Wheels Thread

[FuzzGNU]

I just ordered some Spitfire F4 Radial Full 56mm. No idea what to expect.

The specs I've seen on store sites says that they are slightly wider (contact patch and overall) than Conical Fulls of the same diameter, but about comparable. I think with the rounded edges, these things will be even better at rolling up to sketchy spots. Hopefully the rounded edges also make them slide a bit easier without that hard edge biting the ground.

I wonder which is going to get the axe from Spitfire between the three: Radial Slim, Radial, and Radial Full.

To me it seems like Radial slim still fills a huge hole in their line-up, but I feel like either Radial or Radial Full has to go. Makes sense for them to push "the rounded version of our most popular wheel" in the Radial Full. I could see them becoming the third choice behind Conical Full and Classics for that very reason.

[TerrorizedCivilian]

Has anyone tried the oj elite 99 or 101? I’m looking to get either those or the shin sanbongi model in 58mm, Id be curious to hear what they are like in comparison to Spit 99s or loopholes as im looking to try something different and to go back to something above 56.

[FuzzGNU]

Has anyone tried the oj elite 99 or 101? I’m looking to get either those or the shin sanbongi model in 58mm, Id be curious to hear what they are like in comparison to Spit 99s or loopholes as im looking to try something different and to go back to something above 56.

OJ elite 101 are decent if you like hard wheels. Not as hard or slidey as Bones STF. I posted a review in this thread if you want to read it: https://www.slapmagazine.com/index.php?topic=82118.msg3747972#msg3747972

TL;Dr they're worthy wheels, but I would only grab them if they're on sale or STF/F4 aren't available.

[TerrorizedCivilian]

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Has anyone tried the oj elite 99 or 101? I’m looking to get either those or the shin sanbongi model in 58mm, Id be curious to hear what they are like in comparison to Spit 99s or loopholes as im looking to try something different and to go back to something above 56.

[close]

OJ elite 101 are decent if you like hard wheels. Not as hard or slidey as Bones STF. I posted a review in this thread if you want to read it: https://www.slapmagazine.com/index.php?topic=82118.msg3747972#msg3747972

TL;Dr they're worthy wheels, but I would only grab them if they're on sale or STF/F4 aren't available.

Cheers for the reply

[intendedreceivers]

I just ordered some Spitfire F4 Radial Full 56mm. No idea what to expect.

The specs I've seen on store sites says that they are slightly wider (contact patch and overall) than Conical Fulls of the same diameter, but about comparable. I think with the rounded edges, these things will be even better at rolling up to sketchy spots. Hopefully the rounded edges also make them slide a bit easier without that hard edge biting the ground.

I wonder which is going to get the axe from Spitfire between the three: Radial Slim, Radial, and Radial Full.

To me it seems like Radial slim still fills a huge hole in their line-up, but I feel like either Radial or Radial Full has to go. Makes sense for them to push "the rounded version of our most popular wheel" in the Radial Full. I could see them becoming the third choice behind Conical Full and Classics for that very reason.

Radial Full is significantly chunkier than an equivalent Conical Full, like a quarter inch wider both on the contact patch and the overall width of the wheel.

EDIT—I’m an idiot. Those are regular Conicals I was comparing them to lol.

[big_kev_215]

I just ordered some Spitfire F4 Radial Full 56mm. No idea what to expect.

The specs I've seen on store sites says that they are slightly wider (contact patch and overall) than Conical Fulls of the same diameter, but about comparable. I think with the rounded edges, these things will be even better at rolling up to sketchy spots. Hopefully the rounded edges also make them slide a bit easier without that hard edge biting the ground.

I wonder which is going to get the axe from Spitfire between the three: Radial Slim, Radial, and Radial Full.

To me it seems like Radial slim still fills a huge hole in their line-up, but I feel like either Radial or Radial Full has to go. Makes sense for them to push "the rounded version of our most popular wheel" in the Radial Full. I could see them becoming the third choice behind Conical Full and Classics for that very reason.

I’m currently skating 57 mm Radial Fulls.  They’re excellent wheels. 

For comparison, for me the Conical Fulls are a little better than the OG Classics for slappies cause they’re more rounded on the edges and look cooler than the OG Classics cause they’re a little wider (AFAIK).  The Radial Fulls are wider than even Conical Fulls and more rounded than the Conical Fulls so they’re kind of like the most evolved form of the wider cut Spitfire F4 wheels offered.   

[Mbrimson88]

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I just ordered some Spitfire F4 Radial Full 56mm. No idea what to expect.

The specs I've seen on store sites says that they are slightly wider (contact patch and overall) than Conical Fulls of the same diameter, but about comparable. I think with the rounded edges, these things will be even better at rolling up to sketchy spots. Hopefully the rounded edges also make them slide a bit easier without that hard edge biting the ground.

I wonder which is going to get the axe from Spitfire between the three: Radial Slim, Radial, and Radial Full.

To me it seems like Radial slim still fills a huge hole in their line-up, but I feel like either Radial or Radial Full has to go. Makes sense for them to push "the rounded version of our most popular wheel" in the Radial Full. I could see them becoming the third choice behind Conical Full and Classics for that very reason.

[close]

Radial Full is significantly chunkier than an equivalent Conical Full, like a quarter inch wider both on the contact patch and the overall width of the wheel.

EDIT—I’m an idiot. Those are regular Conicals I was comparing them to lol.

They are still wider than anything else though.

The Radial Full 56mm wheels are 39mm wide with 26mm contact patch.


All the info is in the Spitfire Formula Four thread, charts and such here:


https://www.slapmagazine.com/index.php?topic=68020.msg3724959#msg3724959


The pics of the Spitfire wheels backing cards are huge when opened, so it is easy to see all the specs of all the wheels.

There are two different cards on that post, so at least it has almost everything to go by.

[DeepSpace9mm]

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.

I had the same problem with 2 sets of those F4 OG Classics in 52mm and 55mm.

After I sent an email to DLX I was eventually sent replacements. It took a while but they handled it.

[thanksgiving]

Has anyone tried the oj elite 99 or 101? I’m looking to get either those or the shin sanbongi model in 58mm, Id be curious to hear what they are like in comparison to Spit 99s or loopholes as im looking to try something different and to go back to something above 56.

not sure if u are aware but a reminder sanbongis are not elite formula

[144p]

The latest batch of oj wheels non elite have been great, have the Sanbongi 56 99a mini combo set up and love the screech sound that is much deeper than f4 slide sounds. They are fast and slide well on most surfaces and are a bit grippier than f4 in instances I need them to be. No flat spots but noticed they are wearing out a bit faster than I expected.

[switchfrontshuv]

The latest batch of oj wheels non elite have been great, have the Sanbongi 56 99a mini combo set up and love the screech sound that is much deeper than f4 slide sounds. They are fast and slide well on most surfaces and are a bit grippier than f4 in instances I need them to be. No flat spots but noticed they are wearing out a bit faster than I expected.

thats kinda good if theyre so fat

[TerrorizedCivilian]

The latest batch of oj wheels non elite have been great, have the Sanbongi 56 99a mini combo set up and love the screech sound that is much deeper than f4 slide sounds. They are fast and slide well on most surfaces and are a bit grippier than f4 in instances I need them to be. No flat spots but noticed they are wearing out a bit faster than I expected.

Thanks this is very useful because i looked at vids of the elites skating but they didn’t have the same amount of bark as when shin was skating his model, makes me eager to try a set for something different.

[JugeL]

Hated my minicombos, flatspotted really fast and couldn't ride them out. Also where i live, it's same price as Spitfires so not worth it for me.

[Gray Imp Sausage Metal]

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3 sessions on my Loopholes on pretty good ground and still don’t feel as fast as the smaller F4 they replaced. Another weird thing is they’re shedding chunks. It’s not abnormal for wheels to do this especially on asphalt, but I never have that happen with F4 on the same ground. So far I’m not super sold on em.

[close]

I'm about three sessions deep on my first set also. they are holding up well and feel like they suck up rough ground well for a hard wheel. However, they are too sticky for my taste. The slip to grip ratio is just not as good. Maybe on steep rough hills like those guys skate they'd be ideal?

Good wheels but back to F4s once these are cooked for sure. its always good to try different wheels every once in awhile so you can remind yourself how good F4s are.

they will slide better than f4s in 99 once they break in; first few sessions on them can be sticky but once you hit that sweet spot, I’ll doubt you’ll go back…

[manysnakes]

Has anyone tried the oj elite 99 or 101? I’m looking to get either those or the shin sanbongi model in 58mm, Id be curious to hear what they are like in comparison to Spit 99s or loopholes as im looking to try something different and to go back to something above 56.

Honestly, I thought they were terrible. They were a noticeably tougher and slower ride than the other big guys. I know plenty of good skaters ride them and some picky nerds here think they’re good, but I don’t get what appeal they hold when the cost is functionally the same as F4.

[Frank and Fred]

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3 sessions on my Loopholes on pretty good ground and still don’t feel as fast as the smaller F4 they replaced. Another weird thing is they’re shedding chunks. It’s not abnormal for wheels to do this especially on asphalt, but I never have that happen with F4 on the same ground. So far I’m not super sold on em.

[close]

I'm about three sessions deep on my first set also. they are holding up well and feel like they suck up rough ground well for a hard wheel. However, they are too sticky for my taste. The slip to grip ratio is just not as good. Maybe on steep rough hills like those guys skate they'd be ideal?

Good wheels but back to F4s once these are cooked for sure. its always good to try different wheels every once in awhile so you can remind yourself how good F4s are.

[close]

they will slide better than f4s in 99 once they break in; first few sessions on them can be sticky but once you hit that sweet spot, I’ll doubt you’ll go back…

I want to believe you but I've skated them a few more times and they just don't slide the way I like. Also, I finally took them to a skatepark and they are slower than the F4s I was on before them. Still great feeling wheel and fast in the streets. I'll definitely keep riding them until this current deck dies. So far, I'd put them ahead of Creative and Bones but not F4.

[Schinken]

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Has anyone tried the oj elite 99 or 101? I’m looking to get either those or the shin sanbongi model in 58mm, Id be curious to hear what they are like in comparison to Spit 99s or loopholes as im looking to try something different and to go back to something above 56.

[close]

Honestly, I thought they were terrible. They were a noticeably tougher and slower ride than the other big guys. I know plenty of good skaters ride them and some picky nerds here think they’re good, but I don’t get what appeal they hold when the cost is functionally the same as F4.

I ride both, f4 and elite 99a. Ojs feel more forgiving on rougher ground and offer more grip on slick surfaces. In terms of speed I do not notice any difference. My opinion:
Slow speed and easy slide->f4 , for everything else ->99a elite

[realbasedgod112]

had the elite 101a mini combos in 54mm a while ago, they didn't feel terrible but they probably were shit value.
they didn't seem to slide as well as my stfs, despite the act that they were 99a. the OJs felt more like a 95a if anything.
if you live/skate at places with a lot of crust they'd probably be worth it, because that's something they handle well.
they also flatspotted pretty quick, but considering i was trying to slide as far as i could that's somewhat to be expected.

overall they're OKAY, but there's a lot of better value wheels for the price.

[Gray Imp Sausage Metal]

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3 sessions on my Loopholes on pretty good ground and still don’t feel as fast as the smaller F4 they replaced. Another weird thing is they’re shedding chunks. It’s not abnormal for wheels to do this especially on asphalt, but I never have that happen with F4 on the same ground. So far I’m not super sold on em.

[close]

I'm about three sessions deep on my first set also. they are holding up well and feel like they suck up rough ground well for a hard wheel. However, they are too sticky for my taste. The slip to grip ratio is just not as good. Maybe on steep rough hills like those guys skate they'd be ideal?

Good wheels but back to F4s once these are cooked for sure. its always good to try different wheels every once in awhile so you can remind yourself how good F4s are.

[close]

they will slide better than f4s in 99 once they break in; first few sessions on them can be sticky but once you hit that sweet spot, I’ll doubt you’ll go back…

[close]

I want to believe you but I've skated them a few more times and they just don't slide the way I like. Also, I finally took them to a skatepark and they are slower than the F4s I was on before them. Still great feeling wheel and fast in the streets. I'll definitely keep riding them until this current deck dies. So far, I'd put them ahead of Creative and Bones but not F4.

keep us updated! My 52 barked like crazy in the beginning and now they slide like fucking butter!

[LebowskisRug]

I still find it weird their wheels aren’t sized by the number. I’ve never had a pair of Spitfire come under spec but my 2 pairs of Loops have been.

[manysnakes]

I still find it weird their wheels aren’t sized by the number. I’ve never had a pair of Spitfire come under spec but my 2 pairs of Loops have been.

That’s strange. My two pairs of NFG (one NFG and one Loophole) are both more or less spot on at 54mm, as measured with some cheap Harbor Freight calipers.

[LebowskisRug]

My 52's back in 2020 were 50.9 new, my recent 54's measured: 53.4 to 53.7 no wheel was the same.

[manysnakes]

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[LebowskisRug]

Weird. I mean, tenths of a MM is jack shit, but it's super weird that my Spitfires come out identical all 4 in a package.

[manysnakes]

Weird. I mean, tenths of a MM is jack shit, but it's super weird that my Spitfires come out identical all 4 in a package.

I’ll take your word for it because I don’t have any fresh Spits to measure, but I don’t find it surprising that Spitfire has marginally tighter tolerance control. They’re a much bigger company with what I imagine is more refined equipment and manufacturing process. And yes, ultimately the difference is completely negligible, as no one is going to experience any difference between a wheel measuring 54.06mm and another measuring 54.14mm (some of which is probably attributable to the calipers themselves). I expect that this is the amount of uneven wear one would experience after a single session.

[Mr. Stinky]

As I understand it Loophole/NFG is some dudes mixing and pouring urethane wheels before hand shaping them on a lathe.  There is no question the reigning behemoth in the hardgoods market will turn out a more uniform product, and there is also no question that measuring new wheels with calipers to see if they're actually the right size is diagnoseable psychopathology.   

[realbasedgod112]

i have been redirected here from another thread.
what are the widest contact patch wheels i can get with a small diameter? i'm talking something in the 20-30mm contact patch range under 54mm diameter.

[jakeumms]

i have been redirected here from another thread.
what are the widest contact patch wheels i can get with a small diameter? i'm talking something in the 20-30mm contact patch range under 54mm diameter.

I like the 52mm OG Classics - 21.5mm which is half a mil smaller than a 54mm CF. The streets around me are surprisingly chunky so I went through a whole thing with this.

[rocklobster]

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i have been redirected here from another thread.
what are the widest contact patch wheels i can get with a small diameter? i'm talking something in the 20-30mm contact patch range under 54mm diameter.

[close]

I like the 52mm OG Classics - 21.5mm which is half a mil smaller than a 54mm CF. The streets around me are surprisingly chunky so I went through a whole thing with this.

Shape   Size   Width   Contact Patch   Width to Contact Patch Ratio
Classics   52   32.00   15.50   48.44%
OG Classics   52   31.00   21.50   69.35%
Classic Full   52   ?   ?   ?
Radial   52   32.50   19.00   58.46%
Radial Slim   52   30.00   18.50   61.67%
Radial Full   ?   ?   ?   ?
Conical   52   31.50   19.50   61.90%
Conical Full   ?   32.50   21.00   64.62%
Tablet   52   29.00   20.00   68.97%
Lock Ins   52   32.00   20.00   62.50%


Can't find the specs for Classic Full and Radial Full (doesn't come in 52mm), but the ratios should scale according to wheel size.

Skinniest wheel with the widest contact patch is OG Classic, but I'd go with Tablets to save weight and keep the board feeling nimble.

[camel filters]

I had a pair of loopholes listed at 56mm that all measured around 55mm.