Spitfire Wheels Buyer's Guide

 

Spitfire, the leading wheel brand the world over and for good reason. When buying wheels, it can be quite confusing, what size do I need? What does duro mean? Will these fit my board? Are Spitfire's worth the money?

 

What size wheels are best for me?

When it comes to picking out wheels it can be quite confusing, there's a lot of choice and with choice comes confusion. Sometimes it can be difficult, especially if you're new to skateboarding to know what is best for you, so we are here to help. 56mm? 52mm? 48mm? How do I even know what this means?!

 

Well, to put it simply, big wheels for example, 56mm's, are gonna give you a wider surface area on the floor. This means that you'll have a more stable set up and keep your speed, hence why they're used more with transition and vert skaters. Also, if you're living in the UK, avoiding cracks is part and parcel of skating street - larger wheels will make this miles easier.

 

And on the opposite end of the scale, small wheels give you less surface area on the ground so technically it's a bit harder to carry your speed but the smaller size of wheels will minimise the possibility of 'wheelbite' and the overall weight of your set-up, whether you'll notice or not is another question entirely.

 

 

What is a durometer? And what does it mean to me?

 

The durometer of a set of wheels basically means the hardness, or softness of a wheel. So for example, 99DU would be a softer wheel, which would have more traction on the ground and be less likely to slide than a 101DU, which would be a harder wheel which would much more easily slide. The durometer of wheels can range from 70 to 10, but mostly you'd be suited at riding a 99DU for transition skateboarding and park skateboarding and a 101DU for street skateboarding which the wheel is more suited to.

 

Are spitfires worth the money?

 

 

A key factor behind making decisions is always price and Sptifire's do come with a larger price tag than Death Wheels, for example. However, like anything, what you pay for is what you get. Spitfire wheels and the Formula Four range have a higher threshold against flatspots, which will make your life a nightmare and are more likely to last longer (depending on what you're doing). 

 

So it's kinda like the saying goes, buy cheap, buy twice. All things considered though, going for a slightly cheaper alternative won't hinder you too much, especially if you're just taking up skateboarding, it's all about personal preference. But we'd always recommend Spitfire, it's what we ride.

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