Roller Coasters and G-forces?

[Larry Bastanza]

Hey Guys,

Well I just got back from a few days of a family vacation. We are big Roller Coaster fans and spend a few days at Hershey Park as well as Dorney Park in PA. 15 RollerCoasters total.

I wanted to discuss the newest coaster at Hershey: Storm Runner

0-72 mph in 2 sec, then 180ft. vertical, very nice. It was a rush to say the least. My question is two fold. What is the acceleration g forces, and how would this compare to a top fuel dragster? I think it is still slow, but heck, I could not even think about doing that if I had a steering wheel in my hand.

Look forward to your comments.

Thanks,
LarryB

 

[SNDSOUL]

If you are looking for the feel of the top fuel dragster then you should visit Cedar Point in Ohio. They have the fastest and tallest rollercoasters in the world. Currently the #1 is Top Thrill Dragster---0 to 120 3 sec then vertical 420ft. Totally insane. I go there every year and every year they have something bigger and better. www.cedarpoint.com

 

[KGP]

Larry, I don't know what the G-force of the coster is, but I bet it was fun. I think you would need to know the length for the 0-72mph run to compute it? Don't top fuel cars hit something like 8g's off the line?

SNDSOUL, how long of a wait to get on Top Thrill Dragster? Anyone know the best days to go to Cedar Point in terms of less a crowd?

 

[zomby woof]

0-72 mph in 2 seconds equates to about 1.64 g's, assuming constant acceleration.

a ferrari enzo does 0-60 in 3.3 seconds, equating to about .83 g.

i checked accel in the X using my G-Tech, and got about .5 g peak in 1st gear, which compares favorably with road & track test results of 5.0 seconds 0-60 for an 02 NSX-T (.55 g).

a top fuel dragster reaches 0-100 mph in 1 second (or less), yielding about 4.5 g acceleration. actually i think it's a little quicker, but with NHRA thinning the fuel again, and looking at control tires, they should stay in that range a little longer.

 

[hlweyl]

Both my sons and I are also roller coaster fanatics. We did Busch Gardens Va last year and Univ Studios Fl this year. Some really good rides.

I like the quick blast off coasters but I still love the traditional slow climb up... and drop you straight down. I would like to see a roller coaster that does both. In BG Apollo's chariot was our favorite and in Univ Studios the Hulk was pretty good also. One day I MUST do cedar point.

One attraction that is a must do is the Spiderman ride(non-roller coaster) in Universal, it has amazing 3D affects. At one point in the ride you really feel like you are falling from 30 stories up.

 

[DONYMO]

Cool website for roller coater videos

http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/coasters/coasters.html

 

[tochigidream]

If you are looking for the feel of the top fuel dragster then you should visit Cedar Point in Ohio.

You beat me to it. I'm going there next Summer. I can't wait! Rollercoasters are among my top favorite things. Larry, you need to watch the 'Point of View' video sample of the "Top Thrill Dragster" to really get a great idea of what it will be like (in SNDSOUL's link). I just went to a place called Valleyfair in Shakopee, Minnesota a few weeks ago. Their tallest coaster is only 200ft. tall, but very fun. Another of my favorite rides there was called the "Power Tower," which is a tower with a lift that brings you 275ft. in the air (vertical) and stops at the top and, without notice, hydraulics push you downward towards the earth. What a rush, just sitting there waiting for it to blast you down, and then the thrill, when it does!

 

[nsxtasy]

I've experienced g forces in the range of 4-5 g's, back when I was doing aerobatics (stunt flying). Aerobatics is like the wildest roller coaster you can imagine, without being confined to going in the direction of the tracks...

 

[Larry Bastanza]

Thanks for the info folks, I will checdk out those links. Guess I need to plan a CedarPoint visit.

Gene, It was a blast, even after the third run .

Regards,
LarryB