Wheel Question

At what speed would a coaster have to go for the polyurithane(sp?) on the wheels to melt off?

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If FoF got that great of a makeover than why can't I?

Depends on the type of Polyurethane. There are many different grades and makes for various purposes. I don't know the exact type made for rollercoasters (might be designer specific) but most are anywhere from 125-250 degrees celcius. (250-480 degrees F) Take a look at this page if you know what kind of plastic youre dealing with: http://www.matweb.com/GetIndex1.asp
To reach that temperature, speeds would have to be well above terminal velocity for a 7 ton coaster. Maybe I'm wrong though.
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Ghostrider = good

As opposed to Arrow and others, I believe that some companies like B&M, Inatmin, and Premier use Nylon wheels currently. Are they able to handle higher speeds than polyurethane?

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- Peabody

How fast can Nylon Wheels go?


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If FoF got that great of a makeover than why can't I?

I don't think it's how fast they can go, it's how hot they can get. To reduce heat, wheel sizes have increased. Look at the HUGE running wheels on S:TE, MF, and Steel Dragon 2K.

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- Peabody

The limit of speed for coaster wheels is heat. How much they heat is determined by speed, G-forces, ambient temperature, and train dynamics. There is a trade off in selecting the urethane grade used between softer grade that heats more but rides smoothe and a harder grade the heats less, but rides rougher.