Good this time, bad last time...
"(insert coaster name here) was riding so much better today than any other time I have been on it"
... or some variation of this. Suggesting that the charateristics of a ride change quite significantly, not only year-to-year, but from day to night. How much truth do you think there is to this, or do you think it is more about the person's charateristics that really affect their perception of the ride quality?
It seems that a lot of works goes into creating these coasters so that they run as consistenly and reliably as possible. It is impossible that there isnt some variation, but you would think it would be almost unnoticeable.
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"Looks like you've been missing quite a bit of work lately"
"Well, I wouldn't say I've been MISSING it, Bob."
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The word "definitely" is definitely the most misspelled word on the buzz.
There is also the matter of maintentance and wear and tear. If a ride is not being taken care of properly (such as Rolling Thunder at SFGAdv), the quality of the ride suffers as time goes on. The tracking along the course will no longer be smooth (which causes rough transitions) and rusting will make the ride very noisy.
Another thing could be that the wheels may be nearing the end of the maintentance cycle, so the plastic is no longer completely smooth and bits will have fallen off. That will result in a rough ride as the train now feels every irregularity when the wheel spins around to that section of the wheel.
Most coasters often need time to warm up and get the grease moving smoothly arond the ball bearings. This will result in a smoother and faster ride during the day, and if it gets very cold at night, will often give slower rides at night.
Just a few ideas as to what can happen to make a ride feel different at different times.
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I can't think of a good signature.
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I've traded in my 2000 Giovanola for a 2002 Arrow X4D :)
My other car is now an Arrow X4D!
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Planned Parks for this summer: SFoGa, CP, SFWoA, SFGAm, SFKK, PKI, MA, SFStL, HW, KW. Is 10 enough?
Cornerstone Festival 2002... I will be there
The only coaster that I can think of off-hand that I've ridden enough to say "gets better as it ages, just like fine wine" is DBH. That coaster seems to be faster and more intense every time! Of course, going after a hot day, with a slight drizzle, seems to always give the best ride, esp. on woodies...
Of course, if you really want to see a coaster get better/faster within a SHORT period of time, go to HW and ride Raven and Legend during the day...great rides. After Jeff H. has "a go" at the coasters, however, they definitely run the track *a bit* faster....WOW!
*** This post was edited by rollergator on 3/26/2002. ***
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"Looks like you've been missing quite a bit of work lately"
"Well, I wouldn't say I've been MISSING it, Bob."
*** This post was edited by jdancisin on 3/26/2002. ***
There are differences in both coaster performance and in rider perception depending on conditions. Rider perception is affected most by lighting. Many coasters are more thrilling after dark. The Beast and SROS at SFA are two of the tops for great night rides. The coaster's performance doesn't change much with darkness, but you perception sure does.
Temperature and rain have the largest effect on actual performance of coasters. Rain has far more effect on woodies than on steel coasters. These differences are real, not just perception. On coasters with speed sensors and computerized controls the operators can see the change in speed as the coaster warms up.
Maintenance also has an effect. Again woodies are affectec more since there track requires more maintenance. A major change can also effect steel coaster. Robin: TC is like a new coaster since its trains were upgraded.
I've also noticed differences from train to train on a coaster. Phoenix's yellow train was faster than the orange when I rode.
Finally, some coasters seem to have good and bad days for reasons that I can't figure out. Grizzly at PKD is a prime example. I've ridden it when it was great, and I've ridden it when is was so so. Others have reported this same experience with Grizzly.
I think the differences can be pretty massive for all kinds of reasons. Magnum is always different, due to wind, temperature, wheel condition, trims, etc. Some wood coasters have let me down because they aren't properly maintained. Heck, watch Millennium Force creep into the stand-by brakes during testing and barely stop the next train when it's full.
I really make it a point to try not to judge a coaster by one ride.
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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com, Sillynonsense.com
"As far as I can tell it doesn't matter who you are. If you can believe, there's something worth fighting for..." - Garbage, "Parade"
R-gator: my methods for evaluating a coaster are much like yours. When a coaster blows me away on the first ride, I am quite likely to overlook the occasional "bad" ride later on as anomolies. Likewise, when a coaster initially gives a bad impression I am willing to allow myself to get a few more rides under my belt before I make an evaluation.
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2002 - the year of IB's LoCoSuMo!!
No amount of rides on Wolf Kabobs would improve the ride. Herc, on the other hand, seemed OK to me, perhaps because I was following Mean Streak protocol to ride (pull back off of seat).
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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com, Sillynonsense.com
"As far as I can tell it doesn't matter who you are. If you can believe, there's something worth fighting for..." - Garbage, "Parade"
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