Carowinds Discussion Thread

[rcjp]

I tend to prefer the old style B&M speed trains over the "V" style ones they use a majority of the time now. I hope parks chose them more often when buying B&M hypers/gigas. I like the feel of the smaller train and has less push/pull over the hills. So if Carowinds does get a B&M, I hope they are the old style trains myself.

I also like the old design better. I have only been on two B&M hypers (one of them featured the old design an the other the new one) and I liked the old one better. It could be because of the ride itself and not the trains but I get the impression (both when riding and watching videos) that the airtime is more consistent as they look more compact. On shambhala (that has the new ones) if you were sitting in the back you had to wait until you reached the top of each hill in order to actually get airtime (as it felt more like Zero - G on the way up) and in the front it was the opposite. On Nitro I felt that I got airtime (despite not being exactly ejector) all the way through the hills. Still, as I said, it could be the rides themselves and not the trains but I also think the old ones are more visually more appealing (the new ones just seem to long and narrow for B&Ms).

 

^ Lots of people prefer MF to I305, which I do, and MF was Intamin's first giga, but I agree, B&M can definitely improve their gigas, which hopefully they'll do.

 

I personally prefer I305 over MF, but definitely prefer any Intamin giga over a B&M giga like Leviathan (totally non-biased opinion, considering CW is my home park). Although I have to agree with Benner, after seeing Shambhala on video, that B&M does have potential to make a top-notch giga, and could be just as welcome at Carowinds

 

If I'm honest, Shambhala was no better than Nitro (which is the only other B&M hyper I've been on). In fact, I would say I like Nitro just a tiny bit more because of its forceful helix. Shambhala was a very fun ride and a kind of coaster that attracts lots of people as it is the tallest in Europe and everyone can ride it. It's great for getting more people to visit the park, but not great to please enthusiasts a lot. I went there last year I ended up riding shambhala and Dragon Khan 8 times and Furius Baco 5 and, in the last rides it kind of got a bit boring, lots of floater air and everything, but it just didn't make me want to ride it again badly as furius baco and Dragon khan did.

 

That's too bad, as Shambhala *looks* good. It will be interesting to see how it stacks up to the other B&M hypers in the next steel polls Mitch does now that people are starting to ride it that can actually compare it to other great coasters. I still can't believe it placed so high last year.

I was also really surprised as I had already ridden it and, personally, I had quite a few rides placed higher than it, two of them being Dragon Khan (one of my favorite rides) and Furius Baco at the same park.

[GayCoasterGuy]

A cross between Millenium Force and I-305 would probably be something like SFNE Superman/Bizarro or Expedition G-Force, wouldn't it? That would please a lot of people.

 

I figure if it is a B&M, it's still going to be a huge deal for the park. People love Intimidator. Maybe B&M will do something creative this time. I'm still in awe they have let their coasters run backwards recently.

[cmullin]

A cross between Millenium Force and I-305 would probably be something like SFNE Superman/Bizarro or Expedition G-Force, wouldn't it? That would please a lot of people.

This. It would be awesome. I'm yet to ride Expedition GeForce, but Bizarro is amazing, and it would a great ride if manufactured by Intamin, but it would be pretty similar to Intimidator I would think.

[PalmTree55]

A cross between Millenium Force and I-305 would probably be something like SFNE Superman/Bizarro or Expedition G-Force, wouldn't it? That would please a lot of people.

This. It would be awesome. I'm yet to ride Expedition GeForce, but Bizarro is amazing, and it would a great ride if manufactured by Intamin, but it would be pretty similar to Intimidator I would think.

 

This is why we need this:

 

And NOT this:

[cmullin]

A cross between Millenium Force and I-305 would probably be something like SFNE Superman/Bizarro or Expedition G-Force, wouldn't it? That would please a lot of people.

This. It would be awesome. I'm yet to ride Expedition GeForce, but Bizarro is amazing, and it would a great ride if manufactured by Intamin, but it would be pretty similar to Intimidator I would think.

 

This is why we need this:

 

And NOT this:

I totally agree with you, but what about an Expedition GeForce type ride with inversions on a larger scale?

[PalmTree55]

A cross between Millenium Force and I-305 would probably be something like SFNE Superman/Bizarro or Expedition G-Force, wouldn't it? That would please a lot of people.

This. It would be awesome. I'm yet to ride Expedition GeForce, but Bizarro is amazing, and it would a great ride if manufactured by Intamin, but it would be pretty similar to Intimidator I would think.

 

This is why we need this:

 

And NOT this:

I totally agree with you, but what about an Expedition GeForce type ride with inversions on a larger scale?

 

Why not, I'm game for any intense Intamin, but I prefer a launcher since thats what we don't have.

[gerstlaueringvar]

Maybe some other manufactures would start to build Gigas? Gerstlauer already has the ability I think...Maurer and Mack could also make something great. As long as Vekoma is not in, or it's not a forceless B&M, I'm okay with that Another Giga!

[DirkFunk]

Man, you know things have changed in the hobby when people start talking about Millennium Force being a "forceful" or "intense" ride.

[The Westate]

The only way it would cost $30MM and it would be a launched coaster is if it was themed. And we know CF doesn't like to theme very much.

 

I'm really thinking B&M giga.

[jarmor]

Not true...how much was dragster?

[DirkFunk]

$30 million will build you pretty much any kind of coaster you want so long as you don't want to build a foam mountain around it.

 

(At least in America. If you're using largely non-union contractors. Which Cedar Fair probably will at Carowinds.)

[arby]

^North Carolina is largely non-union.

[CoasterAddict-com]

Not true...how much was dragster?

 

Cedar Point reported the cost of TTD at $25 million.

[cmullin]

Not true...how much was dragster?

 

Cedar Point reported the cost of TTD at $25 million.

Gatekeeper was also a reported total cost of $30 million, so a launch coaster with some length could definitely be a possibly.

[GayCoasterGuy]

$30 million will build you pretty much any kind of coaster you want

 

Maybe they're going to actually build a world class coaster. You know, one with a last third of track (meaning "roller coaster track," not a 100 foot high brake run); plenty of tunnels, trenches, fly-bys, interactive queue, etc..

 

Or maybe I'm just dreaming again

[coasterlover420]

^^Gatekeeper was $25m.

 

If this does happen to be a B&M, I just hope they think the whole coaster through a bit better. It seems like lately B&M is really bad at "finishing" hyper coasters. Shambhala after the mid course is just kind of a joke, it would probably be a better coaster if the mid course was earlier. Leviathan is basically over after the first airtime hill. Diamondback after the mid course, in any seat, is like "weee" "awww" "weee" "awww"...even the hill just before the mid course is just dumb. I'd love to see an ending like Nitro or Raging Bull, with something quick happening over and over, either bunny hops or twists and turns, not the same boring "floater" hills. One or two of those are great, just not over and over and over and over...there's no efficiency of speed. Even Millennium which is apparently "forceless" is better with that, because each hill has progressively greater air and the turns are lower to the ground as the speed is depleted. It shouldn't be the opposite.

[_koppen]

^^Gatekeeper was $25m.

 

That was the project cost for the coaster, which included tearing down the previous rides who stood there (which is expensive!). The new entrance was another 5 millions on the tab, for a total cost of 30 millions.

 

There's really no official price tag of Gatekeeper itself.

[Aceattack52]

GateKeeper seems like it was over priced. Is B&M charging extra to pay off all the money they put into research and development?

[cmullin]

I'd love to see an ending like Nitro or Raging Bull, with something quick happening over and over, either bunny hops or twists and turns, not the same boring "floater" hills. One or two of those are great, just not over and over and over and over...there's no efficiency of speed. Even Millennium which is apparently "forceless" is better with that, because each hill has progressively greater air and the turns are lower to the ground as the speed is depleted. It shouldn't be the opposite.

I agree, the ending on Nitro is, in my opinion, the best part of the ride, so an ending like that would be awesome. And Millennium Force has a good ending too, especially the mini camelback by the queue, it has some pretty good airtime.

[Subject_12]

Now this is a long shot, but...

I saw a video on Maurer Sohne's YouTube channel about the X-Train, and how it could easily fit a giga-size coaster. Now this is obviously not the most likely option, but man, what a ride that would be!

[The Westate]

I'll be working SCarowinds (retail dept.) so I'll keep an eye out for anything going on.

 

I was out there yesterday and looked around but didn't see any movements.

[jarmor]

Dude...you're gonna have that eye out for a long time...this isn't slated until like 2015/16

[chknwing]

Apparently, it has been confirmed in the closed session documents by the charlotte city council that the coaster will in fact be a 300 foot winged coaster that tops out at 65mph. How that works I have no idea, but thats what is said. here are the excerpts.

 

talking about gatekeeper

Mr. Zeiler continued and said so this particular ride is 170 feet tall. The one that would be put in Carowinds would be about 310-315 feet tall.

 

Mr. Zeiler said that 300 feet for a rollercoaster is not a record. Rollercoasters are pushing 470- 490 feet at this point. This rollercoaster would max out around 65 mph. Some of the rides at Cedar Point and in Kings Dominion are topping out at close to 95mph.

 

This will also be one of the first of what are called winged rollercoasters in the southeast. It’s not a traditional rollercoaster where you sit in a car that goes around. You actually dangle on posts that are from a single track. So there is nothing below you. You are sitting on basically a swing as you go around.

[PalmTree55]

Apparently, it has been confirmed in the closed session documents by the charlotte city council that the coaster will in fact be a 300 foot winged coaster that tops out at 65mph. How that works I have no idea, but thats what is said. here are the excerpts.

 

talking about gatekeeper

Mr. Zeiler continued and said so this particular ride is 170 feet tall. The one that would be put in Carowinds would be about 310-315 feet tall.

 

Mr. Zeiler said that 300 feet for a rollercoaster is not a record. Rollercoasters are pushing 470- 490 feet at this point. This rollercoaster would max out around 65 mph. Some of the rides at Cedar Point and in Kings Dominion are topping out at close to 95mph.

 

This will also be one of the first of what are called winged rollercoasters in the southeast. It’s not a traditional rollercoaster where you sit in a car that goes around. You actually dangle on posts that are from a single track. So there is nothing below you. You are sitting on basically a swing as you go around.

 

Source?

[Wes]

Fuzzy math.