How Do You Get Rid Of Speed Wobbles On A Skateboard?

How Do You Get Rid Of Speed Wobbles On A Skateboard?

One of the primary solutions to any wobbles on your skateboard most likely to spring up on your mind is tightening your trucks as they are probably loose.

This is the cheapest method of ensuring your skateboard does not wobble and the trucks are kept in check.

You can use a bam and a wrench to do the trick . Once your trucks are tightened, your skateboard will not be wobbly. Ensure the wheelbase is increased, acquire low degree base plates and displace your weight correctly on the board.

But you may have to deal with turning difficulties likely to develop when you resort to this method of solving the issue.

The faster you move using your skateboard or longboard, the higher the chances of your trucks becoming loose.

You should also be aware that the wobbling problem is not done completely when you tighten your trucks.

You have postponed it, and this will be confirmed once you start skating at high speeds once more. The faster you go after tightening the trucks, the sooner it starts wobbling.

The next option you may want to contemplate resorting to is acquiring low degree base plates. As a rider, you will inevitably experience fewer turning movements.

But as you are aware, less turn movement results in less correction required and the ultimate reduction of speed wobbles.

However, you should note that this will not solve the wobbling issue entirely, as you are probably just postponing the inevitable.

And within some time, you will have to do the same corrections until you replace the skateboard repeatedly.

The main downside of using this method as a correction for the wobbling issue is that when the wobbling begins afterward, it will be faster and more vigorous than they were initially.

Whether you are a longboard(Amazon Link) or skateboard owner, the other method you can use to correct wobbly situations is to ensure the wheelbase is increased.

Get Rid Of Speed Wobbles On A Skateboard

When you do this, you will make it harder to wobble as you shall have significantly reduced the turning.

You may notice that the installed wheelbase is slow to turn, which may not be the case with your initial relatively smaller wheelbase.

You should also note, just like any other previously discussed methods.

Doing this will only postpone the wobbling time and will not completely solve the problem. It is still bound to happen.

Can Displacement Of Weight Cause Speed-Wobbles?

How you displace your weight on the longboard or skateboard plays a significant part in speed wobbles.

You may contemplate ignoring this, but it’s true, and most longboard users have realized this.

Whenever you are moving at very high speeds, it’s expected that your body moves a little bit backward; hence your weight is displaced.

Whenever you are moving at such speed, you should consider balancing your weight on the board such that a lot of stress is not put on the rear wheels when you initiate a turn.

Balancing your weight on the longboard will depend on where your foot is placed.

The front foot should be placed at approximately 45 degrees, and the back foot should be more aligned to your back.

That is to say, your back foot and your back should be more in the same angle, preferable at 90 degrees.

What Are Some Causes Of Speed Wobbles?

You may have acquired your longboard or skateboard and are ready to have fun with your friends as you ride downhill.

But, you then notice there the wheels are wobbling. You may not be aware of what is likely to cause this. So, here are some of the reasons your skate’s wheels may be wobbly;

Loose trucks; Loose trucks top the list of wobbly longboard wheels(Amazon Link)

Once the trucks are loose and remain unfixed or corrected in any way, then you will feel your longboard is incredibly wobbly as you race downhill.

More steady front trucks than the back trucks; Once the rear trucks are not as steady as the front trucks, then they are bound to turn more than the front trucks.

This will ultimately result in them being wobbly as they will be quick to turn than the front trucks.

The back trucks may end up wobbling so much that you get thrown off the course of the road.

Tall boards; You may not give it much thought, but tall boards often do not concur well with the loosening of trucks.

When your boards are mounted higher on the wheels, stability issues develop. You are less stable on the high mounted boards than lower boards.

Improper weight displacement; Who said once you acquire a longboard, the next thing is to jump on, and you are clear to go? Well, if this was your mindset, then prepare for a rude shock! .

You may have to rethink contemplating acquiring one. One fact you have to think about and master is weight balancing and displacement.

Failure to master this art will result in your wheels wobbling in no time.

If you don’t balance the weight as required and displace more weight at the skateboard’s back, the trucks will turn more vigorously than those at the front, thus; wobbles.

How Do I Control Or Prevent These Causes Of Wobbles?

Well, since you will be using your longboard quite often, you don’t want wobbles to interfere with the fun.

Here are some different methods you can employ to your advantage to ensure the fun is prolonged as much as possible.

Ensure your trucks are tightened; Tightening your loose trucks may have come into your mind as soon as you noticed it is loose.

Well, it can save you much hassle and possible danger associated with them.

When moving at incredible speed, your wobbly trucks can aggressively turn and throw you out of the road.

Well, the result of this may not be quite pleasant. Therefore, whenever you notice your trucks are becoming loose.

Ensure they are tightened for more fun time and fewer chances of possible undesired incidents.

Balance your truck’s stability; The other method of controlling wobbles is ensuring that both the front trucks and the back trucks have the same level of stability.

The front trucks should not be more steady than the rear trucks. Likewise, the back trucks should not be more steady than the front trucks.

Once one set of trucks is more steady than the other, then the less stable trucks are more prone to turning than the other. This will finally result in wobbles.

Use lower boards; If you have experience with skating, either on longboards or skateboards, then at one point.

You may have noticed that your stability is different whenever you use boards with varying heights of the mount.

The stability of high mounted boards is relatively low when compared to those with low mounted boards.

If you want to be more stable when using your longboard, then it is time you consider acquiring those with low mounted boards.

You will be confident and sure when and how to make your turns without being thrown over. But if you still want high mounted boards with more stability, then good luck finding one!

Displace your weight correctly on the board; How you displace your weight on the board is quite important.

A slight mistake in doing this, and your trucks will be wobbling in no time. Always ensure your weight is correctly balanced on the board, and don’t lean too much to the back.

Once you lean much to the back, a good percentage of your weight is also displaced backward.

This will make the back trucks feel more pressure than the front trucks. Therefore, the rear trucks will be subjected to more quick turning; hence they wobble.

Ensure your weight is displaced in an almost balancing manner, maybe with just a slight difference, by exerting more weight on the front foot.

Some other possible reason why your skateboard trucks are wobbling is sudden movement.

When you already have wobbling trucks on the skateboard, moving suddenly at great speed can potentially escalate the situation.

Whenever you are riding and decide to make a turn by shifting your weight on the board, do not have second thoughts once you begin.

You should be confident and move with the flow. Otherwise, you may end up confusing the system and end up being thrown over.

You should be aware that falling off the skateboard at high speed can lead to a severe accident and sometimes fractured bone; ouch! You don’t want that.

Most riders would prefer ensuring the back trucks are more stable and only initiate bend turns using the front trucks.

Well, you could achieve this by using low truck angles and wedging.  

Another thing you could do is to relax on the board. Once you start riding the skateboard downhill and realize the trucks are wobbling along the way, don’t panic! Relax, breathe.

This technique should not be underestimated at any cost. Just bend your knee and lower your body.

This will make you more stable on the board as you move downhill. Spice this up with a little confidence, and you are good to go.

It’s often comforting if you know how to balance your speed. Once you master the art of keeping the speed in check, you will not have to worry about the speed you are moving at.

Also, you should learn several stopping techniques and which one to use at given points.

Whether you want a sudden stop or initiate a gradual halt, all the techniques to use should be at your fingertips, ready to be used whenever the need arises.

Most riders have mastered several stopping techniques; hence you should also be equipped with one.

At What Speed Is Speed Wobble Likely To Occur?

For skateboard riders, anything above 20mph is almost too much. However, once you start riding on the skateboard.

Whenever there are any wobbling trucks, you will notice it just a few meters after you jump on.

You should avoid going too fast, mostly downhill, when your skateboard has wobbling trucks.

A sudden turn made by the trucks may not end up well when you were moving so fast.

The first to happen is being thrown off the board as you did not anticipate the sudden turn of events.

Fix your wobbling trucks before attempting any fast manoeuvre downhill around bend s and corners.

Do Electric Skateboards Also Experience Speed Wobbles?

A skateboard will experience speed wobbles whether it is electric or not.

Once the trucks have somehow loosened up, nothing will prevent them from experiencing speed wobbles as you move.

When the electric skateboards move at incredibly high speed, about 45mph, and starts wobbling, this is called “death wobble.”

This is because, as you move at this speed or even higher, any slight turn of events such as wobbling trucks suddenly making a turn.

Then follow-up events may make you regret your choice of sport.

Always be safe and ride at low speed. Well, some want the thrill. Ride fast but safely.

How Do I Control Or Prevent My Electric Skateboard From Experiencing Speed Wobbles?

One easy, effective way of ensuring your electric skateboard speed wobbles is kept in check is by tightening the rear trucks a little more than the trucks at the front of the board.

The other thing to do is going for electric skateboards with low mounted boards for more stability.

When you are unstable on the board, your weight will constantly be shifting, thereby making the trucks unsteady. This will result in them loosening hence starts to wobble.

Experienced riders, however, know how to move about their skateboards and maintain keep their speed wobbles in check whether they move slowly or fast.

You should not try this if you are not sure of your skills level. Any form of recklessness displayed on the skateboard may lead to detrimental consequences.

How Can I Control Speed Wobbles Without Having To Fix Anything?

Fixing your skateboard trucks should always be the number one option to consider when you want to do away with speed wobbles on your skateboard.

It is the most recommended solution to the problem. However, sometimes you may not realize you have a speed wobble issue until you are racing downhill.

Since you may not want to stop at that point, you will need an immediate remedy to the issue.

You need to balance your weight on the board, lower your body to gain more stability and relax.

Do not panic. Ensure your boat remains steady and you are composed and confident. The speed wobbles will significantly reduce, though not much, but you will be in control.

To achieve this technique, you should be training more often and master it. Train with most types of skateboards, and you will achieve great precision whenever application time comes.

Does Wheelbase Matter In Controlling Speed Wobbles?

Of course, wheelbase matters. Skateboards with smaller wheelbase are more prone to quick turning than skateboards with large wheelbase.

As a result, they can easily experience speed wobbles than skateboards with a larger wheelbase with low turning ability.

If you do not want to experience speed wobbles after covering every couple of distances, then you should consider acquiring a skateboard with a larger wheelbase.

Any skateboard rider with low experience in the riding field is also advised to begin their learning experience with large wheelbase skateboards .

Before they gain the experience and control master to move about with skateboards that have smaller wheelbase.

The only primary solution you can use to deal with seed wobbles is by training your mind.

You have to know how your body muscles react and change whenever you are on a skateboard.

The changes could be due to different speed movement or terrain. You should train your mind on how to react at different levels and stages of the skateboarding expedition.

How you move around with the skateboard, how you initiate turns, and how you respond is how your mind is likely to react and adapt to your skate movements.

The mind will only react how it is trained. Therefore, constant practice backed with patience and confidence is the perfect way to master your skateboard.

You may make adjustments on the skateboard, such as tightening the trucks to prevent speed wobbles, but all these are temporary.

You will have to do them repeatedly as long as your skateboard remains in use.

Train your mind, body reaction, and balance, and you will be skating like a professional in no time. Just train, be patient, and focus.

Generally, getting rid of speed wobbles is not much of a big deal than ordering your pizza.

You can choose to continually try tightening your trucks whenever they are wobbly, or train with wobbly trucks and master the art of balancing and control to reduce speed wobbles.

If you choose to tighten the trucks as a remedy, then be sure you will have to do it repeatedly.

But that is not what a pro does. It would be better to train yourself on minimizing speed wobbles without having to tighten the trucks every time.