Anyone Ride Xcelerator Yet?

They did test it at speeds psat 100mph to see what the new motor could do.

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www.EverythingRollerCoaster.com

It has been tested up to 117 MPH. It doesn't run over 90 MPH with people in it though.

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A CoasterForum Member
www.thrillnetwork.com/boards/index.php?referrerid=211

Seriously, how do you guys all know it tested at "psat 100" (sic) or 117? Are you the person who turned the little speed dial from 80 to 117? Are you Sandor whatshisname from Intamin? If not, then I'd like to know how you are privy to such information.

My guess is, while waiting in an 8-hour line, someone said, "I heard this thing was tested at 117 mph!" and someone told someone else that, until you finally heard it as a fact.

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He let the contents of the bottle do the thinking; can't shake the devil's hand and say you're only kidding.

Den certianly has a point, but I also KNOW (because I saw with my own two eyes) that if the average launch is 82 mph that some launches are faster than that. You can tell when the train crests the tower. Sometimes it REALLY crawls over, other times it flys.

We may not know exactly HOW fast this launch mechanism is capable of shooting a train. But, I can say with a fair degree of certainty, faster than 82mph!

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Nothing... NOTHING... can prepare you for... the Fourth Dimension!

They showed some of the testing on ACN and they tested it over 100mph, I didn't know how fast exact but it definately was over 100mph.

Soggy - how do you know that the launches that looked faster weren't 82 and the launches that looked slower weren't 75?

I'm not sure they would make it capable of launching much more than its advertisted speed. The reasons being: 1) it could accidentally get launched at top speed and hurt someone, and 2) what's the point? It's never going to run faster than that.

I'm just amazed that people can tell exactly how fast a train is moving on a very short stretch of track by watching it with their eyes.

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He let the contents of the bottle do the thinking; can't shake the devil's hand and say you're only kidding.

I am so ticked off at Knott's right now, I can't even think straight....more later....

Easy, Den. You're right, I DON'T know that the "slower" launches aren't 75. But, I would have to assume that a certian amount of speed is required to get the train up and over the top of the hill. I also have to assume that because 82 is the advertised speed of the thing, that 82 (or very near to that) is that required speed. I never claimed to be able to accurately determine the speed of the launch by sight alone. Only that I could see a difference in speed.

Why are you so "sure" that the mechanism IS NOT capable of higher speeds? This is new technology, and you didn't build it either.

Montezooma's Revenge is capable of launching the train so fast that it will hit the top of the first spike. It HAS happened, it's incredibly rare, but it does happen. I realize that this is a different system, but I'm sure you can see the similarity.

What about the launch on Hypersonic XLC versus the launch on Dodonpa? Both of those launches use the same system, but H:XLC is advertised at 80 mph and Dodonpa is 107. If you know the specifics of the differences in those two systems please enlighten me.

Also, please note I'm not trying to start a fight, just bringing up various points...

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Nothing... NOTHING... can prepare you for... the Fourth Dimension!

I just would have thought that either Intamin or the park would put some sort of governor or limiter on the system to make it impossible to launch at higher speeds. I mean, for all we know, that type of motor has the capability to launch at 200mph, and we might see that someday. But if Xcelerator launched at that speed, there'd be carnage.

I just don't understand why they would want to take the chance. Even with no people or to "test" it at higher speeds. Why risk something breaking due to the extra forces?

Also, I just get tired of people spreading rumors as "fact" when they just heard it on the street. Not saying you did that, but it happens all the time.

You are right - no hard feelings - just discussion.

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He let the contents of the bottle do the thinking; can't shake the devil's hand and say you're only kidding.

You're absolutely right that going too fast on Xcelerator could cause injury. Xcelerator's layout may not be able to withstand much more than 82, but if a park had more room to work with, I would be willing to bet that a faster launch would happen. I guess we will all have to wait and see exactly what Intamin's Rocketcoasters are capable of.

Are there any Xcelerator ride ops out there that can help confirm or deny these rumored "higher speed launches?"

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Nothing... NOTHING... can prepare you for... the Fourth Dimension!

On the topic of "overlaunching," Hypersonic XLC can launch fully loaded trains at 80 mph. It changes the amount of air used in accordance to the weight of the train. Therefore, it also launches empty trains at 80 mph. However, it is clearly capable of launching an empty train much faster than that (not that it has or ever will). Moreover, during my five rides last year I thought that two of them were faster than normal and yielded more airtime at the top.

Building on that info, I am willing to bet that Xcelerator is able to launch faster than 82 mph, but in all probability won't ever do it with people.