When brakes bite hard

Hey everybody,

I think we've all been there. We're on a coaster, things are going well, but here come the brakes. Oooph! The brakes catch the train in a bear hug, and the smiles turn to grimaces of pain. Why does this happen, and what can be done about it? I've seen ride operators looking on at screeching-to-a-halt trains with empathy for the riders, but they can't seem to solve the problem. I used to think it was because of a block situation, but I've seen it on coasters with one-train operation, too.

What coasters with a notorious case of brake bite have you ridden? For me, it's been every SLC I seem to find. Last year, the one at Darien Lake had attracted a small crowd, which stuck around just to watch and laugh at the total thudding of victims...err, riders, as the train hit the brakes. Same story on Ravine Flyer II -- for a while, it was like stopping through a brick wall (but, I will say that the brakes were much smoother a few weeks ago, and the ride continues to be flat-out awesome).

- Sam

This is what I feel on all giant flume rides. I feel it come to a sudden holt when we hit the water and my chest slams on the lap bar! I really felt it on the giant flume at Hershey Park.

Sorry, but all I can say is....

Best - TV Title - Ever

Kings Island Flight of Fear. I can recall the whiplash even today.

You know it's funny, I actually really like the feeling of being thrown forward into the restraint at the end of the ride when it hits the brakes. I seem to remember TTD being one of the best for this. I even thought it would be cool to have designers start to use this as another color to work with, sudden violent stops in the middle of a ride to break up the pacing, possibly on steep downward slopes so you immediately start accelerating again. Guess this wouldn't be as popular an idea as I thought...

That all sounds sarcastic, doesn't it? Well it's not. I can't be the only one who thinks this, can I?

Twister II has some ridiculously harsh braking. People unprepared for it get thrown pretty hard (1:40-ish for a good view):

[youtu_be]

I remember the brakes on xcellerator coming on pretty hard at the end at knotts.

Goliath at SFMM, both the MCBR and the final brakes

Cyclone SFNE grabbed very hard at least during it's last few weeks of existence when I rode it. Some have been worse but I've managed to forget which in particular.

MCBR on Goliath SFMM: Holy mouthful of orange bar or seat back. That was the worst because I was so unprepared for any kind of severity.

^Same with Titan at SFOT. Both the MCBR and final break run are shockingly abrupt. Even when you're ready for it, the breaks are just awful. I always wished that Titan would haul through its second half with some necessary trims before the helix, but sitting near the front dangling practically sideways towards the ground and moving so slowly after the MCBR is pretty freaky. Still though, I don't see why they can't bring it to a gradual stop.

Sometimes wooden coasters can have rough stops in the station when the ride ops are aligning the rides with the entrance gates, but otherwise I can't think of many notably rough stops enforced by breaks.

This is kind of random...but the only time I've thrown up at a theme park was at SDC after a long day. What set if off was my second ride of the day: Fire in the Hole. While I've never experienced this since one visit when I was about 8 years old and after the final hill when we hit the breaks/"splashdown" my stomach slammed into the restraints so hard that I had a terrible stomach ache the rest of the day, and then I blew chunks while leaving the park.

The first one that comes to mind was on Wild Thing at Valleyfair. They were running all three trains and got into a screwy hold-pattern and the train I was on came to a sudden, and startling halt on the Mid-course brake-run, which usually slows the trains by maybe 10-15 MPH before descending into the tunnel and hitting a set of "bunny hills". Definitely caught me off guard and took the smile off my face.

The Beast is/was notorious for having brakes bite hard, especially the one at the ravine drop after the first drop. It's not as bad now but when they first put in the magnetic brakes it was a buzz kill.

Still remember how my head bumped into the back of the seat in front of me at SFMM Goliath's MCBR. SkyLoop's sudden vertical stop is pretty nasty as well.

But compared with abrupt stop/deceleration, I hate that sudden bump when the train contacts with the chain lift. For example: Boomerang's second lift.

But compared with abrupt stop/deceleration, I hate that sudden bump when the train contacts with the chain lift. For example: Boomerang's second lift.

Oh yeah, that's pretty nasty. The only boomerang I've ever tried was at Hershey and it wasn't so abrupt (neither were the GIB and invertigo I've ridden).

I think the worst I experienced was coaster express, it gives a nice back adjustment.

Mindbender and GASM at SFOG used to brake really hard, but now it's definintly bearable.

Magnum has insanely painful brakes at Its Final Brake run if their's a problem dispatching the next train.

Gemini is also pretty bad.

Silver Comet and Crazy Mouse at Martins Fantasy Island. If the initial stops aren't bad enough, the ops usually have fun tapping the brake button making the cars stop and go quickly. It's terrible.

I've also had a few bad experiences on Schwarzkopfs. Mindbender and Shockwave a while back were pretty bad.

FunCoaster (and I'm guessing all of the SBF Visa Mouses) hit the brakes really hard. I can still feel the pain.

Mamba - worlds of fun - final brake run has always been a fast stop. Also (as mentioned before) flight of fear at KI.

Arguably, The Legend and The Raven at Holiday World have some pretty strong brakes as well. But it understandable once you see how much distance they have to halt a speeding train.

Firehawk at Kings Island is quite abrupt.

I don't know why I didn't think of this before.. I really hate the hold-brakes (the ones that engage for a half-sec at the peak of the rear-tower) on those iIntamin, "inverted impulse coaster's" IE.. Possessed at Dorney, Steel Venom at VF (in particular). Those are just painful, with the chest-restraint pushing up onto your chest.

It's still worth it to me though. Those types of coaster are super fun, IMO.

^Wicked Twister doesn't have one.

I was ok with possessed's, but I can see why some may not like it.

polar coaster at story land hands down. Ouch!