Is roughness in the track or restraints?

Flight of Fear at Paramount's Kings Island and Kings Dominion are both great rides, but they weren't always like that. For those of you that don't know, both FOF coasters used to have Over the Shoulder Restraints. This provided for a lot of headbanging. Recently, these coasters had lapbars installed, and now they are as smooth as ever - and no head banging. So here's my question: Are some coasters really rough, or is the roughness a sort of illusion becuase of headbanging?

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Intelligence is a God given gift: Know how to use it.

Well, roughness by headbanging is a different thing than shakiness roughness. Roughness headbanging is caused by guide wheels not in contact with the track, and unnecessary lateral forces. Shakiness roughness is both in the track and wheels.

Correct me if I'm wrong.

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Why do they report power outages on TV?

Well Flight of Fear isn't as rough because it doesn't weigh as much, and you don't have the OTSR to feel roughness.

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Can we change the name of Top Gun to your mom so no one wants to ride your mom?

Roughness and head banging are often used interchangeably – however they are completely different things. Head banging is simply quick changes in lateral forces that cause your head to bang on the restraints.

The wheels and track, on the other hand, cause roughness. It is more like vibration.

Most people would agree that most woodies are not smooth and it definitely doesn’t have to do with the restraints.

On steel coasters, which I presume we are only speaking of because you mentioned no woodies in your post, the track has nothing to do with it. It's in the wheels being spring loaded so that they can contact the running rail at all times without causing too much friction. Only B&M, Intamin, and very recently Vekoma do this. I believe Giovanola did it also, but they do not make coasters anymore anyway. The OTSRs being gone makes it less painful, but it is still just as rough if nothing else was changed. Roughness is also a result of poor design. Transitions must be of appropriate proportions (in other words, no quick turns or narrow pull outs). Arrow's rides are rough because of the wheel assembly not being spring loaded, but also because their transitions are not well designed. B&M and Intamin have figured it out perfectly.

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Magnum Allan - FLCC member. My website: http://dropzone224.tripod.com

Factors contributing to head banging:

1) OTSRs (You really have probelm if you bang your head with out them)
2) OTSR padding that doesn't protect you.
2) Rough track
3) Poorly designed transitions on curves
4) Poor tracking of the train wheels.

Some examples:

The FOFs had poorly padded OTSRs, less than perfect transitions, and the trains tracked poorly bouncing back and forth between the rails. The OTSRs were eliminated and the ride became enjoyable.

T2 at SFKK has rough track and OTSRs; but it has extremely good padding, so it doesn't hurt when your head bounces back and forth. (You can feel the rough track in you back side)

Robin: The Chiller at SFGAdv tracked extremely poorly casuing you head to slam back and forth even on the straights. When the trains were rebuilt, the tracking was improved resulting in an extremely smooth ride and of course not head banging with no OTSRs.