The Thunder Thread

[Xen]

To all the people out there running  Bones bushings, what are some ways to get the squeaking noise to go away? I know the topic has been answered before but I don't want to dig through threads to find it. These are fairly new so I'm sure that's partly to blame. Anyways, we need some more 161 love in here these things are perfect. The extra 1mm height increase, the width and the Thunder geometry make these my goldilocks truck.

161 Team Standard, Bones Hard Bushings, no washers, 1/8 riser.

Lightly lube the part of the hanger that touches the bushings (top and bottom) is the only way I've ever gotten them quiet. I thought for years it was they way they affect geo causing pivot squeaks.

[minilogoflow]

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To all the people out there running  Bones bushings, what are some ways to get the squeaking noise to go away? I know the topic has been answered before but I don't want to dig through threads to find it. These are fairly new so I'm sure that's partly to blame. Anyways, we need some more 161 love in here these things are perfect. The extra 1mm height increase, the width and the Thunder geometry make these my goldilocks truck.

161 Team Standard, Bones Hard Bushings, no washers, 1/8 riser.

[close]

Lightly lube the part of the hanger that touches the bushings (top and bottom) is the only way I've ever gotten them quiet. I thought for years it was they way they affect geo causing pivot squeaks.

Thanks, really appreciate it.

[velvethammer]

To all the people out there running  Bones bushings, what are some ways to get the squeaking noise to go away? I know the topic has been answered before but I don't want to dig through threads to find it. These are fairly new so I'm sure that's partly to blame. Anyways, we need some more 161 love in here these things are perfect. The extra 1mm height increase, the width and the Thunder geometry make these my goldilocks truck.

161 Team Standard, Bones Hard Bushings, no washers, 1/8 riser.

Agreed. The 161 is a great truck.
Coming from Indy 169s, I really like the stable feeling when centered. This is all my opinion and probably discussed before, the hanger metal feels harder than Indy, the grind feels faster on waxed curbs. I have the riptide krank 96a bushing, for a bigger guy these are nice if you like hard bushings. I’m running 52 mm sml wheels, real 3 ply 1/8 riser.

[ginz2]

thunder lifer here. purchased some titanium hollows today. have always skated the standard team editions because i always assumed hollows/titaniums were a gimmick as they came out. fingers crossed i have been wrong.

[Candied cigarettes]

thunder lifer here. purchased some titanium hollows today. have always skated the standard team editions because i always assumed hollows/titaniums were a gimmick as they came out. fingers crossed i have been wrong.

Hmm, let us know how they feel if you remember. I’m on some regular hollows and they feel really nice. Not sure I want to go lighter than that

[Candied cigarettes]

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how do you fine folk deal with the shit thunder stock bushings, does it get better somehow as the top bushing crumbles and gives up?

[close]

the more they disintegrate the better my turn gets

[Xen]

thunder lifer here. purchased some titanium hollows today. have always skated the standard team editions because i always assumed hollows/titaniums were a gimmick as they came out. fingers crossed i have been wrong.

With Thunders, I've found I can get by on forged/team hollows, especially if I'm running forged, they are soooo light as it is that I can't justify the cost of ti, plus the team hollows are the perfect weight to me...Indys on the other hand, Ti only.

[baustin]

Does anyone else wish that Deluxe would redesign the 147 to sit a couple mm higher and have better kingpin clearance? I don’t understand why 148+ gets that nice mid height and acceptable kingpin clearance while the 147 is basically a low with none. I want to magic carpet again but 147s are just too low for me

[Ok]

Does anyone else wish that Deluxe would redesign the 147 to sit a couple mm higher and have better kingpin clearance? I don’t understand why 148+ gets that nice mid height and acceptable kingpin clearance while the 147 is basically a low with none. I want to magic carpet again but 147s are just too low for me

Heck no. 147s are the best. Use a riser and quit trying to fuck my shit up.

[baustin]

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Does anyone else wish that Deluxe would redesign the 147 to sit a couple mm higher and have better kingpin clearance? I don’t understand why 148+ gets that nice mid height and acceptable kingpin clearance while the 147 is basically a low with none. I want to magic carpet again but 147s are just too low for me

[close]

Heck no. 147s are the best. Use a riser and quit trying to fuck my shit up.

Lol I’m glad you like them. It doesn’t fix the kp clearance though I have tried the Krux kingpins also and I do not like em

[beandemon]

I bought some 161’s a year ago from my then local shop. A couple weeks ago, I finally decided to set them up and was contemplating a krux kingpin swap when I noticed one of the top bushings had a cleft/defect. A couple emails and pics later and a Thunder rebuild kit showed up at the door. Deluxe’s customer service is pretty deece.

[user18081971]

Thunder 147 is an S-tier truck. Have they been on the same stage since they called them the 147 II’s?

[Ok]

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Does anyone else wish that Deluxe would redesign the 147 to sit a couple mm higher and have better kingpin clearance? I don’t understand why 148+ gets that nice mid height and acceptable kingpin clearance while the 147 is basically a low with none. I want to magic carpet again but 147s are just too low for me

[close]

Heck no. 147s are the best. Use a riser and quit trying to fuck my shit up.

[close]

Lol I’m glad you like them. It doesn’t fix the kp clearance though I have tried the Krux kingpins also and I do not like em

Ha. Yes you are correct, the kingpin clearance is bad. And 52s are as tall of a wheel as I can go, but yeah, imma fan. Quick pop. I like 148’s, in my limited time skating them, and have enjoyed 149s and and 151s, but 147s just work, for me. They are very limited, but the limitations seem to be in a window that works for a lot of skating. If that makes any sense

[Xen]

Thunder 147 is an S-tier truck. Have they been on the same stage since they called them the 147 II’s?

Yeah, they haven't touched them since that 147II release; same goes for the 149II as well. One can hope the 148/151/161 fell into the II category by default.

[ginz2]

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thunder lifer here. purchased some titanium hollows today. have always skated the standard team editions because i always assumed hollows/titaniums were a gimmick as they came out. fingers crossed i have been wrong.

[close]

Hmm, let us know how they feel if you remember. I’m on some regular hollows and they feel really nice. Not sure I want to go lighter than that

They are obviously lighter than when holding my board or comparing one truck in each hand but when riding, I didn't notice too much. Grind nice and I swapped to my already worn bones meds, so not a major adjustment.

I've ridden 8.5/149s forever and lost my shoddy 360 flips as I got older but the first session on these, I was able to get a couple down. Could be weight loss on the board or just mental ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[Mariatorresflores]

I've been skating ti's now for a couple weeks after skating hollow lights II's for a couple years and can't really tell a difference at all, which is fine. I swapped bushings and pivot cups too since the ones Im riding are still pretty fresh and everything felt the same; albeit unsurprisingly the geometry is the same.

I really want to know the exact weight difference between the hollow lights vs. the ti's. anyone? I stood on a scale that weighs to the first decimal and got the exact same weight reading while holding each truck. It'll give me a slightly different weight if I change insoles so it's pretty accurate. I have a smaller, more accurate 'kitchen' scale but a truck is too heavy for it unfortunately.

Anyway if there's a weight difference between the two it's extremely minuscule from what I can tell and as the ti's are a little pricier I'd recommend the hollow lights instead.

[Dan Gerous]

I've been skating ti's now for a couple weeks after skating hollow lights II's for a couple years and can't really tell a difference at all, which is fine. I swapped bushings and pivot cups too since the ones Im riding are still pretty fresh and everything felt the same; albeit unsurprisingly the geometry is the same.

I really want to know the exact weight difference between the hollow lights vs. the ti's. anyone? I stood on a scale that weighs to the first decimal and got the exact same weight reading while holding each truck. It'll give me a slightly different weight if I change insoles so it's pretty accurate. I have a smaller, more accurate 'kitchen' scale but a truck is too heavy for it unfortunately.

Anyway if there's a weight difference between the two it's extremely minuscule from what I can tell and as the ti's are a little pricier I'd recommend the hollow lights instead.

I checked the weight of 148 Titanium Lights vs 148 Hollow Lights and the difference was marginal, the Titaniums were only about 10/15 grams lighter per truck. I can't remember the exact numbers but I recall the Hollow Lights were in the 320/325 grams range, the Titaniums around 305/310 grams.

The difference obviously will be bigger the wider you go, but it will still be very small, I doubt anyone could feel it, especially when skating.

I agree they're too close to justify paying more for the Titaniums, unless someone bends axles often and needs the added stength (in theory) of Ti axles. I got Titaniums mostly because they were on sale and I paid the same price as Hollow Lights, but otherwise I would stick with Hollow Lights.

[j....soy.....]

The hollow is a better value but beggars can't be choosers.....id recommend the team baseplates....

[Xen]

The hollow is a better value but beggars can't be choosers.....id recommend the team baseplates....

Team Hollows are the shit.

[Mariatorresflores]

Thanks Dan for the info, that sounds about right. Yeah I've heard titanium axle trucks are kind of a gimmick but I wanted to find out for myself. All in all I don't have any complaints so I'd say it still was worth experimenting.

Team plates are just a smidge heavier and ride a smidge higher right? I ride risers now so I'm not sure how the much different the feel would be; is the 'board feel' noticably different?

[Xen]

Thanks Dan for the info, that sounds about right. Yeah I've heard titanium axle trucks are kind of a gimmick but I wanted to find out for myself. All in all I don't have any complaints so I'd say it still was worth experimenting.

Team plates are just a smidge heavier and ride a smidge higher right? I ride risers now so I'm not sure how the much different the feel would be; is the 'board feel' noticably different?

I'd go ti for 149 Teams but not anything below that. forge hollow thunders are so light.

Yeah, Team plates are 1mm taller and a tad heavier. There is a 'feel' that is unique to each plate, to me forged are tinny or thinner more 'rattly' feeling and cast have a more solid feel which I chalk up to vibration (I feel it more on forged plates, especially with 101s). Forged = 101s Cast = 99s in terms of wheel feel to me.

[Crabby_Bastard]

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I've been skating ti's now for a couple weeks after skating hollow lights II's for a couple years and can't really tell a difference at all, which is fine. I swapped bushings and pivot cups too since the ones Im riding are still pretty fresh and everything felt the same; albeit unsurprisingly the geometry is the same.

I really want to know the exact weight difference between the hollow lights vs. the ti's. anyone? I stood on a scale that weighs to the first decimal and got the exact same weight reading while holding each truck. It'll give me a slightly different weight if I change insoles so it's pretty accurate. I have a smaller, more accurate 'kitchen' scale but a truck is too heavy for it unfortunately.

Anyway if there's a weight difference between the two it's extremely minuscule from what I can tell and as the ti's are a little pricier I'd recommend the hollow lights instead.

[close]

I checked the weight of 148 Titanium Lights vs 148 Hollow Lights and the difference was marginal, the Titaniums were only about 10/15 grams lighter per truck. I can't remember the exact numbers but I recall the Hollow Lights were in the 320/325 grams range, the Titaniums around 305/310 grams.

The difference obviously will be bigger the wider you go, but it will still be very small, I doubt anyone could feel it, especially when skating.

I agree they're too close to justify paying more for the Titaniums, unless someone bends axles often and needs the added stength (in theory) of Ti axles. I got Titaniums mostly because they were on sale and I paid the same price as Hollow Lights, but otherwise I would stick with Hollow Lights.

Although it is a small weight difference, having even a little less weight makes a big difference at the end of a lever, which is essentially what the skateboard deck is in this scenario.

Another reason I buy the titaniums is because I skate my trucks until they break. I grind more than 60% through the titanium axle before the hanger cracks. I still get another couple weeks before they finally break. Also, the titanium axles don't bend like the hollow and steel axles do.

Bottom line: The weight difference is noticeable and they last me up to 80% longer than hollow lights.

[nekro]

Anyone else find the stock bushings way too soft?  I bought a pair of Team Hollow Lights and even after tightening up as far as I could go I still almost got wheel bite, board was way too unstable.
I've just bought a set of hard bushings (black) and these feel much better, they don't feel that hard!

[Beeker]

Anyone else find the stock bushings way too soft?  I bought a pair of Team Hollow Lights and even after tightening up as far as I could go I still almost got wheel bite, board was way too unstable.
I've just bought a set of hard bushings (black) and these feel much better, they don't feel that hard!

People often talk highly about the 100a thunder black bushings on here... Anyone know if they're the same as the yellow 100a? I ask because I got the 100a yellow ones and they're so hard they're pretty much unusable. I wonder if the blacks are an anomaly.

[GBLange]

was lucky enough to get a pair of the sean malto pennant 149s titanium hi for half the retail price, coz the shop closed down.. haven't set it up yet. its the blue hanger,black base plate and white bushings..

[Crabby_Bastard]

Anyone else find the stock bushings way too soft?  I bought a pair of Team Hollow Lights and even after tightening up as far as I could go I still almost got wheel bite, board was way too unstable.
I've just bought a set of hard bushings (black) and these feel much better, they don't feel that hard!

The bushings are compression set. Meaning they have to be slowly tightened over a few sessions otherwise they will collapse, crack, and break.

[Ok]

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Anyone else find the stock bushings way too soft?  I bought a pair of Team Hollow Lights and even after tightening up as far as I could go I still almost got wheel bite, board was way too unstable.
I've just bought a set of hard bushings (black) and these feel much better, they don't feel that hard!

[close]

The bushings are compression set. Meaning they have to be slowly tightened over a few sessions otherwise they will collapse, crack, and break.

I dunno what compression set means, but ….don’t all bushings need to be adjusted now  this way (gradually)? I always thought the people on slap were old and didn’t skate, like me, but the amount of impulsive bushing tightening I read about leads me to believe everyone here is a sugared up 11 year old.

[Dan Gerous]

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Anyone else find the stock bushings way too soft?  I bought a pair of Team Hollow Lights and even after tightening up as far as I could go I still almost got wheel bite, board was way too unstable.
I've just bought a set of hard bushings (black) and these feel much better, they don't feel that hard!

[close]

People often talk highly about the 100a thunder black bushings on here... Anyone know if they're the same as the yellow 100a? I ask because I got the 100a yellow ones and they're so hard they're pretty much unusable. I wonder if the blacks are an anomaly.

Colors are just dye, they are the same... but 100a is hella hard for bushings no matter what, they're made for heavy people and/or very tight truck fans.

[Mbrimson88]

When someone at the indoor skatepark bought and tried out the Black 100s in the rebuild kit from our shop, they didn't seem half as hard as the person wanted them to be, still with some squash and significant turn, but as per other comments, if the guy had eased into them, and slowly skated them a bit more, they would have hardened up and worked.

As it was, he tightened them down about four threads in ten minutes skating and then got mad because they didn't bounce back, but still weren't tight enough for him.

Thankfully he kept them and was much happier the next week when I saw him - they were still tightened down way too much, but they had firmed up a bit more for him, or he just got more used to them, but either way they were still really hard to me and another guy who had a go on his board.

I could still almost wheelbite if I pushed as hard as I could onto one side of the board while rolling, but it was a struggle to get it down that far without falling off the board.

Thunder trucks are lower than most to start with so there is always going to be that higher wheelbite factor, when compared to some taller truck brands.

[Mbrimson88]

I almost forgot, with regard to the yellow ones, I haven't tried them, but all the other duro / options in whatever colour felt the same, eg the four different 90 duro were the same soft feeling, the two sets of 94 / 95 were about the same and the info on the black 100s as above.

Re stock bushings in trucks, each new release often has different colours, but they are all around the same 90 duro, which might take a bit to firm up, but usually work fairly well for people who want trucks on the more loose and turny side.

The blue 95 duro rebuild kit I think has been the most common with people wanting a bit more of a firm feeling to their trucks, but the rebuild kits were a lot more easily available than the simple bushing tubes, as per the pic below:





Funny what you find when you go searching, as this came up from an external link, but has everything needed for here:


https://www.slapmagazine.com/index.php?topic=88869.msg3418059#msg3418059

I've spent way too much money on bushings this year experimenting. I weigh 180lbs and can tell you the black Thunder bushings are the best! I can skate them with the kingpin nut level with the threads. I've turned everyone else on to them around here of all different weights. Good luck finding some right now.