Sticky Nicky Posted October 7, 2007 Share Posted October 7, 2007 I am just wondering how well GCI's age. I went on my first 2 GCI coasters this summer, Renegade at my homepark, Valleyfair, and Roar at SFDK. Renegade was butter smooth, buy Roar was as rough as an Arrow or Vekoma looping coaster. Is it because Roar is 8 years old and Renegade is not even a year? Or could it be that Roar is at a Six Flags park where they don't always have the best maintenance, and Renegade is at a Cedar Fair park, known for maintaining rides? Someone please tell me because I don't want Rennie to get rough in 3 years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoshiFan Posted October 7, 2007 Share Posted October 7, 2007 At Hershey, Wildcat at 11 years old is a little rough and Lightning Racers at 7 years old isn't really rough at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sticky Nicky Posted October 7, 2007 Author Share Posted October 7, 2007 ^So do you think Roar is just rough because of the upkeep at Six Flags? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kraken613 Posted October 7, 2007 Share Posted October 7, 2007 I would say its Six Flags. These are all the GCI's ive been on and they were smooth. Thunderhead Kentucky Rumbler Wildcat Lightning Racer Renagade Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted October 7, 2007 Share Posted October 7, 2007 Trains, Maintenance, and Weather all play a big roll in addition to age on a wooden coaster. Â Gwazi is rough as hell, but I blame poor weather conditions and PTC Trains for that one. Â Wildcat at Hershey used to be rough as hell, again, old and PTC Trains. (I've heard it's much better now with the MF Trains) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kraken613 Posted October 7, 2007 Share Posted October 7, 2007 I forgot about Gwazi because I dont think about it when I think GCI. I blame the PTCs for that one too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeemerBoy Posted October 7, 2007 Share Posted October 7, 2007 Gwazi is rough as hell, but I blame poor weather conditions and PTC Trains for that one. I agree, but it makes you wonder how the DBH has avoided turning to crap in just about the same conditions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kraken613 Posted October 7, 2007 Share Posted October 7, 2007 Hmmm... Dont know maybe Busch dosnt handle their woodies well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebl Posted October 7, 2007 Share Posted October 7, 2007 Can anyone tell me how Roar! at SFDK is holding up? I last rode it in 1999, which was its first season, and it was running very well. (It was the first ride with Millennium Flyer trains.) Â Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SharkTums Posted October 7, 2007 Share Posted October 7, 2007 ^^^I KNOW!!! Â Everytime I go back I'm kind of expecting that the ride has turned to crap, and everytime it's that great ride that I remember!! I guess we just assume that we got lucky on that one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LcHg5265 Posted October 7, 2007 Share Posted October 7, 2007 Wildcat at Hershey used to be rough as hell, again, old and PTC Trains. (I've heard it's much better now with the MF Trains) Â If the Wildcat at Hershey is better than it was, then i don't know how anyone could have possibly ridden it before. When i rode it this season, the ride was horrible. It was very rough and the lap bar came down so tight that i could hardly breathe; i had no urge to ride again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axman Posted October 7, 2007 Share Posted October 7, 2007 Wildcat didn't seem that rough to me. No more or less rough then any given woodie with PTCs, but a little more rough then an average GCI. Â CGIs I've Ridden Roar Thunderhead Wildcat Lightning Racer Kentucky Rumbler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jive Posted October 7, 2007 Share Posted October 7, 2007 Ozark Wildcat is still really smooth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ginzo Posted October 7, 2007 Share Posted October 7, 2007 Wildcat at Hershey used to be rough as hell, again, old and PTC Trains. (I've heard it's much better now with the MF Trains) Â I thought Wildcat was pretty darn rough when I rode it in July, and I rode it in the very front. Lots of back slaps and kidney punches, with some vibration to boot. I would blame the arid ~100F conditions, but Lightning Racer ran damn smooth that day. I guess GCII learned a lot in the years between those two projects. Â and the lap bar came down so tight that i could hardly breathe; i had no urge to ride again. Â This describes the one major fault in the often-vaunted Millennium Flyer trains. Those darn lapbars sometimes dig further and further into your GI tract, like a boat anchor that somehow gets heavier and heavier. My colon is fine. No need to be disimpacted today. Thank you very much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kraken613 Posted October 7, 2007 Share Posted October 7, 2007 Ive never had that problem with flyers. They are usly pretty lose. Always are like that on Thunderhead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sticky Nicky Posted October 7, 2007 Author Share Posted October 7, 2007 Thanks guys. I hope this means a good future for Renegade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scaparri Posted October 7, 2007 Share Posted October 7, 2007 Here comes the opposition... Â When I rode Wildcat in August, I didn't really have a problem with it. It was jerky in a few spots, but I wouldn't call it all around rough. If it still had PTC trains, I would probably say the opposite, but with the Millennium Flyers, I didn't think it was anything to complain about. My only problem was that the ride wasn't quite as outrageous as the other GCI's I've been on. Â Lightning Racer is still running great, and I guess I should probably try another seat on Gwazi. I've always ridden it in the front and though it's a little jerky, I've always loved it. Granted, I know that's not going to vouch for the rest of the train, but if everybody says everywhere else is rough as hell, then I have no reason to try it anywhere else if I find the front to be just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kraken613 Posted October 7, 2007 Share Posted October 7, 2007 Never been on Gwazi in the front. Only the middle and back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darien Laker Posted October 7, 2007 Share Posted October 7, 2007 Well I've only been on Roar at Six Flags America. It doesn't have Millennium Flyers, but it was still a decent ride I thought. It was kind of rough, but then again, Predator was last wooden coaster i'd ridden before it, so it actually felt smoother than butter! Â But then I rode Wild One, which proved to be a far superior coaster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedracer Posted October 7, 2007 Share Posted October 7, 2007 Can anyone tell me how Roar! at SFDK is holding up? I last rode it in 1999, which was its first season, and it was running very well. (It was the first ride with Millennium Flyer trains.) Eric  Sad to report, not very well. Got some really bad rides this season, major jackhammering and way too much shuffling. Having ridden every season since it opened, this years were some of the worst rides it's given. Needs some serious trackwork and TLC, which unfortunately SF isn't known for.  As for Renegade, enjoy it now while you can. If Ghostrider is any indication of how CF maintains their wood, can forget about it still being a great ride in a few years. Pretty sad when small independent parks like SCBB can take better care and pride in maintaining their woodies than the big corp. themers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ginzo Posted October 7, 2007 Share Posted October 7, 2007 Here comes the opposition... When I rode Wildcat in August, I didn't really have a problem with it. It was jerky in a few spots, but I wouldn't call it all around rough. If it still had PTC trains, I would probably say the opposite, but with the Millennium Flyers, I didn't think it was anything to complain about. My only problem was that the ride wasn't quite as outrageous as the other GCI's I've been on.  Lightning Racer is still running great, and I guess I should probably try another seat on Gwazi. I've always ridden it in the front and though it's a little jerky, I've always loved it. Granted, I know that's not going to vouch for the rest of the train, but if everybody says everywhere else is rough as hell, then I have no reason to try it anywhere else if I find the front to be just fine.  Yeah, my one cycle on Wildcat was pretty torturous. I have no desire to ride it again. Gwazi was really decent the first time I rode it, but was a jackhammering mess when I rode it again just a few months later. I'm not sure MF trains would help it much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loco Posted October 7, 2007 Share Posted October 7, 2007 Can anyone tell me how Roar! at SFDK is holding up? I last rode it in 1999, which was its first season, and it was running very well. (It was the first ride with Millennium Flyer trains.) Eric  Sad to report, not very well. Got some really bad rides this season, major jackhammering and way too much shuffling. Having ridden every season since it opened, this years were some of the worst rides it's given. Needs some serious trackwork and TLC, which unfortunately SF isn't known for.  Tell me about it. Some spots are actually painful. The last bit of bunnyhops are torture! Major jackhammering. But it's still pretty fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteb Posted October 8, 2007 Share Posted October 8, 2007 I've ridden Lightning Racer almost every year since it opened and it's just as smooth and fast as when new. I really don't think Wildcat has aged badly either; in my opinion it's always been just as aggressive. I've always thought that maybe GCI learned and applied some new design or construction methods on the newer coasters that make them a lot smoother. Just look at the track on LR vs. Wildcat and the way the trackwork flows and looks right. Â I think Wildcat is a better ride with the Flyers, but agree with others about the lapbar problem (which I've never had a problem with on any other GCI). It self staples during the ride which makes it painful by the end. The bar needs a heavier counter spring to resist the forces due to it's own mass that makes it continue ratcheting down or should lock at the height set at the station. I wish GCI would fix this; I think Wildcat is potentially a much better ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kraken613 Posted October 8, 2007 Share Posted October 8, 2007 No ride is bad compared to Son of Beast! That things torture! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yankees15 Posted October 8, 2007 Share Posted October 8, 2007 I have only been on Wildcat and Lightning Racer. I have ridden both coasters every years since 2005 and neither coaster has gotten rougher. The only difference is that Wildcat got smoother with its new trains it received this past year. Even with the new trains the ride is still rough but not as bad. Both are great rides and have aged very well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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