Menu
What's new
By:
Filters

Kings of the Sense of Speed?

MestnyiGeroi

MestnyiGeroi

Giga Poster
Of course, speed on a coaster is something that can be empirically measured. Less empirical is one’s *sense* of speed. We all know that some woodies that go 40-50 mph can feel as if they’re hurtling at lightspeed given the right conditions, whereas some far faster coasters don’t necessarily let you feel all the speed.

I have two related questions for anyone:

1. Which coaster that you’ve ridden FEELS like the fastest coaster you’ve ridden, whether it’s also true empirically or not?

2. Which coaster first comes to your mind as an extreme example of a ride that feels much faster than it actually is?
 
The one that jumped into my mind right away was Phantom's Revenge. That drop underneath Jack Rabbit has a fantastic feeling of building speed (helped, I think, but the relatively tame and straight angle of the drop), and as you go through the headchopper you feel every single one of those miles-per-hour.
 
1. Karnan jumped to mind immediately. Small train going through low-to-ground elements speeding through from a high drop. You really feel that speed.

2. The two that come to mind are Taron and Anubis. They're both reasonably fast of course, but their rolling launches really hit you, and you feel the speed. Anubis especially.

3. Going to throw in a bonus one of "coasters which don't feel as fast as they are". Flucht von Novgorod doesn't feel anywhere much like 60mph-ish. And for all its height, Big One doesn't feel very quick either.
 
Hard to say which ride feels the fastest I've been on but ride(s) that definitely feel way faster than they actually are are the are the big thunder mountains, the theming work does wonders for them.
 
The coaster that feels the fastest to me is probably Intimidator 305. The pace is so blisteringly quick with the low to the ground layout and quick direction changes.

As for coasters that feel far quicker than they actually are, three (four) particularly come to mind:
  • Flight of Fear - These two coasters feel so much quicker and more intense than their outdoor cousins that lack midcourse brakes and are advertised as going faster.
  • Wooden Warrior - It needs to be displayed in every physics book on the planet because this ride somehow manages to reach 50mph
  • Jet Rescue - I chalk it up a bit to the quick direction changes, but everything after the second launch feels absolutely immense.
 
JoshC. said:
3. Going to throw in a bonus one of "coasters which don't feel as fast as they are". Flucht von Novgorod doesn't feel anywhere much like 60mph-ish. And for all its height, Big One doesn't feel very quick either.
Click to expand...
I gotta disagree with Fluch since I really feel the speed on that launch. I think that's the only time the ride reaches its max speed, though, so the other parts feel a bit slower as a result.

Colorado Adventure has a posted top speed of 50 kmp/h but when you drop into that tunnel after the second lift it feels like it goes way faster than that.
 
It has to be Boardwalk Bullet. Flying through that structure at night was just something else, and I got off the ride both shocked and laughing.

Flight of Fear would be a contender as well, I actually couldn't believe it's statistically slower than Racer.
 
Kingda Ka feels fast, but then again it is fast. As @Indy mentioned Jet Rescue feels fast but then the stats don't really seem to agree with that. Quite an underrated little coaster that.
 
Vogel Rok at Efteling feels way faster than it actually is, because of the wind effect and it being dark and relatively forceful. I'm always shocked with how they made such a dull and slow layout feel so exciting.
 
Great topic!

I'd say the fastest coaster I've ridden feels like Oblivion at Alton Towers. I don't know if the tunnel causes an enhanced sense of speed or something, but this feels seriously fast, even though I've ridden a few faster coasters. Honourable mentions go to Stealth at Thorpe Park (which is the fastest coaster I've ridden; on the front row in particular, you can really feel its speed!), Silver Star at Europa Park (my front row ride on this felt ridiculously fast! Also the 2nd fastest coaster I've ridden; Stealth and SS do feel as fast as their billed speeds, in my view!), Wodan Timbur Coaster at Europa Park (this is just relentless!) and The Swarm at Thorpe Park (this feels obscenely fast, particularly as you're plummeting down the first drop and hurtling out of the zero-g roll!).

In terms of coasters that feel a lot faster than their perceived speed; I think that both of the GCI coasters I've done are very good at this, so Wodan gets thrown into the ring once again, but I think Wicker Man at Alton Towers is a better candidate for this category out of the GCIs; WM supposedly goes 18mph slower than Wodan, but it doesn't feel far off Wodan's speed in sections! I also think Space Mountain Alpha at Magic Kingdom feels a fair bit faster than 28mph. Also, let me mention Runaway Mine Train at Alton Towers; how that helix into the tunnel feels so fast when the ride goes only 22mph well and truly defies physics!

As I've seen a few people talk about coasters that don't feel as fast as they supposedly are; one that comes to mind for me in that category is Blue Fire at Europa Park. As much as I don't think that it's a slow ride by any stretch, and does feel fast, I also don't think that The Big One at Blackpool Pleasure Beach feels quite as fast as many coasters that are slower than it, particularly once you pass the first drop (which I'll admit does feel pretty fast!). I think I could also make an argument for Thirteen at Alton Towers possibly not feeling as fast as 42mph compared to other coasters I've done that are slower. It certainly feels like it and Wicker Man have a far greater speed difference than a mere 2mph, although that's probably more a testament to Wicker Man's blisteringly fast pacing than Thirteen being even vaguely slow!
EDIT: One I forgot to mention; I'd argue that Grand National at Blackpool Pleasure Beach also feels faster than 35mph! And in a possibly controversial one, I'd argue that Megafobia at Oakwood feels slower than it is.
 
Last edited:
Here's a few i can think of:

Wodan- This thing is 62MPH and you feel it. Its a large woodie and most of the layout is low to the ground and makes you feel every inch of that speed. The ride flies through its layout even on its worst days.

Furius Baco- This is a unique Intamin in that it does not elevate after its launch, actually it launches on a incline before dipping down into a mini pit. Furius Baco is so strange in how it barely even elevates. The thing is by far the most "fast feeling" coaster i have ridden besides like Dragster. It maintains a heavy speed throughout its layout, with the only break being the incline which is a massive element.

Colorado Adventure- this thing does not feel 31mph- a deceiving 'family' coaster.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top