The Thunder Thread

[The Huffer]

Have had my Thunder T2s less than a year and have skated other board in between, didnt skate these in the winter at all, and the front bushing has massively cracked. Combined with the fact they dont make replacement bushings, i think these trucks kinda suck after all   They have potential to be really good with some small tweaks
I have a feeling Thunder will discontinue these as they sort of miss the mark as to what 99% of thunder users want and probably are not grabbing enough Indy / Ace riders to be worth to continue to produce them

Curious what other tweaks you think they need?

[SwitchBenihana]

I don't think they will discontinue them, but they will probably be more niche than expected. The main issue I have is they shorten the wheelbase too much and I tend not to skate long enough boards to offset this. My bushings had issues but they are doing harder bushings as well. I think lots of people will buy once and never again and the "I will never ride Indy" types might stick with them.

All they do for me is mayyyyybe pinch better than Indy's and definitely better than Ace, but I prefer everything else about those 2 so I won't buy another set. They are nice, but kinda soul-less. At least T1 have the unique pop feel and turn combo that makes them a great "technical" truck. T2 are just another Indy-inspired clone like Slappy.

[Mbrimson88]

Have had my Thunder T2s less than a year and have skated other board in between, didnt skate these in the winter at all, and the front bushing has massively cracked. Combined with the fact they dont make replacement bushings, i think these trucks kinda suck after all   They have potential to be really good with some small tweaks
I have a feeling Thunder will discontinue these as they sort of miss the mark as to what 99% of thunder users want and probably are not grabbing enough Indy / Ace riders to be worth to continue to produce them

Curious what other tweaks you think they need?

As per any truck, some people will like them, some will not and that is quite ok.

The T-II is maybe the only truck now that I have not changed a lot, the way I have with Indy, Thunder, Venture and other brands, where I have redrilled the deck bolt holes, machined other parts of them, or changed bushing heights to give more of this and less of that, etc.

Regular Thunder bushings still work just as well in the T-II trucks for me - tested the 90s, 94, 95 and 97 duro options, but yes it seems like all DLX bushings do suffer from similar issues and don't seem to hold up as well as some other brands, but even other brand bushings still work fine in them too.

What I do actually like a lot is the fact that they do bring in the wheelbase as I prefer longer kicks (tail especially) and like a good amount of turn and the height is nice, so 149s on my 8.38 with 14.5 wb is pretty much just right.  I even redrilled my Indy baseplates to resemble the T-II position and they work betted for me like that than in original position now, which I never really would have figured out if I hadn't got the T-II trucks.

For those that want to, it is easy to knock out the kingpin and use an inverted option as the baseplate holds a regular nut in place without having to do anything - seen it but not tried it myself, but that is another bonus of the way the trucks are made.


I guess that is just my observations.  I don't work for DLX, don't have any connections other than riding whatever skate products I want to which I guess for the most part include the decks, the wheels, the trucks, but I can understand some frustrations over some products with things like bushings, eg no specific replacement bushings for a new truck seems a little short sighted, even though it has been said they are on the way.


* DLX please bring out bushings not only for T-II trucks but it would be good to have some options in bushings for Venture trucks too.

[pops]

If only DLX offered Thunder exclusive bushings that are not affected by cold temperatures. Then I would be 100% satisfied with mine. Ive tried a bunch of  other bushings already but they change the feel too much for me. I like the stocks 90d. They're now 2 months old and Ive skated weekly, still working nice and no cracks.

[manuduncan]

Have had my Thunder T2s less than a year and have skated other board in between, didnt skate these in the winter at all, and the front bushing has massively cracked. Combined with the fact they dont make replacement bushings, i think these trucks kinda suck after all   They have potential to be really good with some small tweaks
I have a feeling Thunder will discontinue these as they sort of miss the mark as to what 99% of thunder users want and probably are not grabbing enough Indy / Ace riders to be worth to continue to produce them

i am part of the small group you are describing here

i love the T2s and they'll probably be my main truck because as an ace guy the T2s give me like 85% of the turning ability i love but i don't feel like i might veer heelside every time i squat down to try a trick and i'll take that tradeoff

the only nitpick i have is they look like a bland video game stock skate truck from the front, nothing distinctive visually about them but like i said it's just a small nitpick

[tzhangdox]

said it so many times but just wish they didnt shorten the damn wheelbase so much. i want a slightly more stable pinchier ace too but the difference in wheelbase completely changes the pop feel

[DNTRODDEN]

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Have had my Thunder T2s less than a year and have skated other board in between, didnt skate these in the winter at all, and the front bushing has massively cracked. Combined with the fact they dont make replacement bushings, i think these trucks kinda suck after all   They have potential to be really good with some small tweaks
I have a feeling Thunder will discontinue these as they sort of miss the mark as to what 99% of thunder users want and probably are not grabbing enough Indy / Ace riders to be worth to continue to produce them

[close]

Don't all Thunder bushings suck anyways? I don't know as all the thunder bushings I've had are fine, although I did have to replace on a set that was around 20 years old so I'm not going to fault them for that part. I'm not a fan of Thunders overall but objectively, I find the T-IIs to be a good option for anyone who wants taller, turner trucks. Even thought I'm riding AF1 currently, I think T-IIs perform as well in turns but are better in stability and pinch so, if those are the important factors for anyone, T-II's are great. Only reason I'm not riding mine is the 151s I have are too wide for my current deck.

I am really into Thunder roadside bushing but can't mess the bottoms at all.  I know it changes a lot of things, but a Mini Logo Medium or Slappy 95 ont the bottom, and a Bones Hard roadside have been a lot of fun

[rawbertson.]

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Have had my Thunder T2s less than a year and have skated other board in between, didnt skate these in the winter at all, and the front bushing has massively cracked. Combined with the fact they dont make replacement bushings, i think these trucks kinda suck after all   They have potential to be really good with some small tweaks
I have a feeling Thunder will discontinue these as they sort of miss the mark as to what 99% of thunder users want and probably are not grabbing enough Indy / Ace riders to be worth to continue to produce them

[close]

Curious what other tweaks you think they need?

just fix the bushings is really all i meant

i noticed today after skating my bushing has moved around and the crack is now at the back of the truck. I can't say I have ever seen my bushings move around in the truck like that before? I don't ride them super loose or anytihng, pretty flush or even 1 thread. I may have done something during a feeble grind to wreck mine. its actually a pretty small tear i noticed compared to some old thunders, so it may actually not be a big deal either, it may just be the exterior got shaved off. now you cant even see it. maybe i should tighten it down a bit now so it doesnt move around. They still feel fine to skate. I'll have to see if it gets any worse.

I noticed on my old thunders, the tear was in the bottom bushing, which seemed like it was a bigger deal performance wise. But it never moved around in the truck like that.

[Richard Skidder]

Clocking in to say again:
Doh-dohs cones fit Thunder perfectly. The bottom bushing is exactly the same height. The shape is nearly identical as well.

[rikki]

* DLX please bring out bushings not only for T-II trucks but it would be good to have some options in bushings for Venture trucks too.

All I need from the universe aside from peace, love and prosperity is Venture replacement bushings.

[foodsafedye]

Board got run over by a car today. Axle of my (solid) Thunder T-IIs snapped right in half. Got some new inverted thunders, curious about using the baseplate form my snapped Thunders T-IIs (because I heard normal Thunder baseplates slide bad) but a normal hanger. How would this change the geometry?

[DNTRODDEN]

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* DLX please bring out bushings not only for T-II trucks but it would be good to have some options in bushings for Venture trucks too.

[close]

All I need from the universe aside from peace, love and prosperity is Venture replacement bushings.

They are out just made by Skate 1/ Powell
Mini logo board side, Bones HC on top!

[myfeetarekillingme]

Board got run over by a car today. Axle of my (solid) Thunder T-IIs snapped right in half. Got some new inverted thunders, curious about using the baseplate form my snapped Thunders T-IIs (because I heard normal Thunder baseplates slide bad) but a normal hanger. How would this change the geometry?

Wouldn’t do it, I’d just skate the trucks how they were designed to be skated unless you wanna void any possible warranty and just enjoy chaos and potentially weird feeling trucks. Also normal Thunders slide fine, it’s just a slightly different technique

[YeoWhattup]

Clocking in to say again:
Doh-dohs cones fit Thunder perfectly. The bottom bushing is exactly the same height. The shape is nearly identical as well.

But do they freeze?

[Richard Skidder]

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Clocking in to say again:
Doh-dohs cones fit Thunder perfectly. The bottom bushing is exactly the same height. The shape is nearly identical as well.

[close]

But do they freeze?

No more than Bones.

[DNTRODDEN]

As I have said in this thread a few times, I just can't skate Thunder board side bushings.
I am really enjoying the Mini Logo Med Board side with a bones HC Hard roadside.

[YeoWhattup]

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Clocking in to say again:
Doh-dohs cones fit Thunder perfectly. The bottom bushing is exactly the same height. The shape is nearly identical as well.

[close]

But do they freeze?

[close]

No more than Bones.

Sick I will try them

[Obijuan91]

I would like to announce to absolutely no one that after watching frank viliani (sp?) latest part I am back on my 3rd stint with thunders. Regripped the board that felt bad with them and it feels great again. See how long I keep em on now 

[rikki]

Anyone use Ace bottom (boardside) bushings in their Thunders (speaking "normal" Thunders here, not T2)?

I dislike the Thunder conical bottom bushing, I prefer a barrel bottom on any truck as it makes the turn more to my preference.

According to Slap bushing data, the Ace bottom should be the same height as the Thunder bottom (14mm), so the fit should be there.

Or would Indy bottoms be an option too? They're a hair lower, though, so that would affect the geo a bit.

[DNTRODDEN]

Anyone use Ace bottom (boardside) bushings in their Thunders (speaking "normal" Thunders here, not T2)?

I dislike the Thunder conical bottom bushing, I prefer a barrel bottom on any truck as it makes the turn more to my preference.

According to Slap bushing data, the Ace bottom should be the same height as the Thunder bottom (14mm), so the fit should be there.

Or would Indy bottoms be an option too? They're a hair lower, though, so that would affect the geo a bit.

Can you share the location of said data?

[rocklobster]

Expand Quote

Anyone use Ace bottom (boardside) bushings in their Thunders (speaking "normal" Thunders here, not T2)?

I dislike the Thunder conical bottom bushing, I prefer a barrel bottom on any truck as it makes the turn more to my preference.

According to Slap bushing data, the Ace bottom should be the same height as the Thunder bottom (14mm), so the fit should be there.

Or would Indy bottoms be an option too? They're a hair lower, though, so that would affect the geo a bit.

[close]

Can you share the location of said data?

this one?
https://www.slapmagazine.com/index.php?topic=112631.msg4469351#msg4469351

BUSHING HEIGHT CHART - ALL BUSHINGS INCLUDED IN ONE POST

Anything else to note and I can change this post to reflect the correct measurements / heights as well.

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[close]

From the site, the Ace low are lower in general but still fairly tall.


Low Bushing Set

Top 10mm tall | 91a hardness
Bottom 12mm tall | 86a hardness


Classic Bushing Set

Top 12mm tall | 91a hardness
Bottom 14mm tall | 86a hardness



As I had posted earlier in another thread, but this time using Ace aftermarket measurements:

Ace low
Total  22 mm
Top  10 mm
Bottom  12 mm

Ace classic
Total  26 mm
Top  12 mm
Bottom  14 mm

Ace Inverted
Total 23 mm
Top 9 mm
Bottom 14 mm


Slappy
Total 22 mm
Top 9 mm
Bottom 13 mm


Venture stock 90a
Total  22.5 mm
Top  9.5 mm
Bottom  13 mm

Venture low top kits
Total  21 mm
Top  8 mm
Bottom  13 mm


Thunder stock 90a and aftermarket (same) 90a, 94a, 95a, 98a, 100a
Total  23.5 mm
Top  9.5 mm
Bottom  14 mm

Thunder T-II
Total 23 mm
Top 9.5 mm
Bottom 13.5 mm


Indy stock 90a and aftermarket (same in both cylinder and conical) 78a, 88a, 90a, 92a, 94a, 96a
Total  23.5 mm
Top  10.5 mm
Bottom  13 mm

Then Indy low head bushings 92a
Total  21 mm
Top  8 mm
Bottom  13 mm

Indy Stage 4
Total 27 mm
Top 12.5 mm
Bottom 14.5 mm


Pig bushings
Total 24.5 mm
Top 10.5 mm
Bottom 14 mm



That post was more in response to the question of bushing measurements, given the new NFG bushings come in many different options.


https://www.nfgmfg.com/shop


They have these:

Top conical (5 options)
95a  in 8mm, 9.5mm, 10mm, 10.3mm and 11mm

Bottom (5 options)
90a and 95a barrel 13mm
90a and 95a half conical 14mm and 14.5mm


Seems perfect to work out exactly what you want and get those, between the softer bottoms and slightly harder lower tops, I could get things exactly how I usually ride my other bushings.

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[close]

It took a while to find this post again from Feb 2021, so this time maybe I should include some key words like bushing measurement height and similar so it is easier to find.

Anyway, some of these might have had some changes required, eg the Indy aftermarket black bushings have been said to be 14mm tall for the bottoms, which is curious.

[DNTRODDEN]

Thanks, I started looking in that thread, had not made it to page 30 yet!

[YeoWhattup]

Thanks, I started looking in that thread, had not made it to page 30 yet!

I’m the first in my bloodline to read this chart

[TwisT]

Thanks, I started looking in that thread, had not made it to page 30 yet!

Congratulations, you created a new data set for the nerds to go crazy over. Can't wait to see this chart on Instagram in 2 weeks, and Reddit in 3 months. And the eventual YouTube video explaining why mms off your bushing is hurting your skating. (not sarcasm)

[DNTRODDEN]

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Thanks, I started looking in that thread, had not made it to page 30 yet!

[close]

Congratulations, you created a new data set for the nerds to go crazy over. Can't wait to see this chart on Instagram in 2 weeks, and Reddit in 3 months. And the eventual YouTube video explaining why mms off your bushing is hurting your skating. (not sarcasm)

I created noting, I just asked ChatGPT to make a chart of the information that was already there, sorry if I created work for you now that you will have to actively ignore all the Reddit, Instagram, and YouTube content - (not sarcasm)

[rikki]

Yeah, that data has been on Slap for ages.

Back to the original question: has anyone tried Ace bottoms on classic Thunders?

[Mbrimson88]

Yeah, that data has been on Slap for ages.

Back to the original question: has anyone tried Ace bottoms on classic Thunders?

Yes, at least the height or sturdiness of the bushing means the hanger sits up a little more and is a bit more "stiff" but it also allows a bit more turn too, in that Thunder bushings will often squash down a bit, just like any conical bushing does.  I think one truck sat up or out a bit more so the pivot point was a bit funny - could move the hanger a bit from side to side with the taller Ace bushing, especially in the front where I didn't tighten things down much, but once it settles in, I wasn't worried by it.

They worked, but some people might not like quite how they felt, or how tall things sat, or even if they had to tighten it all down too much for how they wanted their trucks to feel, if that makes sense.

I had a few sets of Ace trucks a while back I was taking apart and trying things, including trying their bushings in everything I could just to see if people were right about Ace bushings being the best.  These were the stock / regular ones, but the harder ones would firm things up a lot more too.

Ace stock:

Top 12mm tall | 91a hardness
Bottom 14mm tall | 86a hardness

I created noting, I just asked ChatGPT to make a chart of the information that was already there, sorry if I created work for you now that you will have to actively ignore all the Reddit, Instagram, and YouTube content - (not sarcasm)

Ha yeah that is actually pretty good, and maybe a lot easier to read / see than the text info.

I think this was meant to be added at some point too, but I had forgotten.

Slappy ultra low
Total  21 mm
Top 8 mm
Bottom 13 mm

[DNTRODDEN]

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Yeah, that data has been on Slap for ages.

Back to the original question: has anyone tried Ace bottoms on classic Thunders?

[close]

Yes, at least the height or sturdiness of the bushing means the hanger sits up a little more and is a bit more "stiff" but it also allows a bit more turn too, in that Thunder bushings will often squash down a bit, just like any conical bushing does.  I think one truck sat up or out a bit more so the pivot point was a bit funny - could move the hanger a bit from side to side with the taller Ace bushing, especially in the front where I didn't tighten things down much, but once it settles in, I wasn't worried by it.

They worked, but some people might not like quite how they felt, or how tall things sat, or even if they had to tighten it all down too much for how they wanted their trucks to feel, if that makes sense.

I had a few sets of Ace trucks a while back I was taking apart and trying things, including trying their bushings in everything I could just to see if people were right about Ace bushings being the best.  These were the stock / regular ones, but the harder ones would firm things up a lot more too.

Ace stock:

Top 12mm tall | 91a hardness
Bottom 14mm tall | 86a hardness

Expand Quote

I created noting, I just asked ChatGPT to make a chart of the information that was already there, sorry if I created work for you now that you will have to actively ignore all the Reddit, Instagram, and YouTube content - (not sarcasm)

[close]

Ha yeah that is actually pretty good, and maybe a lot easier to read / see than the text info.

I think this was meant to be added at some point too, but I had forgotten.

Slappy ultra low
Total  21 mm
Top 8 mm
Bottom 13 mm

When I get back for the Dr, I will run it again with the new info

[moykky]

Yeah, that data has been on Slap for ages.

Back to the original question: has anyone tried Ace bottoms on classic Thunders?

Yes I have, ACE bottom (the default/stock) and Slappy top. But I prefer Slappy on bottom too, 95 or 94, or what it was I don't remember. What @Mbrimson88 said made sense to me, it was really unstable with Ace bushing, but since the original cones squish more easily, maybe the 1mm lower Slappy was better in that sense, didn't change the geometry...

With Slappy bushings it's really good.

[DNTRODDEN]

Expand Quote

Thanks, I started looking in that thread, had not made it to page 30 yet!

[close]

Congratulations, you created a new data set for the nerds to go crazy over. Can't wait to see this chart on Instagram in 2 weeks, and Reddit in 3 months. And the eventual YouTube video explaining why mms off your bushing is hurting your skating. (not sarcasm)

new updated chart