Riser pads, or risers for short, are hard plastic plates that you put between your skateboard deck and you can mount trucks to raise your setup. Raising your deck can have a number of benefits. The main benefit of risers is that they help prevent wheelbite. If you have big wheels, it can happen that your wheels hit the deck when you make a turn or a trick. This is called wheelbite. It causes your wheels to stop turning, which can result in nasty slams. Besides that, it's not so good for your deck if your wheels constantly take bites out of it. Riser pads make your deck last longer, also because they absorb some of the forces your trucks exert on your board. Another bonus of risers is that they give you more pop by increasing the distance between your tail and the ground. Skateboards with 55mm wheels usually don't need risers to prevent wheelbite. However, 1/8" risers can be useful to keep your hardware in place and absorb shocks.
