Orangatang Wheels – Orangatang Skiffs However, they come in a much softer durometer than typical skate wheels, and this makes them ideal for sliding. This is a bad thing if you’re looking for a wheel to cruise with, but it makes the Skiffs perfect for sliding and breaking traction.

For longboard applications, where you are on rough roads a lot of the time, a softer wheel (75a) will be grippier, with a “grabby” slide, and a harder wheel (85a) will be slidier but also can be hard to control and bring back into grip. Around the middle (78-82a) is the best balance for most longboard wheels.

The huge Caguama wheel is designed for maximum roll speed, momentum, and grip when commuting, carving, long-distance pushing, pumping, and e-boarding. It has the most urethane of all Orangatang wheels, allowing it to easily roll over rough pavement and big cracks and get up curbs when riding around town.

The 4President 70mm wheels are similar yet different from the Stimulus. The 4Prez is wider with a 53mm contact patch vs 42mm for the Stim. As a result, it’s a little grippier and lets you shift more of your weight off your board.

At 75mm the Durian is larger than the 70mm 4Prez though just about as wide at 52mm, giving it solid grip as well. Unlike the 4Prez, however, this wheel has a rounded lip resulting in a thinner contact patch and making it a lot easier to kick out into slides.

The variation in hardness will let you choose one that is to your liking. You can use the orange wheels and keep unwanted vibrations to a minimum for a steadier ride and if you feel like you can stay in control easier than go with the harder wheels and get a more solid and faster ride. It’s really up to you.