The Thunder Thread

[Troubadour26]

What’s the largest wheel that you all ride with Thunders? I’m on 149s right now with 54 and it almost feels impossible not to wheelbite after any ollie.

I’m either gonna buy some 52 conical fulls which seem incredibly small to me by today’s standards or go back to riding Independents.

[BeachChicken]

I've done 54/55 just fine. Kingpin nut flush, 175lbs

[Ok]

What’s the largest wheel that you all ride with Thunders? I’m on 149s right now with 54 and it almost feels impossible not to wheelbite after any ollie.

I’m either gonna buy some 52 conical fulls which seem incredibly small to me by today’s standards or go back to riding Independents.

i struggle with this, with thunders. i’m sloppy and wheelbitey. but.
thunders have some real advantages. i don’t get as ‘excited’ by them, and i don’t tend to land new hail marys, but if i get all fucked up from trying to many different things, i know i can get a kickflip i like (very relative, this is for me, and i cannot see it) on some thunders.
all to say, maybe fight it out for a bit?
funny enough i was skating 52 conical ff 101a’s with the griffin gass shape and 149 thunders. did some of my best skating of recent times on that

[Troubadour26]

I've done 54/55 just fine. Kingpin nut flush, 175lbs

word. I probably weigh right around that currently.

I’ve been skating my set for a little over a month now. They were hand me down and I was wheelbiting like crazy from the start but I’ve still been hyped on them. I think the conical bushings opposed to a barrel shaped boardside made a huge difference too.

I was coming from the 55mm Indy height and am just now learning the height differences between all of the trucks finally.

Fresh set of wheels really made the wheel biting obvious for me though.

Thanks for the input folks.

[JM]

Just a curiosity point…do people here generally prefer the Team or regular baseplates? Is your preference because of height, or something else?

Cast on 148’s, and 8.25 or dreamer DLX deck.

The extra mm made ollies way more secure and higher. (Or because of extra weight.. who knows)

It sounds silly, but the team baseplate made a lot of difference compared to forged. Maybe it was because I was used to Indy’s 55mm height for 24 years.

Team Hollows for life now

(Plus, DLX is rad)

[JM]

Does anyone know where I can reach into bins like I was at an old hardware store grabbing out handfuls of nails?

But instead of nails, it’s different colors of bushings? All the bushings Thunder offers in the trucks (standard duro) all colors, in separate bins.
 
In other words, can someone please raid DLX for me and get me some purple bushings from the IKP? And maybe some light blue and green bushings too?

Red would be kind of sick.

Fuggit, get me the rainbow. I want the rainbow, get me the rainbow.

Thanks appreciate it in advance.

[Sedition]

Some confusion may result in the use of the term “regular” to indicate the forged plates, as they came along later on, so it’s understandable folks might think you meant the cast/team plates.

Absolutely. I should have just said cast/forged. My bad. My recollection was that prior to the Team (cast) plates (which came out around 2017/2018?) Thunders only had forged plates (could be wrong on that), hence the "regular" ones. But yeah, in common parlance, clearly should have just said cast/forged. 

[back smith]

Anyone go from aces (or even Indy) to thunders recently and happy with the switch? I love AF1’s with hard bushings but I keep having this urge to setup thunders anytime I see them in footage. Idk what it is but they just look good and I know once I get used to them I have a way easier time all around on my board, flip tricks become more consistent and manageable for me, and since I mainly do a lot of manual and ledge skating I know I’d be doing myself a favor, it’s just the adjustment period I’m wary of. Last time I tried this I decided my board wasn’t surfy enough and ran back to ace, even though I’m admittedly not a surfy kind of guy. The madness is creeping and I need someone to talk me over or off of this ledge 😰

They're very different (on decks with the same wb). Go with the feel not looks.

[BeachChicken]

Anyone go from aces (or even Indy) to thunders recently and happy with the switch? I love AF1’s with hard bushings but I keep having this urge to setup thunders anytime I see them in footage. Idk what it is but they just look good and I know once I get used to them I have a way easier time all around on my board, flip tricks become more consistent and manageable for me, and since I mainly do a lot of manual and ledge skating I know I’d be doing myself a favor, it’s just the adjustment period I’m wary of. Last time I tried this I decided my board wasn’t surfy enough and ran back to ace, even though I’m admittedly not a surfy kind of guy. The madness is creeping and I need someone to talk me over or off of this ledge 😰

I have twice- first time I stayed on Thunders for 9 months, second time I was off in 2 weeks. I like Thunder overall once adapted. Its harder for me to adapt to the pop than going from Indy to Venture. I got sick of the bushing issues making my trucks constantly feel different, my pop was a bit lower, and honestly I just wasn't feeling them so I went back to Indys

[Ok]

Anyone go from aces (or even Indy) to thunders recently and happy with the switch? I love AF1’s with hard bushings but I keep having this urge to setup thunders anytime I see them in footage. Idk what it is but they just look good and I know once I get used to them I have a way easier time all around on my board, flip tricks become more consistent and manageable for me, and since I mainly do a lot of manual and ledge skating I know I’d be doing myself a favor, it’s just the adjustment period I’m wary of. Last time I tried this I decided my board wasn’t surfy enough and ran back to ace, even though I’m admittedly not a surfy kind of guy. The madness is creeping and I need someone to talk me over or off of this ledge 😰

oh you are proper fucked.

when i get on a setup with aces i start wriggling around, and doing turns and crazy turns….and it feels kinda nice. until i hit the tail.
when i retire to the no pop-zone, aces it’ll most likely be.

thunders look cool. they’ve always had a cool team imo. they were my first ….’new school’ trucks when i started again in 1994. gino, pupecki, nate jones, ellington, herman, antwuan, 2nd half wade, kb, omara. some hitters.
thunders, for me, were less deck dependent, and worked well the first day.
drawbacks, for me, pretty much wheel bite/wheel size. a lot of that is informed by my insistence on skating 147s and those are low. i’ve skated 148s with 56s and been fine. i did have a horrendous slam sticking on a noseslide: stuck, i jumped up, board rotated underneath me and came to a rest 4 wheels down 90 to the ledge, stepped back on it and fortunately forward momentum carried me past the end of the ledge because i promptly whipped onto the ground face first. it’s a me/skill issue. i was shook tho

[nurkdurk]

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Anyone go from aces (or even Indy) to thunders recently and happy with the switch? I love AF1’s with hard bushings but I keep having this urge to setup thunders anytime I see them in footage. Idk what it is but they just look good and I know once I get used to them I have a way easier time all around on my board, flip tricks become more consistent and manageable for me, and since I mainly do a lot of manual and ledge skating I know I’d be doing myself a favor, it’s just the adjustment period I’m wary of. Last time I tried this I decided my board wasn’t surfy enough and ran back to ace, even though I’m admittedly not a surfy kind of guy. The madness is creeping and I need someone to talk me over or off of this ledge 😰

[close]

oh you are proper fucked.

when i get on a setup with aces i start wriggling around, and doing turns and crazy turns….and it feels kinda nice. until i hit the tail.
when i retire to the no pop-zone, aces it’ll most likely be.

Completely agree. I tried af1 last summer, really fun just cruising around, but the pop was off. Also on 66 and 57mm wheels I got bite too easy, after getting pitched trying to whip around a pocket in a pool I put them on the shelf.
Went to stg 11 indy for the fall and back down in board width. Less squirrelly, crispy pop, could still turn. Then I skated a homies board for a minute with thunders. Got madness.

Now on 149 forged lights (hollow) with an 1/8” riser, about 54mm height. 55 classics at around 53, bite does not pitch me. Pop feel is much lighter, skating higher ledges takes less energy. Can Ollie over one of the big safety cones again, yes I credit the trucks.
Turn on thunders is a bit more darty and less surfy than either Indy or ace, but far better than ventures.

[BeachChicken]

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Anyone go from aces (or even Indy) to thunders recently and happy with the switch? I love AF1’s with hard bushings but I keep having this urge to setup thunders anytime I see them in footage. Idk what it is but they just look good and I know once I get used to them I have a way easier time all around on my board, flip tricks become more consistent and manageable for me, and since I mainly do a lot of manual and ledge skating I know I’d be doing myself a favor, it’s just the adjustment period I’m wary of. Last time I tried this I decided my board wasn’t surfy enough and ran back to ace, even though I’m admittedly not a surfy kind of guy. The madness is creeping and I need someone to talk me over or off of this ledge 😰

[close]

oh you are proper fucked.

when i get on a setup with aces i start wriggling around, and doing turns and crazy turns….and it feels kinda nice. until i hit the tail.
when i retire to the no pop-zone, aces it’ll most likely be.

[close]

Completely agree. I tried af1 last summer, really fun just cruising around, but the pop was off. Also on 66 and 57mm wheels I got bite too easy, after getting pitched trying to whip around a pocket in a pool I put them on the shelf.
Went to stg 11 indy for the fall and back down in board width. Less squirrelly, crispy pop, could still turn. Then I skated a homies board for a minute with thunders. Got madness.

Now on 149 forged lights (hollow) with an 1/8” riser, about 54mm height. 55 classics at around 53, bite does not pitch me. Pop feel is much lighter, skating higher ledges takes less energy. Can Ollie over one of the big safety cones again, yes I credit the trucks.
Turn on thunders is a bit more darty and less surfy than either Indy or ace, but far better than ventures.

You just need Indy cast with hollow pins and axles or slappys. Basically what you are running but without the risers and stuff.

[JM]

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Does anyone know where I can reach into bins like I was at an old hardware store grabbing out handfuls of nails?

But instead of nails, it’s different colors of bushings? All the bushings Thunder offers in the trucks (standard duro) all colors, in separate bins.
 
In other words, can someone please raid DLX for me and get me some purple bushings from the IKP? And maybe some light blue and green bushings too?

Red would be kind of sick.

Fuggit, get me the rainbow. I want the rainbow, get me the rainbow.

Thanks appreciate it in advance.

[close]

Ha, Preesh.

Not quite the candy store fantasy I had going, but it’ll do.

[JohnDi]

New to Thunder but about to set up 148s going from classic Indy stg 11's. Do i need risers to match Indy height and what size would you all suggest if so. Not even gonna get into bushings yet gonna just run the stock for now but i do want to have if not exact atleast close to similar height of 11's. Any suggestions appreciated always hard to part with Indys after so long.

[Troubadour26]

New to Thunder but about to set up 148s going from classic Indy stg 11's. Do i need risers to match Indy height and what size would you all suggest if so. Not even gonna get into bushings yet gonna just run the stock for now but i do want to have if not exact atleast close to similar height of 11's. Any suggestions appreciated always hard to part with Indys after so long.

If you’re not gonna ride them low, I don’t know why’d switch in the first place tbh. No slight at you btw.

The difference between standard 148s and stage 11s should be 4mm.

I believe it’s 151mm to 155mm

[Sedition]

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New to Thunder but about to set up 148s going from classic Indy stg 11's. Do i need risers to match Indy height and what size would you all suggest if so. Not even gonna get into bushings yet gonna just run the stock for now but i do want to have if not exact atleast close to similar height of 11's. Any suggestions appreciated always hard to part with Indys after so long.

[close]

If you’re not gonna ride them low, I don’t know why’d switch in the first place tbh. No slight at you btw.

^ This. If you are trying to make Truck X ride/perform like Truck Y...just ride Truck Y.

[BeachChicken]

BDK with his Thunders on risers to make an Indy.

[JohnDi]

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New to Thunder but about to set up 148s going from classic Indy stg 11's. Do i need risers to match Indy height and what size would you all suggest if so. Not even gonna get into bushings yet gonna just run the stock for now but i do want to have if not exact atleast close to similar height of 11's. Any suggestions appreciated always hard to part with Indys after so long.

[close]

If you’re not gonna ride them low, I don’t know why’d switch in the first place tbh. No slight at you btw.

The difference between standard 148s and stage 11s should be 4mm.

I believe it’s 151mm to 155mm

Nah all good maybe I’ll try without risers to start I just keep hearing/reading how flip tricks with Thunders are so great but I also just like the height of the Indy cause that’s all I know for the last 10+years. Ben De Gros did this to me smdh

[Rick Trapasso]

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New to Thunder but about to set up 148s going from classic Indy stg 11's. Do i need risers to match Indy height and what size would you all suggest if so. Not even gonna get into bushings yet gonna just run the stock for now but i do want to have if not exact atleast close to similar height of 11's. Any suggestions appreciated always hard to part with Indys after so long.

[close]

If you’re not gonna ride them low, I don’t know why’d switch in the first place tbh. No slight at you btw.

The difference between standard 148s and stage 11s should be 4mm.

I believe it’s 151mm to 155mm

[close]

Nah all good maybe I’ll try without risers to start I just keep hearing/reading how flip tricks with Thunders are so great but I also just like the height of the Indy cause that’s all I know for the last 10+years. Ben De Gros did this to me smdh

I think 148 teams are 52mm tall and standard stage 11's are 55mm tall.

A standard 1/8" riser is 3.175mm tall so that will put you at almost the exact height of the standard Indys.

Wheelbase and effective kick length are factors to consider though when it comes to pop feel. A 55mm thunder isn't going to feel like a 55mm tall Indy.

Deluxe also makes those wooden risers if you're worried about feel. Been thinking of trying those myself.

[JM]

Oh baby.

[Rick Trapasso]

Oh baby.

I dare you to buy enough to fulfill your rainbow bushing bucket fantasies.

[rawbertson.]

I decided hella loose trucks are kinda ass. Fun but you can get a good turn with thunder no threads exposed.

Thunder team is the only cast plate with a reasonable weight and height. Probably only truck I will use now. I tried the others, the bushings are the only shitty thing about thunders but that’s why they are so stable so it’s worth replacing them.

[JM]

I dare you to buy enough to fulfill your rainbow bushing bucket fantasies.

Oh shit. This just got serious, didn’t it.

I’ll get back with you if there are any positive developments. 
 

[Mbrimson88]

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New to Thunder but about to set up 148s going from classic Indy stg 11's. Do i need risers to match Indy height and what size would you all suggest if so. Not even gonna get into bushings yet gonna just run the stock for now but i do want to have if not exact atleast close to similar height of 11's. Any suggestions appreciated always hard to part with Indys after so long.

[close]

If you’re not gonna ride them low, I don’t know why’d switch in the first place tbh. No slight at you btw.

The difference between standard 148s and stage 11s should be 4mm.

I believe it’s 51mm to 55mm

[close]

Nah all good maybe I’ll try without risers to start I just keep hearing/reading how flip tricks with Thunders are so great but I also just like the height of the Indy cause that’s all I know for the last 10+years. Ben De Gros did this to me smdh

[close]

I think 148 teams are 52mm tall and standard stage 11's are 55mm tall.

A standard 1/8" riser is 3.175mm tall so that will put you at almost the exact height of the standard Indys.

Wheelbase and effective kick length are factors to consider though when it comes to pop feel. A 55mm thunder isn't going to feel like a 55mm tall Indy.

Deluxe also makes those wooden risers if you're worried about feel. Been thinking of trying those myself.

The DLX ply risers do work and look pretty cool.

I usually have just a thin hard rubber material 2 mm DIY riser on my boards with Thunders, but on most I also cut out the front truck wheel wells a bit too, just to have some extra turn without going too tall on the riser side of things.  That is my trade off, as Thunders really do work well as a lower truck, compared to my usual Indy Standards, which I am used to for everything else and more often have bigger wheels on as well.  That said I have often cut front wheel wells on any board, so it just helps if I don't want to go taller, but still want just a little less wheelbite on the front truck.


As with any change, things could feel weird, from new bushings to different turn, as well as the height - 52 mm to 55 mm, but trying without any risers, then maybe making your own from something you can just cut up at home can bring the truck up a mm or two and still feel good and work well, rather than bringing them up 3 mm and often having the riser not fit the truck as well as it should, especially with Thunders which don't fit a lot of risers well, even the Thunder brand risers.

Mini Logo / Bones make some really good thinner risers which have the longer hole options and fit well under the normal Thunder baseplates too, just for reference.

[Rick Trapasso]

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I dare you to buy enough to fulfill your rainbow bushing bucket fantasies.

[close]

Oh shit. This just got serious, didn’t it.

I’ll get back with you if there are any positive developments. 
 

Lol perfect use of ai

[JohnDi]

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New to Thunder but about to set up 148s going from classic Indy stg 11's. Do i need risers to match Indy height and what size would you all suggest if so. Not even gonna get into bushings yet gonna just run the stock for now but i do want to have if not exact atleast close to similar height of 11's. Any suggestions appreciated always hard to part with Indys after so long.

[close]

If you’re not gonna ride them low, I don’t know why’d switch in the first place tbh. No slight at you btw.

The difference between standard 148s and stage 11s should be 4mm.

I believe it’s 51mm to 55mm

[close]

Nah all good maybe I’ll try without risers to start I just keep hearing/reading how flip tricks with Thunders are so great but I also just like the height of the Indy cause that’s all I know for the last 10+years. Ben De Gros did this to me smdh

[close]

I think 148 teams are 52mm tall and standard stage 11's are 55mm tall.

A standard 1/8" riser is 3.175mm tall so that will put you at almost the exact height of the standard Indys.

Wheelbase and effective kick length are factors to consider though when it comes to pop feel. A 55mm thunder isn't going to feel like a 55mm tall Indy.

Deluxe also makes those wooden risers if you're worried about feel. Been thinking of trying those myself.

[close]

The DLX ply risers do work and look pretty cool.

I usually have just a thin hard rubber material 2 mm DIY riser on my boards with Thunders, but on most I also cut out the front truck wheel wells a bit too, just to have some extra turn without going too tall on the riser side of things.  That is my trade off, as Thunders really do work well as a lower truck, compared to my usual Indy Standards, which I am used to for everything else and more often have bigger wheels on as well.  That said I have often cut front wheel wells on any board, so it just helps if I don't want to go taller, but still want just a little less wheelbite on the front truck.


As with any change, things could feel weird, from new bushings to different turn, as well as the height - 52 mm to 55 mm, but trying without any risers, then maybe making your own from something you can just cut up at home can bring the truck up a mm or two and still feel good and work well, rather than bringing them up 3 mm and often having the riser not fit the truck as well as it should, especially with Thunders which don't fit a lot of risers well, even the Thunder brand risers.

Mini Logo / Bones make some really good thinner risers which have the longer hole options and fit well under the normal Thunder baseplates too, just for reference.

Thanks appreciate it will definitely have to tinker with it at the park for a while. Hyped for a slightly lighter set up though everyone else’s boards always feel significantly less clunky than mine

[Ourladyoftheflowers]

The slappy 2mm risers are great for some height. I’ve been using the ace 1/16 shock pads for my thunders. When I did 1/8 risers the turn was great but it kinda lost the pinch that I got thunders for. The 1/16 gives me a little extra space for my 54mm wheels but still keeps the Thunder feel. You do have to cut the holes to make them a little bigger to fit but it was worth it.

Coming from Indy’s I started no riser but the pop felt too low and just gradually moved down in riser size till I got to 1/16 and couldn’t imagine going back.

One big suggestion is going from a high truck to a lower truck is adjust your foot on the kicks. With Indy’s I would put my feet almost at the bolts in the pocket for popping, now with thunders I moved my foot a little farther back and have no issues with getting height on a lower truck.

[BeachChicken]

Just stick with Indy's and use appropriate bushings on them. Unless you are skating huge wheels risers to make a truck just a weird Indy doesn't make sense if you don't absolutely have to ride those trucks (sponsored). There are so many good options now 50-55mm that it's absolutely not necessary.

[Ok]

Just stick with Indy's and use appropriate bushings on them. Unless you are skating huge wheels risers to make a truck just a weird Indy doesn't make sense if you don't absolutely have to ride those trucks (sponsored). There are so many good options now 50-55mm that it's absolutely not necessary.

maybe i’m getting this wrong. i most likely am. but how im reading your assertations, it sounds like you think height equals same truck. not my experience. a thunder that is made to be the same height as an indy, doesn’t feel like an indy, to me.
there is too much sacred geometry going on, i don’t understand why some trucks feel good, and other don’t for me. and thats before tail/nose lengths, wheel sizes….some folks used to talk about thunders with riders feeling kinda of de-tuned. not sure what that meantX maybe less twitch? it was sort of a thing where im at, before the venture takeover, thunders with risers and big wheels.

[Sedition]

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Just stick with Indy's and use appropriate bushings on them. Unless you are skating huge wheels risers to make a truck just a weird Indy doesn't make sense if you don't absolutely have to ride those trucks (sponsored). There are so many good options now 50-55mm that it's absolutely not necessary.

[close]

maybe i’m getting this wrong. i most likely am. but how im reading your assertations, it sounds like you think height equals same truck. not my experience. a thunder that is made to be the same height as an indy, doesn’t feel like an indy, to me.
there is too much sacred geometry going on, i don’t understand why some trucks feel good, and other don’t for me. and thats before tail/nose lengths, wheel sizes….some folks used to talk about thunders with riders feeling kinda of de-tuned. not sure what that meantX maybe less twitch? it was sort of a thing where im at, before the venture takeover, thunders with risers and big wheels.

A midget and a child may be the same height, but the way in which they move is very different. Same with trucks.