First Suspended --> BBWolf or XLR-8?

Shaggy said:
the coaster only went about 35 MPH at it's fastest point.

But Shaggy...you should know as well as anyone, actual speed means nothing when it comes to the quality of ride. I've see pictures with my own eyes of the cars swinging well over 90 degrees. Well over, in fact. Maybe even approaching 135. I never rode it either, and I've heard differing opinions on how wonderful it was...but not how wild it was. I'd imagine most of those curves were pretty hardcore at 35 mph.
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If the shoe fits, find another one.

*** This post was edited by ravenguy98 on 2/27/2002. ***

I saw the Bat in motion. I have ridden Big Bad Wolf, Top Gun, Vortex, Iron Dragon and XLR8.

I rank them as follows:

1 - Vortex

2- Top Gun

3- Big Bad Wolf

4- Iron Dragon

5- XLR8

Big Bad Wolf was my favorite for years, but the ride is a shell of it's former self. It is littered with brakes and the mid-course block/lift ruins the overall effect.

Vortex easily claims the top spot because it is fast, fun and furious the whole way through without pausing.

Top Gun is barely edged out by Vortex, but it has just a tad less "ooooomph" to it.

Iron Dragon lags way behind my top two. It is very poorly done. The two lifts make a dull ride even duller. Even the grand finale pretzel knot is a yawner.

However XLR8 is just plain bad. I equivilate it to a sped up sky ride. I cannot imgaine anyone ever thinking this ride was fast. Although it may go around the same top speed as the Bat, this coaster is so leisurely that it warrants itself as being little more than a Kodak picture spot. Well, no, I cannot even say that... the ride was in terribly poor shape when I was there last summer and looked awful.

After I rode, the first thing that struck me about XLR8 was that Arrow must have been decidedly cautious when designing it. Given all the Bat troubles, it almost seems that they went out of their way to make XLR8 a tame, contrived coaster with no daring elements as to aviod similar troubles..

By by comparison, their venture with BGW for the same year was much more insane and daring. I wonder how much Schwarzkopf's original plans affected that.

One cannot lump XLR8 into the same category as the Bat. The Bat was and is it's own entity.

Shaggy

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Shaggy
A.K.A. John K.

That's exactly what they did Shaggy...XLR8 was built in much the same manner that The Bat was, except tamed down a whole lot. They way I understand it, because of the extremely aggresive nature of the bat (even at 35 mph :p ) and because of the lack of banking, the cars were swinging up way too high, causing tons of stress on the structure. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong....
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If the shoe fits, find another one.

XLR8 does not have the same layout as the Bat.

Shaggy

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Shaggy
A.K.A. John K.

Why doesn't Arrow just remake the Bat with banked turns? In a sense wouldn't the actual banking of the car be the same but just less stress on the supports?!?!
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It's his turn to feast, when you ride the Son of Beast.

Didn't Arrow eventually bank the Bat's turns in it's final year?
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Off with the trims!
My fellow Americans; Let's Roll!
http://www.woodencoaster.com

PkI FaNaTiC said:
Why doesn't Arrow just remake the Bat with banked turns?

Because Vortex is there now?

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If the shoe fits, find another one.

BigKirby, I don't believe so. I was there it's last year, and don't remember that.
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- Peabody