So you want to get the best skate wheels for your skateboard? If you’re a self-respecting skater, then you definitely wouldn’t want to settle with just any wheel. You want to get one that gives you the best overall performance. In that case, read on because we’ll show you how to do just that.

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.