Longboard Wheels on a Skateboard? It Can Work!

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You can put longboard wheels on a skateboard but they can’t be bigger than 70mm. Wheels over 63mm need 1/2“ riser pads and 1 1/2″ bolts to keep enough clearance or else you get wheel bite. 

Here are the tools and hardware you need to make this work:

• Four longboard wheels not bigger than 70mm (ideally between 63mm and 66mm)
• Two riser pads size 1/2″, the brand doesn’t really matter
• Eight 1 1/2″ bolts
• A skate tool or any tools you have to make this work.

I’m going to try a couple of different wheels to see what works best. Let’s move on and put this question into practice;

How To Put Longboard Wheels on a Skateboard

Longboard wheels over 70mm won’t fit unless you add riser pads. Once you add riser pads to increase clearance make sure to put 1/2“ riser pads between the deck and trucks baseplate. Low trucks might reduce clearance so make sure to carefully test your ride once you’re done.

1. Remove your old wheels
2. Remove the trucks
3. Add 1/2“ riser pads
4. Attach the trucks
5. Attach the longboard wheels
6. Check if you have enough clearance

I tried using old longboard wheels on a old skateboard. While they fit, clearance is an issue. The wheels are too close to the deck, causing problems during turns due to potential wheel bite.

From my tests, it’s clear this setup isn’t safe. The solution? I’ll be adding riser pads to not to get wheelbite.

Adding Riser Pads Is Important If Wheels Are Over 60mm

After adding 1/2“ riser pads and using eight 1 1/2″ bolts, the wheel bite issue should be resolved, providing safe distance between the wheels and board. The unused Tensor trucks on the board are tight, and the new bushings add extra resistance.

The results show increased clearance when adding risers, making this setup safer to ride.

Trying Other Wheels

I also tried 60mm wheels without riser pads because 70mm wheels ride awkward and are way too wide for an 8.0″ skateboard.

This works really well and offers a smooth and playful ride. My Advice would be to just use 60mm wheels, in this case the OJ Super Juice wheels work great.

Another variation I tried is with Fatty HAWGS 63mm 78A from my Dinghy and Ricta Clouds 56mm 92A.

As you can see the HAWGS gives much more clearance and feel much more comfortable.

These wheels do a great job and offer a smooth ride but feel bouncy when hopping curbs. The OJ’s are a better choice (and cheape).

Now, let’s look at the Ricta Clouds setup. Even though They aren’t longboard wheels but I just wanted to show you some options.

If you want a smooth ride and still pull of a few basic tricks, the Ricta 92A are a good option. Go bigger if you want to push less and keep momentum.

If you are interested in cruiser wheels, I tested a lot over the years and made a list of the top cruiser wheels. Spoiler: Oj Super Juice are my favorite because they’re not that expensive.

Time to Wrap Things Up

Yes, you can slap a couple of longboard wheels on a regular skateboard, but it has its limitations.

The parts don’t always go well together and riding huge wheels on a regular skateboard feels awkward.

Taking the middle ground is your best bet. 60mm wheels without risers and max 66mm including riser pads.

When need to rise your trucks to avoid wheel bite, make sure your trucks aren’t too loose as it also reduces clearance.

Don’t go with mediocre wheels. It means you need to make a lot of compromises that take away from the experience, check out the best wheels I tested first. Cruising should be about fun and there’s no fun in being paranoid because of unreliable components.

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