The Thunder Thread

[Willie]

Dad Board




Daaaaamn, shots fired ;P

His comments about the soft ass bushings echo what I wrote at the top of the page about having to crank down two full turns. I wonder if Thunder is sourcing them from somewhere new or is the specs changed somehow? Mine were fresh out of last Friday’s shop shipment box.

[Ok]

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Dad Board




Daaaaamn, shots fired ;P

[close]

His comments about the soft ass bushings echo what I wrote at the top of the page about having to crank down two full turns. I wonder if Thunder is sourcing them from somewhere new or is the specs changed somehow? Mine were fresh out of last Friday’s shop shipment box.

well then i owe you an apology (not because of dad board). i was chiding you for not letting the bushings break in, before cranking them.
 i’ve felt like ace, maybe royal (haven’t skated em), and venture (loose truck kit), have all at times, made softer bushings/pivot cups to offer some artificially loose turn. and i hate it. mushy bushings do not help me turn, but i’m very dad bod (i weigh 180). im not skater thin.
so, i apologize, i didn’t know thunder messed with their bushing formula. that’s annoying because in the past i’ve felt like i could skate their trucks day one, better than all others.

[BL0B]

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Dad Board




Daaaaamn, shots fired ;P

[close]

His comments about the soft ass bushings echo what I wrote at the top of the page about having to crank down two full turns. I wonder if Thunder is sourcing them from somewhere new or is the specs changed somehow? Mine were fresh out of last Friday’s shop shipment box.

[close]

well then i owe you an apology (not because of dad board). i was chiding you for not letting the bushings break in, before cranking them.
 i’ve felt like ace, maybe royal (haven’t skated em), and venture (loose truck kit), have all at times, made softer bushings/pivot cups to offer some artificially loose turn. and i hate it. mushy bushings do not help me turn, but i’m very dad bod (i weigh 180). im not skater thin.
so, i apologize, i didn’t know thunder messed with their bushing formula. that’s annoying because in the past i’ve felt like i could skate their trucks day one, better than all others.

dad bod didn't let his bushing break in either though.

i don't know where everyone else is but dad bod is just north of me and good luck breaking in new trucks this time of year anywhere in CA.

[Xen]

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Dad Board




Daaaaamn, shots fired ;P

[close]

His comments about the soft ass bushings echo what I wrote at the top of the page about having to crank down two full turns. I wonder if Thunder is sourcing them from somewhere new or is the specs changed somehow? Mine were fresh out of last Friday’s shop shipment box.

[close]

well then i owe you an apology (not because of dad board). i was chiding you for not letting the bushings break in, before cranking them.
 i’ve felt like ace, maybe royal (haven’t skated em), and venture (loose truck kit), have all at times, made softer bushings/pivot cups to offer some artificially loose turn. and i hate it. mushy bushings do not help me turn, but i’m very dad bod (i weigh 180). im not skater thin.
so, i apologize, i didn’t know thunder messed with their bushing formula. that’s annoying because in the past i’ve felt like i could skate their trucks day one, better than all others.

[close]

dad bod didn't let his bushing break in either though.

i don't know where everyone else is but dad bod is just north of me and good luck breaking in new trucks this time of year in anywhere in CA.

Yup, heats up, my ACE medium bushings (in royals) are straight up mush; I've had to go back to harder duros.

[someguy185]

Asta seems to like them..!

http://youtu.be/HhxB-GMfoHk?si=g4xAs9xVCgt8375n

[ish_wav]

Just got my inverted thunders in the mail. Took some quick pics of the trucks disassembled for those that care. There’s a nut at the bottom as well as a threaded sleeve in the baseplate.

[Xen]

Just got my inverted thunders in the mail. Took some quick pics of the trucks disassembled for those that care. There’s a nut at the bottom as well as a threaded sleeve in the baseplate.

Thanks, brotha! Just the info I was looking for. I assumed that's what we were going to get (it's the standard, and probably for a reason); at least we know we some of us can expect them to loosen over time like all the rest.

I want NEED those bushings.

[Mbrimson88]

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Just got my inverted thunders in the mail. Took some quick pics of the trucks disassembled for those that care. There’s a nut at the bottom as well as a threaded sleeve in the baseplate.

[close]

Thanks, brotha! Just the info I was looking for. I assumed that's what we were going to get (it's the standard, and probably for a reason); at least we know we some of us can expect them to loosen over time like all the rest.

I want NEED those bushings.

I notice a way longer threaded part on the kingpin though, which would be good.  Just means you can actually get the kingpin down further as needed, compared to the Krux / Indy or others with a very short threaded part on their kingpins.

Not even thinking about how far it can go in before it touches wood, but at least having more threads on it is better than not being able to get it down far enough, which was the case with low top bushings on the Indy IKP trucks.

[144p]

My shop got them in if anyone is interested
https://www.35thave.com/shop/Skate/Trucks/Thunder/p/Thunder-High-Trucks-Team-Inverted-Polished-set-of-2-x83430571.htm

[Xen]

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Just got my inverted thunders in the mail. Took some quick pics of the trucks disassembled for those that care. There’s a nut at the bottom as well as a threaded sleeve in the baseplate.

[close]

Thanks, brotha! Just the info I was looking for. I assumed that's what we were going to get (it's the standard, and probably for a reason); at least we know we some of us can expect them to loosen over time like all the rest.

I want NEED those bushings.

[close]

I notice a way longer threaded part on the kingpin though, which would be good.  Just means you can actually get the kingpin down further as needed, compared to the Krux / Indy or others with a very short threaded part on their kingpins.

Not even thinking about how far it can go in before it touches wood, but at least having more threads on it is better than not being able to get it down far enough, which was the case with low top bushings on the Indy IKP trucks.

Saw that too. I never had a problem with Indy or Royals with that (royals having more threads than all that I've ridden) but did have an issue with Slappy. The current forged have a very short threaded pin (and the top bushing compresses down wickeldy fast) and Iw as bottoming out the threads in the plate). Sinclair was super helpful and sent me some longer/more threaded pins (and plates, and harder bushings - thanks dude!) that will become stock going forward to fix the issue.

I still think the OG grind king method was the best way to go, as well as the OG Krux downlow cap style (shame they never fixe the washer problem not actually fitting inside the bushings).

[spacial_profiling]

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Just got my inverted thunders in the mail. Took some quick pics of the trucks disassembled for those that care. There’s a nut at the bottom as well as a threaded sleeve in the baseplate.

[close]

Thanks, brotha! Just the info I was looking for. I assumed that's what we were going to get (it's the standard, and probably for a reason); at least we know we some of us can expect them to loosen over time like all the rest.

I want NEED those bushings.

[close]

I notice a way longer threaded part on the kingpin though, which would be good.  Just means you can actually get the kingpin down further as needed, compared to the Krux / Indy or others with a very short threaded part on their kingpins.

Not even thinking about how far it can go in before it touches wood reaches the board, but at least having more threads on it is better than not being able to get it down far enough, which was the case with low top bushings on the Indy IKP trucks.

[DinnerDog425]

Expand Quote

Just got my inverted thunders in the mail. Took some quick pics of the trucks disassembled for those that care. There’s a nut at the bottom as well as a threaded sleeve in the baseplate.

[close]

Thanks, brotha! Just the info I was looking for. I assumed that's what we were going to get (it's the standard, and probably for a reason); at least we know we some of us can expect them to loosen over time like all the rest.

I want NEED those bushings.

You’ll hate them. They seem even softer than the bushings Thunders have been coming with.

[Sedition]

Got mine today. Will report back in near future.

[rawbertson.]

I think this would work really well with low or even medium strength loctite. I can see why people wouldn't want to do this for a couple reasons though. Would be pretty messy and expensive if its something you dont need otherwise, and a lot of extra work if you plan on adjusting it throughout the life of the truck.

I don't really find I ever adjust my trucks again anyway after I get them the way I want. Sometimes the nut is so worn down I don't even like to mess with it / couldnt if i wanted to.

[GnarAlarm]

Really bummed they didn't extend the baseplate a bit.
I skated Thunders for years and could never get my tailslides on ledges to slide much more than a foot if I'm lucky, half the time they end up more like a stall. Not as big of a problem on rails, but still.
I know it's something about my technique and I could fix it with the right adjustments, but when I decided to give Ventures a try my tailslides were immediately more slidey and I didn't have to make any adjustments at all.

There's no way they haven't heard about this issue, why the hell would they do a redesign and not fix the #1 issue people complain about?

[smg1138]

Really bummed they didn't extend the baseplate a bit.
I skated Thunders for years and could never get my tailslides on ledges to slide much more than a foot if I'm lucky, half the time they end up more like a stall. Not as big of a problem on rails, but still.
I know it's something about my technique and I could fix it with the right adjustments, but when I decided to give Ventures a try my tailslides were immediately more slidey and I didn't have to make any adjustments at all.

There's no way they haven't heard about this issue, why the hell would they do a redesign and not fix the #1 issue people complain about?

The baseplate issue is well known among skaters and DLX. Apparently Thunder is working on a next generation truck that's supposed to fix the baseplate problem. These IKP Thunders are just a variation of the current generation, not a whole new truck. Think of it more like a mid cycle refresh on cars.

[Sedition]

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Really bummed they didn't extend the baseplate a bit.
I skated Thunders for years and could never get my tailslides on ledges to slide much more than a foot if I'm lucky, half the time they end up more like a stall. Not as big of a problem on rails, but still.
I know it's something about my technique and I could fix it with the right adjustments, but when I decided to give Ventures a try my tailslides were immediately more slidey and I didn't have to make any adjustments at all.

There's no way they haven't heard about this issue, why the hell would they do a redesign and not fix the #1 issue people complain about?

[close]

The baseplate issue is well known among skaters and DLX. Apparently Thunder is working on a next generation truck that's supposed to fix the baseplate problem. These IKP Thunders are just a variation of the current generation, not a whole new truck. Think of it more like a mid cycle refresh on cars.

I'll be honest, the base plate thing has had bewildered me for a long, long, long time. DLX was/is constantly trying new things with wheel sizes, shapes, and formulas. Likewise with board shapes, constructions, and dimensions. Yet, they have totally slept on this base plate thing for a long time, despite all the negative feedback about them. I mean, how hard would it have been to just extend the existing base plate a bit, without totally redesigning the truck (what is seems like has been done with T2)? Yet they came out with the team plate, which is just 1mm taller (and height issues could have been fixed with a tiny riser)? They could have even just sold and extended base plate as an aftermarket item. I mean, come on, guys. Get your shit figured out. I love DLX, by man, did they ever really miss the mark on this one.   

[Mbrimson88]

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Really bummed they didn't extend the baseplate a bit.
I skated Thunders for years and could never get my tailslides on ledges to slide much more than a foot if I'm lucky, half the time they end up more like a stall. Not as big of a problem on rails, but still.
I know it's something about my technique and I could fix it with the right adjustments, but when I decided to give Ventures a try my tailslides were immediately more slidey and I didn't have to make any adjustments at all.

There's no way they haven't heard about this issue, why the hell would they do a redesign and not fix the #1 issue people complain about?

[close]

The baseplate issue is well known among skaters and DLX. Apparently Thunder is working on a next generation truck that's supposed to fix the baseplate problem. These IKP Thunders are just a variation of the current generation, not a whole new truck. Think of it more like a mid cycle refresh on cars.

Hearing one of the "seasoned pro guys" when asked about the Thunder truck, he said something like it was just right as is, so I guess there is always going to be some push back with the "Classic" Thunder, compared to a new option, so it kind of makes sense that they would release the IKP version in "Classic" and then have a T2 or whatever you want to call it as a whole new product, maybe with both options, regular kingpin and IKP but who knows.

Thinking Ace with two versions, Slappy with the regular and IKP versions, etc.


Either way, it should be good for sales to have this one out now, which a lot of people will buy, then release the T2 version at some point in the future, which will then have its own sales rush as well.  Smart marketing.

That doesn't help for people as per initial comment though, but I think it would be worth the wait there for you.

[rawbertson.]

just spray lacquer the wall of the ledge

[CarcassToss]

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Really bummed they didn't extend the baseplate a bit.
I skated Thunders for years and could never get my tailslides on ledges to slide much more than a foot if I'm lucky, half the time they end up more like a stall. Not as big of a problem on rails, but still.
I know it's something about my technique and I could fix it with the right adjustments, but when I decided to give Ventures a try my tailslides were immediately more slidey and I didn't have to make any adjustments at all.

There's no way they haven't heard about this issue, why the hell would they do a redesign and not fix the #1 issue people complain about?

[close]

The baseplate issue is well known among skaters and DLX. Apparently Thunder is working on a next generation truck that's supposed to fix the baseplate problem. These IKP Thunders are just a variation of the current generation, not a whole new truck. Think of it more like a mid cycle refresh on cars.

[close]

I'll be honest, the base plate thing has had bewildered me for a long, long, long time. DLX was/is constantly trying new things with wheel sizes, shapes, and formulas. Likewise with board shapes, constructions, and dimensions. Yet, they have totally slept on this base plate thing for a long time, despite all the negative feedback about them. I mean, how hard would it have been to just extend the existing base plate a bit, without totally redesigning the truck (what is seems like has been done with T2)? Yet they came out with the team plate, which is just 1mm taller (and height issues could have been fixed with a tiny riser)? They could have even just sold and extended base plate as an aftermarket item. I mean, come on, guys. Get your shit figured out. I love DLX, by man, did they ever really miss the mark on this one.   

I've posted on this before and people don't seem to get it, but you can't just "extend the plate". The holes are in the wrong place and the Thunder kingpin angle influences where the wheels end up relative to the plate. It's a much more relaxed KP angle, which is why the KP side of the plate sits inwards towards the deck. The actual thickness of the plate vs an Indy where the pivot cup is isn't far off. You'd need a less upright angle in this spot, 1-1.5mm more thickness, and the plate extending towards the tip and even then the KP angle and hanger geo still pushes the wheels more towards the tip. The plates would end up longer than even Venture plates, which are the longest. If you take the hanger off of an Indy and Thunder and compare the plates side by side it's really apparent just how different Thunder geo is to other trucks. If Thunders had the Indy hole positions the WB would be super long.

If you're Thunder a small handful of people who really care about this likely isn't worth the cost of new molds and developing a truck that already sells incredibly well.

This would almost require a reworking of the truck geo. Enter the T2. I've seen them in real life and the geo does position the end of the plate "better" for slides.

[rawbertson.]

It seems to me like it’s only an issue if there is absolutely zero radius on the ledge you are skating. This thing is completely 90 degree cuts and there is no way the baseplate would ever drag because of the radius that is cut away from the corner of the edge of the curb. I think those kind of ledges are never going to be good for skating. I used to have one as a kid - box with metal coping with no radius,  cause I didn’t know better and I remember it cut super super deep sharp grooves into my trucks, in a bad way. It’s also just way more dangerous if you happen to catch your shin. This thing has a tiny radius im guessing 3/8 at most

[CarcassToss]

https://youtu.be/WBNqfbzQW6s?si=ewsnE_w9aZ-0ScB5

From this vid the random break in sounds like when I put some grease on my bushings and cups. They will feel super nuts for 30-60min and then after that I'll back off the nut and they feel pretty normal.

My guess is the new bushings are molded in a mold that is pre coated in a chemical "releaser". A non technical way to explain it is that lots of polymers and rubber products are molded with a thin layer of a non stick coating so they... wait for it... don't stick to the mold. This shit makes a lot of products feel super slick and we have to clean them with rubbing alcohol after to de grease. I would be super curious how the bushings would feel if someone used 99% iso to remove any residue from the tops and bottoms of the bushings.

[Xen]

From Asta's IKP vid

[CarcassToss]

I've always slid on Thunder plates, but it 100% does not feel or sound like a normal plate lock in.

[BL0B]

smaller wheels can do it, also where the slide is held.

[144p]

I'm gonna second on the extra soft bushings, i'm gonna try some regular Thunder bushings.

[CarcassToss]

@144p could you try using isopropyl and clean the tops and bottoms of the bushings and see if that helps? Curious about my theory here, but in my line of work it's pretty common that most polymers and molded products feel super slick initially. My guess is this is causing the bushings to slightly slide back and forth on the washers.

That and probably normal bushing break in. Urethane and rubber do change slightly when put under pressure and do wear in.

[144p]

I’ve tried so many trucks and bushings over the years, these are mega soft feeling, even after I tightened them up substantially.

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

And it doesn’t sound like they are hardening up which I feel used to happen….

And ne more time….DLX….hardware/bushing company please….

[CarcassToss]

YouTubers seem to claim they harden after an hour, but everyone is gunna be different.