Kings Dominion (KD) Discussion Thread

[B-RadG]

I rode once in row 2 and once in row 15. Row 15 was much harsher cause it had started the whip then the trim hit and threw you forwards.

[Skycoastin Steve]

I've heard yet another unconfirmed report that some of the trims have been moved around or possibly removed?

 

Anyone know anything about this?

 

On my way home from Charlotte to Fredericksburg today I stopped by KD real quick right after closing and drove back on Doswell Road to take a look at 305 to see if anything had changed from last week. From the picture I took last week compared to what I saw today, the brake configuration is identical to what it was a week ago.

[KDCOASTERFAN]

Don't forget that it's been hot as hades around here lately & that is definitely having an impact on the wheels....now if the ride is going as slow as some reports claim then come fall with it's cooler temps we may have a situation where the ride becomes prone to valleying so I'm hoping that they'll remove the trims by then but am very doubtful that such will happen.

[KDcoasterMAN]

I know this really isn't relevent but as I know that Robb gets a kick out of this guy... (no bashing intended upon jasonwilson88)

From an engineering background it's interesting to me that these wheels are having such an issue. I guess Intamin incorrectly assumed that just because these have successfully gone 128mph for a while now that they would work at 94 without fully understanding the fact that i305's course was non-stop with the intensity and speed. *Was*

 

I think it was a bad move by the park to not install the new soft restraints after testing them out simply because the neutered "twisties" don't hit your head as badly... it makes it seem even less likely that we'll see the return of i305. Maybe the park IS going to retrofit with those restraints but I doubt they would have taken them off the test seat in that case...

 

If the wheel problem could be solved, and the restraints could be softened, and the trims could be placed back in their original position, everything would be perfect.

 

The first half of the course was meant to run "balls-out" for lack of a better term, moving trims to Hill 2 would still ruin that. 70 mph twists and turns feel nothing like 90 mph twists and turns and I'd like to see that part of the ride reinstated. The pacing of i305 *was* perfect and the original trims gave you a much-needed chance to breath and recover... as is the ride feels like it never really gets started right.

 

The trip up, over, and down the 2nd hill followed by the tiny airtime bump (facing Volcano) into the turn by the station at breakneck speed was my absolute favorite moment of any coaster I've ever ridden, and trims on Hill 2 would still ruin that.

 

How do we have the technology to suspend gigantic steel structures 305 feet up with only 2 supports... but not the technology to make a wheel impervious to heat? Seems odd, chemical engineers hop on it!

[Inukaza]

^at the quote.

 

 

Uhhh, I'm going to guess that the coaster companies test everything to make sure they would WORK before they sell their products. I highly doubt that they would just ASSUME something something would work, a lot of work goes into making these coasters. I would hope every single factor goes into designing these rides.

[braztaz]

I haven't ridden i305 since it was reduced to 79.5.

 

But actually, it's 80 MILES PER HOUR twists and turns. Just cause it's in the 70s doesn't mean it's 70 mph. It's .5 away from 80!

 

He's making it sound much worse than it is.

[jsz1002]

I haven't ridden i305 since it was reduced to 79.5.

 

But actually, it's 80 MILES PER HOUR twists and turns. Just cause it's in the 70s doesn't mean it's 70 mph. It's .5 away from 80!

 

He's making it sound much worse than it is.

Interesting math. I wish my paycheck rounded up like that.

[carolinacaniac]

This is starting to sound like the steel/giga version of Boardwalk Bullet........who has a stopwatch?

[Pingu1651]

I think the trim situation would work out for the better if they moved the trims to the bottom of the second hill. That way, you still get the intensity of the first drop, the graying out of the turn, and the airtime of the second hill with a less intense ride after that. Of course, I'm not a mechanical engineer (yet), but that's just my opinion.

 

Also, with all the bashing of I305, is it still a top 5 coaster and worth scheduling a trip for? In other words, is it still better than Millenium Force?

[the ghost]

^ Wasnt the turn after the drop the part most people were having trouble with? Most people do not like the feeling of graying out on a coaster.

[robbalvey]

I just want to ask again...

 

Has there been any official announcement from either the park or Intamin that the ride now goes 79.5MPH?

 

Or is that just a made up fictional fact that's been said so many times now that people actually believe that it's true?

 

--Robb

[Skycoastin Steve]

^ Wasnt the turn after the drop the part most people were having trouble with? Most people do not like the feeling of graying out on a coaster.

Just based on comments I've overheard the few times I've been there the last two weeks, I can tell you that the gray out still occurs to most people on the first turn, including myself.

[Homeboy23]

I just want to ask again...

 

Has there been any official announcement from either the park or Intamin that the ride now goes 79.5MPH?

 

--Robb

 

Nope. Never has been announced.

[808Freq]

"How do we have the technology to suspend gigantic steel structures 305 feet up with only 2 supports... but not the technology to make a wheel impervious to heat? Seems odd, chemical engineers hop on it!"

 

Are you serious? Really?

[Skycoastin Steve]

"How do we have the technology to suspend gigantic steel structures 305 feet up with only 2 supports... but not the technology to make a wheel impervious to heat? Seems odd, chemical engineers hop on it!"

 

Are you serious? Really?

 

Yeah, just to expand on the lunacy of this statement, the engineering behind the lift hill was basic physics. They turned it the lift hill into an arch, which isn't too complicated. Think about Skycoasters, all free standing arches (except for the A-frames). The engineering behind that couldn't have been that difficult.

 

Making a material that is impervious to heat is just a moronic statement. This isn't Hollywood, it's real life. What do you want them to do, make wheels out of Unobtanium?

[808Freq]

It's absolutely luda. If I see one more ignorant fanboy opine about Intamin's engineers 'forgetting' to take into account the layout of the coaster when designing the wheel', or 'not realizing that a helix has high g forces when you drop a coaster from 300 feet'..

 

*bangs head on desk*

 

The problem is, you run into these people in the real world.. and that is why there are AA meetings.

[Pingu1651]

^ Seriously. Intamin's made 100+ roller coasters, six of which currently stand in the top 10 according to Mitch Hawker's poll. They've also had 30+ plus years of experience designing roller coasters, and they've reached many milestones with their coasters. They obviously have no idea what they're doing! *facepalm*

 

Granted, there were some errors with I305, but it was most likely designed to be a very extreme ride, which the park may or may not have expected. And it still is extreme! I'd happily oblige to give Millennium Force away to get I305, trims and all!

[robbalvey]

Making a material that is impervious to heat is just a moronic statement. This isn't Hollywood, it's real life. What do you want them to do, make wheels out of Unobtanium?

Heh, it's actually funny you mention that. For a short time on SFMM's Goliath they actually did test wheels made from unobtanium because they had the same problem as i305. Believe it or not they actually WORKED, but the cost of each wheel was nearly 10 times more expensive. Guess what the final result was? That's right. Slower lift hill and the mid course brake brings the train to nearly a complete stop so they could use a more normal wheel compound. How many people actually complain about the ride? Yeah, no one.

 

--Robb "Of course there is always the danger of using a wheel made out of *slightly* radio active material...but if it works, hey, why not!" Alvey

Edited June 13, 2010 by robbalvey

[PKI Jizzman]

Titan at SFOT has the little wheels car wash when you come into the brake run. I could understand why that ride needs the wheel cool down! Seems to be working alright for them..very smooth ride.

[KDCOASTERFAN]

Went to the park yesterday & got in two laps on I305 & found that the trims actually make the ride more bearable IMO....at least I was able to keep my hands up for most of the ride for once.

[Skycoastin Steve]

Making a material that is impervious to heat is just a moronic statement. This isn't Hollywood, it's real life. What do you want them to do, make wheels out of Unobtanium?

Heh, it's actually funny you mention that. For a short time on SFMM's Goliath they actually did test wheels made from unobtanium because they had the same problem as i305. Believe it or not they actually WORKED, but the cost of each wheel was nearly 10 times more expensive. Guess what the final result was? That's right. Slower lift hill and the mid course brake brings the train to nearly a complete stop so they could use a more normal wheel compound. How many people actually complain about the ride? Yeah, no one.

 

--Robb "Of course there is always the danger of using a wheel made out of *slightly* radio active material...but if it works, hey, why not!" Alvey

 

Ok now that's just bizarre about them actually using Unobtanium.

[robbalvey]

Ok now that's just bizarre about them actually using Unobtanium.

Yeah, crazy, huh?

[MagicMountainMan]

Heh, it's actually funny you mention that. For a short time on SFMM's Goliath they actually did test wheels made from unobtanium because they had the same problem as i305. Believe it or not they actually WORKED, but the cost of each wheel was nearly 10 times more expensive. Guess what the final result was? That's right. Slower lift hill and the mid course brake brings the train to nearly a complete stop so they could use a more normal wheel compound. How many people actually complain about the ride? Yeah, no one.

 

--Robb "Of course there is always the danger of using a wheel made out of *slightly* radio active material...but if it works, hey, why not!" Alvey

 

I didn't know that! That's awesome! So that's why the MCBR slows the ride down so much... I always heard that Goliath was a wheel eater but I never knew why.

 

Hopefully they'll be able to find a solution that makes everybody happy but then again it's probably not possible. Whatever keeps maintenance costs down is good for the park, and if that's adding trims then so be it. I'd rather have a ride that's open all the time then a ride that's only open some of the time due to constant maintenance downtime.

 

P.S. Robb, you know everything!

[ahecht]

[MagicMountainMan]

Oh and by the way when I said 'I didn't know that' I was referring to the fact that the slowed down lift hill and MCBR was a result of the ride eating so many wheels, not the fact that Robb said that they "used" unobtanium wheels on Goliath.

 

-Brandon "Don't want it to look like I completely and utterly fell for Robb's unobtanium joke" Tisor