When I took apart my Hurricane DKPs, I found these black urethane rings that take up the space between the kingpin and hanger. The Onsra Black Challenger are also equipped with these. I feel like the little rings make a difference in stability and have continued to use them even after switching the bushings on my Hurricane to Riptide. What are your guys thoughts?
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I have used barrel plug bushings thats basically what these are. I also did the spherical bearing mod to my dkps. Its all basically the same concept but imo they improve the stability.
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I believe @RipTideSports once said that if the bushing seat is well designed on a hanger, there’s no reason to use those urethane rings / barrel plug bushings. But for cheap trucks I’m inclined to agree that it does help reduce slop.
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If your bushings slide in the seat without the kingpin you probably would benefit from them, but if you gotta squeeze the bushing in a bit that’s as good as it’s gonna get
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I have noticed a difference using these on TB218 trucks. Reduced the slop or shift feelings. 3D printed…
Would agree with the sentiment that these can address bearing seat deficiencies on certain trucks. But not sure they qualify as a universal solution.
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I love your spherical bearing mod. That is most likely the best solution available.
What did that mod entail? On MMC the smallest spherical bearing is 20.6mm OD do you have to remove that much of the seat?
Yeah the od is about the same as a regular skate bearing. I figured wth might as well try it out.
Any pics of your handy work?
Some on the dkp thread - not the prettiest.
Keeping the bearing clean is the hardest part. Also the bushings need some modifications. Theres a video on youtube about it.
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Maybe Brad @RipTideSports could help makes these little magic urethane rings a reality! With Brad’s magic, he could offer two different durometers to further fine tune the performance of trucks. Over the next day or two I will test the Onsra urethane rings with the Savage TKPs.
I actually think the bushings might be better than a bearing. Maybe on off road riding the vibration reduction would be better.
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yeah I have used rogue trucks for a few years which are based on the same principle of an inset bushing to reduce slop. The idea is that you can use a less restrictive bushing seat as well to get more lean out of it instead of a more pronounce stop. I guess they are nice. 
I know fuckall about trucks, but the use of spherical bearings to reduce slop was more popular back in the days, and then the market moved towards insert bushings instead.
But now everyone rides DKP so who knows I guess the world is going towards a darker place
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The spherical bearing may be better for racing on smooth surfaces. Also, in race specific settings, contamination is way less of an issue. For more typical street riding and off road riding, a urethane hanger ring is most likely the way to go.
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I think it’s still popular in the slalom community for more precise turning and pumping efficiency. Don’t see it anywhere else nowadays though, likely because of all the downsides it brings.
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Does anyone know of someone who would be willing to print about 10 of these for testing. Definitely willing to pay.
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I’d print you a bunch but PLA is the only material option from me. The ones I installed I wrapped in teflon plumbers tape. Not sure how much (if at all) it helps performance… but it made me feel like it would behave more slippery and bushing-like.
Might be able to throw a dozen or so in stamped envelope (<1/4" limit) for essentially free shipping.
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Sounds great! I will message you.
I’ve got access to a resin printer that can do flexible materials if anyone here wants that done - would be around 50A durometer. I’d just ask to pay for costs haha