The Best Skateboard Trucks (Bought & Tested) (2024)

Skateboard trucks are the heart and soul of your board and if there’s one thing you shouldn’t save money on, it’s trucks. Trucks can last a long time and really make a difference between landing a trick or eating sh*t.

The skateboard community is divided about the best skateboard trucks, and you’ll often find never ending debates about Thunders and Independent. In the end, it comes down to personal preference and style, and there’s certainly a huge difference between cheap trucks and high-quality trucks.

Skip right to our recommended trucks or keep on reading to make the right choice if you’re not sure what you need.

What Makes a Good Skateboard Truck

Skateboard trucks should be able to handle impacts, you need a truck made from quality materials. The kingpin needs to be strong and the axle’s shouldn’t bend at day one from impacts. Trucks shouldn’t be too heavy if you love your flick tricks and the angle should provide a wheelbase you prefer.

In the end it comes down to personal preference and your style. I wouldn’t recommend carvy trucks for a hardcore street skater nor would I advise a tight truck for transition skateboarding. It really depends on what types of disciplines you like and sometimes you have to compromise. Trucks that feel too tight or too loose can be adjusted in most cases but how a truck carves is also dependent on its geometry.

Some brands like independent offer replacement parts. This could mean you don’t have to replace your entire truck.

How Much Do Skateboard Trucks Cost

Skateboard trucks cost between $30 USD and $140 USD for a pair.

Entry-Level/Basic Trucks: These usually range from $15 to $30 each, or $30 to $60 for a pair. They’re often made with basic materials and may not have the longevity or performance of more expensive models. Brand that offer cheap trucks are CCS, Mini Logo, and Tensor (standard).

Mid-Range Trucks: Brands like Independent, Thunder, and Venture offer trucks in this range. Prices are generally between $20 to $40 each, or $40 to $80 for a pair. These trucks often feature better materials and construction.

High-End/Premium Trucks: Some trucks, especially those with titanium or other high grade materials/features, can cost anywhere from $40 to $70+ each, or $80 to $140+ for a pair. These are designed for optimal performance and durability.

Wheelbase

If you’re planning on switching brand the wheelbase of you setup might change. Wheelbase impacts the overall performance responsiveness. Keep this in mind when you want to try a new skateboard truck brand.

1. Stability: A longer wheelbase generally provides more stability, especially at high speeds. This makes it preferred for downhill skating or cruising.
2. Turning Radius: A shorter wheelbase allows for a tighter turning radius, making the board more agile and responsive. This is often favored in street skating or technical skateboarding where quick maneuvers are required.
3. Weight Distribution: The wheelbase can influence how weight is distributed across the board. A longer wheelbase might spread the rider’s weight more evenly, while a shorter one might concentrate it.
4. Pop and Tricks: The wheelbase can also affect the “pop” or the feel when performing ollies and other tricks. Some skaters might find it easier to pop a board with a shorter wheelbase, while others might prefer the feel of a longer one.

Picking the Right Size

Check the axle width and ignore the hangar width. The width of the truck axle should match closely to the width of your skateboard deck. A bit of a deviation isn’t a problem, you can fit 8.0″ trucks on a 8.125″ deck or on a 7.8. As long as they don’t stick out too much you should be fine.

Avoid carpet riding (not able to see the wheels on your trucks) or trucks sticking out too much which increase the chance of landing primo.

Street skaters might prefer narrower trucks for responsiveness, while transition skaters might go for wider trucks for stability.

Breaking in New Skateboard Trucks

New trucks take time to work properly. Your trucks may feel super loose, because the bushings require time to break in. This takes at least an hour. You can tighten your trucks but you risk squashing the bushings which results in tearing them apart. So do this gradually or use your old bushings if they are still in decent shape. In the end they harden up and start to work.

As for grinding, you’ll feel like you’re all over the place and locking in your grinds is difficult at first. There needs to be some wear on the right spots before you can get those 5-0’s back. Some use a metal file to speed things up, but never tried this myself. You just have to put up with it and grind until you get the grooves back.

If you experience squeaky sounds it might be the pivot cup causing the noise. Apply some lube on the pivot cup to get rid of it.

Skateboard Trucks and Skate Style

Some street skaters prefer Indys where others prefer Thunders which means most trucks are suitable for all styles. Independent trucks turn better than Thunder trucks which theoretically makes them more suitable for transition. But it’s not set in stone, so here is some general advice.

Skateboard Trucks For Street

Street skateboarding requires trucks that can take a beating. You need trucks with some metal on the hangar to chew through. A high-quality kingpin that won’t snap, some softer metal that offers a smooth grind, and a truck shouldn’t be too heavy (like standard indys).

If you want high-end street trucks you should check out Thunder trucks, they offer a few different trucks but we recommend the Thunder Hollow Lights. Alternatively Independent is also great for street skating though a bit more carvy.

Skateboard Trucks For Transition

Transition skateboarders benefit from a truck that’s carvy and snappy. A responsive truck offers more balance when skating various obstacles in a skate park, and helps when carving through any type of transition.

Bowl skaters benefit from responsive trucks like Ace and Independent. Venture offers great stability in mini ramps and vert, and Independent offer trucks that are great for skate parks.

Trucks for Cruising and Tricks

Basically any skateboard truck will work here as you won’t be doing any high impact skateboarding. What you should avoid is trucks that don’t turn well but often this can be resolved by replacing the stock bushings.

Recommended Skateboard Trucks

I picked a few trucks that should work for most skateboarders. There are so many brands and trucks that it’s impossible to highlight them all. I picked trucks based on durability, price, skate style, and weight. Keep in mind that it comes down to personal preference.

New trucks take time to break in, many skaters prefer not to buy new trucks because locking in grinds is harder on new trucks and new bushings are a pain. If the bushings on your old trucks are still in good condition, consider swapping them to your new trucks or consider replacing the stock with bones hardcore bushings which don’t require any breakin in time.

Lastly, there are repair kits out there. Sometimes you can replace the hangar, baseplate or kingpin without having to buy a complete new set. Anyway, here are some suggestions to help you on your way.

1. Independent Trucks Stage 11 Hollow

Independent trucks are known for their durability but were once considered heavy. However, with the introduction of the Stage 11 Hollows and Titanium models, their weight has decreased.

These trucks have a lot of metal to chew through, making them excellent for grinding in both street and transition skateboarding. Compared to Thunder trucks, Independent trucks turn better, making them a favorite among transition skaters.

Some may not like the stock bushings, but that’s a common issue across brands. The metal feels softer on Independent trucks, making your grinds smooth and stable. Height differs depending on the type, forged trucks are 53.5mm and standard/hollows at 55mm.

Transitioning from low trucks might require an adjustment period. While they’re on the pricier side, their longevity makes them a cost-effective choice. Lastly, Independent offers replacement parts which saves you a lot of money when something breaks.

Highlights:

• Independent offers spare parts
• Best for both transition and street skating.
• Essential for mini ramps and bowls.
• Highly responsive turns.
• Among the most durable on the market.
• Come with a “Guaranteed for Life” promise.
• Available in a variety of sizes, accommodating deck widths from 6.2″ to 10″.

2. Thunder Hollow Light II

Thunder trucks are many street skaters favorite trucks and loved for their responsiveness, grinding ability, and durability. Thunder trucks are about the best trucks you can get and will last you a long time. They are less turny than indy’s but most skaters won’t even notice.

• A great choice for flip tricks and grinding
• Perform great in skate parks and on the streets
• Very versatile, if you like parks, street and tranny just go for them

Thunder offers many trucks so let’s break them down and see what works for you. It’s safe to say that the standard trucks are just fine but if you want to spend some extra cash you got a lot to pick from.

Thunder offers fantastic stock bushings and will break in quickly. You can either go for Thunder lows or highs, the lows can cause wheel bite sometimes depending on the size of your wheels. If you’re a tranny skater, go for the highs.

3. Venture Standard Trucks

Venture Trucks are about the most stable trucks you can get which is very noticeable when you skate transition. The lows are great for street skating and the highs perform really well in bowl, pool, mini ramp, and vert. I would the Venture if you’re on a budget. You get a very durable truck for a good price. Other options are:

• Venture V-Lights
• Venture V-Titanium
• Venture V-Hollow Lights

Even though they are a bit less turny compared to Indys, they help you maintain your balance. Venture are also excellent skateboard trucks for beginners.

Most quality trucks now offer bushings that break in much faster than it used to be but these bushings only take about 30 minutes to break in. Venture Trucks are very snappy trucks and provide great pop given that you ride a medium kicktail deck.

As for durability the fall right between Indys and Thunders meaning you will skate them for a long time.

• Great lock-in on transitions
• Very decent grind on flat bars and rounded ledges but the hard metal makes them grind slower
• Very loose trucks, bushings break in quite fast
• Dropped kingpin for extra clearance
• Forged baseplate
• Height: Lo-48mm, Hi-53.5mm
• Available in a variety of sizes, accommodating deck widths from 7.5″ to 8.9″.

The standard Venture trucks is obviously the cheapest but a very high-quality truck. It features a forged baseplate, reinforced high-grade steel kingpin, a solid axle, and a forged aluminum hanger. For most of us ordinary skateboarder folks, this is all you need, but if you want something that weighs less keep on reading.

4. Tensor MagLight

If you want the lightest skateboard trucks available and don’t mind trucks that don’t last as long as Indys, MAglights are a good choice.

Tensor is Rodney Mullen’s company and it’s known for its ultra-lightweight trucks. The benefit is that it doesn’t hurt as much when they hit your shins and some think it can make them ollie higher.

The geometry of the baseplates makes grinding and slides easier. Tensors are rather low which can be a problem with bigger wheels but it also makes them very stable trucks. Tensors wear a lot faster and should be avoided if you don’t have a lot of cash to splash.

Sure they are very light but the magnesium mixture to cast the hangar seems to be causing issues for some skaters. If you’re a hardcore street technician, you probably want to skip these. If you want the lightest skateboard setup, these trucks are right up your alley.

These trucks offer a very smooth grind and feel amazing. We did manage to snap a kingpin and there wasn’t a way to remove or replace it, which sucks. Independent Titanium’s are a decent alternative if you want a more durable truck, but we also managed to snap an axle on those (got a new one under the warranty).

• Ultra-lightweight
• Decent at grinding and technical tricks, not so much for transition.
• The biggest con, they aren’t very durable
• Lifetime guarantee against breakage in case of a manufacturing defects
• Low kingpin to avoid hangups
• Interlocking bushings for better control

5. Krux

Krux is a good choice for street skating and transition and are lighter than indys. Very slight camber to the hanger and shaved off baseplates to make them lighter. Very recognizable by the hole which exposes the kingpin and bushings. Regular krux trucks aren’t recommended for transition, mini ramps, bowls, vert, or anyone that likes to ride loose trucks.

Super thick rounded baseplate that can take lots of abuse. Krux are great for those who love grinding

• Decent manual feeling
• Adequate for flip tricks
• Improved turnability since the k5 update

Krux have a reputation for delivering one of the “Smoothest Grinds” paired with distinctive colorways. In comparison to the competition, you’ll receive a quality truck at a good price.

The Krux K5 was released in 2021, which promised an updated baseplate and hanger to improve overall response.

What you’ll get:

• Improved turning response.
• Stock bushings are soft/medium.
• Lightweight, very grindable.
• Great for beginners and transition.

6. Ace trucks

Ace trucks are very carve-y trucks and could be considered for bowl skating or cruising. The stock bushings are fine but it’s hard to replace them, only Krux bushings seem compatible. I know Bam Margera loves them because the bushings don’t require you to break them in, at least that’s what he said.

Less suitable for technical grinds as they are harder to lock-in. Kingpin clearance is minimal and they tend to wobble at greater speeds. Not for skaters who like to ride their trucks tight.

• Bushings break in fast
• Good choice for a cruiser
• Great for bow skateboarding

7. CCS Trucks

Not the best, not the worst and a great choice when you really don’t want to spend too much. CCS trucks cost around 30 bucks a pair and that’s pretty cheap compared to the competition. They aren’t as durable as indys and if you like to grind curbs you are jump 5-stairs, you probably should look for a different truck.

They hold up fine for basic tricks and yes you can grind curbs but they will wear quicker compared to the more expensive trucks. Beginners don’t have to worry about this anyway and the trucks can take some abuse for sure. They turn fine and are medium height which makes them suitable for street skating and parks.

The trucks hangers and axles are straight, there aren’t any visible deformations or warping issues which often is the case with cheaper trucks. CCS checks quality before the trucks hit the stores.

• High-Grade Kingpin
• Steel base plate
• Bushings are okay, at least they turn well
• A great option for beginners on a budget

Skateboard Truck Parts Explained

1. Baseplate: The flat piece that screws onto the skateboard deck. It contains holes for mounting and holds the rest of the truck components in place.
2. Hanger: The largest part of the truck, shaped somewhat like a T. It supports the axle and is where grind tricks are performed.
3. Axle: A long pin that runs through the hanger. Skateboard wheels are attached to either end of the axle.
4. Bushings: Soft urethane rings found on the kingpin. They allow the skateboard to turn and pivot smoothly. Their hardness affects turning responsiveness.
5. Kingpin: A large bolt that holds the truck parts together. It fits through the bushings and adjusts the truck’s tightness and responsiveness.
6. Pivot Cup: A small rubber piece in the baseplate where the hanger pivots. It allows for smooth turning and adds stability.
7. Washers: Small flat discs that sit above and below the bushings. They distribute pressure evenly and protect the bushings.
8. Nuts: Small fasteners on the axle’s ends that keep the wheels in place, and one on the kingpin to hold the truck assembly together.

Don’t Buy New Trucks if You Can Replace Parts

Do not just buy new trucks when you can replace parts. Independent offers replacement baseplates including a kingpin. So if you snap the kingpin, you might want to see if you can repair your truck.

Sometimes parts of skateboard trucks are interchangeable, maybe you got a buddy that has some spare parts laying around to fix your truck. Saves you a ton of money.

Final Words

All the skateboard trucks listed here are reliable, some are more durable and better for hardcore skating, and some are excellent for beginners who don’t want to spend too much.

There are many more great skateboard trucks out there, but we can’t list them all.

Test some trucks of friends if you can, try to skate them under different circ*mstances, and see what feels right. Whether you pick Thunder, Indys, Venture, or Mini Logo trucks. In the end, you are the one that needs to commit and nail those tricks. Quality gear really helps though.