But before you take your skateboard wheels back, let us help you out with some tips first. There are some things that you need to understand about these wheels, so we recommend that you read this article first.

One of the most common problems that skaters face when dealing with skateboard wheels is flat spotting. If you find after a few weeks or even just days of using your wheels that they’ve already flat spotted, it could be because of one of a few things.

First is that you probably worked your wheels too hard. By that we mean that you’ve probably made one too many power slides with them. Your wheels will definitely suffer from that and will show signs of wear eventually, faster if your wheels are particularly soft. Also, don’t be sold too much on what wheel manufacturers say when they promise that their wheels will never flat spot. The truth is that you can only make wheels too tough and they will eventually wear out over time. So, if you want to power slide often, we suggest that you buy tougher and more specialized wheels for them to be more resistant to flat spotting.

Aside from power sliding, the material that your wheels are made of can affect your performance too. So, when you’re shopping for skateboard wheels, we recommend that you only buy ones that are made of urethane. This material brings the balance between control and speed on your skateboard, while being a lot more resistant to wear and tear than other types of wheels such as metal or clay.

In addition, we suggest that you look into the clearance between your wheels and the deck. This is especially the case if you bought new wheels that are significantly larger than your old ones. Buying wheels with bigger diameter could shorten the space between the surfaces of the wheel and the deck, causing a wheel bite whenever you land. In that case, you could choose to use risers between your trucks and your deck to provide more clearance to the wheel and thus avoid wheel bite. If that’s not an option, then, you should probably return to a smaller set of wheels.

Once again, don’t take your new set of skateboard wheels just yet when you find something wrong with it. The truth is that it probably doesn’t have anything to do with the wheels. Check out some of the things you do that could be affecting their performance. Also, see if you installed your wheels correctly. These will help you get away from the frustration of finding a ‘flawed’ set of wheels.

So, that’s what this article is all about. If you have considered becoming a sponsored skateboarder, then, we’ll show you some of the things that you would get when you become one. So, what are these benefits? Let us list some of them for you:

1. You get to exercise your passion. Let’s say that you are truly passionate about skateboarding. However, life has its way of catching up with you, such as school projects, errands or even work. When that happens, you’ll find yourself spending less time on your skateboard and start doing things that you aren’t really happy with. Or let’s say you want to join as many competitions as possible. The problem is that you are cash strapped and you can’t even pay for registration fees or upgrade your gear. What do you do? That’s where becoming a sponsored skater comes in. You may be paid tons of cash as in the case of full time professionals. If not, you can get at least some backing on what you do. It could be a new set of wheels, or some cash to reimburse some of your expenses, just to name a few.

2. You get to travel. If you love traveling and skateboarding, then, becoming a sponsored skateboarder can help you combine the two. The great thing is that you don’t have to dip into your pocket or at least shoulder the entire amount for the trip just so you could travel. Your sponsors could help shoulder the costs. What’s more is that you get all these perks while doing two things that you enjoy the most: skating and traveling.

3. You get to promote brands you believe in. Some people are just plain brand conscious. But others stick with particular brands because these skaters believe in what these brands do. They believe in the quality of their products and how they change the way skaters ride. If you’re lucky enough to be sponsored by a brand that you believe in, then, we salute you. It’s not easy to hit two birds with one stone, but if you could pull off getting a sponsorship from a brand that you really like, then, you’ve made it.

So, you see, there’s more than just cash, free skateboard wheels and fame in becoming a sponsored skater. The experience changes your life. While it may not last forever, but at least you got to exercise your passion, travel, and help promote a brand you believe in while you are doing one of the coolest things in the world: skateboarding.

But the truth is that you need the best wheels to get the most out of your skating. Sure, cheaply-made wheels can get the job done somehow, but if you’re after perfect execution every single time, then get the best skate wheels you can afford.

Now why should you get a really good skateboard wheel? Let us show you the reasons.

They’re Durable
The best wheels go through a rigorous process of testing to get the best results. Of course, flat spotting can’t entirely be eliminated in any wheel, but the best wheels are more resistant to that problem. You’ll really have to work hard to flat spot a good skateboard wheel. And by the time that you finally flat spot it, you’ll probably regret doing it because you’ve realized you’ve got a fantastic wheel.

You can always buy several cheap wheels and just replace them every time a pair gets busted. But why do that when you can get a single set of wheels that you can use for a lot longer, right?

They Provide Consistent Performance
Popular skateboard wheel brands are popular for a reason: they’ve always delivered consistent quality and performance to their customers. With cheaply-made wheels, it would be like playing Russian roulette with your money and performance. That’s because you’ll never know if you’re getting a good set of wheels or not. With reliable brands, you just pick up a wheel, and you’ll already know what to expect.

You Get the Best Bang for Your Buck
Again, if you’re after perfect execution and reliability, get the best skateboard wheels you can afford. Sure, some of the well-known brands are a little bit expensive, but think of it this way: you’re paying for the value that the wheels deliver. So as far as value goes, you get the most out of every penny that you spend on the best skateboarding wheels out there. They may have cost you a pretty penny, but you get a fantastic ride in return. How much sweeter can that kind of deal get?

All in all, getting the best skateboarding wheels is about quality, best value for your money, and reliability. If you’re looking to get a fantastic performance out of your wheels, or if you’re looking for wheels that will stand a lot of use and abuse, the get the best skateboarding wheels you could afford.

First Things First
But before you get those elusive “best skate wheels”, find out first the type of performance you’ll use your wheels for. Now let’s say you’re going to go street skating. For this type of skating, you’ll be needing wheels that are fast yet are easy to control. You don’t want to slip while doing difficult tricks, do you?

Now that you know exactly what you need, we have to dig in deeper. You must familiarize yourself with the two important things when talking about skate wheels: the diameter and hardness. Both things will affect your performance.

How Wheel Diameter Affects Performance
The rule of thumb in the diameter of skate wheels is that a larger wheel provides speed, while a smaller one provides better control. For doing tricks, you want wheels that provide you with more control over your board. Because of that, you need small wheels, around the 49-51mm range. Small wheels provide better maneuverability because they keep your board closer to the center of gravity.

On the downside, though, small wheels typically ride slower than big wheels, say 53-55mm. But you can balance things out by adding the hardness of the wheel into the mix.

The Durometer, Your Wheel’s Hardness
Another factor that will affect your skate wheel’s performance is the hardness. This is usually measured using the Shore durometer “A” scale, from the softer 75A to the harder 101A.

We mentioned earlier that you’ll need small wheels to gain more control of your skateboard. But your speed suffers in the process. So to even things out, you need a very hard wheel—around 101A—to give you that much needed speed as hard wheels have less traction. Hard wheels are also perfect if you want to do sliding and grinding tricks.

What’s the Best Skate Wheels for You?
Once again, if you’re all about street skating, you want wheels that provide you with control and speed. For that purpose, look for wheels that have a diameter of around 49-55mm, with a hardness of 101A. This combo will provide you with exactly what you need to do the sweetest tricks on your board.

Take note, though, that those figures are only for recommendation purposes. Everyone will their have own preferences, and surely you have yours too. So it’s always good to test wheels of different diameters and hardness and check out the perfect combination that suits you. It may take time and maybe a good amount of money, but if you’re after the best performance from your skates, then it’s worth the investment.