Can Loosening Your Wheels on a Longboard Make You Go Faster?

For some skateboarders, speed is everything, and the rush of a downhill or vert ramp run is all about moving quickly, while street riders must balance speed against versatility. Whatever your style, nobody wants to ride a sluggish board if they can make adjustments to speed it up. Adjusting the bolts that hold wheels to your trucks can affect your board’s speed if the bolts are so tight that they impede the wheel bearings' rotation.

Things You'll Need

  • Socket wrench
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place the longboard upside down on a flat surface such as a table or a workbench where you can examine it easily. Spin each wheel with your hand, getting it rotating as quickly as possible. While the wheel spins, look inside the wheel at the bearings case. It should be rotating freely, though not as quickly as the wheel. If not, it should be adjusted.

    • 2

      Loosen the bolt holding the wheel and bearing assembly to the skateboard truck using a socket wrench. Turn the bolt only a quarter of a turn.

    • 3

      Examine the fit. The bolt should be loose enough to allow the bearing case to spin freely when you manually speed-test your longboard wheel, but it needs to fit so snugly that there isn’t room for the wheel to move laterally on the bolt. Continue to tighten or loosen the bolt until the bearing spins freely, but doesn’t allow the wheel to rattle or slide along the bolt.