Skateboard Upgrades
Can You Put Longboard Wheels on a Skateboard? What Actually Changes
Yes, longboard wheels physically fit on a standard skateboard. But the swap changes more than just how smooth the ride feels — it changes ride height, turning behavior, and how much effort each push takes. For some riders, it is a smart $35–$55 upgrade. For others, that money is better spent on a board designed for cruising from the start.
The short answer: yes, but there are real tradeoffs
Putting longboard wheels on a skateboard is one of the most common beginner modifications, and it works — with conditions. Both skateboard and longboard wheels use the same 608 bearing size, so the wheels will mount onto standard skateboard trucks. The issue is not whether they fit. The issue is what happens after you bolt them on.
Larger wheels raise your ride height, change how the board turns, and introduce a real risk of wheel bite — where the wheel contacts the underside of the deck mid-turn and stops you abruptly. That is not a minor inconvenience at speed. Riser pads solve most of the clearance problem, but they also change the board’s center of gravity and push ergonomics even further.
The honest framing is this: swapping longboard wheels onto a skateboard is a tradeoff, not an upgrade. You gain smoother rolling over rough pavement. You lose some of the low ride height and trick-ready geometry that made a skateboard feel like a skateboard in the first place. Whether that tradeoff makes sense depends entirely on what you are trying to do with the board.
For a full breakdown of wheel size, hardness, and what each spec actually means for your ride, our longboard wheels guide covers that in detail. Here, we focus on the cross-compatibility question — and whether the swap is worth it compared to buying a dedicated longboard or cruiser.
What actually changes when you put bigger, softer wheels on a skateboard
Standard skateboard wheels are typically 50–54mm in diameter with a hardness of 95A–101A. Longboard wheels usually range from 60–75mm at 78A–83A. That is a significant gap in both size and durometer — enough that you will notice the difference within the first push.
Here is what each change means for your actual riding:
| Spec Change | What It Means for You |
|---|---|
| Larger diameter (60–70mm vs 50–54mm) | Rides higher off the ground. Each push covers more distance, but your foot has to reach further to the pavement. Roughly 5–12mm taller depending on wheel size. |
| Softer durometer (78A–83A vs 95A–101A) | Absorbs sidewalk cracks, brick seams, and rough asphalt. Smoother ride. But the softer urethane compresses more, which means slightly slower acceleration on smooth concrete. |
| Added riser pads (1/4″ to 1/2″) | Prevents wheel bite during turns. But raises the deck even higher, which makes pushing more effort over distance and changes the board’s stability profile. |
| TKP truck geometry | Standard skateboards use traditional kingpin (TKP) trucks, which turn differently than the reverse kingpin (RKP) trucks common on longboards. The board will feel more responsive in the center of the turn but less fluid edge-to-edge. |
In practical terms: your skateboard will roll smoother over bad pavement, but it will feel taller, slightly heavier, and different in tight turns. On a half-mile coffee run, that is probably fine. On a two-mile commute, the raised push height adds up fast.
If you want to dig deeper into how wheel size and hardness affect different riding surfaces, the wheel size and hardness breakdown covers that with specific recommendations.
The three scenarios: when swapping wheels makes sense, and when it does not
This is the part most articles skip. A wheel swap is not universally good or bad — it depends on what you are trying to do.
Scenario 1: You own a skateboard, want smoother cruising, budget under $50
The swap works here. You already have the deck and trucks. Adding 60–63mm soft wheels and a set of riser pads gives you a noticeably smoother ride on cracked sidewalks and rough parking lots for roughly $35–$55 total. You accept that the board rides higher and turns a little differently. That is a fair trade.
Scenario 2: You want to commute 1–3 miles on mixed pavement
This is where the swap starts breaking down. A standard skateboard deck is 7.75″–8.25″ wide with kicktails designed for tricks, not for standing comfortably over distance. The narrow platform, short wheelbase, and TKP truck geometry were not designed for mile-long pushes. You can make it work, but after a few weeks you will likely wish you had a board where the deck, trucks, and wheel clearance all matched the job. A complete cruiser or longboard built for commuting delivers a better experience per dollar at that point.
Scenario 3: You want to keep your skateboard for tricks and also cruise
Two separate setups is better than one compromised one. A skateboard with longboard wheels is awkward for ollies — the extra weight and raised height make flip tricks harder. And the same modifications that help cruising hurt trick performance. If you have the budget and the storage space, a dedicated cruiser board plus your existing skateboard gives you both without either one feeling half-baked. You can explore different longboard types to find the cruising shape that fits your route.
The scenario I see most often in buyer conversations: someone spends $40 on wheels and risers, rides for three months, then buys a complete cruiser anyway. They spent $40 learning they wanted something different, which is not the worst outcome — but knowing this pattern upfront can save you that extra step.
What you need to make longboard wheels work on a skateboard
If you have decided the swap route makes sense for your situation, here is the parts list — and the mistakes to avoid.
- Riser pads: 1/4″ for 60–62mm wheels, 1/2″ for 63mm and above. Without risers, wheel bite is almost guaranteed on standard TKP trucks during any meaningful turn. This is the part most beginners skip, and it is the part that causes the most problems.
- Longer hardware: Adding risers means your stock 1″ bolts will not reach. You need 1.25″–1.5″ hardware depending on your riser thickness. This is easy to forget and annoying to discover mid-assembly.
- Bearings: Longboard wheels use the same 608 bearing size as skateboard wheels, so your existing bearings transfer. But check their condition first — if they have rust, rough rolling, or visible wear, replacing them with the wheels is cheaper than dealing with uneven roll later.
- Bearing spacers: More important here than on a stock skateboard. Softer longboard urethane compresses more under load, which means the bearing seat flexes slightly. Spacers keep the bearings aligned and the roll consistent.
- Trucks: Your existing skateboard trucks will work. The kingpin geometry is different from longboard RKP trucks — you will notice the board turns more snappily in the center and less smoothly at the edges. This is not broken, just different.
Total cost for wheels, risers, and hardware: roughly $33–$58 depending on brand. Bearings and trucks reuse what you already have.
Browse our longboard wheels by size and durometer to find the right match for your pavement conditions.
Cost comparison: swap wheels vs. buy a complete cruiser
| Wheel Swap Route | Complete Cruiser | |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | $33–$58 | $80–$150 |
| What you get | Bigger, softer wheels on your existing skateboard deck and trucks, plus riser hardware | Deck, trucks, wheels, bearings, and grip tape all designed to work together |
| Ride quality | Smoother than stock skateboard wheels, but deck geometry and truck type were not designed for cruising | Built for cruising from the ground up — lower ride height options, wider decks, RKP trucks |
| Assembly | You do it yourself (30–45 min) | Ships fully assembled and ready to ride |
| Best for | Experimenting on a tight budget, occasional cruising | Regular commuting, campus travel, daily riding |
| Returns | Parts only, varies by seller | 30-day returns, 1-year deck and truck warranty |
The swap saves you $25–$100 upfront. But if you end up riding regularly, the complete cruiser route usually delivers a better experience within the first few weeks — and the money you spent on the swap becomes a sunk cost toward a board you now wish you had bought first.
For riders who cruise occasionally or want to test whether bigger wheels change their ride enough to matter, the swap is a low-risk experiment. For everyone else, a complete cruiser is the more honest recommendation.
Common questions about longboard wheels on skateboards
Will longboard wheels fit on any skateboard?
Yes, physically. Both use the standard 608 bearing size. The main constraint is wheel width — very wide longboard wheels (over 55mm contact patch) may extend past the truck hanger, which affects clearance. For most 60–65mm longboard wheels, fitment is not an issue. The problem starts with clearance, not fitment: wheels above 60mm need riser pads to avoid wheel bite.
Do longboard wheels make a skateboard ride smoother?
Yes. Softer, larger wheels absorb pavement vibration noticeably better than hard, small skateboard wheels. On cracked sidewalks, brick paths, and rough asphalt, the difference is obvious within the first block. The tradeoff is that the board rides higher, which changes push ergonomics and makes the board feel less stable at very low speeds.
Is it cheaper to swap wheels or buy a complete cruiser?
Upfront, the swap costs less — roughly $35–$55 versus $80–$150 for a complete cruiser. Over time, if you end up buying a cruiser anyway because the swap did not feel right, your total spend is higher. For riders on a tight budget who want to experiment, the swap is a reasonable starting point. For riders who plan to commute or cruise daily, the complete route is usually the better investment.
What size longboard wheels work best on a skateboard?
60–63mm is the practical sweet spot. Small enough that a 1/4″ riser gives adequate clearance, large enough to smooth out rough pavement meaningfully. Above 65mm, the riser stack gets tall enough that the board feels noticeably different — higher, heavier, and less like the skateboard you started with.
Can I still do tricks with longboard wheels?
Most flip tricks become significantly harder. The extra wheel weight and raised ride height make ollies less responsive and kickflips harder to control. If tricks are your primary riding style, keep standard skateboard wheels. If you want both tricks and cruising, two separate setups is the more practical answer.
Next step: pick the right wheels — or the right board
If you want wheels that make cracked pavement feel less punishing, browse longboard wheels by size and hardness. If you ride mixed surfaces every day and want a board designed for it from the start, see longboards built for commuting and cruising.