Silver Star Question - CoasterBuzz

My limited experience on B&M hypers (Apollo's Chariot, Nitro) is that they are slugs in the mornig untill the grease warms up. Once they are warmed up they are pretty consistant the rest of the day. I think that Nitro feels fast at night because so much of the run is dark, not because the trains run any faster.

MagnumForce said:
The trims on Nitro had very very little effect on the ride as they are in vallies. The third hill trim on Bull though is atroucious. I put it in the same league as the trim at the top of The Beast's second hill. If you are going to trim a ride, trim the valley please.

I think maintainance on trains and brakes is probably a lot worse if you're trimming in the valley than on the top of the hill. Then again, RB's trim is MUCH more noticable than Nitro's.

-----------------

To be honest, I didn't have any trouble with the trims on Silver Star The first few rides I got in the morning were a bit sluggish but those afternoon rides were crazy! Riding in the back row of that coaster was amazing!

-SEan

Jim Fisher said:

B&M believes in a highly controlled ride. With Swiss precision they decide that they want the train to go over the top of the third hill at 23.3 mph. They then design a coaster that will go over the top slightly faster than that in good conditions and add a trim to keep it from going to fast. The trims are actively controled so they only come on when and to the amount needed.
On a cool morning Nitro's trims don't come on at all until the grease warms up. Then as the day goes on the trims are activeted under computer control in response to readings from the speed sensors to keep the speed exactly where Claude and Walter wanted it.
While coaster enthusiasts have a knee jerk negative reaction to trims, used intelligently in this manner they can enhance the ride by avouiding having to design the ride for the fastest conditions, then having it be a slug much of the time when it is running slower.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it usually the park who asks for the trims to be installed. If I'm wright then my guess would be the trims were installed after testing... maybe the park wasn't happy with the amount of G forces on the ride so it asked for the trims to be installed. Please correct me if I'm wrong because I'm only making an educated guess.

No, the park usually wont specify if they want trims. They're in the job of running rides, not designing them. Trim brakes are installed on coasters for a variety of reasons as listed above. The park just want a ride that works and works well... trims are not generally their concern.

-----------------
Is that a Q-bot in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?

General Public said:
It's not trimmed because it's a family park. It's trimmed to keep regular speeds throughout the course. This reduces wear on the track and running gear over time.
-----------------
the member formerly known as MisterX
-----------------
Lifts are for wimps. Real enthusiasts use the power of their minds to make the trains go up the first hill.

It is about time someone here showed up to the party with brains.

The trims certainly slowed down this ride. Both Elissa and I felt it was probably the most dissapointing on the ECO trip. We even took a ride on it later in the day to see if it had gotten better, and it only seemed as though it might have gotten even slower! =)

Still, it's a very smooth ride. Fun if you're not looking for major thrills or any significant airtime in any seat. I actually thought the s-curve at the end was the best part of the ride!

--Robb "Doesn't matter if Silver Star sucks, because Europa has plenty of other kick ass coasters that will quickly make you forget about thier lame B&M." Alvey

I noticed in the pictures of Silver Star, the lift supports are few and far between. I actually like the visual appearance as opposed to the most common lift structures. Is there a reason that more coasters do not use this structure? It seems that it would be cheaper (less metal) but may not be as each support would have to be stronger to support the additional weight.

I'm sure aesthetics have somewhat of a role, but they probably do it for one of two reasons (or both): ease of design/construction and cost. Obviously if it can be erected quicker or with less manpower than a different structural system, that's good. Or perhaps it costs less. Who knows.

-----------------
Is that a Q-bot in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?

haux said:
People who have ridden it call it "Silver Brake" since there are three sets of trims on the ride, I think. I know there are trims heading up the hills before and after the OBT.

I just call it "A typical B&M Speed Coaster" :shrug:

I have no problem with people who like the designs, but they do very little for me, brakes or no brakes.

Honestly, trimming on coasters doesn't really bother me much anymore. There was a point when I was a pre-enthusiast, and for a while when I first became one that it drove me utterly nuts, but now it has to be utterly egregious before I say anything.

Silver Star's problem isn't the brakes, it's the layout, and the trains. I agree with Rob that it's just not a *thrill* ride, which seems wrong for a 250 foot speed coaster.

For my money EuroSat and Mir kicked the living hell out of SS in about every category other than statistics...

But you have to take everything I say with a grain of salt, since I've always been a vocal B&M critic. Their designs have just gotten increasingly tame as time goes by IMHO. I love their early rides like BTR, Raptor, and Iron Wolf (pre-headbanging at least...) but as the layouts have gotten looser my opinion of them has steadily dropped.

Obviously you havent rode a good B&M floorless?
I absoultey adore B:KF at sfwoa. There are some decent g's and the layout is supberb. I cant help thinking about how much fun ive had on that ride, too bad no one I know loves coasters as much as me.

Sf-Woah said:
Obviously you havent rode a good B&M floorless?
I absoultey adore B:KF at sfwoa. There are some decent g's and the layout is supberb.

So, you're saying...YOU haven't ridden a *good* floorless, either?

We can save you some time and money if we just bought you an easy chair and plopped you in front of a POV video.

B:KF needs a Zero-G roll, then we can work on the rest of the ride.

--Josh

I liked all the B&Ms I ridden. My favorite is Nitro and Talon because they are real fast and intense. I never esperienced a ride like them because they are unique.

So, you're saying...YOU haven't ridden a *good* floorless, either?
B:KF needs a Zero-G roll, then we can work on the rest of the ride.

--Josh

Well, there is a pop of air off the brakes that *may* wake you up.

-----------------
~~~ Maddy ~~~

Chernabog said:

DLDude13 said:

Women was god's second mistake.

Were men God's first?
-----------------
~~~ Maddy ~~~

No, Men is what God found in the toilet!!

Seriously though. As much as we hate brakes. The park put it there for a reason. People other than thrill-seeking enthusiaists ride these coasters.

*** This post was edited by El Gato Coastro on 11/6/2002. ***

Having ridden Medusa East and B:KF I can say without a doubt B:KF is the better of the two and infact my favorite sitdown looper.

It has some very very good froces unlike Medusa East which i found good but not as good as B:KF.

I have never met a B an M I didn't liek, but there are very few that truly amaze me.

B:KF, Great America's B:TR, Raptor, S:UF,Chang, Top Gun :TJC, and Great Bear which I abolutely adore.

Raging Bull and Nitro come close to entering that category but no Cigar, and Manti also comes close if it is ran without trims.

Come to think of it that is a lot of good B and M's LOL

-----------------
Coming in 2003
The Spawn Of Magnum!

I was the last non employee through Maggie's turnstile this year. Woo Hoo.

Not for nothing but I found Medusa West the most perfect floorless that I have encountered. Medusa East would win if it had a straight drop. Batty was cool and all with the lateral forces and blah blah blah but it just didn't hit my spot.

-----------------
I, am nobody, and nobody is pefect!