The Thunder Thread

[rikki]

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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 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.

Yeah, sounds like I could go with Indy bottoms with no problem too. Not gonna go down the rabbit hole and try Slappy or any other bushings as I know exactly what Indys and Ace do duro-wise...

[moykky]

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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 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.

[close]

Yeah, sounds like I could go with Indy bottoms with no problem too. Not gonna go down the rabbit hole and try Slappy or any other bushings as I know exactly what Indys and Ace do duro-wise...

One more change to the details: I was using the stock Slappy bushings, they might be 90d, not 95... And ACE was the stock bushing as well. And I also changed the bottom- and top washer, Thunders were too small, at least the bottom one. I'm sure Indy bottom works equally, and you have lots more options in hardness.

[Esmith5488]

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.

Not really the same but I’m using the ace inverted on the thunder inverted and it’s fine. I want to say maybe the top was like barely taller? But those fit totally fine so I’m sure the regular bottoms would be fine too

[Obijuan91]

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]

Not really the same but I’m using the ace inverted on the thunder inverted and it’s fine. I want to say maybe the top was like barely taller? But those fit totally fine so I’m sure the regular bottoms would be fine too

How do the ace inverted ones turn work? I finally settled on the thunder bushings which I like the rebound of but I been wondering about those

[flipyoulike]

so i came across some 2nd hand barely used Hollow Lights 149 that i couldnt pass up on. moved my stage 11s to another set up.  the Thunders still got the stock bushings on em, but those feel super loose to me. i used to ride my Indy trucks with stock bushings. for the Thunders im tempted to just make the jump to Thunder 94 or 95a bushings. i dont ride super tight.
i dont want to end up in bushing madness. from what i understand, the stock bushings are 90a. any other companies youd recommend over Thunders ?  thanks in advance

[pops]

so i came across some 2nd hand barely used Hollow Lights 149 that i couldnt pass up on. moved my stage 11s to another set up.  the Thunders still got the stock bushings on em, but those feel super loose to me. i used to ride my Indy trucks with stock bushings. for the Thunders im tempted to just make the jump to Thunder 94 or 95a bushings. i dont ride super tight.
i dont want to end up in bushing madness. from what i understand, the stock bushings are 90a. any other companies youd recommend over Thunders ?  thanks in advance

Ive been running 94a Thunder bushings this summer. I keep my kp nut flush. My trucks still turn really well but are less twitchy now (compared to riding 90a). I tried few different bushings but didnt like em. Stock thunder bushings suck when it gets colder, though.

[Mbrimson88]

so i came across some 2nd hand barely used Hollow Lights 149 that i couldnt pass up on. moved my stage 11s to another set up.  the Thunders still got the stock bushings on em, but those feel super loose to me. i used to ride my Indy trucks with stock bushings. for the Thunders im tempted to just make the jump to Thunder 94 or 95a bushings. i dont ride super tight.
i dont want to end up in bushing madness. from what i understand, the stock bushings are 90a. any other companies youd recommend over Thunders ?  thanks in advance

If they are near new, or whoever had them did not break in the bushings, then treating them like new, all bushings need a few sessions to break in nicely.

Thunder bushings are no exception, especially in warmer weather, they will feel very loose at first in new trucks, (stock or aftermarket of any duro) but with a few sessions they firm up a lot.

You can get the 94 bushing tube or 95 rebuild kit, which will still take a few sessions to break in, but might make everything feel a little more stable for you.

If you don't want to spend the time breaking them in while skating, just standing on your board, more so over each truck at a time and leaning from side to side can help a whole lot and easily get them going nicely.  Some people do this on carpet or in front of tv or something, just to take their mind off it, but from people who have done this for a half hour, they say the bushings are pretty much ready to go next session.

[flipyoulike]

Expand Quote

so i came across some 2nd hand barely used Hollow Lights 149 that i couldnt pass up on. moved my stage 11s to another set up.  the Thunders still got the stock bushings on em, but those feel super loose to me. i used to ride my Indy trucks with stock bushings. for the Thunders im tempted to just make the jump to Thunder 94 or 95a bushings. i dont ride super tight.
i dont want to end up in bushing madness. from what i understand, the stock bushings are 90a. any other companies youd recommend over Thunders ?  thanks in advance

[close]

If they are near new, or whoever had them did not break in the bushings, then treating them like new, all bushings need a few sessions to break in nicely.

Thunder bushings are no exception, especially in warmer weather, they will feel very loose at first in new trucks, (stock or aftermarket of any duro) but with a few sessions they firm up a lot.

i have no issues spending some time to break em in.  I cant really tell how much these have been skated, there are some marks on the hangers but not that much. might hit up the seller.

anyways, thanks for all the insight, you`ve posted some much uselful info all over this place.

[Mbrimson88]

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so i came across some 2nd hand barely used Hollow Lights 149 that i couldnt pass up on. moved my stage 11s to another set up.  the Thunders still got the stock bushings on em, but those feel super loose to me. i used to ride my Indy trucks with stock bushings. for the Thunders im tempted to just make the jump to Thunder 94 or 95a bushings. i dont ride super tight.
i dont want to end up in bushing madness. from what i understand, the stock bushings are 90a. any other companies youd recommend over Thunders ?  thanks in advance

[close]

If they are near new, or whoever had them did not break in the bushings, then treating them like new, all bushings need a few sessions to break in nicely.

Thunder bushings are no exception, especially in warmer weather, they will feel very loose at first in new trucks, (stock or aftermarket of any duro) but with a few sessions they firm up a lot.

[close]

i have no issues spending some time to break em in.  I cant really tell how much these have been skated, there are some marks on the hangers but not that much. might hit up the seller.

anyways, thanks for all the insight, you`ve posted some much uselful info all over this place.

Easy!

I think the main way to check if they have broken in or not is when you push down on one wheel and let go, if the trucks bounce back to the center or close to then I would consider them broken in, but if they stay leaning to that side and don't spring back easily, then most likely not broken in.

At least Thunder do have a good supply of most options in bushings, so it doesn't hurt to sample some and see if they can work for you.

There are other brands that will work well enough, to which I think most people have tried almost anything in them, with varying degrees of success, but I think anything with a slightly taller bottom is better for Thunder trucks.


The only other thing to note:

Thunder trucks are lower than Indy, so I really noticed it when leaning side to side, even more so with the forged baseplates which take the trucks down even more, so if things are still a bit too funny, even trying some thin risers - either something you can buy or something else you can cut up and put under them, even just to see.  I guess I talk too much about getting a couple of mm under them to bring them up just enough for me to be comfortable on bigger wheels, but all up, it is easy enough to get used to anything of any height and I do have some forged baseplates with small wheels on an 8.25 setup that really works well.

[Esmith5488]

Expand Quote

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]

Not really the same but I’m using the ace inverted on the thunder inverted and it’s fine. I want to say maybe the top was like barely taller? But those fit totally fine so I’m sure the regular bottoms would be fine too

[close]

How do the ace inverted ones turn work? I finally settled on the thunder bushings which I like the rebound of but I been wondering about those

I really like the aces personally. I run my thunders decently loose and have no issues. I for sure didn’t give my thunder bushings time to break in but here in MD the weather is so inconsistent I needed a bushing that can handle that

[SwitchBenihana]

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so i came across some 2nd hand barely used Hollow Lights 149 that i couldnt pass up on. moved my stage 11s to another set up.  the Thunders still got the stock bushings on em, but those feel super loose to me. i used to ride my Indy trucks with stock bushings. for the Thunders im tempted to just make the jump to Thunder 94 or 95a bushings. i dont ride super tight.
i dont want to end up in bushing madness. from what i understand, the stock bushings are 90a. any other companies youd recommend over Thunders ?  thanks in advance

[close]

If they are near new, or whoever had them did not break in the bushings, then treating them like new, all bushings need a few sessions to break in nicely.

Thunder bushings are no exception, especially in warmer weather, they will feel very loose at first in new trucks, (stock or aftermarket of any duro) but with a few sessions they firm up a lot.

[close]

i have no issues spending some time to break em in.  I cant really tell how much these have been skated, there are some marks on the hangers but not that much. might hit up the seller.

anyways, thanks for all the insight, you`ve posted some much uselful info all over this place.

The new purple and blue stock bushings never firmed up for me. I ride my Indy's stock, but with Thunders I replaced those colors with blue 94A immediately. The 94 soften up and last longer before circumsizing themselves. The other stock bushings don't feel as soft.

[Obijuan91]

Expand Quote

Expand Quote

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]

Not really the same but I’m using the ace inverted on the thunder inverted and it’s fine. I want to say maybe the top was like barely taller? But those fit totally fine so I’m sure the regular bottoms would be fine too

[close]

How do the ace inverted ones turn work? I finally settled on the thunder bushings which I like the rebound of but I been wondering about those

[close]

I really like the aces personally. I run my thunders decently loose and have no issues. I for sure didn’t give my thunder bushings time to break in but here in MD the weather is so inconsistent I needed a bushing that can handle that

Good to know if madness ever takes over again. Living in Ca I probably shouldn’t complain about thunder bushings and learned to love em

[flipyoulike]

Expand Quote

so i came across some 2nd hand barely used Hollow Lights 149 that i couldnt pass up on. moved my stage 11s to another set up.  the Thunders still got the stock bushings on em, but those feel super loose to me. i used to ride my Indy trucks with stock bushings. for the Thunders im tempted to just make the jump to Thunder 94 or 95a bushings. i dont ride super tight.
i dont want to end up in bushing madness. from what i understand, the stock bushings are 90a. any other companies youd recommend over Thunders ?  thanks in advance

[close]

If they are near new, or whoever had them did not break in the bushings, then treating them like new, all bushings need a few sessions to break in nicely.

Thunder bushings are no exception, especially in warmer weather, they will feel very loose at first in new trucks, (stock or aftermarket of any duro) but with a few sessions they firm up a lot.

You can get the 94 bushing tube or 95 rebuild kit, which will still take a few sessions to break in, but might make everything feel a little more stable for you.

If you don't want to spend the time breaking them in while skating, just standing on your board, more so over each truck at a time and leaning from side to side can help a whole lot and easily get them going nicely.  Some people do this on carpet or in front of tv or something, just to take their mind off it, but from people who have done this for a half hour, they say the bushings are pretty much ready to go next session.

So i went with the 94 Thunder bushings + risers. Had a long session today and they feel really good so far.

[DNTRODDEN]

Might be buried in here somewhere but, T2 Lights?

[moonordie]

Might be buried in here somewhere but, T2 Lights?

Indyish with a Thunder logo.

[swongolianbbq]

Just the regular ol T2 exist, as far as i know. They mightve done a cast hollow ala stage 4 hollows but i dont think they have


Anywho, been skating mostly indy 149s for the last 20 years or so

Ive skated a few sets of the old thunder 149ers that were like 49mm tall, and a couple sets of ace af1 55s, couple sets of venture low 5.2, couple sets of indy 144s and 159s as well.

Local shop didnt have any thunders so i found a set on ebay

Went with team 148s, and also ordered a set of the 94a thunder bushings just in case... i remember my clear yellow ones gettin crumbly quick back in the day

Very excite

Going on a mellow 8.3 with 14" wheelbase, and 53/54mm spitfires

Looking for a better pinch than my indys have, and something a touch more stable for my 14" wb. Also looking for a more proportionate 8.25" truck that isnt too high or low

Last time i tried something new was when af1s came out... but i have a feeling this will be more of a return home than a new thing (thunder 149s were my jam 2005-2010)

[Chalupa]

Might be buried in here somewhere but, T2 Lights?

The IG account was replying to comments about hollow lights coming out in spring ‘26 but that never happened. They stopped making replies to comments asking for them. However, they pinned a comment on one of the posts stating larger sizes, which people on here already confirmed, and inverted T-IIs are on the way.