Electric skateboard bushings: what’s important?

[@esk8unity]

this is the fun part. easily dial in ur board without being a diy/tech type of guy.. im not mechanically inclined at all. but i know my feels. wheels, pullies and bushings are soooo much fun to change around

[@judgearts_five]

bro this makes so much sense, bless up.

[@HipstersAndHippies]

I want to take this talk a step further.
In car talk, a funny but true statement is common. The shock absorbed is acually acting as a spring. And the spring is actually does the job of shock absortion....ironic? Lol
In skateboards the Bushing/cushions are springs.
To be more exact. The smaller or softer bushing is the spring and the bottom or harder bushing is the shock absorber paired with the spring.
(The entire suspension system is composed of the bushings, the wheel rebound rate, the boards resistance to twist or flex, and any shock pads and/or softer material grip tape. )
Skateboard "bushings" or "cushions" act as springs. So the correct way of thinking Bushings is spring rates and shock rates that must be tuned together. Around weight and maximum multiplied by the g force from the speeds and angles that particular rider goes through.
Its a progressive style spring rate that starts with the "bottom" Bushing, cone or barrel. Because that's where our weight is pinching.
that's the first part of your tuning the spring rates. Is the "bottom"
and the secondary spring rates is the "top" bushing.
(Just wait until everyone catches on, we might see even more adjustability with dual duro bushings like we now see dual durometer wheels. Its the next step after hardcore bushings like bones.)
As far as adjusting the kingpin nut, this actually sets the amount preload which is stored energy. Lbs or Kg added your own added to the amount of stored energy in the bushings, especially the "bottom" bushing, (aka a little extra pop. And alters the amount of resistance and rebound)
and cranking down on the kingpin adjustment also closes the bump stop point for both the suspension and steering.
And a lighter tuned top bushing will push the wheels further away while turning. More like tetering on the bottom bushing. And allowing a little more distance from board to wheel during corners. Also allowing more of an angle the the trucks when turning. (Aka shaper turning radius.)
a heavier "top" bushing than the "bottom" will cause the bottom bushing to have more squish. Lowering the turning angle and radius, because it lowers the inside of the board closer to the wheels wheen carving. But better shock absorption.
And the reason for the quotation marks around "top bushing" and "bottom bushing" is because we are looking at the boards upside-down with the griptape side down when working on them, however in function and use the wheels side on the bottom and the griptape up top.😅
All this bushing talk reminds me, you dont have to re-lube pivot cups that often. Your not using the best kind of Lubricant for this application. But i know what does work, and nobody has been listening to me... (for real though, lol)
So to some it all up. The bushings/cushings are acting as springs. And the shock absorber paired with that spring rate.
The pivot cup sees more torsional loads and actual pivoting since it is and acts as a ball joint.

[@monstar272]

Got to ride is standard and keep adjusting till you get it to that sweet feeling of stability and movement

[@antihero_god]

Got the softer on deck side, and medium on the road side, with the front a slight bit looser, but still dialling it in

[@garrettbennett5304]

For a 200lb rider what kind of bushing is recommended?

[@evolveSkateboards]

Personal preference, but you may find the board feels much more stable with yellow/blue evolve bushings!

[@jamescalkins6069]

Good to know

[@arthurkonings4409]

👏