@RipTideSports. In reference to @Jun’s post on April 3rd re: the Exway CNC washers. I was going to ask a similar question, but am also curious - Exway sent me four of these washers. I wasn’t sure if it was by accident, or if they (you) recommend that the washers making contact with the board side bushings be replaced as well (as the ones making contact with the streetside bushings, like I originally intended to replace). They are definitely notched and grooved in a way that the bushings rest inside of them (in a snug fashion) once fastened down. I think the only drawback in replacing all 4 washers would be if the boardside bushings were too big and overlapped the washers. In that case the notch in the washer would cut into the bushing. Thoughts on replacing all four if they fits well on all sides? Thanks for your advice!
I am providing some feedback here so others can benefit from Brad’s advice (which was amazing). I ordered a backfire mini (carbon) awhile ago and use it daily to commute. I am 145lbs with gear and was trying to dial in the setup to reduce road vibration due to the stiff carbon fiber deck, but still be able to rip at higher speeds (this board is awesome in the fact that it’s very light and fairly quick for its size). I ended up upgrading to backfire’s 96mm wheel sleeves. This was a no-brainer and helped with road vibration and board travel/comfort tremendously. I think that these wheels should come stock/standard on the board. Brad also recommended de-wedging the rear 5 to 10 degrees and suggested some new bushings: a pair of KranK 87a StreetBarrels roadside (0.5” tall) front and back and a KranK 87a FatCone boardside front and a Chubby boardside rear (0.6” tall). To de-wedge the rear I got a pair of flat hard risers for the front trucks (height 9/16) and a pair of angled wedge risers for the rear trucks (3/16 to 9/16) for a 7 degree wedge. I ended up with the hard risers from Khiro, but on a whim (and a few weeks later after testing out Kiro’s risers) I ordered shock absorption risers (lower durometer) from Dime Bag Hardware and VJ Longhboard on Amazon and they actually made a difference. I can now get the board up to almost 30mph with the larger wheels with no speed wobble and still carve without worrying about wheel bite. I also don’t think that the board sits too high, either. I think it’s now the perfect setup. I also ordered some replacement foam grip tape from undergrip and installed a mini footstop from Riptide to pull it all together. I now have the perfect start to the workday. Thanks Brad!
Hi Brad. What is the difference between a 96a barrel and a 93a fat cone in terms of stiffness when run in the F4/R4 position (most boardside) position?
Hey guys sorry for the delays in answering here, we have been in production for a minimum of 10 hours a day, seven days a week for months so my time here is spotty at best. Hopefully I will be able to answer all in the next day or so!
Also please note, if you direct message me about bushing recommendations, it will take much longer to answer those since it be benefits only one person. I normally redirect those questions to post here but i have not even had time to do that lately. If you DM’d me that is what’s up!
I ended up setting mine up this way. KranK 90a in all positions with a “synthetic split” that would work on your actual 20 degree split. All bushings are .6 tall. Front is a Cone / Canon and back is Canon / Magnum
The 96a Barrel will be stiffer and respond in a linear fashion whereas the 93a FatCone will of course be looser and have the initial stability of a 93a Barrel but ramp up in resistance in a progressive manner.
I would give them a try and report your findings here
That will do the trick and you will have some options to experiment with. I suggest also getting some Small cupped washers for the Cones, Large cupped washers for the Canons and Small Flat washers that can be used with both the Cones and Canons so you will have even more tuning options
Thanks that was also something I was wondering about - I just put the order in now. Appreciate your help, I will post back here when I have some results to share!
Super fast shipping! I just installed the bushings and the fit seems great! can’t really proper test yet due to rain, but I like the feel so far.
I am however experiencing some harsh squeaking on the front truck when I lean side to side. So much so that I can feel the squeak vibrate/knock through the board as I am leaning. I’m thinking it could be coming from the Pivot Cup? Any fixes for this?
Stock pivots or ours?
Yeah I used your Caliber 2 Pivots on the Kahua trucks
Unusual they would do that. was there any oil, grease or dirt involved?
I don’t think so - I did check inside the base plate with a flashlight before installing the Pivot too.
In any event, I just took it apart to take a second look and reassembled it - the squeaking is drastically reduced now, and I no longer feel the knocking anymore. strange!
Alright, I went out in between rainfall for a couple rips up and down the block. I am amazed at how different these feel from stock, I certainly didn’t expect it to be so drastic.
I felt like I was surfing with how easy the carves were to initiate and control. It’s super responsive and reliable - gives a nice confident yet nimble feeling. I am super impressed!
Thanks for the recommendations Brad - huge fan!
Sweet. Now I have to translate what you’ve done for a 240lb dude and 95lb girl. Have two sets of kahua’s to go on two boards this week.
Do it!!
Just keep in mind this was also taking into account my subsonic century with a 20 degree split. He may give a slightly different recommendation for other decks, but at the very least you know they fit the Kahua’s and can experiment!
Hey Brad! So I have the Bowery Surf Adjustable Baseplates with SR RKPs. I know I have to order 2.25" kingpin from SR and I’ve heard I need to order tall bushings one duro up than normal. Does that sound right? Tall bushings that are one duro up?