Author Topic: Spitfire formula four  (Read 1059997 times)

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skatebruh

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Re: Spitfire formula four
« Reply #8220 on: April 03, 2026, 07:17:19 AM »
Wider contact patch wheels last longer because there is more urethane to wear down.

It's more wheel per wheel.

swongolianbbq

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Re: Spitfire formula four
« Reply #8221 on: April 03, 2026, 09:51:16 AM »
I have pretty much just been skating radial full the past 2 years and they seem to last a lot longer than classics
I didnt really understand why because I was thinking just like, well the entire tread is touching the ground still, so its gonna wear down the same. But I think because not so mcuh of the load is concentrated in a small place,  then its not as hard on the wheels.

Wider contact patch wheels last longer because there is more urethane to wear down.

It's more wheel per wheel.

This has been my experience as well, and Ben Degros talks about it too - specifically how classics wear down faster at first, and then there's a sweet spot where they wear slower because of the wider tread

The Huffer

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Re: Spitfire formula four
« Reply #8222 on: April 03, 2026, 09:03:59 PM »
Expand Quote
I have pretty much just been skating radial full the past 2 years and they seem to last a lot longer than classics
I didnt really understand why because I was thinking just like, well the entire tread is touching the ground still, so its gonna wear down the same. But I think because not so mcuh of the load is concentrated in a small place,  then its not as hard on the wheels.
[close]

Expand Quote
Wider contact patch wheels last longer because there is more urethane to wear down.

It's more wheel per wheel.
[close]

This has been my experience as well, and Ben Degros talks about it too - specifically how classics wear down faster at first, and then there's a sweet spot where they wear slower because of the wider tread

SLAP gear nerds have long celebrated the magical way classics wear down due to the contact patch to width ratio and the radius  of rounded edge. Long before Uncle Ben.

swongolianbbq

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Re: Spitfire formula four
« Reply #8223 on: April 03, 2026, 10:15:43 PM »
Oh totally

Been skating classics for like 25 years

rawbertson.

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Re: Spitfire formula four
« Reply #8224 on: April 11, 2026, 05:11:21 PM »
id rather just cut to the chase and get the radials tbh

rawbertson.

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Re: Spitfire formula four
« Reply #8225 on: April 11, 2026, 05:47:23 PM »

TRIPPY.MEDDOWS.1999

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Re: Spitfire formula four
« Reply #8226 on: May 02, 2026, 04:46:27 PM »
hey all, I rode with my friend he did a frontside power slide that was so loud it put my 99a classics to shame, his board had 58mm 97a radial fulls. I tryed putting on my conical full 101s it produced no such sound. I was wondering if I buy that wheel but in 54mm it will sound the same when I powerslide.
Thanks, PW

TRIPPY.MEDDOWS.1999

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Re: Spitfire formula four
« Reply #8227 on: May 02, 2026, 05:15:52 PM »
hey all, I rode with my friend he did a frontside power slide that was so loud it put my 99a classics to shame, his board had 58mm 97a radial fulls. I tryed putting on my conical full 101s it produced no such sound. I was wondering if I buy that wheel but in 54mm it will sound the same when I powerslide.
Thanks, PW

The Huffer

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Re: Spitfire formula four
« Reply #8228 on: May 02, 2026, 08:41:11 PM »
Everyone knows only your friend can make that magic powerslide sound. He's the best.

144p

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Re: Spitfire formula four
« Reply #8229 on: May 03, 2026, 07:31:50 AM »
Make your own music.

Chalupa

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Re: Spitfire formula four
« Reply #8230 on: May 03, 2026, 11:06:49 AM »
These Conicals are kind of sick, but $63 [$48 + $15/shipping] for one set of wheels is too much:

I think I paid around that price for the Nelly RFs in blue/black but supporting Limosine was worth it.

Llewellyn Moss

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Re: Spitfire formula four
« Reply #8231 on: May 03, 2026, 04:54:24 PM »
These Conicals are kind of sick, but $63 [$48 + $15/shipping] for one set of wheels is too much:

I think I paid around that price for the Nelly RFs in blue/black but supporting Limosine was worth it.
That's what I say whenever I add another Gildan printed Limo tee, just trying to do my part  ;D

Those wheels are pretty fuckin cool.

Mbrimson88

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Re: Spitfire formula four
« Reply #8232 on: May 04, 2026, 05:12:54 AM »
.

https://violetstate.com/products/violet-spitfire-wheels-black-yellow


I think it would work out a lot better value if someone bought a few sets of them in the one order, but maybe you have to have pretty deep pockets, or be pretty keen to get your moneys worth for the shipping to work out, spread over a number of sets.


* Anyone else notice that coloured or even just newer wheels in general don't slide as well or chirp as much as older more cured wheels do?

Someone the other day was testing a set I had on a board and they said they felt way softer in this swirl colour than their set, which did feel that way when I had a roll on both too.  The rolling was fine, but the slide was definitely quite different.


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Richard Skidder

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Re: Spitfire formula four
« Reply #8233 on: May 04, 2026, 06:43:09 AM »
.

https://violetstate.com/products/violet-spitfire-wheels-black-yellow


I think it would work out a lot better value if someone bought a few sets of them in the one order, but maybe you have to have pretty deep pockets, or be pretty keen to get your moneys worth for the shipping to work out, spread over a number of sets.


* Anyone else notice that coloured or even just newer wheels in general don't slide as well or chirp as much as older more cured wheels do?

Someone the other day was testing a set I had on a board and they said they felt way softer in this swirl colour than their set, which did feel that way when I had a roll on both too.  The rolling was fine, but the slide was definitely quite different.

Any wheel with dye is going to wear faster and feel softer due to the urethane displacement of the dye itself. This is why when F4s started to look more white they didn’t last as long as before.
Red and black wheels have the most dye and therefore wear down the fastest. They also feel softer than say a yellow or light blue. The darker/more vibrant the color the softer they feel and quicker the wear. Same reason the black Bones bushings feel softer than the white.

The Huffer

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Re: Spitfire formula four
« Reply #8234 on: May 04, 2026, 07:10:09 AM »
Expand Quote
.

https://violetstate.com/products/violet-spitfire-wheels-black-yellow


I think it would work out a lot better value if someone bought a few sets of them in the one order, but maybe you have to have pretty deep pockets, or be pretty keen to get your moneys worth for the shipping to work out, spread over a number of sets.


* Anyone else notice that coloured or even just newer wheels in general don't slide as well or chirp as much as older more cured wheels do?

Someone the other day was testing a set I had on a board and they said they felt way softer in this swirl colour than their set, which did feel that way when I had a roll on both too.  The rolling was fine, but the slide was definitely quite different.
[close]

Any wheel with dye is going to wear faster and feel softer due to the urethane displacement of the dye itself. This is why when F4s started to look more white they didn’t last as long as before.
Red and black wheels have the most dye and therefore wear down the fastest. They also feel softer than say a yellow or light blue. The darker/more vibrant the color the softer they feel and quicker the wear. Same reason the black Bones bushings feel softer than the white.

Yep. And why I loved the slightly off-white potato- brown/ yellow F4s...

Llewellyn Moss

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Re: Spitfire formula four
« Reply #8235 on: May 04, 2026, 09:44:26 AM »
That's good to know re dye in wheels. First and only set I have is the green and black Spitfires they did for a skate shop collab and they absolutely perform different on slides. Feel stickier and softer and the slide is definitely not as smooth as pure white in the same duro and shape. The sound they make isn't as screechy. Look hella good though.

codswallop

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Re: Spitfire formula four
« Reply #8236 on: May 04, 2026, 10:05:56 AM »
Expand Quote
Expand Quote
.

https://violetstate.com/products/violet-spitfire-wheels-black-yellow


I think it would work out a lot better value if someone bought a few sets of them in the one order, but maybe you have to have pretty deep pockets, or be pretty keen to get your moneys worth for the shipping to work out, spread over a number of sets.


* Anyone else notice that coloured or even just newer wheels in general don't slide as well or chirp as much as older more cured wheels do?

Someone the other day was testing a set I had on a board and they said they felt way softer in this swirl colour than their set, which did feel that way when I had a roll on both too.  The rolling was fine, but the slide was definitely quite different.
[close]

Any wheel with dye is going to wear faster and feel softer due to the urethane displacement of the dye itself. This is why when F4s started to look more white they didn’t last as long as before.
Red and black wheels have the most dye and therefore wear down the fastest. They also feel softer than say a yellow or light blue. The darker/more vibrant the color the softer they feel and quicker the wear. Same reason the black Bones bushings feel softer than the white.
[close]

Yep. And why I loved the slightly off-white potato- brown/ yellow F4s...

Is there an explanation for why F4s are "natural" and not "white" like the non-F4s? Always been a little curious about that. This has probably been answered before smh my b
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rawbertson.

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Re: Spitfire formula four
« Reply #8237 on: May 04, 2026, 01:42:52 PM »
I think some F4 are actually dyed White like the ones with the dice on them that I have, where some are the "natural" colour. could be wrong. The white seem to eventually turn yellowy/brown though over time.

Richard Skidder

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Re: Spitfire formula four
« Reply #8238 on: May 05, 2026, 09:24:43 PM »
Yep the white is dye. The brighter the white, the more dye in the mix.

Mbrimson88

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Re: Spitfire formula four
« Reply #8239 on: May 06, 2026, 09:35:41 PM »

Is there an explanation for why F4s are "natural" and not "white" like the non-F4s? Always been a little curious about that. This has probably been answered before smh my b


I think people had said somewhere back through this thread, for them to get the wheels to perform as well as they wanted them to, they left out the dye agents so they could focus on the quality of the product, which was the case with Formula Four from the beginning.




Yep the white is dye. The brighter the white, the more dye in the mix.


I had meant to come back to say Thank you for your reply previously, but was distracted.

The most interesting thing I had found a while back was looking up natural urethane and seeing those pics of gummy "onion" coloured slabs or pieces of the product in the original form / colour, which some people didn't understand or believe could be the same thing as their skateboard wheels, even though it can vary greatly according to the chemical composition of the individual products.



Gone since 1988.  I talk too much about skateboards.  Sorry.

Reese Bruno

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Re: Spitfire formula four
« Reply #8240 on: May 07, 2026, 07:00:03 AM »
Spitfire funyun 4s

Richard Skidder

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Re: Spitfire formula four
« Reply #8241 on: May 07, 2026, 08:05:26 AM »
Expand Quote

Is there an explanation for why F4s are "natural" and not "white" like the non-F4s? Always been a little curious about that. This has probably been answered before smh my b
[close]


I think people had said somewhere back through this thread, for them to get the wheels to perform as well as they wanted them to, they left out the dye agents so they could focus on the quality of the product, which was the case with Formula Four from the beginning.




Expand Quote
Yep the white is dye. The brighter the white, the more dye in the mix.
[close]


I had meant to come back to say Thank you for your reply previously, but was distracted.

The most interesting thing I had found a while back was looking up natural urethane and seeing those pics of gummy "onion" coloured slabs or pieces of the product in the original form / colour, which some people didn't understand or believe could be the same thing as their skateboard wheels, even though it can vary greatly according to the chemical composition of the individual products.



Sick to see the images of the undyed slabs. Imagining a completely undyed wheel now looking like slightly dehydrated piss :D

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Re: Spitfire formula four
« Reply #8242 on: May 07, 2026, 10:11:26 AM »
I would love wheels that color. I never understood the obsession with bright white wheels.

swongolianbbq

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Re: Spitfire formula four
« Reply #8243 on: May 07, 2026, 10:14:41 AM »
Bright white wheels look so plastic / department store

Potato 4eva

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Re: Spitfire formula four
« Reply #8244 on: May 08, 2026, 03:44:53 PM »
Any wheel with dye is going to wear faster and feel softer due to the urethane displacement of the dye itself. This is why when F4s started to look more white they didn’t last as long as before.
Red and black wheels have the most dye and therefore wear down the fastest. They also feel softer than say a yellow or light blue. The darker/more vibrant the color the softer they feel and quicker the wear. Same reason the black Bones bushings feel softer than the white.
[/quote]
Thank you for this. Explains why my old red t-funk 97 savie wheels were oh so buttery compared with other (old formula) 97s I have skated. Guess they felt more like a 95 with a great smooth slide.

actuality

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Re: Spitfire formula four
« Reply #8245 on: May 08, 2026, 04:33:38 PM »
Anyone ever seen or purchased these 101's?....



...Have only ever seen and or bought 99's.

swongolianbbq

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Re: Spitfire formula four
« Reply #8246 on: May 09, 2026, 01:59:37 AM »
Anyone ever seen or purchased these 101's?....



...Have only ever seen and or bought 99's.

Never seen them either

I think it's just like, a typo

Not 100% sure, but I don't think they ever made OGs in 101

If they did it doesn't seem to be recently

vino

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Re: Spitfire formula four
« Reply #8247 on: May 10, 2026, 05:46:04 AM »
Has anyone here had problems with the bearings coming out of their Spitfire OG Classics wheels? I bought the set about 8 months ago and I've never had this kind of problem with other wheels. I've been using Spitfire for over 8 years and I'm thinking of going back to Bones or some other brand.

Bristol_Palin

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Re: Spitfire formula four
« Reply #8248 on: May 10, 2026, 06:06:33 AM »
Has anyone here had problems with the bearings coming out of their Spitfire OG Classics wheels? I bought the set about 8 months ago and I've never had this kind of problem with other wheels. I've been using Spitfire for over 8 years and I'm thinking of going back to Bones or some other brand.

Nopey wopey - I used to skate just og classics for a few years and had multiple sets and never had that problem. I’ve been skating 93 duro radials the last couple years, but I have og classics on my rain board which I skate in the snow and stuff and those bearings seem fine in the wheel.

skatebruh

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Re: Spitfire formula four
« Reply #8249 on: May 10, 2026, 06:54:57 AM »
I have had the bearings moving around problem with both 53mm Bones X99 V1s and 54mm Spitfire 101 Conicals in the past year.

Removing the bearings and putting them back in has helped.