Lightning Rod trims?

I've been hearing that Lightning Rod has been trimmed significantly immediately after the launch since it reopened. I've seen videos and it looks much slower. Can anyone confirm?

It hasn't been trimmed. Apparently the launch isn't as fast which is a fix for the launch issues.

Which is a shame. The main, most thrilling thing for me was the insane, unrelenting speed from the bottom of the lift all the way to the final brake.

Maybe there's another permanent, more satisfactory fix to come for it.

Apparently the launch is the same speed, Tek. It just trims the ride immediately after the launch. Heard it from more than one person.

When i was there 2 weeks ago the trains were testing all day but the ride never opened. While i was watching it test a maintenance guy came out of the station and i asked him why its not open because it was running great. He said the trains were launching to fast and they were waiting for parts to fix it.

I've seen some say the ride is more enjoyable with less speed off the launch, but mostly the opinion of "thrillseekers" is that it detracts *somewhat* from the ride...

I sure hope it's temporary, I'd hate to have missed out if the ride won't ever go as fast as it once did...

I think the ride could benefit from a bit less speed myself. That opinion is based off of one ride in the back seat which was incredible but a bit too rowdy.

Go Intamin said:
Apparently the launch is the same speed, Tek. It just trims the ride immediately after the launch. Heard it from more than one person.

I have a friend that was there last nite and he said there were no trims and the launch is slower, so...

Where's the lemon chill guy when you need him?

Tekwardo said:

I have a friend...

You have FRIENDS!?!?!?!? ;)

No I said I have A friend. You made it plural.

I don't have much of a leg to stand on, as I've not ridden it. But I've watched a few 4k, CINE (hehe) videos of it, and it does indeed look fast.

As a guy who has the (unpopular) opinion that Maverick and I-305 could stand to lose 5 - 10 mph, I'll just say that I'm not completely opposed, if indeed the ride is as crazy as it looks.

Doesn't mean I don't want to ride it ASAP though. I'm just not creating any non-rev listings yet. Winkeyface.

My one lap back in October was insane. Incredible ride. In terms of intensity El Toro(rode 3 weeks ago, and was running insane,) was the only coaster to top it on my list as far as intensity goes. I don't have a top 10 or any of that. I just hope it's temporary.

eightdotthree said:

That opinion is based off of one ride in the back seat which was incredible but a bit too rowdy.

That's what she said.

Also, are there really trims after the launch or are people just feeling the end of the launch because it only goes about 3/4 of the way up - same as it always has? I get this feeling of slowing down at the end of Dragster's launch too and it is probably worse on LR since you're going uphill. Maybe the top speed of the launch was slowed, but trims right after a launch? Who does that? Oh wait - Cedar Point with Maverick. :)

Is there video of the launch since the modification? The ones I've seen claiming to be from the last few days don't really look noticeably different to me. I rode it last November and hope to ride it some more this November. The ride was super intense throughout (more intense than anything I've been on) and I can't imagine slowing the launch by a couple mph which precedes a 165 foot drop is going to make the rest of the ride "forceless" as some have claimed.

I kind of don't get that either. Launch lifts are designed to get the train to the top in a speedy (and thrilling) fashion, but they stop somewhere along the line allowing the train to crest the top at the correct speed so that the train completes the course as intended. Proper, safe forces, all that, and true to design.

I'm no engineer, but it seems that the result can be hit or miss at times. I rode LR seven times last November and I never got used to the out of control feeling. In fact, each and every time I was close to panic wondering how the thing even stays on the track. Having said that, I also felt confident and happy that it was exactly what DW and RMC intended.

So what is really going on here? I've always felt confident in my opinion that the bugaboo all along was an inferior product supplied by the vendor. That may have been the park's fault, in awarding the bid to a lesser expensive supplier, we'll never know. So now there's unsubstantiated rumblings that the launch is too fast and the ride needs trimmed? Aw, C'MON.

I'll feel bad if future riders (read: enthusiasts) are made to experience the ride in some lesser form. And no worse than I felt for the riders of I305, original Rattler, Maverick, and the list goes on to also include most of the monsters of the 90's. Hell, Son of Beast, Pilgrim's Plunge, and Shoot the Rapids were examples of rides that were such a bad idea that the only solution was to raze them.
My best friend and I talk about this all the time- what's up, with today's technology being what it is, that so often we can't seem to get a ride that works as intended from day one? Am I silly or overreacting to allow unfortunate modifications in the name of comfort and safety or due to poor design irk me so? I guess so, as it seems the disappointing truth continues to rear it's ugly head whether I like it or not. It's feels like broken promises when I had such high hopes. Or something.

Sorry for the rant. Tonight I got nothing but complaints.

I seen Screamscape went to his Dollywood sources that said the launch hasn't slowed down or trim added. It still hits the same 73 mph that was announced when being built.

I agree with MD0mnis the rumor started because the launch doesn't go the whole way up to the top.

This is the price of innovating. Sometimes you get the solid gold we've become spoiled by coming out of RMC and sometimes you get a prototype that has issues. I for one haven't lost sight of what we're getting for the price of some setbacks.

RCMAC said:

In fact, each and every time I was close to panic wondering how the thing even stays on the track. Having said that, I also felt confident and happy that it was exactly what DW and RMC intended.

Precisely how I felt. Not how The Raven feels out of control during its back half but more like OMG is this thing going to come off of the tracks right now?

RCMAC said:

My best friend and I talk about this all the time- what's up, with today's technology being what it is, that so often we can't seem to get a ride that works as intended from day one?

Probably because the level of technology is overestimated and isn't as advanced as some people think.