ground?)
56mm 99 classics (maybe wear them down to 54mm and they will feel great?)
 54mm 97a classics (I do a lot of slides so I’m kinda afraid the 97a will stick too much)


I want plain 53/54mm 99a conicals but don’t wanna order them but will.

[close]

also in the midwest.  53/54 99a conicals get anything and everything done for me.  sometimes in the winter months I go bigger (55-56) and sometimes in the summer, I go smaller (52)... but 53/54 99a is always perfect.

I like Art’s answer.
F4 99s are the do it all wheel.
I haven’t had conical’s, I have some conical fulls and I prefer a rounder shape (classics) for flippery, but the cf’s plow over a lot.
F4 101s are not the move imo. They do wear in some and get better, but the initial ride is just kinda brutal.
97s are dope. Slower in parks.

I lived in the Midwest for a few years. Wabash has the best feeling ground.

[lukepat]

Midwest F4 Wheel riders unite! I’m in Ohio. Rough streets and smooth parks. I have ridden 99A for a few years and have tried 54mm classics and 53mm tablets.. I enjoyed both but they were too small for the Midwest crust. Conical Fulls 56mm have been on the daily whip for 4ish months. They ride over a lot of crust.

[listentoaheartbeat]

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This has been discussed at length so maybe do a search in the thread. The 97A are definitely too sticky for me when it's warm, but they are nice during the winter months. I also really like them in dusty indoor parks or on wooden miniramps. 99A is my sweetspot, good slide but enough grip to skate with confidence.

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Thanks for the reply. I'll keep that in mind. What shape do you ride?

I actually have been searching through threads. Wasn't really finding a solid consensus on 97d. I'm a longtime lurker, and I made an account just to ask again now that they've been out for a while.

I've seen people say "97d slide exactly like F4 99d" which is what worried me about giving 99d a try.

Mine are Classics, 53 mm. I have no idea how anyone would come to the conclusion that they slide the same as 99A. They are noticeably more sticky I reckon, even Classics.

[Murge]

What’s the the difference between OG classics and the regular conicals? Just the conicals have a slightly smaller riding surface? Or are the cut of the corner angles different?

[munchbox]

anyone have some slightly worn down radial fulls?
wondering what the shape looks like with a few mms missing

[DERBY]

anyone have some slightly worn down radial fulls?
wondering what the shape looks like with a few mms missing

sorry dont have any slightly worn down ones but these were the 58s. theyre down to 54



https://imgur.com/a/htvZnBX

[Space Cowboy]

What’s the the difference between OG classics and the regular conicals? Just the conicals have a slightly smaller riding surface? Or are the cut of the corner angles different?

The OG Classic Shape is much more of a sharp cut (much less rounded than normal conical or conical full, basically 90 degree for sake of simplicity) and has a slightly wider riding surface, ideal square wheel for me

The F4 OG classic has been my favorite wheel so far because I love square cut wheels for how lock ins on rails feel, and they have great riding surface

[Murge]

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What’s the the difference between OG classics and the regular conicals? Just the conicals have a slightly smaller riding surface? Or are the cut of the corner angles different?

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The OG Classic Shape is much more of a sharp cut (much less rounded than normal conical or conical full, basically 90 degree for sake of simplicity) and has a slightly wider riding surface, ideal square wheel for me

The F4 OG classic has been my favorite wheel so far because I love square cut wheels for how lock ins on rails feel, and they have great riding surface

Awesome thank you I appreciate the info!

[Mbrimson88]

It seems some people have been having issues with the wheels being a bit off, bearing seat or just the wheel itself being slightly oval in shape.

Anything like this is a definite warranty claim, best going back to the shop you got them from first and foremost, but you can contact DLX directly to talk about them.


From the Wheels thread:

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Recently just bought my first pair of spitfire wheels ever and one wheel is noticably wobbly. I took the bearings off multiple times, mixed them up, bought a bearing press, did it all again multiple times and that's the long story short.

https://imgur.com/a/3vINWLG (here's the imgur video of the wheel spinning. I'm still learning how to make media appear on here.)

I've mostly skated bones stf, and rictas for street/park skating and a some ojs and satoris for cruiser wheels.

I'm pretty bummed on this.

The lower quality of the gif doesn't even do a justice.

[close]

Contact them here and make sure to include where you bought them from and include all relevant media.

https://www.spitfirewheels.com/guaranteed/

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Yeah holy shit thanks I had no idea it was like that.

I'm not trashing spitfire, I'm still hyped. It's my first pair and I think spitfire is sick but for real tho. out of all the wheels I've ever skated; Bones, ricta, satori, board brand wheels, haha flip tri cuts was my first "real" wheel, but all that to say I've never had an issue with any other wheel like this. Every other wheel had rolled straight.

And yeah I emailed them, Cameron something got back to me and requested all the required stuff. I provided all the required shit including video and it's been two days and I've heard nothing. I'm honestly getting kinda butt hurt now.

Really hoping to get a replacement set. Hell I even started off asking for just one wheel to get sent to me.

[FuzzGNU]

Shit, I just ordered some F4 Radial Fulls and for the first time pulled the trigger on some Bones Swiss Six. I'm really afraid to put them in now.

It would be a major bummer to put my brand new bearings in a defective wheel and damage them right away while skating. Especially since I know  that even just removing a bearing from a skate wheel, it damages the bearing. I might have to just put some basic bearings in the wheel for now and save the Swiss for the next wheel I grab.

[thanksgiving]

Shit, I just ordered some F4 Radial Fulls and for the first time pulled the trigger on some Bones Swiss Six. I'm really afraid to put them in now.

It would be a major bummer to put my brand new bearings in a defective wheel and damage them right away while skating. Especially since I know  that even just removing a bearing from a skate wheel, it damages the bearing. I might have to just put some basic bearings in the wheel for now and save the Swiss for the next wheel I grab.

that chance that your wheels are defective is so low. if you are going to stress about an expensive bearing like that id just stick to good ol reds... doesnt sound fun to me to be worrying like that about a bearing you are going to be putting through massive amounts of stress anyways.

[FuzzGNU]

that chance that your wheels are defective is so low.

I've just seen a ton of posts on here about defects lately.

if you are going to stress about an expensive bearing like that id just stick to good ol reds... doesnt sound fun to me to be worrying like that about a bearing you are going to be putting through massive amounts of stress anyways.

You right.

[Mbrimson88]

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that chance that your wheels are defective is so low.

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I've just seen a ton of posts on here about defects lately.

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if you are going to stress about an expensive bearing like that id just stick to good ol reds... doesnt sound fun to me to be worrying like that about a bearing you are going to be putting through massive amounts of stress anyways.

[close]

You right.

What you often read and see on here is maybe a more vocal user base for anything, but what you also don't really hear is how many people have Spitfire wheels with no issues at all.

From all the Spitfire Formula Four wheels I have had and had come through my hands over the years, quite a few hundred at least, I think I have had two sets in total that had issues that were manufacturing defects, so again that is pretty good overall.

[Ourladyoftheflowers]

I hate to say it but after getting an email back from spitfire, I sent photos and description and never heard back about the racer issues with my radial fulls. Bought a pair of 58 og classics and having the same issue, one wheel the bearing is popping out and won’t go back in. Had to use the bearing press at my local shop just to get a session in. Hopefully they get back to me cause I’m 80 bucks in the hole now. Even bought new bearings in case my old ones were fucked and even my new modus don’t fit right.

[rocklobster]

I hate to say it but after getting an email back from spitfire, I sent photos and description and never heard back about the racer issues with my radial fulls. Bought a pair of 58 og classics and having the same issue, one wheel the bearing is popping out and won’t go back in. Had to use the bearing press at my local shop just to get a session in. Hopefully they get back to me cause I’m 80 bucks in the hole now. Even bought new bearings in case my old ones were fucked and even my new modus don’t fit right.

Cameron is usually quick on the replies but I guess they are overwhelmed ATM, sent a request weeks ago but haven't heard back yet.

[tuesday]

Just found out that you get an optical illusion for a moment when you spin the classics with this graphic



As if the wheel is spinning backwards for some time. Maybe they are tripping like me.

[Mbrimson88]

For anyone who is in need of a Spitfire Wheel Chart that comes in the packaging of the wheels.

I do have a pic of the card with Spitfire Classic Full wheels too, but the sizes are not correct past 53mm, so I added to this one, which I feel is still not quite correct, but closer than what it was before.

Sorry if I didn't credit your pic, but these were spread throughout this and other threads and I only thought about it afterwards.

Here's the one from the Oskis if it helps...

Charts to compare size (incorrect sizes on the Classic full wheels on the chart, but correct below in text):



I had a dig through some boxes and found not only the old Classic Full cards, but also a set of the Spitfire Cardiel Charro wheels, which are actually 54.5 mm and they measure 35 wide with 19 contact (maybe even 19.5 mm contact).

So the sizes are really as follows:


Classic Full chart correct to 54mm and measurements just taken again on wheels I have:

52       33       18
53       33.5    18.5
54       34       19
54.5    35       19.5
56       37       22.5
58       38       24

[FuzzGNU]

That's big, thanks!

So it looks like at the moment they are keeping Radial Slims and "OG" Classics, but dumping the Radials in favor of Radial FULLs.

I think that all makes sense.

[Mbrimson88]

That's big, thanks!

So it looks like at the moment they are keeping Radial Slims and "OG" Classics, but dumping the Radials in favor of Radial FULLs.

I think that all makes sense.

They have made Radials and Radial Full wheels a lot more lately, but they don't appear to have made ANY Radial slims for a while now.

As others will point out, there are still some in shops though, but the numbers are dwindling.

I don't think there have been many Lock Ins for a minute either, but I thought I saw some in a shop drop not too long ago.  Could be easily mistaken though.


It was easier to add all the different backing cards (still two I had seen but cannot find right now) but all the other shapes of wheels have been coming out in fairly normal quantities, besides Radial Slims.

Who knows what takes priority on the backing cards, but I really don't think the wheels shown equates to what is out, mainly they just ran out of room for all the shapes, so had eight max in that space.

[Cthulhu!]

The bearings have started sliding out of my conicals...

[Ok]

Nooooooo

My older f4s (pre pandemic) are all still going strong. The ones I’ve bought in the last year have slight wobbles, which is why I thing they are noticeably slower.
I guess I’ll have to stick with some real baked potato looking wheels for a bit.

[Murge]

I just got some regular conicals love them so far. I think they may be pre pandemic because radial full isn’t listed on the card. Some here to hoping I avoid the bearing and other issues

[Mbrimson88]

I just got some regular conicals love them so far. I think they may be pre pandemic because radial full isn’t listed on the card. Some here to hoping I avoid the bearing and other issues

I could definitely be wrong, but I thought the only wheels that have Radial Full on the card is the Radial Full wheels.

All others still have the normal Radials in the eight wheel shapes.


Saw some brand new ones which are definitely from the most recent drop (graphic) and they were the usual eight.


Re pre pandemic wheels, I think there were not a whole lot of them left, given they were in such short supply, almost sold out everywhere, even though there would be some shops / places that still had a lot.

I have had at least twenty sets through my hands that I know are post pandemic and only one of those had a single wobbly wheel.

[Frank and Fred]

How much 'wobble' are people talking about? Spacers and washers helping?

[Mbrimson88]

How much 'wobble' are people talking about? Spacers and washers helping?

The bearing seat was out, so the wheel didn't actually spin correctly when both bearings were in for the one I had.

It is weird but I know I have seen other wheels that are slightly oval shaped and not round, so when you put them on and spin them very slowly they go ever so slightly in out in out in out less than a mm and you can't actually feel it while you skate but it often makes you think and wonder about them.