wheel sizes and their uses??

im looking to buy DH speed set up but not sure if i really need to spend $115 on 90mm wheels, reason is so that i dont have to replace wheels often if i was to use the board 3times a week or on a regular basis.

would 76mm wheels be ideal first and then try the 90mms ill be Down hilling and carving in and out of streets so im looking for wheels that ll have awsum grip but yet good wear for say 6months.... ow long do wheels last for you??

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Permalink Reply by leighgriffiths on August 8, 2008 at 9:25

you'll find that everyone uses 76mm wheels for DH anyway. the reason why is they have much better acceleration coming out of corners and stuff. don't waste your money on big wheels. their not worth it. yeah they roll a bit further, but the world record (123km/h) was done on 75mm BigZigs. so don't think that bigger wheels will make you any faster.

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Permalink Reply by leighgriffiths on August 8, 2008 at 9:35

well u'd have to be sliding and drifting heaps to kill wheels in DH. and even still it would take a while. don't worry too much about durability at this stage. once you get too the stage where you are thrashing your wheels, you'll probably have a few sets of wheels anyway.

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Permalink Reply by Ash on August 8, 2008 at 9:38

im with the other guys here dude, got some mid 70 wheels. i have some 83 fly wheels, and theyre alright, but ive been faster on smaller wheels, such as the big zigs.

ive had my big zigs since late last year, and mind you, theyre getting a bit worse for wear, theyre definately not dead yet!

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Permalink Reply by Ben on August 8, 2008 at 17:39

70-80mm are pretty much the done thing now...the 90mm thing was a fad that has passed for DH, realistically 85-101 wheels are great for LPD, big commutes, bad roads and running over feet....

leady, the durability thing depends on more than size....duro and design play more of a factor.

as the others have said- 76mm bigz, 76 EW balls, Ousts, fly's, zigs, flashies, grips, oranga's, hawgs, even classic/hawaii k kryptos are a good choice...

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Permalink Reply by nick on August 8, 2008 at 22:26

I think it was actually bennet alligators at 70mm although my memory may be incorrect..

leighgriffiths said:

you'll find that everyone uses 76mm wheels for DH anyway. the reason why is they have much better acceleration coming out of corners and stuff. don't waste your money on big wheels. their not worth it. yeah they roll a bit further, but the world record (123km/h) was done on 75mm BigZigs. so don't think that bigger wheels will make you any faster.

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Permalink Reply by Ben on August 9, 2008 at 1:13

indeed it was 'gators...77.6mph i think it was...(124.8km/h)

dubes, k-rimes and a few of the others have said though, that with the new batch of racing wheels, on that hill on a better day ( mid 20's temp, low atmospheric pressure) faster should be possible.

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Permalink Reply by DemonBoarder on August 9, 2008 at 1:24

Thanks for the detailed info, great help ;)

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Premium MemberPermalink Reply by Jacko on August 12, 2008 at 14:43

again with the durability factor, the only time your gonna need to worry about your wheels wearing out is when your in a race, coz every little bit of traction and speed helps... untill then you will never notice a big difference in worn wheels and fresh ones... ive ridden with a dude who had wheels with chunks missing off the lips, coned out to the max and looked like someone just put a massive firework in the middle of them and let them off, and they still felt ridable, just didnt grip AS much...
but the main point is: starting out? get green big zigz, they are the most predictable and user-friendly wheel on the market so far...

that is all

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Permalink Reply by Fletch on August 12, 2008 at 17:37

I have just swapped over some 77mm 79a Speed vents for some 75mm 85a Cortech's. the coretech don't feel much faster, not as quite as smooth and a higher tendancy to slide on rougher bitumen. the core in the speed vents might help them roll faster for a softer wheel

they still feel prety good though, they have a slightly wider profile and grip is negligable on smooth roads. I actually like that they slide a tad easier on some of the rougher shorter steep zig zag of conecting streets near my place. Not sure if 2mm OD makes that much difference.

I think the 77mm speed vents in the 83a thane might be my next upgrade

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Premium MemberPermalink Reply by nathan on August 12, 2008 at 19:37

fletch i have just taken a really well coned set of slalom hotspots (69mm) off my downhill board and upgraded to black ops 79a 78mm (pretty blue) might i say the first hill i rolled was like heaven!!! Awesome! I have some 85a coretechs which i havent skated much as well, they ride pretty hard like you described and when i used them for gs the slide factor was a little scary. I think they are a good wheel but i think they need their terrain and maybe good for difty sort of riding and super nice surfaces, i would have liked some of the 75a ones to put on the back.