Thunder bushings (and most other bushings) will last longer if you break them in first, before tightening them. Basically just skate them super loose until you feel the bushings firm up on their own, then tighten to your preference. Thunders usually firm up in the first session.
Very true, but I also have noticed that when it’s hot (90+) it takes much longer to break in bushings and even broken in trucks will feel substantially looser. These felt like AF1’s out the gate and my skating just isn’t suited to that level of surfyness currently. I’ll loosen them up when I setup a new board soon
@@dadboardI live in Miami and bushings don’t ever break in. The heat and humidity make trucks extremely loose, so I struggle to skate without a full turn or turn and a half. I also weigh close to 200 lbs, so what is loose for me is not the same for a lot of skaters.
My first setup back in 1988 was Thunder Trucks OJ Wheels on a John Lucero Schmitt stick. Since getting back into skating I have stuck with in the Indy Mids. I will definitely check these out
I saw these on Grimple IG story and have been looking everywhere for them. Stoked you got some! I’ve been thinking about thunder hollow lights or looking at these. I ride 54 as well and like a lil more clearance
Tbh hollow lights work fine with 54mm if you’re not too reckless. I’m still gonna skate mine, the weight difference is great especially when you have a big setup
Would love to hear you on the Destructo D1's...they seem like light and fast turning like Thunders...and surfy and strong as Indies...a mil higher too than Indies
seems sweet im definitely more hyped for the T2's or being able to interchange hangers/base plates with other stuff in the collection when those come out.
good looks on those. the other new thunders that are supposed to come out sound great as well. i ride indy, but i might try thunders again after a almost two decade hiatus from them.
Good review!! I like how thunder say that this is a new design, but this has been going on for years, especially with the team baseplate I’ve done these to the forged baseplate and they are a little bit of a pain. I actually did three sets of thunders with Ace low bushings Krux inverted Basically, I did what everybody else on slack magazine was doing. I just wanted to have the smaller Forged baseplate. But team baseplates this is super simper
Pretty stoked to know they sent you 151s because their initial release doesn't include that size. The slight increase in height should be what I'm looking for, as slappys were just too tall and squirrely for overall skating (for me at least).
@@jasonharris5201I had just bought a pair of hollow kingpin , full axel Thunders, 1 week before I learned of these… sooooo… I just bought the inverted trucks, and I replaced the hangars and they fit literally perfect.
I stopped riding thunders because I love doing nose slides and got tired of getting hung up on the ledge at my local park and also kept getting wheel bite. But I was riding 54mm classics on Thunder forged lights. I am starting to regret making the switch to Ace. Ace are great trucks but they are so damn heavy and I feel like I am getting worn out quicker from popping and flipping my tricks. Would you suggest the inverted kingpin or the team editions? I took your recommendation for the 54mm classics and I love that size and shape and don’t want to change that.
I've skated grind king a few times over the years. King pin always broke first. I think it's a design flaw. The King pin is only locked in place with the bolt. So it can "wiggle" and that wiggle is an easy break point. I'm curious if these new trucks that companies are coming out with have solved this issue.
Interesting! The issue with these bases is that the nut doesn't stay tight, so if you remove the kingpin, the nut will fall off. That's why the bases of Slappy trucks and Indy are even more interesting... Or, DIY, glue the nut like they I do on Ace trucks.
I have a pair of old krux trucks with the inverted kingpin, I'm having to change them out because I cannot tighten them no more they're going into the board
How they feel compared to slappy trucks? I ride thunders but was intrigued on the way slappy trucks didn’t get wheel but and had a tight turning radius.
It’s crazy that Indy mids are heavier than standards. For some reason I thought their forged hollows had an IKP but when I dug them out I was surprised to see it was just a normal one.
Totally different turn but what probably threw you off even more is the height & wheelbase difference. Thunders are like 3mm lower and extend your WB more than Indy’s. Crazy I never thought about any of this shit back in the day lol
@@dadboard bro i put risers on and everything haha I totally noticed. I thru together a used board for a kid in the neighborhood and put those thunders on it haha
key to smiths is get your weight over the center of the truck, your weight is too far into the pocket which is why you're dragging the smith rather than dipping it
Thanks, dude. I know it’s a weight distribution issue but just haven’t figured out how to correct it yet. Seems like it will just click eventually if I keep throwing them out. I’ve neglected them for too long 😤
i have a set of indy forged hollows, and thunder forged hollow lights. i got both on completes off of fb marketplace for the cheap, i might not have tried them otherwise tbh. i do like them, it is easier to flip/pop and i can skate longer so i def see the appeal. but i guess i kinda like the heft of a solid truck. i usually run 149s or smaller but could def see the appeal in a bigger truck. the thunder 148 forged hollow lights are almost too light, but i like them well enough, they just seem kinda dainty or fragile compared to what i'm used to. i still have 2 sets of thunder lows from the '90s that i quite liked, but they both got slipped axles and it kinda soured me on the brand ever since. they were almost identical shape to the venture lows, just a bit heavier. i'm pretty firmly in the indy and venture camps, but i still have a bunch of old gear and just like to try new stuff sometimes
Its funny, yesterday i flipped my thunder baseplate to some inverts and remembered ishod had some like that some months ago but i didnt know they were gonna be putting these out let alone see a vid about it the very next day
I'm not sure why Thunder have bothered, or why any truck company keeps trying to make these. they just never work. Grind kings were awful back in the day, the indy mids are horrible and weigh a ton, lurpiv ditched the inverted kingpins for their new itteration as they were terrible. I've been skating regular kingpins trucks since 1988 with no issues, but i have seen so many failed attempts at inverted kingpin trucks in that time. They always have the same issues: no way to see how much you've adjusted them, nut coming loose, if you slightly over tighten you drill the kingpin into the deck etc etc. I love Thunders and i hope they've found the secret formula...but i doubt it. for one, is the nut fixed into the basplate like with indy mids? because their solution for a stripped nylock in said nut, is buy a new baseplate or whole new truck!
I’ve never given thunder a fair chance, I bought one pair of Kyle walkers, and the bushings were so soft that they ripped after tightening the trucks. After that I put them in a closet for three years. Maybe these will be different!
Yo I came up on old skool shape board with u.s.a thunder trucks airbolted to the board , OK but how do you take them off the screws I'm bout to use a hammer are they wielded on 😅
@@user1138 hell yeah thank you... I do bones hard but I'd definitely try something else... bushings for me probably make the biggest equipment difference
@@dadboard the first new setup I bought about a year and a half ago... had to return to the shop the bushings were blown out after 1 ride down the driveway... I've since bought extra and backup extras... NEVER AGAIN!🤣🤣🤣
Asap I saw the hollow kingpin I was afraid it's going to be too light, but hey, nope. 364 g is such a nice weight. Above 360 is always solid feedback. I wish they turned a bit shittyer, I'm too comforted with delayed turning trucks as a benefit for nose-manuals. Fun video!
Thanks for the vid! Last time I skated Thunders was last year. Just got a brand new set having skated AF1s. The trucks felt insanely tight to me on that first one or two sessions and I hated the way they turned which was barely. So much did I dislike them in fact that I set up some new Ventures instead and they felt much looser and better turning instead. Haven’t ridden Thunders since but I did like them at one point.
Had no idea thunder was doing something new finally! I was wishing they would get out of the "if it ain't broke" zone they've been sitting in... Maybe I will hold out on buying Indies which I've been itching for and wait for the t2
Awesome video my dude! there’s a lot of new features with these besides the kingpin I was surprised to hear! Those kingpins look amazing and are probably the highest clearance you can buy stock. Bravo thunder 👍
Those are my jams. I’m gonna keep riding these because I’m in love with the clearance but if they make a hollow light with these kingpins I’d switch back just for the weight difference
Yeah even when I don’t tighten them down at all the stock bushings don’t last longer than 6 or so weeks. Like I said though the Thunder replacement kit has never done me wrong and those are clear red, I believe
@@dadboardyeah the red ones are good too, i think they are second hardest duro after the white. The aqua blue ones that come on the standard thunders squished on me but was still rideable
finally, after decades, we no longer have to hammer out our kingpins and put grind king ones in
dude!
👴🏾
lmao I've done that with sooo many pairs of indys
I got titanium thunders can i swap the kingpin out?
I’m pretty loyal to thunder so these excite me
Ive skated thunders for nearly 25 years. I also loved Grind King. These are the best of both worlds.
If I get these, I may try to see if I can put the King pin in my Forged baseplate and put a Hollow axle on top as well.
Thunder bushings (and most other bushings) will last longer if you break them in first, before tightening them.
Basically just skate them super loose until you feel the bushings firm up on their own, then tighten to your preference.
Thunders usually firm up in the first session.
Very true, but I also have noticed that when it’s hot (90+) it takes much longer to break in bushings and even broken in trucks will feel substantially looser. These felt like AF1’s out the gate and my skating just isn’t suited to that level of surfyness currently. I’ll loosen them up when I setup a new board soon
@@dadboardI live in Miami and bushings don’t ever break in. The heat and humidity make trucks extremely loose, so I struggle to skate without a full turn or turn and a half. I also weigh close to 200 lbs, so what is loose for me is not the same for a lot of skaters.
Truth
My first setup back in 1988 was Thunder Trucks OJ Wheels on a John Lucero Schmitt stick. Since getting back into skating I have stuck with in the Indy Mids. I will definitely check these out
I saw these on Grimple IG story and have been looking everywhere for them. Stoked you got some! I’ve been thinking about thunder hollow lights or looking at these. I ride 54 as well and like a lil more clearance
Tbh hollow lights work fine with 54mm if you’re not too reckless. I’m still gonna skate mine, the weight difference is great especially when you have a big setup
I might try these or the T2’s when they come out. I’ve always loved the way Thunders looked as a kid, but never had a pair.
I was rooting for a longer baseplate. Thunders are my favorite but I do prefer baseplate tailslides.
Would love to hear you on the Destructo D1's...they seem like light and fast turning like Thunders...and surfy and strong as Indies...a mil higher too than Indies
seems sweet im definitely more hyped for the T2's or being able to interchange hangers/base plates with other stuff in the collection when those come out.
Is it possible to replace the locking nut or is it embedded into the baseplate?
good looks on those. the other new thunders that are supposed to come out sound great as well. i ride indy, but i might try thunders again after a almost two decade hiatus from them.
Great looking truck 🤝
Good review!!
I like how thunder say that this is a new design, but this has been going on for years, especially with the team baseplate
I’ve done these to the forged baseplate and they are a little bit of a pain. I actually did three sets of thunders with Ace low bushings Krux inverted
Basically, I did what everybody else on slack magazine was doing. I just wanted to have the smaller Forged baseplate.
But team baseplates this is super simper
Pretty stoked to know they sent you 151s because their initial release doesn't include that size. The slight increase in height should be what I'm looking for, as slappys were just too tall and squirrely for overall skating (for me at least).
Oh damn
I hope they do what independent did, by offering the baseplates separately. Because I just bought new thunder titanium’s
Enjoy the titanium’s, man! Those are some premium trucks. Idk if they’re gonna offer just baseplates but that would for sure be ideal
Yo man i am on the same boat as you, i got titaniums 148, idk if you can swap kingpins or u gotta do that with baseplate
@@mrhogei last time I tried to replace a kingpin on a thunder, I bent the baseplate. But they were brand new trucks, so they didn’t even budge.
@@jasonharris5201 ima have to buy the trucks and swap hangers
@@jasonharris5201I had just bought a pair of hollow kingpin , full axel Thunders, 1 week before I learned of these…
sooooo… I just bought the inverted trucks, and I replaced the hangars and they fit literally perfect.
i do like inverted kingpins, i have some old grindking ones and indy mids
I stopped riding thunders because I love doing nose slides and got tired of getting hung up on the ledge at my local park and also kept getting wheel bite. But I was riding 54mm classics on Thunder forged lights. I am starting to regret making the switch to Ace. Ace are great trucks but they are so damn heavy and I feel like I am getting worn out quicker from popping and flipping my tricks. Would you suggest the inverted kingpin or the team editions? I took your recommendation for the 54mm classics and I love that size and shape and don’t want to change that.
whoaaa, where can you get these? are they available? will they sell just the baseplate/kingpin like Indy does? o:
you got a sub my bro!
if your unscrew the kingpin does the nut under the baseplate fall out or is stuck in place?
Good question, I’m gonna swap hangers today and I’ll come back and let you know
@@dadboard okay great thanks !
I've skated grind king a few times over the years. King pin always broke first. I think it's a design flaw. The King pin is only locked in place with the bolt. So it can "wiggle" and that wiggle is an easy break point. I'm curious if these new trucks that companies are coming out with have solved this issue.
Ah I see they say they reinforced the kingpin. Now I'm really curious if they'll still break first.
I like a lot truck update, but i always had a problems with their bushings cause for me are too soft and it's broken easily.
Interesting! The issue with these bases is that the nut doesn't stay tight, so if you remove the kingpin, the nut will fall off. That's why the bases of Slappy trucks and Indy are even more interesting... Or, DIY, glue the nut like they I do on Ace trucks.
I haven’t had any issue with the nut coming loose at all, have you seen people saying that?
@@dadboard It's the same base style as Krux trucks, I had one and it kept getting loose...
I have a pair of old krux trucks with the inverted kingpin, I'm having to change them out because I cannot tighten them no more they're going into the board
Oh damn lol
put on extra washers on the bottom bushings, always works for me
How they feel compared to slappy trucks? I ride thunders but was intrigued on the way slappy trucks didn’t get wheel but and had a tight turning radius.
Can one replace the bushings on these new thunder trucks ?
Does this have a hollow axel?
@@tonymyhomie2867 no only KP
Thank you for the review keep it up
Do they get loose as you skate? Slappys and Mindys self loosen so I couldn’t skate them.
The KP hasn’t had any issues but I’m aware that’s been a concern for people with any brand of truck. I’ll update as I keep riding them 👊
Seems to be the perfect kingpin. Indy should have did that, as they inverted kingpin is heavy as fluck.
It’s crazy that Indy mids are heavier than standards. For some reason I thought their forged hollows had an IKP but when I dug them out I was surprised to see it was just a normal one.
Should have done that*
As their *
You’re welcome, da
3:25 I thought you were gonna start singing the 'Fresh Prince' theme song 🤣
Dude I'm too stuck on Indy's. Bought a pair of thunders recently and immediately regretted it 😂 the turning just ain't the same man
Totally different turn but what probably threw you off even more is the height & wheelbase difference. Thunders are like 3mm lower and extend your WB more than Indy’s. Crazy I never thought about any of this shit back in the day lol
@@dadboard bro i put risers on and everything haha I totally noticed. I thru together a used board for a kid in the neighborhood and put those thunders on it haha
Ace trucks are the best hands down
Now we just need venture to make a inverted one
They gotta be up next
@@dadboardthe inverted KP lo 5.2…. HELLOOOOO .
Great wrk bro.
I simply grind the kingpin away on my royal
every part melt together
and it's fine
Venture gang
i like it!
key to smiths is get your weight over the center of the truck, your weight is too far into the pocket which is why you're dragging the smith rather than dipping it
it looks like you're basically trying to position your weight like you're doing a feeble, but it's got to be more centered over the truck
Thanks, dude. I know it’s a weight distribution issue but just haven’t figured out how to correct it yet. Seems like it will just click eventually if I keep throwing them out. I’ve neglected them for too long 😤
Thunders i had a kid were tje complete opposite the kingpin was outverted 😂
Grindkings
ur shirt is fuckin mint bro!
👊
i prefer cast plates
Interesting, why’s that?
@@dadboard i like the height, i like the weight. i ride big wheels, often risers
i have a set of indy forged hollows, and thunder forged hollow lights. i got both on completes off of fb marketplace for the cheap, i might not have tried them otherwise tbh. i do like them, it is easier to flip/pop and i can skate longer so i def see the appeal. but i guess i kinda like the heft of a solid truck. i usually run 149s or smaller but could def see the appeal in a bigger truck. the thunder 148 forged hollow lights are almost too light, but i like them well enough, they just seem kinda dainty or fragile compared to what i'm used to. i still have 2 sets of thunder lows from the '90s that i quite liked, but they both got slipped axles and it kinda soured me on the brand ever since. they were almost identical shape to the venture lows, just a bit heavier. i'm pretty firmly in the indy and venture camps, but i still have a bunch of old gear and just like to try new stuff sometimes
🛹🔥🇧🇷🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻
The worst thing about set ups is the trucks 🙄
Geometry? Kingpins?? I don’t care… PURPLE! Buy them just for that.
I too buy shit based solely on vibes sometimes
@@dadboard I don't even like skating Thunders, but I want to get these.
Did you take the ikp out and look into the plate? Is it a 'sleeve' like all the other IKP out there or just a nut in the plate?
Asking the real questions 🤔
Cool looking truck
mini logo bushings are nice, remind me of old doh-dohs
I believe they started making doh dohs again, haven’t seen them available yet, maybe I should search them out
@@dadboard they got them on tactics and shortys website , they also have these new doh doh the same style as bones bushing they re doh doh cones .
@@dadboard i had seen them, but the doh-doh was embossed, or debossed? imprinted huge in the side and i wasn't into it, mini logo are solid
I got doh dohs a couple weeks ago@dadboard
Do they work well with thunders?
Its funny, yesterday i flipped my thunder baseplate to some inverts and remembered ishod had some like that some months ago but i didnt know they were gonna be putting these out let alone see a vid about it the very next day
I'm not sure why Thunder have bothered, or why any truck company keeps trying to make these. they just never work. Grind kings were awful back in the day, the indy mids are horrible and weigh a ton, lurpiv ditched the inverted kingpins for their new itteration as they were terrible. I've been skating regular kingpins trucks since 1988 with no issues, but i have seen so many failed attempts at inverted kingpin trucks in that time. They always have the same issues: no way to see how much you've adjusted them, nut coming loose, if you slightly over tighten you drill the kingpin into the deck etc etc. I love Thunders and i hope they've found the secret formula...but i doubt it. for one, is the nut fixed into the basplate like with indy mids? because their solution for a stripped nylock in said nut, is buy a new baseplate or whole new truck!
I’ve never given thunder a fair chance, I bought one pair of Kyle walkers, and the bushings were so soft that they ripped after tightening the trucks. After that I put them in a closet for three years. Maybe these will be different!
I started with ventures in 2005,
Went with Krux
Then went to Independents.
I think inverted kingpins are a cool idea
Yo I came up on old skool shape board with u.s.a thunder trucks airbolted to the board , OK but how do you take them off the screws I'm bout to use a hammer are they wielded on 😅
I keep 7" board to get from the couch to the room. And yes, it has thunders.
i feel like a short kingpin fucks with the turn of the truck
It doesn’t
I have the 148s and they weigh 364 g
More violet than purple 💜... love thunders, hate their bushings. Big guy need more hard bushing... (to be read w Neanderthal accent)
DLX makes harder bushings for Thunders
@@user1138 hell yeah thank you... I do bones hard but I'd definitely try something else... bushings for me probably make the biggest equipment difference
@@soberskater Bushings are insanely under appreciated. They matter _so_ much but to most they’re just an afterthought
@@dadboard the first new setup I bought about a year and a half ago... had to return to the shop the bushings were blown out after 1 ride down the driveway... I've since bought extra and backup extras... NEVER AGAIN!🤣🤣🤣
Asap I saw the hollow kingpin I was afraid it's going to be too light, but hey, nope. 364 g is such a nice weight. Above 360 is always solid feedback. I wish they turned a bit shittyer, I'm too comforted with delayed turning trucks as a benefit for nose-manuals. Fun video!
Thanks for the vid! Last time I skated Thunders was last year. Just got a brand new set having skated AF1s. The trucks felt insanely tight to me on that first one or two sessions and I hated the way they turned which was barely. So much did I dislike them in fact that I set up some new Ventures instead and they felt much looser and better turning instead. Haven’t ridden Thunders since but I did like them at one point.
Had no idea thunder was doing something new finally! I was wishing they would get out of the "if it ain't broke" zone they've been sitting in... Maybe I will hold out on buying Indies which I've been itching for and wait for the t2
Pop the board high, bring your knees up high and keep your body low, way easier to get the "dip" I think your wanting
Awesome video my dude! there’s a lot of new features with these besides the kingpin I was surprised to hear! Those kingpins look amazing and are probably the highest clearance you can buy stock. Bravo thunder 👍
You gotta get some and see if you can hit axle in a day!
@@dadboard I do gotta get some for research purposes 😂
Can they be made more loose than the standard thunders?
🤔
7:14 ohhhhhhh shit! 😂 get him dad!
😂
Dad Board Knows⚡
Best Trucks.
Thunders were all I rode for years when I was younger, I switched around a lot after starting skating again but yeah they just feel like home 👊
I just bought standard kingpin Thunder Hollow Lights…
Those are my jams. I’m gonna keep riding these because I’m in love with the clearance but if they make a hollow light with these kingpins I’d switch back just for the weight difference
hope you kept the receipt lol damn
The clear thunder bushing always break for me, their white bushings are good though
Yeah even when I don’t tighten them down at all the stock bushings don’t last longer than 6 or so weeks. Like I said though the Thunder replacement kit has never done me wrong and those are clear red, I believe
@@dadboardyeah the red ones are good too, i think they are second hardest duro after the white. The aqua blue ones that come on the standard thunders squished on me but was still rideable
lol brothaaa ewww.
j/k. that feeble was pretty sweet
What’s *that* brotha?!
😂😂😂
lol the commentary was excellent on this one. Had knee surgery Thursday and it was good to laugh. Informative and funny. Great review.
Ooh fuck man, hope you make a speedy recovery and get back on your board soon enough 🙏 👊 was it a ligament?
Thunder are too low. The turn sucks. They can't be loosened beyond being too tight. No thanks.
lol
go cry about your missing iron cross some more
I feel like they turn great
I bought some regular Thunder sonora 147 and I hated them until I got the team Thunder 148 their taller, hollow and turn better
If you think these are too low, they use to have actual thunder lows, you'd be complaining more of they were still around