Why Is Magnum XL-200 So Rough

Magnum is not really rough, it is the transitions more than anything. Especially the awkward "what were they thinking" banking coming out of the pretzel. At the time though, I assume it is the best they could do with the technologies.

I have never been a big fan of the ride. I ride it 2-3 times a year at most just to ride it, but I would not feel at all sad if they removed it for something better. *Puts flame suit on* :)

Charles Nungester said:

Magnum was designed to be a STEEL COASTER that gave a wooden type ride, Something it accomplishes in everything but rapid change of direction.

You wanna complain? Mean Streak is just back <<<<< that way.

So they designed it to be rough? Now we are making excuses for Arrow. Mind you i'll still ride it. I'm just not going to act like it's a smooth coaster. compared to say Loch Ness, it's a very rough ride. If my mother asked me "Is it a smooth coaster?", I would not tell her "Sure" and drag her on it while her dentures fly out and hip dislocates!

No one is trying to convince you that it's smooth. What are you arguing against?

Arrow's excuse is that the technology to calculate curvature and bend the rails to tight tolerances wasn't as advanced back then as it is now.

I remember seeing video of Ron Toomer speaking about how Arrow made the steel track (it may have been the time he spoke at CoasterMania). He said they would bend the rails to meet chalk marks they had laid out on the factory floor.

Fast forward to the factory in Ohio that makes the track for B&M; I've heard that the tolerance is 1mm.

It's not only design, but manufacturing as well, that makes a coaster smooth.

HamptonRoadsRider said:
I'm just not going to act like it's a smooth coaster. compared to say Loch Ness, it's a very rough ride.

Ha!

Oh, wait. You're serious?

I must be riding a different Magnum & LNM.

Bakeman31092 said:

No one is trying to convince you that it's smooth. What are you arguing against?

Two things..

A. someone said - arrow designed it to be like a woodie so its rough - seems unlikely they they intentionally designed it to be rough like a woodie

B. someone said - Its not rough, it's just the transitions. I said - doesnt matter why, it's still rough

My main point is just because there are excuses for it's roughness, it's still rough!

And yeah, i do feel Loch Ness is smoother - mainly due to only having a few rough patches (during/after the loops) whereas Magnum seemed more uniformly rough to me. But magnum is faster throughout so that's to be expected. But i could see how that comparison might turn some heads, Loch Ness is far from a super smooth ride, i know.

I have seen some threads where folks noticed it was rougher on some days than other, due to weather, moon cycles, etc. Maybe i got a bad day. Again, i'll be back on it next time at Cedar Point - and either way, my torture device (hyperbole) may be your thrill - so Cheers - I will gladly ride the Magnum with anyone here if we hit Cedar Point together and hoot and holler the whole way!! - i just may wear thigh pads is all :-)

A. That's not what he meant when he said it was designed like a woodie. He was referring to the layout, which is a simple out-and-back design with nothing but hills, similiar to an old-school woodie. Most steel coasters at the time were focused on loops and quick changes in direction.

B. You realize you're quoting a guy from 2001, right? And anyway, all you're really doing is arguing over what you define as roughness, which has been done repeatedly on this site already. Basically, the broad definition of roughness is any uncomfortable force that the ride produces. That force can be the result of a bumpy track, poorly designed transitions between curves, slop in the wheel carriers, aggressive changes in direction, vibration, worn wheels, etc. You're free to pick and choose whichever of the forces you want to include in your definition of roughness.

OK , you win. I apologize if it seemed if i was trying to start an argument. Happy coasting

Bakeman31092 said:

Arrow's excuse is that the technology to calculate curvature and bend the rails to tight tolerances wasn't as advanced back then as it is now.

Meh, Schwarzkopfs are just as old and they age a lot better. Arrow's designs are akin to RCT....insert loop on stilts here, insert generic ramped hill there.

James Whitmore said:

Fast forward to the factory in Ohio that makes the track for B&M; I've heard that the tolerance is 1mm.

It's not only design, but manufacturing as well, that makes a coaster smooth.

I would think that their tolerances are much smaller than 1mm. I work in a factory. I used to be in machining and we had tolerances of 3 thousandths of an inch sometimes.

I rode it about 8 years ago. Honestly, having ridden several other hypercoasters by Morgan and Intamin beforehand, it was nothing special. It truly does not belong in anyone's top ten list. Top twenty is possible, but not top ten. It's very bumpy and just not that great a layout. When it was built, the 200+ height was cool. But it means nothing now, SO STOP RATING IT SO HIGHLY.

It's sort of some weird mutant coaster form of nepotism that is keeping this coaster so high in rankings. MANY BETTER RIDES HAVE BEEN BUILT SINCE. Get over it, people.

Now some rides are rough beyond the point of being enjoyable (SP, FoF with OTSR's)

I rode the FoF earlier this year, And I would agree with that, however, they took the OTSR out and used the lap bar design from SOB instead. Much more enjoyable!!!!!!

CoffinBoy,

Machining, yes. Bending pipes that are several feet long, no.

Magnum has the intangible property of "soul," something that can't be measured in millimeters. That's why it's in top-ten lists.

bjames, I not only rate coasters from how fun they are, but how much fun I had on them in my lifetime. I have had a lot of fun on Magnum.

Besides, it's a really great coaster. I haven't rode it in a while, but I imagine that it's still going to be one of my favorite. I love how out-of-control it feels. I like that it's a little bumpy. :)

^ Its still running good! :) We took our 6yr old twins on it during the July 4th weekend, they enjoyed it!

bjames said:

MANY BETTER RIDES HAVE BEEN BUILT SINCE.

My last rides were in June of this year and it's still hands down my favorite steel coaster. So....how about no.

Is it even really that highly ranked anyway? Mitch's Steel Coaster polls puts it at #80 in the world.

Maybe people just have, like, different opinions, man.

After all these years Magnum still has some of the best, if not the best, ejector air out there on a steel coaster. It's a top ten ride in my book.

matt. said:

My last rides were in June of this year and it's still hands down my favorite steel coaster. So....how about no.

Yeah, we visited CP in June too - the coaster we rode more than any other?

Magnum.

My wife said she loves riding Magnums, too.