Spitfire formula four

[Mbrimson88]

First big chunk was just from “general skating” (I noticed it skating a parking block in a parking lot).  The insane chunking was from tailsliding a metal edge ledge at a skatepark. Seemed like the loss of integrity from the first chunk was enough to have large pieces tear off in flaps pretty easily. 

Not blaming Spitfire for the extent of the chunking (the almost comical amount was certainly from that ledge) but these do seem somewhat softer and less durable than all of the other F4 wheels I’ve had in the past.  I typically never pay attention to the surfaces I’m skating to avoid this problem with wheels and never have had issues like this with Spitfires before.

Thought it was more amusing than anything else - still only riding F4s in the future and hoping these eventually smooth out (or the next set is a little more durable)…

That all makes complete sense.

It does seem like some things have been going a bit funny of late, but I know with every set of the older wheels, things feel a bit more controlled than with brand new sets, straight out of the pack.

Not sure if that is more just me feeling like it doesn't matter if an old well used wheel has issues, more so than a brand new one, but I also feel like wheels just perform a bit better once they have aged a bit as well.

Often I would get the older more weathered looking wheels from skate shops on my travels and they would skate so well for me, but there doesn't seem to be that wait time from production to shop sale now either, so maybe they are a bit "undercooked" if that could even be the word to describe them lately.

[Murge]

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I  have some old 54mm classic f4s That are about 52 now. Has anyone used a countersink tool to concave the side so it’s like a V5 or a conical? As long as I don’t go in far enough it doesn’t mess up wear the bearing seats it should be fine right?
Also if it works I’m kinda debating on taking tablets.l and making a narrow lock in. Leave the inside of the tablet alone and on the out side counter sink it so it’s concave and then round the edges a bit. I have all the tools at work. I just gotta make some sort of jig to hold the wheels but also I can just use a drill press for the counter sink and be fine to I think.  How dumb is this? @Mbrimson88  thoughts?

[close]

That could be fun!


For size and shape, Lock Ins are one side Tablet and the other side Conical Full, so Tablets are really just narrow double sided Lock Ins right from new.

OG Classics are more of the cutaway shape than anything else, with Conical and Conical Full wheels being the slightly more rounded top edge which makes them a bit more versatile for everything.

Shaping Classics down you can definitely take out a bit more wheel from closer to the bearing seat as they are the widest just there, but I find it easier to just round off the outside edges or flatten the side wall more than cut out the inside area.


Using an angle grinder with a more worn down smaller disc, I could get into the inside area of the wheel fairly well too when I wanted to get rid of the graphic on any wheel from Classics, Conical Full or even Lock Ins, so you could easily take out some of that part of the wheel as well, but more than anything it is about getting the wheel to spin as fast as possible to ensure the material you are taking off is as even as possible across the whole face, side or where ever you are working.

People have used a few different options, including in the clip below, which might be the safest way to change the shape of a wheel, if you had the machine to do it.

Man we have a manual lathe at the shop but I don’t know how to run it. I may try the angle grinder route. I’m also thinking about using a corner round endmill in a drill press then mounting the wheel with a bearing to spin. But i need figure how sketch that is. We’re kinda slow at work so I’m wanting to mess around with some stuff. I run a cnc mill but I don’t know how to program or I’d do it that way.  I don’t want to ask our programmer to write one for me.




This is what I’m thinking to put in the drill press to round the corner and then if the wheel is mounted with the bearings just spin it. And hopefully it works kinda like the lathe video you posted. There old wheels so no big if I ruin them. Nothing ventured nothing gained.

Oh and if I add the concave. Remove the bearing then use a countersink like this.

But we have these wide stubby ones that would work better but I can’t find a photo.

[braksabbath]

For sale/trade- 55mm radial Oski’s, ridden once at the indoor park. 97a CF already work perfect for me there and yet I can’t stop myself from ruining a good thing. Ate shit all day and my hand is purple. Get these away from me.

[Mbrimson88]

Man we have a manual lathe at the shop but I don’t know how to run it. I may try the angle grinder route. I’m also thinking about using a corner round endmill in a drill press then mounting the wheel with a bearing to spin. But i need figure how sketch that is. We’re kinda slow at work so I’m wanting to mess around with some stuff. I run a cnc mill but I don’t know how to program or I’d do it that way.  I don’t want to ask our programmer to write one for me.

This is what I’m thinking to put in the drill press to round the corner and then if the wheel is mounted with the bearings just spin it. And hopefully it works kinda like the lathe video you posted. There old wheels so no big if I ruin them. Nothing ventured nothing gained.

Oh and if I add the concave. Remove the bearing then use a countersink like this.

But we have these wide stubby ones that would work better but I can’t find a photo.

That all sounds a bit scary, but that is exactly what people have said to me with the angle grinder and I am used to it.

As you said, old wheels and spare time - give it a go and see how it works out.

Interested to hear and see results, which ever way it ends up.

[braksabbath]

Tempted to get the 97d Classic shape. Wish they did 97 in every shape, OG classic or tablet would be perfect. Conical full works good but I want less clunk, might just hit them with the angle grinder for a narrow contact patch

[Mbrimson88]

Tempted to get the 97d Classic shape. Wish they did 97 in every shape, OG classic or tablet would be perfect. Conical full works good but I want less clunk, might just hit them with the angle grinder for a narrow contact patch

It is definitely easier to take down Conical Full wheels for a more rounded look than getting new Classics.

I do this quite a lot to well used wheels that come back from others and they turn out really well - wide overall width, still medium to wide surface and slightly more rounded edges.

This might be the most I have rounded some off - started as 54mm when new.

[beandemon]

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Tempted to get the 97d Classic shape. Wish they did 97 in every shape, OG classic or tablet would be perfect. Conical full works good but I want less clunk, might just hit them with the angle grinder for a narrow contact patch

[close]

It is definitely easier to take down Conical Full wheels for a more rounded look than getting new Classics.

I do this quite a lot to well used wheels that come back from others and they turn out really well - wide overall width, still medium to wide surface and slightly more rounded edges.

This might be the most I have rounded some off - started as 54mm when new.

Does rounding over the edges help with ride quality?  I’ve got some 56mm ConFu’s I rode down to square and they feel pretty bad. I keep meaning to do a direct comparison to some similar size worn 54’s that still have some round over, but just wind up skating my current daily driver. I mean, I’m curious, but we’ve still (fucking STILL) got snow, so I don’t wanna burn a precious session dicking with stuff I prolly won’t ride anyway.

[manysnakes]

Tempted to get the 97d Classic shape. Wish they did 97 in every shape, OG classic or tablet would be perfect. Conical full works good but I want less clunk, might just hit them with the angle grinder for a narrow contact patch

I ended up with a third pair of these, size 54, which I just don't need. If you wanna give them a shot, DM me and we can work out a deal.

[Mbrimson88]

Does rounding over the edges help with ride quality?  I’ve got some 56mm ConFu’s I rode down to square and they feel pretty bad. I keep meaning to do a direct comparison to some similar size worn 54’s that still have some round over, but just wind up skating my current daily driver. I mean, I’m curious, but we’ve still (fucking STILL) got snow, so I don’t wanna burn a precious session dicking with stuff I prolly won’t ride anyway.

I feel like it does a lot, but that could be more just me thinking I don't want to chunk out or catch on a sharp wheel edge, which I have seen happen before to others.

The best thing to do is put them on a board ready to skate, or even just set up something on an old truck mounted on a bit of a board, bearings in wheel and on the outer edge, hold the grinder at about a 45 degree angle and take it down a touch (not a lot, just feel it out), turn the wheel over and do the same to the other side.  Repeat times four and then at least they are ready to skate.  If you want to get a bit more into it, you can round the edge off a bit more, but even just to get a feel for them, by doing that one bit on the angle will make them so much more like how they were when new for the shape.

When I did the last few for someone else, I just mounted them one at a time, side on and worked each in turn, checked sizes, did a little more if needed and then packaged them up and sent them off.  If you have the time, but don't want to skate them right away, this is maybe the best way to do it, rather than putting the wheels on your main board, working them, then having issues with them on the odd chance you do get to skate right now.

[mushypeas]

I got my board stolen and got a new setup with the black spitfire f4 classic fulls instead of the white/urethane color radials i always skated. They dont make the normal screeching sound that wheels should make and the slide feels unpleasant. Whats up with that? is it because theyre colored or the shape or because theyre new? im upset

[Wizard0f0dds]

I got my board stolen and got a new setup with the black spitfire f4 classic fulls instead of the white/urethane color radials i always skated. They dont make the normal screeching sound that wheels should make and the slide feels unpleasant. Whats up with that? is it because theyre colored or the shape or because theyre new? im upset

I've had the same experience with black wheels in the past. Bought the black AA Spitfires and hated them. Was on basically the same wheels but white (conical fulls 54 while the AA were 53s) before that and they felt different. At first I thought they might not be "formula 4" but they were. I honestly couldn't tell you why, maybe someone here had a different experience, or better yet an explanation on why they feel so different.

[144p]

Honestly a lot of the time with new bearings it can make the wheels sound/feel softer than they are. Loosen your wheels up and maybe pop the caps on your bearings. I've had the same issues with new f4's and bearings too, the colored wheels shouldn't matter for hardness. My last swirl f4's barked like crazy and felt as hard as any "white" ones I've had.

[BartHarleyJarvis]

I got my board stolen and got a new setup with the black spitfire f4 classic fulls instead of the white/urethane color radials i always skated. They dont make the normal screeching sound that wheels should make and the slide feels unpleasant. Whats up with that? is it because theyre colored or the shape or because theyre new? im upset

It's the color. The dye that they use messes with the urethane so it doesn't behave the same as the standard potato colored F4s. That's why a lot of people won't ride any of the colored F4s.

[realbasedgod112]

any aus PALS might want to check out the hemley site:
97a conical full formula 4s got put up recently, for a reasonable price of $79.95
they have 54mm and 58mm at my time of reading
https://hemleyskateboarding.com.au/collections/skateboards/products/spitfire-conical-full-shape-formula-four-97-duro?variant=42018168995991

[ferraveemo]

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I got my board stolen and got a new setup with the black spitfire f4 classic fulls instead of the white/urethane color radials i always skated. They dont make the normal screeching sound that wheels should make and the slide feels unpleasant. Whats up with that? is it because theyre colored or the shape or because theyre new? im upset

[close]

It's the color. The dye that they use messes with the urethane so it doesn't behave the same as the standard potato colored F4s. That's why a lot of people won't ride any of the colored F4s.

I have both all black f4’s(Ishod’s) and classic formula black/purple swirls all in the classic shape. They still bark. You just gotta give the axle space some wiggle room. They do sound dead when it’s tighten all the way. The feel is almost like a 96-97A duro that has a signature spitfire slide with less bark.

[Slugboi22]

i had the skate like a girl 53 radials and they slide/ “barked” just like normal. I also had the orange tablets and they were completely fine. Never had the black so i can’t speak on that.

my question is the real difference between OG classics and conical fulls in regards to their shape. how different are they? i can’t really tell from photos

[braksabbath]

OG classic is narrower, quicker turn and easier slide. Maybe more squared edge. Locks in real good. Doesn’t have the clunk of the CF but also doesn’t soak up rough stuff as well. Only had two park sessions on them but they’re my fav by a long shot now.

[Kombuch-A-Holic]

i had the skate like a girl 53 radials and they slide/ “barked” just like normal. I also had the orange tablets and they were completely fine. Never had the black so i can’t speak on that.

my question is the real difference between OG classics and conical fulls in regards to their shape. how different are they? i can’t really tell from photos

OG classic is narrower, quicker turn and easier slide. Maybe more squared edge. Locks in real good. Doesn’t have the clunk of the CF but also doesn’t soak up rough stuff as well. Only had two park sessions on them but they’re my fav by a long shot now.

I think the best way to sum it up is the OG Classic and the Conical Fulls are very similar. As Mike Goldburg would say "virtually identical!" With the CF's overall being a 1-2mil wider over all.

The OG Classic is just a wider Tablet with side cuts. *With the conical edges.

(Would anyone else agree?)

I'll be sticking with the OG classics from now on, now that they are in F4.

[Mbrimson88]

Yes to those replies.

OG Classic are a slimmer wheel with a sharper edge and more cutaway inside, when compared to Conical Full wheel shapes.


The set I skated for a day or so, some park but mainly mini ramp session feel like a mix between Classic and Conical Full, in that they don't slip off coping as easily as Classics but they don't grip the coping quite as much as Conical Full wheels do.

Others who have skated them more on ledges and even sitting them on the edge of a bench show they have a little less touching than the Conical Full, which makes what I felt seem true when I skated them.

[Slugboi22]

thanks all for the replies! seems like OG Classics are next on my list for wheels

[BALARGUE]

Yes to those replies.

OG Classic are a slimmer wheel with a sharper edge and more cutaway inside, when compared to Conical Full wheel shapes.


The set I skated for a day or so, some park but mainly mini ramp session feel like a mix between Classic and Conical Full, in that they don't slip off coping as easily as Classics but they don't grip the coping quite as much as Conical Full wheels do.

Others who have skated them more on ledges and even sitting them on the edge of a bench show they have a little less touching than the Conical Full, which makes what I felt seem true when I skated them.

I'm tempted to go for 55 OG Classic (after going through LockIns, Tablets and currently on Classics)
Classic felt great but i want to go back to a wider wheel cuz they feel better in the streets

In the meantime, i had a session on some huuuuuge wheels with dimensions similar to kader's radial full (but 55 mm) and it was pretty bad in the crooked department and made my hanger feel really small.

TLDR: are crooked grinds feeling good on those OG classic ?

[Wizard0f0dds]

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Yes to those replies.

OG Classic are a slimmer wheel with a sharper edge and more cutaway inside, when compared to Conical Full wheel shapes.


The set I skated for a day or so, some park but mainly mini ramp session feel like a mix between Classic and Conical Full, in that they don't slip off coping as easily as Classics but they don't grip the coping quite as much as Conical Full wheels do.

Others who have skated them more on ledges and even sitting them on the edge of a bench show they have a little less touching than the Conical Full, which makes what I felt seem true when I skated them.

[close]

I'm tempted to go for 55 OG Classic (after going through LockIns, Tablets and currently on Classics)
Classic felt great but i want to go back to a wider wheel cuz they feel better in the streets

In the meantime, i had a session on some huuuuuge wheels with dimensions similar to kader's radial full (but 55 mm) and it was pretty bad in the crooked department and made my hanger feel really small.

TLDR: are crooked grinds feeling good on those OG classic ?

Recently got 54mm OG Classics (99a) and I really like them. Was on some old 54mm classics prior to that, probably worn down to 52-51. The OG classics are a little smoother on rough ground without being too wide (conical fulls feel a little too wide and wonky to me) and fwiw my crooked grinds aren't any worse on them. It's probably the best of both worlds if you like classic-ish width but are looking for a smoother ride.

[intendedreceivers]

I like to think of OG Classics as “Conical Slims.” They’re about as narrow as Radial Slims but with the conical cutaway instead of the radial belly on the side. You get a little wider riding surface and more mass on the outside of the wheel, which (in theory) helps the wheel hold speed compared to a classic where the mass is gathered around the center.

[BALARGUE]

Fair enough

thanks guys for the feedback, i should not be disappointed

[Wheelbitefred]

 I bought a set of f4 54mm 99d lock-ins in like 2019 (adult life has me skating much less) and thought they where great no issues at all and just picked up a set of the OG classic 55 mm 99d’s and they feel way better- not sure if it’s just new wheels or something has changed in the last 3 years? I’ve skated Pretty much only F4’s since they came out (with the exception of some OJ ellites I wasn’t happy with) and never noticed that much of a difference

[Xen]

I bought a set of f4 54mm 99d lock-ins in like 2019 (adult life has me skating much less) and thought they where great no issues at all and just picked up a set of the OG classic 55 mm 99d’s and they feel way better- not sure if it’s just new wheels or something has changed in the last 3 years? I’ve skated Pretty much only F4’s since they came out (with the exception of some OJ ellites I wasn’t happy with) and never noticed that much of a difference

Speaking of lockins, which are rare (like those radial slims these days), Hazard (Madness) has one just like it. No clue about the quality of urethane or what they feel like....

[zozu]

I tried some Hazard wheels last year. They felt harder and more slippery than 101 Spitfires but the quality was good.
Rolled pretty fast and didnt flatspot, though still felt like a second rate wheel despite costing me almost as much as a set of spits.

I would buy them again in a pinch, a positive is they consistently seem to be making black wheels which are usually uncommon.

[Xen]

I tried some Hazard wheels last year. They felt harder and more slippery than 101 Spitfires but the quality was good.
Rolled pretty fast and didnt flatspot, though still felt like a second rate wheel despite costing me almost as much as a set of spits.

I would buy them again in a pinch, a positive is they consistently seem to be making black wheels which are usually uncommon.

Did they feel like Creative urethane? I can't stand creative pours.

[beandemon]

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I bought a set of f4 54mm 99d lock-ins in like 2019 (adult life has me skating much less) and thought they where great no issues at all and just picked up a set of the OG classic 55 mm 99d’s and they feel way better- not sure if it’s just new wheels or something has changed in the last 3 years? I’ve skated Pretty much only F4’s since they came out (with the exception of some OJ ellites I wasn’t happy with) and never noticed that much of a difference

[close]

Speaking of lockins, which are rare (like those radial slims these days), Hazard (Madness) has one just like it. No clue about the quality of urethane or what they feel like....

Somebody really needs to do lockouts, so when you ride them graphic in, they function as intended. I guess mini combos/slime balls are sort of like that, but the “lock” side had more radius/bevel.

[braksabbath]

Got a free set of 58mm OGs. Rode great with no break in time on the wood indoor ramp. Which is weird cuz the 55 OG’s are too slick and unridable there. But before that the 101a 52mm CF’s were working for me. Maybe it’s all about the contact patch width or every individual pour is slightly different and nothing mattress