Washers Explained
Are washers necessary?
The short answer is yes. A washer is needed between the kingpin nut and the bushing- it prevents the nut from cutting into the bushing, and it helps keep the kingpin nut screwed on tightly. Some trucks will not use a washer on the boardside position but you will always need a washer on the roadside position. Washers are also very important for controlling the movement of the urethane bushings.
What else can washers do?
Washers are the cheapest way to fine tune your set up. The type of washer you use can change the amount your bushing will deform while turning/leaning, which translates to your set up feeling harder or softer.
Washers also provide the correct shape and surface area for the bushings to press against, which makes the bushings behave the way they should. For an example of misuse, if a FatCone is used with a washer that is too small and doesn’t cover the top surface, it will feel like a Barrel because the urethane could deform around the top of the washer instead of into the correct area.
Types of Washers
Our flat washers are less restrictive, but provide a ‘wall’ that stops the urethane from deforming past it. These will allow for more carve in your setup compared to cup washers. Our small flat washers will work with all heights of Cones, Barrels and Canons. Our large flat washers work with all heights of Chubbys, FatCones and Magnums.
Our cup washers are designed to add more restriction to the movement of the urethane. They will make your ride feel tighter when used. Our KranK formula reacts particularly well to the containment provided by the cup washer, and will ramp up in hardness even faster when tightening the kingpin nut. Our small cup washers work with all heights of Cones. Our large cup washers work with all heights of Barrels and Canons. We don’t offer a cup washer for our Chubbys, FatCones or Magnums because those shapes are already more resistive and very large.
Why Don’t Some Shapes Come With Washers?
Our Cones (0.6” and 0.75”), Barrels (0.6” and 0.75”) and Canons (0.6”) don’t come with washers because they work with both small flat washers and cup washers (small for Cones, large for Barrels and Canons). Some riders will want the less restrictive flat washers, while others prefer the more restrictive cup washers, so we sell them separately to provide both options.
Controlling Your Set Up With Washers!
As mentioned above, flat washers offer less resistance but are still important for your bushings. Cup washers offer more resistance. So if you’re finding that your ride is just a bit looser than you want, try using a cup washer instead! This is particularly effective for KranK, but will also help APS bushings feel a bit harder.
You can also easily change your set up to be asymmetrical using washers. By using flat washers in the front and cup washers in the back, you can give your ride more stability. You can also play with using flat washers on top and cup washers on the bottom. Using washers is the cheapest way to fine tune your set up, and we highly recommend you experiment with them!