The Thunder Thread

[mvdbosch90]

Last week I gave a set of 161 hollow lights a try on my Crailtap Couch shape (a 9.25” 13.875WB shaped deck). I felt like they turn a lot better than when I had the 149 hollow lights on my 8.5” 14.25WB street setup. When I was riding thunders on my street setup, I really liked the light pop feel, but I really didn’t like the steering and switched to Indy 149 titanium as a good balance between steering while still being lightweight. Do other experience that the thunder 161’s steer/turn better than the 149’s? Or could it be that it’s more about the wheelbase? I’m starting to get tempted to give thunder 149’s another try on my 8.5 street setup… Fucking madness…

[Frank and Fred]

Been having a great time on 151s recently but they are paired with a super short wheelbase at 13 7/8".

[stephop]

I hate not skating for a while then trying to like my trucks. No matter what I always end up going back to really loose because I like the push way better. I like the board moving under my front foot as I push because when it feels tight it feels like total ass..but then actually doing things my confidence level is lower. Such a dilemma...

[LebowskisRug]

I find that when I push I can briefly unweight my front foot and just put it down on the side I want to turn on. Or just turn my heel. Never had an issue steering with medium trucks. Had to learn this during the Venture Lo era of my youth and I can't remember what videos I saw it in but it was definitely a common tactic.

[l1ll1ll1]

Already posted it here, but the problem came back again...
Running Thunder 147 Teams (and really really like them now) and at the beginning, with my desired looseness, the kingpin nut was catching on at basic 5050s. After some days the bushings loosened up and I was able to tighten them more = problem gone. But today the hangers wore down enough so the nut catched on again and since I dont want to mess with the geometry and pop I'm going through my options... thinking about removing the top washer + putting on Real Risers to not get too much wheelbite, but it'll bring the deck up a lot. Really dont like the life span of Bones Bushings, so any recommendations are welcome. Anyone tried Super Cushs in Thunders?

[LebowskisRug]

Cut the top bushing a tad maybe. Or just get 148s since they're taller and have more clearance. Mine are decently worn and I grind my kingpin sometimes but it doesn't bother me.

[l1ll1ll1]

Cut the top bushing a tad maybe. Or just get 148s since they're taller and have more clearance. Mine are decently worn and I grind my kingpin sometimes but it doesn't bother me.

Yeah gonna shave the bushings down a bit tonight and try tomorrow – dont wanna spend another 80 bucks on new trucks, also with the new Thunders on the horizon (?!).

[VCR]

Are team hollows not a thing anymore?

[l1ll1ll1]

Are team hollows not a thing anymore?

As of three weeks ago, I couldnt find them anywhere – at least in the EU.

[tom]

Are team hollows not a thing anymore?

@VCR

https://thedrop.com/skate/trucks/thunder-team-hollows-polished-trucks-set-2/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwjvaYBhDlARIsAO8PkE1tU1msaNi9p9l2DErF6-WyEuPfTGjIIwMdWfiz39Du_TSzy_-jj44aAugjEALw_wcB


https://www.cowtownskateboards.com/product_detail.cfm?CatID=33&PID=43617&SKU=154359&LinkID=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwjvaYBhDlARIsAO8PkE0h3NFdxB25OGHTRfImbKISc_K11EzXMWEfsLYXj1jV6EY_DYwJqZwaAnJcEALw_wcB


Thunder/DLX seems to only drop certain trucks in various sizes intermittently

[VCR]

Life saver, thank you!

[FGO925]

So which thunders are are y’all riding? Hollow light II? Team hollows??

Also, how would one rock inverted kingpins on this thunders. I assume I would need the team hollows to get the cast plates so they have enough room. Any tips?

[Xen]

149 ti
148 hollows

Swapping forged / team hollow plates depending on board and mood. Usually 8.3 and up get 149/team plates, 8.25 and lower the 148s and forged.

Team plates for inverted pins if only for ease of pin removal…I’ve done forged with inverted, king nut will dig into the deck some, you could grind it down prior…I just cranked it down and it dug in.  These days I don’t find the IKP worth the dyi hassle + the added weight.

[Richard Skidder]

I’m riding 148 Thunder lights. Forged baseplate, hollow kingpin, solid axle. Standard kingpin hasn’t been an issue for me. I will say this: if you want to mod them the team baseplate is your easiest option. Easiest removal of kingpin ( just like Xen said). Also the team baseplate has the hex shape in the base so you don’t necessarily have to JB Weld if you just want to try it out before committing.

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

Could have just been me, and maybe the new set up is easier, but even my teams were not easy to get out.  Of all the trucks I think thunder needs the modded kp because the clearance is not great and there is just less truck…

[LebowskisRug]

I've measured kingpin clearance on brand new Thunders, Royals, Venture cast, Indy Mids, and Forged Hollows and that's actually not true for 148 and above. Thunders have almost as much as a Forged Hollow and more than Royals. I don't recall Venture but I thought it was even with Thunder.

I tightened each kingpin nut so it was level with the top of the kingpin and used an adjustable square with a magnetic digital level on top to get even with the top of the hanger and then digital calipers to measure. For Mids I just measured as they came.

Despite all that effort I measured in SAE like a fuckwad. The difference between the Forged Hollow and a Thunder was 1/32", FH to Royal was 3/32", and Mids were better than Forged Hollow.

The problem is that this all isn't straightforward because you're almost never grinding on the center of the truck the hanger is usually articulated somewhat. Thunder has fairly unique geometry if you compare the hanger yoke to kingpin angle so that influences articulation for certain grinds.

[Mbrimson88]

I will usually say to people (more so to those who can do smith / feeble grinds but anyone really) that the easiest way to check clearance is to sit your board on the edge of a ledge or bench or something (even coping on a ramp / bowl) and drop it to smith and see how much the kingpin touches as it goes from almost level to fully dipped.

It is interesting that some trucks, like Thunder in particular have a lot more kingpin catch in that regard, but that alone is not the be all and end all, more so being down to how the individual skates.  Eg if someone holds their grinds they will never have an issue with kingpin catching, but if someone else always drops their grinds and can't hold them up, then they are always going to catch on the kingpin area.

There are people who can grind anything and everything and their kingpins have minimum grind marks on them, but others who almost destroy and always complain about kingpin clearance on any brand of truck they use.

Just one of those things, but I guess being in the Thunder thread, especially the lower / narrow trucks have a lot less clearance - up to 147, than the wider / taller options - 148 and up.


That is all going by the usual axle / hanger when new type clearance, not when trucks are grinded down to axle either, which is a different story, but I have still used the cut down bushings and angle grinded the kingpin down lower on almost all brands to give the skater a bit more life in their trucks when they were having issues with kingpin catch on normal fifty grinds or whatever.

[LebowskisRug]

Guess I gotta re-enter truck madness if I wanna learn back smiths

[gsosa]

Guess I gotta re-enter truck madness if I wanna learn back smiths

Just gotta learn how to do them proper my dude.

[ImmanuelCunt]

Guess I gotta re-enter truck madness if I wanna learn back smiths

Poser grind them down on a rough concrete ledge and it should be no problem. I skate 147s usually and do smiths on rough concrete ledges regularly. I did the krux conversion on a set of 148s once and honestly it did not make a difference for me at least in the state where I usually retire my trucks, except i had to deal with the problems related to inverted kingpins (loosening, messing with epoxy etc.). But admittedly i retired the last set of 147s because the kingpin caught on a 50-50 drop in on a square rail, which otherwise had ton of life but I was just over it.

[sacking rails]

Guess I gotta re-enter truck madness if I wanna learn back smiths

venture

[Mixed Bag]

Hey there,

So after some pondering I went with rip tides in  85a APS.


 
So from left to right:  riptide 85a upper, stock 90a lower, stock 100 a lower, riptide 85a lower

The riptide lower in my set were taller than the stock lowers so some sanding on an older deck,
and then on a sanding disc sanding directionally in a figure 8 to keep things even.

Eventually got the lower to a stock height, but not the most exciting use of time.



Break in on rip tides much quicker than thunder made bushings, and my boy can now carve a turn after getting used to the initial quickness of the Thunder geometry.

I’m gonna order the nfg’s that Xen suggested as he grows, and then onto some old stock bushings off a set of 145 lows that I have been given.


He’s still miles from wheelbite,






Thanks for all the advice and help, very much appreciated

[ImmanuelCunt]

Team plates for inverted pins if only for ease of pin removal…I’ve done forged with inverted, king nut will dig into the deck some, you could grind it down prior…I just cranked it down and it dug in.  These days I don’t find the IKP worth the dyi hassle + the added weight.

Prior to the new base plates with the hex recess, there was a little more room width wise in the forged plates.
It narrows towards the center of the plate.
Because of that in the old cast plates one had to reverse the nut (and apply some force) to be able to fit it in , without that it just would not go in completely.
Like Xen said I was also able to fit an old ground down kingpin nut normally in the forged.
The nut already had that incline from smiths/feebles and i just aligned it with the incline towards the board side, so it did not dig into the board.

[Vintagebody]

Soft bushings so u can tighten the nut alot, then angle grind of the kingpin u dont need = profit?
But yeah... I dont really smith with the whole truck on the ledge, maybe thats why I suck at holding them for long tho

[commander jameson]

Maybe this is not best thread to post this question but does anyone know why there are no Thunder Titaniums in Europe any more?
You can't find them anywhere and it's been like that for quite some time now.

[Mean salto]

Maybe this is not best thread to post this question but does anyone know why there are no Thunder Titaniums in Europe any more?
You can't find them anywhere and it's been like that for quite some time now.

Have to imagine when any product becomes unavailable it's mostly because it's not worth the effort to produce and distribute for the profit or makes.

[Mbrimson88]

Maybe this is not best thread to post this question but does anyone know why there are no Thunder Titaniums in Europe any more?
You can't find them anywhere and it's been like that for quite some time now.

Might be old information and I haven't checked lately, but this is what was going round.

They are only just being made again after the SF Ermico foundry was out of ti axles for a long time during the pandemic, or so it was said, I think in another thread, or maybe earlier in this one, so no ti Thunders or Ventures.  Indy is coming out of China so there were still plenty of ti axles there, but a shortage of titanium in USA caused some issues, like no skateboard trucks.

For some places like USA, there might be a bit of stock (which sells out very quickly), but for other places like AU or EU there are still almost none, if any, as they have all sold to the local market first.

[Mixed Bag]

A good amount of Ti rod (50%) that the US imports comes from Russia.

The other major suppliers are the Ukraine,
Kazakhstan, and Japan.

Given that two major suppliers are at war and Ti is a major component in the aerospace and defense industries,

I would tend to think we won’t see any titanium axles come through unless there are existing stocks somewhere.

[FGO925]

Stoked on my team hollows. Truck madness in full effect haha. One setup with ventures, one with Indy’s, main one with these team hollow thunders.

I might be crazy but I usually rock a harder bushing on the bottom, stock on top and I ride my trucks medium loose. Might just be in my head but I feel like it gives the truck stability?

Anyone else rock harder bushings but keep their trucks loose?

Looking for bushings that would work in thunders as well. I’ve been digging the conical bottom bushing but not sure what it really does.

Supercush/bones in thunders? Or something that doesn’t change the geometry I guess?

My experience with bones is that they ride fine but don’t last for shit. I swear I always crack bushings.

[fulfillthedream]

Stoked on my team hollows. Truck madness in full effect haha. One setup with ventures, one with Indy’s, main one with these team hollow thunders.

I might be crazy but I usually rock a harder bushing on the bottom, stock on top and I ride my trucks medium loose. Might just be in my head but I feel like it gives the truck stability?

Anyone else rock harder bushings but keep their trucks loose?

Looking for bushings that would work in thunders as well. I’ve been digging the conical bottom bushing but not sure what it really does.

Supercush/bones in thunders? Or something that doesn’t change the geometry I guess?

My experience with bones is that they ride fine but don’t last for shit. I swear I always crack bushings.

in my experience the best bushings that work on thunders are the aftermarket ones. although bones would work too.