Gravity Max

I was just searching through RCDB and I came across the one and only tilt coaster in the world, Gravity Max. Has anyone been on this ride? And what do you think about having one in the US?

Here's the link: http://rcdb.com/id1357.htm

Here's a video of it on youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLJKF5XH8wM

It's a V-Coma looping ride of death!
Yeah, I'd try it.

The concept is interesting, but doesn't really add anything that a dive machines holding brake does already. For a coaster built in 2002, it looked and sounded a lot older.

I think this would me much more thrilling than a dive coaster. The whole train would be tilted into the vertical position on a segment of track with nothing in front of you. I'd fear the train falling off (not really, but the thought would cross most people's minds).

On a B&M dive coaster, not even the front car of the train is held completely vertical. Meanwhile the back row is sitting flat.

I seem to remember Giovanola having a model that one-upped this one at IAPPA many years ago. The track disengaged with the train on it (facing downwards) and moved sideways over to another track to be let loose. No thank you.

Heh. Even better! :)

The seats and harnesses look reasonably similar to the super boomerang ones. Actually, they look decent--for Vekoma.

I would like to know what kind of safety these things have for the tilt track. All that I saw on that piece from the pictures are some fin brakes. I would hope that there was a really good fail-safe for these!

That coaster is very much on my to-do list. I've been to Taiwan, albeit I never got outside the airport transfer lounge. Maybe next time :)

Yeah, I'd definitely be there to ride it! To have the whole train suddenly tilted downward from a horizontal position like that, without moving...would freak me out! But in a good way!

Rablat5, I was also wondering this. I believe I've seen before that there is a locking bar/device that is uprooted from the track segment and locked into the train, holding it in place if an incident (brakes failure) may occur.

Man I hope so. Actually the brakes should be fail safe to stay in the locked position if power was lost or air pressure. But something else has to be there in case the brakes don't close when the train rolls onto that tilting segment. Imagine if the train came off the chain lift and just rolled right off the end of that segment. Yikes!

I'm fairly sure that most brakes actually do default to a closed position when power failure or air pressure failure occurs.

There are not only brakes but also a mechanical stop system in front of the tilting track. I wonder if safety is handled by the automation system or if there is even a totally mechanical interlock. Personally I'd request a satefy integrity level SIL 4 (AK 7) if handled electronically. Not even sure if inspectors from TÜV Süd would allow a fully electrically controlled interlock. Personally I would not allow that, I'd request both mechanical and electrical (non programmable) interlocks and each one redundant of course. If something goes wrong it would be bad for Vekoma...

Does anyone have a link for detailed pictures?

(Edited for typos.) *** Edited 3/23/2007 6:56:30 AM UTC by Vallean***

There is a block at the end of the track that can hold the train. There is also a hook that holds the last/or one of the rear cars.

Phantasialands Winja coasters have several "open circuits", seesaw elements which have to stop and hold the car to tilt it to a connecting piece of track. The track really just ends and the cars enter those elements with reasonable speed. The only breaking device is a double sided fin-brake which is closed by default.

THIS ride is just a gimmick... that's all it is.

Aside from the tilt feature at the top, it just has a loop, helix (I think) and break-run... yes, the ride is around 2.5 minutes (5/7ths of that spending getting into position for the drop)... but it's a short ride otherwise.

If the coaster had a few more features, then it'd be a worthy ride, such as maybe a unique element in the track layout of itself... BUT, I do have to admit two things:
1) The front seat would be worth admission in & of itself... definately a reason to freak out.
2) That tunnel after the drop is pretty cool lit up like that.

What would happen in case of a major power-failure during the tilt?

If you look at many of the pics, you can physically see a large metal block at the front of the train that is up during the tilting. My guess is that the ride is mechanically set up so that this block lowers as part of the locking mechnasim that locks the track itself in the "drop position," all other times the failsafe "stop-block" would be up. I also think I remember hearing that the tilt track is weighted such that in the event of a major power-outage, the tilt track would go back to the flat position.

Personally, I think the back seat would be a ton of fun... a lot like riding Catapult at SFNE.. being lifted and tilted forward at the same time...

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Teenage Ninja said:
I'm fairly sure that most brakes actually do default to a closed position when power failure or air pressure failure occurs.

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Arrows do not. They are open by default but have a tank on each set of fins that keeps enough air in it to close them.

The air pressure slowly leaks, which is why often times you will see arrow trains chained overnight. Or, in the case of Vortex at KI, you'll see it drift off the transfer track come morning. Dave Althoff has a photo somewhere on his website but I'm too lazy to find it.

The train wouldn't be able to move into position if the brake was closed and it was just rolling off the lift (roughly 6mph).

I got to ride this coaster 3 years ago. Yes it is short and the seats are surprisingly comfortable. I rode it in every car. The front is very creepy edging toward the end of the pipes. The back is great for making you uneasy during the tilt. The drop is much better than a dive machine in my opinion. It's like the vertical freefalls on the giant inverted boomerangs like Deja Vu. Unfotunately, after the drop, it's a boring ride. One other thing that adds to the thrill is that on Deja Vu and Stunt Fall, you have lap belts that bear a lot of your weight. On Gravity Max, you only have the harness so your butt, thighs and hips slide forward during the tilt. So from the ground or the back cars you can see everyone squirming to try to get back into the right spot. The forces in the tunnel at the bottom of the drop are pretty strong though so you can't get back into the right position until you're in the loop.