Invertalon

Thanks! I think if you go test drive both to see how you like them, you will be hooked with one of them. It was an easy choice for me once I drove both, but everybody has their own preferences of course. Unfortunately, I really worry that the V8's won't be around much longer. Seems like the Camaro may be done, or at least a long hiatus again after 2023. Strong rumors it goes EV when it comes back for Gen 7, if at all. Not sure on the Ford front though with the Mustang. I don't mind EV's and hybrids, but I really hope automakers keep some of the more 'fun' cars with ICE options, especially the V8's. It's no question EV's can outperform in terms of acceleration and their torque capability, but there is so much more to these cars than that. Put about 300 miles on the car thus far, yesterday taking it through some local park systems with some nice tight curves, hills/valleys and such. At one point, one road had a cool RMC "outward bank" turn! Scared the girlfriend a bit as she wasn't paying attention at the time, haha. The handling is next level with the Camaro, it's absolutely effortless in cornering and how planted it keeps to the road. The suspension, as far as I am concerned, is practically flawless for my tastes in the 2SS with magnetic ride control. I can't wait to get out of the break-in period and start being able to push it a bit more! Still nothing better than a burst of acceleration and hearing that engine come to life, then letting off at around 4,000 RPM and hearing that exhaust system crackle and pop. AND still be within the posted speed limits, too! Great to hear you dig the A/S 3+'s on your STI. Seems like the best option if after a more summer-focused tire that won't turn to hockey pucks in cooler temps. I don't plan to drive this in the snow, but I do want to be able to take it out when it's nice and dry in the middle of winter. I don't particularly have a ton of options available in the tire size it takes (245/40R20 front, 275/35R20 rear). But basically came down to the DWS-06 and the A/S 3+. I just like the feedback from users on the A/S 3+ being better in dry/wet, with the DWS having the advantage in snow and noise.

LSM's when not powered to accelerate the train are effectively trims, no? I think what we might see here is the use of LSM's (vs. fixed alloy fins) as trims in this case, which remain unpowered acting as trims, unless the rare circumstance the train balances at the top of the crest. In which these LSM's can be powered to push it over, reducing the risk for evac provisions, such as platforms and such over the apex of the top hat. That's my guess, at least.

Took delivery of my Camaro yesterday! It was actually built on Tuesday (finished), shipped and arrived at the dealer the very next day. I didn't expect it so soon, figured it would take another 2 weeks or so. But I'm not complaining! Still needs to get the front splitter installed and black lug nuts (dealer installed options), but otherwise it's all set to go. Took for an hour long drive along a scenic canal here and it was just glorious. Unfortunately, break-in is recommended to keep under about 4,000 RPM for the first 1,500 miles... Which, still has plenty of power in that range of course. But I can't wait to be able to open that engine up!

I can't wait to see this in person! The theming is again, top notch. Not to mention a fun, well rounded attraction for an already epic park. It's insane to think this park contains this along with Black Mamba and Taron... Plus others. Hoping we can make it back in 2021 for another Euro trip.

First up, really nice car! I'm sure that's a blast to drive. Secondly, 10000% agree with your comment on engagement/feel being a primary focus in a car. When I began my search, while of course HP/Torque was on my radar... One of the biggest attributes that I go for in a vehicle is the suspension. I'm so picky with how a car must handle/feel among some other things. Can't stand a 'smooth' ride as weird as that sounds. When the vehicle 'floats' down the road and rolls around with any input from the steering wheel, I hate that so much. Worst characteristic. I want to feel the road and the car to feel planted to it, even if the ride is harsher and anytime you hit a pothole you think you almost died. My old xB was lowered with added sway and strut bars and low profile tiles, I loved that it felt like you were driving a Go-Kart... People always commented how rough the ride was, but that was my favorite thing about it. That being said, when I started my search for my new car, power was indeed on my list of 'wants'. But again, I wanted the right interior, styling and of course the suspension/handling and overall 'experience' had to feel right. Obviously the Camaro hit those marks for me, which was a bit unexpected honestly. Going into my search, I thought it would actually prefer other options but that quickly changed when I drove the SS and 2SS variants. That Alpha platform is just nuts, to say the least. No contest against the Mustang platform. In related news, my Camaro will be built within the next few days according to the tracking status. So I may see it soon here, right around the end of the month if all goes well. First up though will be getting the tires swapped out immediately from the summer run-flats to something a bit more "Cleveland friendly". Likely the Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ so I can at least drive the thing when temps are below 40. But when snow starts to fly and the salt starts to be applied everywhere, it will be garaged for the most part. But if anything like the past two winters, we were in the 70's in December at times and had one, maybe two snow storms at best. So hoping for a repeat!

Interesting that they are so plentiful in Texas! Not that common at all here in Ohio... I mean, I see them, but probably 1/5 of the Mustang's or Challengers I see, easy. And usually, they are not the V8's, but the 4 or 6 cylinder variants. I mean, if you are going to get a Mustang/Camaro/Challenger, you better get the V8... Just my opinion, though. But to come across a SS/2SS is far more rare, I have only seen one or two in the past month probably. But I routinely see 3-4 Mustang's on my 10 minute commute to work... That aside, there is no doubt people like to be super annoying in any muscle/sport car. One reason I am immediately getting my my windows tinted so when some idiot decides to pull up next to me trying to race, they won't see me not caring! haha Back to the infotainment centers... Toyota re-launched the Venza as a Hybrid only... And look at that huge laptop in the center dash!

Not sure on hours, but Small City Taphouse in Sandusky (as well as CLAG brewing, attached) are not far from the park. Basically, one of the best beer bars in the state. Also have Asian food (sushi and all that). Worth checking out.

Yeah, that is pretty bad. They jacked up the front grill on some trim levels of the Silverado as well. Sadly, poor styling is a common trend with most automakers these days... Giant "fish mouth" front grills, excessive use of plastic on the exterior, headlight/taillight design, etc... I think the absolute worst 'trend' is the tablet infotainment centers popping up everywhere. Where they are not integrated, but kind of stand-alone above the dash. Looks terrible and so tacky. Here is a perfect example.. A 2018 vs. 2021 Toyota Camry interior. The exterior and other things didn't change, same gen. But the pop out infotainment is a new "feature". This one isn't as bad as many are with this same tablet design. Some look way worse (*cough* TESLA *cough*).

So my car history... At 16 got a Pontiac Sunfire which I drove for two or three years until I was in college. Bought a new 2008 Scion xB at the time in 2007, which I drove for 10 years basically (at 145K) when I got rear-ended and it was totaled. Super bummed, absolutely loved that car. No intention ever to get rid of it. Due to me needing a car, ended up with a 2018 Toyota Camry Hybrid SE. Brother works at Toyota so it was easy enough, leased it for 3-year. Really nice, but not exactly what I would have gone with had I had time to really look and drive a ton of stuff. Thing is, not a fan of most cars the past few years. Styling (exterior or interior) or the suspensions/handling, among other things, often push me away from most. I'm a car guy of sorts, absolutely love to drive just for the enjoyment with nowhere to go. So while the Camry is super nice, it doesn't exactly get me excited to drive it. Granted, I actually went with the hybrid variant as it has more power/pep than the standard 4 cylinder or V6 due to the instantaneous torque by the electric motor. Not really to save on gas... Start looking around a few months ago to see what was out there that I'd potentially get, and well... Don't have it quite yet, but placed an order with my dealer for my new 2021 Camaro 2SS, 10-Speed AT. Black on black. Dual mode exhaust, magnetic ride control, front fascia extension and some other little things. I also checked out the Mustang GT and Challenger, but the Camaro just dominated on a few fronts for me. Handling was a huge thing, but the exhaust note and the "cockpit" cabin of the Camaro won me over. The 455HP just rips! Just absolutely fell in love with it. I originally planned on buying used, but literally not a single one in the country with the features I need (or did not want)... I didn't want a sunroof (I'm 6'6", so that takes up valuable head room, plus, I don't care for them anyway), and any of the Camaro's available with the options I was after all had sunroofs. So I basically was left to order one in to my spec. Will look like this at delivery in a few weeks!

I know who you are talking about, and I'll be honest, the dude is quite clueless on many things I've heard him say. Grasping at straws, at best. This is why the structural/civil firms who install the foundations for these rides take samples of the soil, in order to figure out the size of the footers required, pylon depth, etc... The civil engineering 'guidelines' are quite mature, like many areas of engineering. It's not really complicated once they have the appropriate information. I'm thinking install more than anything. Shimming, support adjustment before grouting, sanding of the rail joints after install and whatever else. I'm not a civil engineer (mechanical here), but I think they got the techniques/processes down for the design and install requirements. If KI has the same install contractor do the rigging for all the B&M's, it could be more on them versus anything else. I believe most parks use regional steelworkers and other subcontractors to do this work, so it will vary park to park for the most part. Lately for my job, I have been talking to various steel fabricators around Ohio (including Clermont). While discussion my particular project with them, on the side I have asked them about the fabrication techniques and such for rolling such pipe for coaster track... As expected, it's highly precise with dimensions are highly controlled. Except in the case when doing replacement track work on some older steel coasters, in which they literally get a chunk of rail or whatnot cut out and they basically just template and roll some pipe to match for re-install, at least with one particular vendor I spoke with who has done quite a bit of 'retracking' for some parks (not Clermont).

I don't know if it will be a "go" or "no go" for the rest of the season, it was just my guess. I was just advised there would be an announcement today in which we will find out on way or another. So we shall see!

Rumor has it there will be an announcement today of sort from the park... News on the end of the season. My guess is the park will conclude the season after Labor Day. But we shall see!

My "order of preference" at CP would look something like the following: 1.) Raptor 2.) Millennium Force 3.) Dragster (sucker for it's launch, what can I say?) 4.) Gatekeeper 5.) Maverick (Maverick would probably be in the #4 or #3 spot if not for the trains (the seat itself jams into my, uh, 'area', and the awkward first drop, which I very much dislike). 6.) Steel Vengeance 7.) Blue Streak (Unfortunately as the only wood coaster in the park, it gets a small boost from that alone). 8.) Magnum 9.) Valravn 10.) CCMR 11.) Iron Dragon 12.) Gemini 13.) Corkscrew 14.) Wicked Twister 15.) Wilderness Run

Banshee is for sure intense, I just wish it was more 'snappy' like any of B&M's other inverts. Even Silver Bullet is far better in that regard. The transitions in/out of the elements are just terrible, IMO. The same layout, designed 10 years prior with the standard trains would have been a huge improvement. Still dig the ride, but man, I just don't like what they did with the dynamic design of it. It's a bummer!

This 10000% Personally, I'd take a GCI over RMC anyday, but I know that is unpopular opinion. I'd much prefer Hershey just build a ground-up RMC to make those RMC fan boys happy. Wildcat has always been a top wood coaster for me, I love the layout. Today, a full retrack with Ipe wood would be stellar. Not just patch repairs. They made improvement switching to the MF trains from the PTC's, but they should have done a full re-track then to fix all the damage caused by those PTC's over the years. Not just isolated sections of retracking. Here's hoping RMC stays the hell away from Wildcat...

Oh, I don't know... The thing is only strapped to your head.

I don't see there being an exceptions for amusement parks. The only thing I can see is a commitment from the state perhaps, that gives the operators a heads up that July 1st or whatever day will be the day they can open, 2 weeks or so in advance, so the parks have a little time to prepare and get ready to get open as soon as they are allowed. But who knows!

I can't imaging the PR issues if COVID spread like wildfire throughout the employee housing or when (not if) guests start claiming they came down with it at CP. In some ways, are you better to just stay closed? I don't know... This is for every park though, not just CP of course. Will be interesting to see how the next few weeks/months roll out in the park industry.

Virginia just ordered a stay-at-home until June 10th. My guess is BGW and Dominion will not open until after that date, obviously.

Ohio's Governor noted the other day that the expect the virus to peak around May 1st... If that is true, then I can see park openings in Ohio being pushed until June. I find it very unlikely May will be the month KI or CP opens here.

No real change for my household… As mentioned above, if not for the constant mention of the virus anywhere you look, it’s business as usual. Even the stores around here (NE Ohio) have not been bad. Went to a few stores the past few days and aside from the TP and Milk being short (weirdos…) all else has been stocked otherwise. No long lines, in/out in a few minutes if you wish. For some reason, I think all the crazies are hitting up the Costco’s. Parents went to Walmart last night for a few items and it was empty, pictures with nobody in sight. Plenty of stuff on the shelves. Ohio closed all dine-in and bars and the like indefinitely. Not a huge deal to us (feel bad for the waiters and such depending on that income, however), but since we don’t eat out anyway it doesn’t change our day-to-day. Plenty of hobbies to keep me occupied, all of which don’t require me to be around others. Brewing beer, cooking/BBQ/baking, gaming, hiking with the dog, drumming, etc… We did have a big trip booked for May, which likely will be cancelled for sure at this point, but it is what it is. Will take advantage of cheap airfare once the virus is behind us and do a bunch of domestic trips this summer/fall instead.

Tripsdrill was such a cool little park, but one that when we head back to Germany would skip. But with these two new coasters, I think I'd have to stop back!

This ride looks so good. I can't wait to see this thing running when the temps are more favorable and broken in a bit. Hoping to get there some weekend this year to go ride it.

One can dream. So maybe it will sink instead!?

Better yet, when can this same treatment happen with Magnum!?