Wheels are an essential skateboard's part. Made from polyurethane (commonly known as urethane), wheels come in a variety of shapes, and hardnesses to feet various needs

For informations about longboard & cruiser wheels please refer to our Longboard wheels Buyer's guide

What size to choose ?

In skateboarding, wheel sizes vary from 48mm to 59mm. The smaller a wheel, the faster it will accelerate, but the lower its maximum speed. Conversely, a larger wheel will take longer to accelerate, but will then have a higher maximum speed, more inertia, and will be less sensitive to ground malformations.

Depending of the discipline of use, we would recommand different diameter sizes :

_Street : 48 à 53mm
_All Terrain : Skatepark, Street, Mini Ramp : 52-56mm
_Bowl : 56-59mm

Warning: from 53mm and over, to avoid wheel bites, you will need to use "high" trucks type and / or additional riser pads between the deck and trucks

 

What hardness for my skateboard wheels ?

Skateboard wheels are available in different hardnesses called durometer index composed of a number followed by the letter A or B. This index is increasing, the higher the number, the harder the wheel. Passed 100A, we pass to the letter B and we fall back the indicator number of 20. Thus 84B=104A.

Soft wheels are more comfortable on rough terrain and have more grip. However, they are slower on smooth surfaces.

Hard wheels are faster but need to be used on smooth ground. They will also slide more easily.

Here are our hardness tips:

Soft wheels (90A and lower) : Cruising, Filming, rough terrain
Medium wheels(90A to 95A) : Street and park, Bowl
Hard wheels(99A and over) : Skatepark, Street, Ramp, smooth surfaces

 

Wheels Width

The width of the wheels and more particularly its contact patch will have a strong impact on the behavior. Thin wheels are more agile and glide with less effort. Wider wheels will be more stable and grip more. The narrowest wheels are recommended for experienned skaters.

The core

Most skateboard wheels are fully cast in 1 single block of urethane, but some also have a PVC or composite core at their hub. Core wheels are stiffer and lighter. More efficient, they will allow a gain in speed, have a more regular wear, and help to gain height in the tricks.

Fulkit Skate Shop offers a whole range of skateboard wheels matching to all the criteria described in this buying guide. You will find the best brands including Bones, Spitfire, Ricta, Slime Balls (Santa Cruz),…

Need more advice? Contact our team or come see us.