What Size Skateboard Trucks Do I Need?
The right trucks can make a massive difference to your board set up and your skateboarding. If you’re new to skateboarding, choosing the right skateboard truck size can be confusing so we’ve put together this 3-step guide to help you find the right truck. There are many brands, technologies and materials to choose from but this guide will just cover size.
Step 1. Match your truck width to your board width
Matching your board and truck width means you’ll have a more stable board for flip tricks plus, you know exactly where your wheels are when grinding rails or hitting the ramp coping. Skateboard truck companies have different size and naming conventions for their trucks, which does not make it easy for the beginner, so we’ve outlined below what you need to know about the actual size of the trucks.
A 7.75" deck matches a 5.0" truck and an 8.0" deck matches a 5.25" truck. The truck width is determined by the the width of the hanger, however, when you measure the axle itself, you’ll see a truck size of 5.0" has an overall width, when including axle, of 7.75” which fits a 7.75" deck perfectly. If it’s your first time buying a skateboard, just ask one of our team and they will make sure you’ve got the right trucks for your board.
Step 2. Chose a truck height
Skateboard trucks also come in three different heights: Low, Medium and High.
Low: Fast turning, responsive pop, better stability when grinding and a more stable center of gravity. Ideal for technical skateboarding, flip tricks, ledge grinds and skateparks. Make sure you choose a wheel between 48mm to 53mm to avoid wheel bite.
Mid: Want the best qualities of the lows and and highs all in one truck? That’s essentially the mid height truck. Good for street and skatepark skateboarding.
High: Tighter turning, more room to pivot and can run larger wheel and looser trucks. You’ll get a faster, smoother ride however the board will be harder to balance on. Highs are also perfect for transition skateboarding.
Step 3. Chose what feels right for you
This is only a rough guide and everyone skates differently so, at the end of the day, choose what feels best for you.
You can check out our huge range of trucks here.