[jsz1002]

^ I'm sorry the coaster gave you bruises.

I rode in the back and it wasn't as intense as the front in my opinion.

I don't want anybody making judgements on this coaster until you ride it.

Let me just say, it's smooth, it has a 'good' intensity.

I still want to ride it. Hopefully KD won't tame it...at least until after I ride it.

[Jonathan]

Here's some offride shots from Jarvis' favorite site.

It looks like one of those coasters you would make in RCT with like a 15 intensity without having any loops..

[youtube]MPFQDiVqfHk[/youtube]

That's nuts. It looks like somebody is holding down fast forward, but that's actually the normal speed.

[CarolinaCoasterFreak]

^ That has got to be the fastest lift I've ever seen! Is it a cable or a chain lift?

[Jonathan]

Cable lift. Jarsh said it is around 30 MPH! I honestly expect them to slow down the lift a bit, and soon. I just hope I can get up there and ride it before they knock down the intensity.

[Jay]

Completely off topic the all of the Back Lot Stunt Coasters have been completely de-Mini'd.

Here is KD's:



The cars were the best thing going for those rides...

[jordN1414]

I thought I heard 30fps but maybe it was 30mph

[Jarsh]

I thought I heard 30fps but maybe it was 30mph

It was 30 feet per second which is around 20mph. And about my Voyage comment... I was referring to the intensity of Voyage. Voyage is a nonstop, relentless, assault on every part of your body. I-305 does the same thing to you but in a steel form.

And yes, I've got bruises on my knees AND my shoulders. Ugh...

[MarkD]

I think we all knew 305 would be a bit rougher than ours, mainly because of the manufacturer, and the twists with the speed but I will not pass judgment until I ride it later this month. I am 6'4" and I don't worry about the restraints but my lady might have a head bangers ball being about a foot shorter than me, we'll see. I also rode SOB the second year it was open and yes, bruises appeared but I loved it and I also like Vortex so my ride types are different from most.

Not that I really care if I step on any ones toes but unless you have actually ridden both coasters do me a favor and keep your opinions to yourself. I, for one, am happy as the hottest place known to man that Cedar Fair is willing to pump money into our parks in this economy and giving me a reason to leave NC.

[KDCOASTERFAN]

^ Yeah, that seems to be the general consensus that it's a front seat coaster. Too bad it's not something a bit more obscure, like row 4 on Intimidator here. Then it'd be easier to grab a seat when everyone else is heading to the front or back. Of course with assigned seating, I guess that's a moot point. They're doing that on 305 as well, aren't they?

Unfortunately yes they are but hopefully that'll change as time goes on.

There is no real bad seat on the ride based on my experience riding yesterday & I didn't have any greyouts/blackouts at all but be forewarned that I305 is all about intensity & speed which it delivers in spades....once you've had that first ride you'll appreciate the decision to go with OTSR's on this bad boy.

[Jonathan]

once you've had that first ride you'll appreciate the decision to go with OTSR's on this bad boy.

Why? I don't think there is any ride in existence aside from flying coasters and rides that have sustained moments of upside down hanging where a well-designed lapbar system wouldn't protect just as well as an OTSR while removing the possibility of head and neck banging.

No matter how incredible this ride is, it still doesn't in my opinion justify putting those restraints on it, and it stinks that Intamin is probably going to continue putting them on future rides.

[KenB]

^ Yeah, that's a point I keep seeing over and over, and I'm thinking these people haven't been on some of Anton Schwarzkopf's better creations. Most of us here have been on Mindbender at SFOG at least.

Mindbender has loops AND some serious airtime, and you're held in just fine with a simple inverted-U-shape lapbar. B&M hyper restraints would probably handle anything you could throw at them, but sadly they've never given them a go on a sitdown or floorless.

Intamin of course has had some problems with lapbars in the past, so I understand their thinking here. OTSR is foolproof and skips some of the crap with seatbelts that we've seen at Cedar Point and elsewhere.

However, they could have designed a seat and lapbar combination that sealed people in better than their previous design and solved the problem that way. I keep picturing something like the B&M restraints, or even something like the Flying Super Saturator restraints. I can't see a way for anyone to get ejected from either no matter what the coaster is doing.

[lazor 22]

Not sure how well a lapbar would work on a floorless lol.

[coasterdave]

Not sure you could find an insurance company to insure the ride.

[KenB]

Obviously they'd have to be mounted differently on a floorless train, but I still think the hyper restraint and seat combination would work perfectly well on a looping coaster. It's not gonna happen, of course.

[swampfox43]

I think back to all the people that have been tossed out of Intamin rides, most of them killed. Knott's, Darien Lake, Oakwood Park, Six Flags New England, (did I miss any?). Even though these were rider/operator errors, it doesn't look good for Intamin nevertheless. KD & Intamin obviously didn't want to take any chances.

But are they necessary? Probably not. Our own White Lightnin' even used a simple U-shaped lapbar. Even the notorious Thriller (as with all Anton's wild creations) used a simple lapbar.

What I find most ridiculous are the use of seatbelts on every coaster at Carowinds except Intimidator. Don't get me wrong, I am happy for that. We can thank the fact it was built on the SC side for that leniency.