Wheels Thread

[pops]

https://powell-peralta.com/powell-peralta-dragon-formula-skateboard-wheels-56mm-x-40mm-88-4pk

Apparenrly, they're coming out with 88a Dragons. If these work more like a cruiser wheel (and powerslide somehow) then I'm all set. I like the 93a for my normal street wheel.

[rikki]

https://powell-peralta.com/powell-peralta-dragon-formula-skateboard-wheels-56mm-x-40mm-88-4pk

Apparenrly, they're coming out with 88a Dragons. If these work more like a cruiser wheel (and powerslide somehow) then I'm all set. I like the 93a for my normal street wheel.

Interesting. Hope they come out with a 58 or 60mm option for those.

[pops]

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https://powell-peralta.com/powell-peralta-dragon-formula-skateboard-wheels-56mm-x-40mm-88-4pk

Apparenrly, they're coming out with 88a Dragons. If these work more like a cruiser wheel (and powerslide somehow) then I'm all set. I like the 93a for my normal street wheel.

[close]

Interesting. Hope they come out with a 58 or 60mm option for those.

They list 54, 56, 60 and 64mm for the 88a. Intersting to see how these feel.

[Mulldrifter]

i bet they feel just like powell bombers they are 85a and around for ever, they do slide a lot for a cruiser wheels.

[JimmyFive]

i bet they feel just like powell bombers they are 85a and around for ever, they do slide a lot for a cruiser wheels.

I remember having some Bombers... Apparently the 60mm X99 "Omega" wheel Bones recently released is the old Bomber shape.. Can you confirm?

These new formulas are a lick faster and will break free much easier than the old formula PP/Bones poured the Bombers in I reckon. I've had some hairy moments sliding out unintentionally on Dragons, esp on rougher surfaces. Not so much a problem with the X97 and 99 weirdly.

[roba]

i won these wheels at a contest that are called "Slime Balls Vomit Mini II". it's a funny shape, super wide, slightly asymmetrical with the cut-in like sf conicals on one side and rounded off on the other, 56mm 97a. now i'm a spitfire guy for sure but since these were free and i've been skating street a lot more than park recently (and pretty much all of the spots out here are more or less crusty) i've decided to set them up. i'm waiting on the new f4 97s to hit this side of earth but hoped that these would work for the time being. i skated them at a concrete park for a bit just to see if they work in that setting and they were surprisingly good. i had some trouble lipsliding ledges but managed to land a few short ones, other than that no real issues. super fun to skate street too. the old 97 spits i had slid better but they were also classics and these are much wider so that might be a part of it. i'm now seeing that they're much cheaper than f4s too, so if anyone's looking for a half-soft wheel on a budget then these might be the answer. i will report back in a month or two to talk about the durability. haven't seen much about these wheels on the internet so thought i'd share my 2 cents.

[drinny]

https://powell-peralta.com/powell-peralta-dragon-formula-skateboard-wheels-56mm-x-40mm-88-4pk

Apparenrly, they're coming out with 88a Dragons. If these work more like a cruiser wheel (and powerslide somehow) then I'm all set. I like the 93a for my normal street wheel.

Keyframe killer !

[roba]

yapping about slime balls 97a wheels

skated them yesterday at a fresh park and the softness of the wheels fucked with crooked grinds a lot, i only landed one ledge crook and it's pretty much the easiest grind for me on other wheels. at a different park i could make them work but for some reason i couldn't push through them even though i waxed the ledge thoroughly. rails did not catch as much. also it was a lot harder to be in control of wheelbite. i ride loose trucks and i have wheelbite figured out to the point where i can use it to my advantage, but the soft wheels made it pretty sketchy. they also felt A LOT slower than f4s on this newly poured concrete. i went back to my trusted old f4 99s, looks like i'm just going to have to wait for the delfino 97s. those slime balls are going on my other board, a new deal reissue, i had some arbor 92a wheels on there and those slimeballs feel pretty similar but a little faster and more slideable. they're still super fun on street but i can't let my gear fuck with any of my limited ledge tricks. they're not bad wheels at all, but that session made me realize that keeping them on my regular set up will just be limiting to me, add the width to the equation and it's just too different.

[JimmyFive]

i won these wheels at a contest that are called "Slime Balls Vomit Mini II". it's a funny shape, super wide, slightly asymmetrical with the cut-in like sf conicals on one side and rounded off on the other, 56mm 97a. now i'm a spitfire guy for sure but since these were free and i've been skating street a lot more than park recently (and pretty much all of the spots out here are more or less crusty) i've decided to set them up. i'm waiting on the new f4 97s to hit this side of earth but hoped that these would work for the time being. i skated them at a concrete park for a bit just to see if they work in that setting and they were surprisingly good. i had some trouble lipsliding ledges but managed to land a few short ones, other than that no real issues. super fun to skate street too. the old 97 spits i had slid better but they were also classics and these are much wider so that might be a part of it. i'm now seeing that they're much cheaper than f4s too, so if anyone's looking for a half-soft wheel on a budget then these might be the answer. i will report back in a month or two to talk about the durability. haven't seen much about these wheels on the internet so thought i'd share my 2 cents.

Slime Balls are basically OJ's. Both NHS. That asymmetrical shape is the "mini-combo" shape that OJ use. IIRC the newer Slime Balls are also Elite formula.

[m477]

Recommendations on wheels for the glory hole full pipe at berryessa? Been on the bucket list for a while… thinking of something like 65mm 80a..

[Xen]

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i won these wheels at a contest that are called "Slime Balls Vomit Mini II". it's a funny shape, super wide, slightly asymmetrical with the cut-in like sf conicals on one side and rounded off on the other, 56mm 97a. now i'm a spitfire guy for sure but since these were free and i've been skating street a lot more than park recently (and pretty much all of the spots out here are more or less crusty) i've decided to set them up. i'm waiting on the new f4 97s to hit this side of earth but hoped that these would work for the time being. i skated them at a concrete park for a bit just to see if they work in that setting and they were surprisingly good. i had some trouble lipsliding ledges but managed to land a few short ones, other than that no real issues. super fun to skate street too. the old 97 spits i had slid better but they were also classics and these are much wider so that might be a part of it. i'm now seeing that they're much cheaper than f4s too, so if anyone's looking for a half-soft wheel on a budget then these might be the answer. i will report back in a month or two to talk about the durability. haven't seen much about these wheels on the internet so thought i'd share my 2 cents.

[close]

Slime Balls are basically OJ's. Both NHS. That asymmetrical shape is the "mini-combo" shape that OJ use. IIRC the newer Slime Balls are also Elite formula.

If that's true I would have bit a few times, the speedballs shape is really, really nice:

[back smith]

Anyone tried Ricta Chrome Clouds 92A, how do they compare with 93A Dragons for example?

[Mulldrifter]

they stick much much much more (which isnt a bad thing to me but to most peoples it is)
i can carve them and make them slide gently while not being thrown off my board with the powell it's an instant stop powerslide.

[back smith]

they stick much much much more (which isnt a bad thing to me but to most peoples it is)
i can carve them and make them slide gently while not being thrown off my board with the powell it's an instant stop powerslide.

Thanks! How about the speed? Comparable?

[Mulldrifter]

hard to say but i would say dragons go faster

[rikki]

I tried Ricta Cloud 86a's on my cruiser and they felt really shitty. Slow, not as soft as I'd imagined, plus they stick like a mofo. Dragons do the job a lot better if you want to powerslide. I reckon the new 88 Dragons could be the bee's knees for powerslidin' cruise endeavours.

[Xen]

Expand Quote

i won these wheels at a contest that are called "Slime Balls Vomit Mini II". it's a funny shape, super wide, slightly asymmetrical with the cut-in like sf conicals on one side and rounded off on the other, 56mm 97a. now i'm a spitfire guy for sure but since these were free and i've been skating street a lot more than park recently (and pretty much all of the spots out here are more or less crusty) i've decided to set them up. i'm waiting on the new f4 97s to hit this side of earth but hoped that these would work for the time being. i skated them at a concrete park for a bit just to see if they work in that setting and they were surprisingly good. i had some trouble lipsliding ledges but managed to land a few short ones, other than that no real issues. super fun to skate street too. the old 97 spits i had slid better but they were also classics and these are much wider so that might be a part of it. i'm now seeing that they're much cheaper than f4s too, so if anyone's looking for a half-soft wheel on a budget then these might be the answer. i will report back in a month or two to talk about the durability. haven't seen much about these wheels on the internet so thought i'd share my 2 cents.

[close]

Slime Balls are basically OJ's. Both NHS. That asymmetrical shape is the "mini-combo" shape that OJ use. IIRC the newer Slime Balls are also Elite formula.

Confirmed, slime balls (99a/101a) are OJ elite formula.

[back smith]

Thanks Mulldrifter and rikki! Think I'll stick with the Dragons then. Or maybe the 93A Spitfires.

[JimmyFive]

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i won these wheels at a contest that are called "Slime Balls Vomit Mini II". it's a funny shape, super wide, slightly asymmetrical with the cut-in like sf conicals on one side and rounded off on the other, 56mm 97a. now i'm a spitfire guy for sure but since these were free and i've been skating street a lot more than park recently (and pretty much all of the spots out here are more or less crusty) i've decided to set them up. i'm waiting on the new f4 97s to hit this side of earth but hoped that these would work for the time being. i skated them at a concrete park for a bit just to see if they work in that setting and they were surprisingly good. i had some trouble lipsliding ledges but managed to land a few short ones, other than that no real issues. super fun to skate street too. the old 97 spits i had slid better but they were also classics and these are much wider so that might be a part of it. i'm now seeing that they're much cheaper than f4s too, so if anyone's looking for a half-soft wheel on a budget then these might be the answer. i will report back in a month or two to talk about the durability. haven't seen much about these wheels on the internet so thought i'd share my 2 cents.

[close]

Slime Balls are basically OJ's. Both NHS. That asymmetrical shape is the "mini-combo" shape that OJ use. IIRC the newer Slime Balls are also Elite formula.

[close]

Confirmed, slime balls (99a/101a) are OJ elite formula.

Thanks for checking that out - thought I'd read it somewhere.
Thst Speedballs shape is nice!

[Xen]

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i won these wheels at a contest that are called "Slime Balls Vomit Mini II". it's a funny shape, super wide, slightly asymmetrical with the cut-in like sf conicals on one side and rounded off on the other, 56mm 97a. now i'm a spitfire guy for sure but since these were free and i've been skating street a lot more than park recently (and pretty much all of the spots out here are more or less crusty) i've decided to set them up. i'm waiting on the new f4 97s to hit this side of earth but hoped that these would work for the time being. i skated them at a concrete park for a bit just to see if they work in that setting and they were surprisingly good. i had some trouble lipsliding ledges but managed to land a few short ones, other than that no real issues. super fun to skate street too. the old 97 spits i had slid better but they were also classics and these are much wider so that might be a part of it. i'm now seeing that they're much cheaper than f4s too, so if anyone's looking for a half-soft wheel on a budget then these might be the answer. i will report back in a month or two to talk about the durability. haven't seen much about these wheels on the internet so thought i'd share my 2 cents.

[close]

Slime Balls are basically OJ's. Both NHS. That asymmetrical shape is the "mini-combo" shape that OJ use. IIRC the newer Slime Balls are also Elite formula.

[close]

Confirmed, slime balls (99a/101a) are OJ elite formula.

[close]

Thanks for checking that out - thought I'd read it somewhere.
Thst Speedballs shape is nice!

I'm going ot grab a set to check out, a local has been sitting on some 53/99a for a minute in that shape.

Seems most slimeballs are 99a these days.

[bombsaway86]

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i won these wheels at a contest that are called "Slime Balls Vomit Mini II". it's a funny shape, super wide, slightly asymmetrical with the cut-in like sf conicals on one side and rounded off on the other, 56mm 97a. now i'm a spitfire guy for sure but since these were free and i've been skating street a lot more than park recently (and pretty much all of the spots out here are more or less crusty) i've decided to set them up. i'm waiting on the new f4 97s to hit this side of earth but hoped that these would work for the time being. i skated them at a concrete park for a bit just to see if they work in that setting and they were surprisingly good. i had some trouble lipsliding ledges but managed to land a few short ones, other than that no real issues. super fun to skate street too. the old 97 spits i had slid better but they were also classics and these are much wider so that might be a part of it. i'm now seeing that they're much cheaper than f4s too, so if anyone's looking for a half-soft wheel on a budget then these might be the answer. i will report back in a month or two to talk about the durability. haven't seen much about these wheels on the internet so thought i'd share my 2 cents.

[close]

Slime Balls are basically OJ's. Both NHS. That asymmetrical shape is the "mini-combo" shape that OJ use. IIRC the newer Slime Balls are also Elite formula.

[close]

Confirmed, slime balls (99a/101a) are OJ elite formula.

Adding to this, the 95a slime balls and OJ team riders are the Nomad formula. Confirmed by NHS

[Creachteach]

I’m really pining for some black wheels, but I’d be foolish to buy anymore seeing as I already have plenty.

Seen mfs dyeing their wheels with RIT synthetic and their fixative.
Look like my best bet, but I can’t seem to find a source for them in Europe.

Anyone got intel?

[ARealWombat]

I’m really pining for some black wheels, but I’d be foolish to buy anymore seeing as I already have plenty.

Seen mfs dyeing their wheels with RIT synthetic and their fixative.
Look like my best bet, but I can’t seem to find a source for them in Europe.

Anyone got intel?

Darren Navarette used to dye his white Spitfire wheels: https://youtu.be/sBgl4oMMFnQ?t=103
---

About a month ago I made a switch from Spitfire 101a F4's to Pig 103a Prime wheels, and honestly I'm not noticing much of a difference at all. Granted the only two places I skate are my local park which is nice and smooth, and the nearby parking lot which is asphalt but not too rough. The rebound and hardness from both wheels feels very close, they both seem to slide about the same, but the Pig wheels do sound a little different than the Spits. For anyone that rides a lot of street or rough terrain, both these wheels are too hard, but for park rats like me the hard blend works well.

My only criticism on the Prime's is they come with tread on them, and I just generally prefer for wheels to come without - It's really easy to flatspot the tread, but since it's just the thin treaded outer ring you also ride out the flatspot almost immediately. I also don't think they ride or slide at peak performance until you're through the tread.
Pig also doesn't have their shape/size information printed and formatted neatly on their website like Spitfire does, it'd be nice if they added that. They do include a card with their wheels that shows the dimensions of different sizes.


Anyway, I've always liked the Pig/Yeto team and glad to finally try out their wheels, and happy to not be at all disappointed. Would buy again.

[back smith]

Expand Quote

I’m really pining for some black wheels, but I’d be foolish to buy anymore seeing as I already have plenty.

Seen mfs dyeing their wheels with RIT synthetic and their fixative.
Look like my best bet, but I can’t seem to find a source for them in Europe.

Anyone got intel?

[close]

Darren Navarette used to dye his white Spitfire wheels: https://youtu.be/sBgl4oMMFnQ?t=103
---

About a month ago I made a switch from Spitfire 101a F4's to Pig 103a Prime wheels, and honestly I'm not noticing much of a difference at all. Granted the only two places I skate are my local park which is nice and smooth, and the nearby parking lot which is asphalt but not too rough. The rebound and hardness from both wheels feels very close, they both seem to slide about the same, but the Pig wheels do sound a little different than the Spits. For anyone that rides a lot of street or rough terrain, both these wheels are too hard, but for park rats like me the hard blend works well.

My only criticism on the Prime's is they come with tread on them, and I just generally prefer for wheels to come without - It's really easy to flatspot the tread, but since it's just the thin treaded outer ring you also ride out the flatspot almost immediately. I also don't think they ride or slide at peak performance until you're through the tread.
Pig also doesn't have their shape/size information printed and formatted neatly on their website like Spitfire does, it'd be nice if they added that. They do include a card with their wheels that shows the dimensions of different sizes.


Anyway, I've always liked the Pig/Yeto team and glad to finally try out their wheels, and happy to not be at all disappointed. Would buy again.

Treads suck but disappear fast.

[Xen]

Ground Round Riding surface? WTF does that mean? Tread?

Glad the harder pigs are working  for you, the 99s I tried were trash.

[bombsaway86]

I need help. I love the way F4 99s skate, but I keep getting really bad flat spots within the first few sessions.

I like Bones SPF, but I’ve had several bad injuries from slipping out on them. I wasn’t a huge fan of the X formula

Are there any other wheels out there that are similar to Spitfires that don’t flat spot so easily? I’ve never tried OJ elites, are those any more durable?

I used to get close to a year out of my F4s, but the newer batches that are more white have not been great. Let me know what’s been working for you

[back smith]

I need help. I love the way F4 99s skate, but I keep getting really bad flat spots within the first few sessions.

I like Bones SPF, but I’ve had several bad injuries from slipping out on them. I wasn’t a huge fan of the X formula

Are there any other wheels out there that are similar to Spitfires that don’t flat spot so easily? I’ve never tried OJ elites, are those any more durable?

I used to get close to a year out of my F4s, but the newer batches that are more white have not been great. Let me know what’s been working for you

Skate the flat spots out

[Creachteach]

Expand Quote

I’m really pining for some black wheels, but I’d be foolish to buy anymore seeing as I already have plenty.

Seen mfs dyeing their wheels with RIT synthetic and their fixative.
Look like my best bet, but I can’t seem to find a source for them in Europe.

Anyone got intel?

[close]

Darren Navarette used to dye his white Spitfire wheels: https://youtu.be/sBgl4oMMFnQ?t=103
---

Yes, I know. I love Navs. Great style. Love his instagram posts, doing old some old school street stuff

But does anyone have a source for RIT Synthetic in Europe or know of a similar product that does the same thing?

[rikki]

I need help. I love the way F4 99s skate, but I keep getting really bad flat spots within the first few sessions.

I like Bones SPF, but I’ve had several bad injuries from slipping out on them. I wasn’t a huge fan of the X formula

Are there any other wheels out there that are similar to Spitfires that don’t flat spot so easily? I’ve never tried OJ elites, are those any more durable?

I used to get close to a year out of my F4s, but the newer batches that are more white have not been great. Let me know what’s been working for you

OJ Elite is a good formula, a bit grippier than F4 in my opinion, plus they feel harder. A great park wheel. I've only tried the 99 duro, feels hard and fast enough. Haven't flatspotted them yet.

[Mbrimson88]

I need help. I love the way F4 99s skate, but I keep getting really bad flat spots within the first few sessions.

I like Bones SPF, but I’ve had several bad injuries from slipping out on them. I wasn’t a huge fan of the X formula

Are there any other wheels out there that are similar to Spitfires that don’t flat spot so easily? I’ve never tried OJ elites, are those any more durable?

I used to get close to a year out of my F4s, but the newer batches that are more white have not been great. Let me know what’s been working for you

I might be sticking my nose in too much here, but what exactly are you doing that flatspots Spitfire Formula Four wheels?

Sure I have seen some that have flatspots, but in all my efforts to flatspot them, actually tried really hard on a lot of surfaces, I could only put a tiny one or two into them and they usually skated out within a session or two anyway.

Is there some particular surface, place or trick or whatever that is causing the issue more than anything else?


As to what other wheels, really Bones is the only wheel that might be above Spitfire F4 on the "minimal flatspots" spot, as those things were almost impossible to flatspot in a number of options, but they were generally a tougher wheel on everything, wore down the slowest of all wheel brands, but could be quite slippery on certain surfaces too, but as there are a number of different options, SPF being the most common now maybe, but then the others like the STF in 99 duro, which seem to have a bit more grip than the older STF, or SPF variants.

I feel like OJ, Slimeballs, everything else really, gets way more flatspots than the likes of Bones and Spitfire, which are the top of the wheel triangle for quality and performance.


Happy to hear others opinions too, but that is just general experience from seeing so many wheels with flatspots, or in pieces, or whatever has happened to them over the last twenty years in skate shops.

There are a number of newer formulas and options that I haven't seen or tried, from various other brands too, so I freely admit I have not tried everything in the wheel department.


* Also has it been more than one set, of which shape, size, approximate timeline, cause flatspots are usually / often covered under warranty, unless it is something that voids warranty, as per the kids I saw sitting on their boards sliding down the ramp sideways and then coming into the shop saying their wheels were defective...  That's another story entirely though.