Yeah to me that would've been the better idea rather than wrecking this ride. I refuse to vote trimmed dropped rides high in coaster polls. I feel like I'm being cheated.
Just because it sounds like a better idea, that doesn't mean it would have solved the problems. As I'm not a expert I leave it to the engineers to find the best solution to these types of problems.
I agree with Larry. I'm not an engineer, either, so I'm more inclined to trust the engineer's judgment. If this heads off serious maintanence and guest issues, so be it.