[Jay]

Yeah as I said before, the Top 10s are typically okay, but the further you get out the worse it gets. Tremors at 20 while The Beast is at 7? At least Mean Streak isn't making the list anymore. Also international coasters aren't completely excluded they just have to have a ton of riders to make an impact like Expedition GeForce.

The main purpose of the post was to let RollerCoasterMommy know that the Golden Tickets aren't "end all be all" and there are other polls out there.

[Skycoastin Steve]

Couldn't be nearly as bad as this poll.

[coasterfreak]

Couldn't be nearly as bad as this poll.

General public poll if I ever saw one!

Back on topic though, my friend went to KD a few weeks ago (I'm a little jealous since I've never been) and he said he was blacking out when sitting towards the back of the train on I305....I wanna black out sooooooo bad!!!

[Jay]

To be fair the last poll was titled "tallest, fastest, longest" not "best."

[montumax]

Ok. I rode this bad boy today. Or should I say, fair to middling instead of bad.

I got checked in at the motel, texted Jonathan to see if he was still in the park. He was and said to meet him at i305 for a couple of rides before he had to leave out. So, I changed shirts and started walking to the park. It had been several years since I've been to the park (my guess, the year before Ricochet was added.) It took me a few minutes to get my bearings once I got in there. Jonathan was coming off the ride as I was just getting down there. They were running two trains so the wait was almost nonexistent.

For the first ride, it was in the next to last seat. The speed of the lift hill caught me by surprise and it almost seems faster than MF's. (Not that I can really recall the speed, it has been 10 years since I've been to CP. I've had no desire to go back. But, that's another topic I'm sure.) We're shoved over the hill and away we go. (Minor niggle here, its 300 ft. But, you really don't get to take in the fact that its 300 ft. You're up the hill and over it before you know it. You don't get to savor it.) Did I grey out? No. Not at all. On either ride.

The rest of the ride? Eh, it was okay. I did like some of the elements but I really felt that some of the transitions could be smoothed out. The restraints don't help matters either. That last little whip into the brake run...OUCH! There's air in those hills. But, the restraints kill it.

The second ride was about the same. The only difference was that I did feel a bit more airtime. The restraints didn't come down on me like the first ride.

I went back to ride some more. But, for some reason, they had took off one train. The line was building up into the queue and there was no way that I was gonna wait for it. Not when i305 is in two ERT sessions.

Right now, the coaster is ok. I'm willing to give it a shot to really WOW me. I didnd't come off the ride going "That's great! That's fantastic! That's my new number 1!" I did that on Diamondback. Its got all weekend to impress me. Will it do it? We'll see...

[RiDeWaRrIoR]

Well I was able to get 9 rides in (I wanted more but didnt have time) and I got to say that I-305 is a great coaster. I am with Max on the fact that I didnt come off saying its my #1 etc, but the speed of the ride (even with those dreaded trims) is great! I like the transitions but they are a little rough, but not as rough as I expected. The first ride I had I greyed out for a long while. The next 3 or 4 tiems I rode it I didnt grey out at all and then the last few rides I had a little grey out at the top of the first hill. but nothing like the first ride. I did enjoy it and I am glad I got the 9 rides I did... I also agree those restraints suck, even though they are soft going through those twists it hurts your shoulders, or it did mine anyway, no airtime either. Overall a very nice ride and I hope I get to go back to KD sometime for some more rides on it, hopefully by then they wont have to make people swap seats and get back in line and send an empty train out because of the restraints!

[montumax]

I will say that I liked i305 more after riding it a few more times. I really enjoy it right up unto that point I mentioned in my previous post. I just wish I had gotten a few more rides on it. But, with the mishap with ERT on Saturday night, I stayed on Volcano, since that's my baby.

[Jonathan]

My how things change...

I did not attend the ACE event, but stopped by the park on Thursday for a few hours. My only previous rides were during the first month before the first drop trim and new restraints, and after experiencing the new version, my opinion of the ride has skyrocketed. It went from something I didn't care about riding that many times and my 3rd favorite coaster in the park to my favorite ride in the park and a borderline top 10 favorite steel. The new restraints are infinitely better, at least for the way my body fits into them. Where the original ones were painful, prevented airtime, and required me to brace myself the entire ride, I could hold my hands up every time without being bashed (except slightly on the last two turns) with the new restraints. The second change that helped drastically was the removal of the trim brake from the camelback hill near the end of the ride. What was before a pretty boring section is now fantastic, with airtime on both hills at the end and crazy speed into the brakes.

Obviously, it's not all changed for the better. The first drop, which was one of the best on any coaster to me, has been pretty well killed by the trim brakes. It is like the Mean Streak of steel coasters. Also, the second hill has little to no airtime now, whereas before it was awesome sustained floater. Additionally, I blacked out every single time in the first turn just as bad as I did back in April, so that trim on the drop is even more pointless to me. Still, though, it is a great improvement overall.

[Skycoastin Steve]

^The trims were added to keep the ride from melting wheels, not because of blackouts.

[Jonathan]

In that case, I am very cautiously optimistic that they can solve the wheel issue (they did with Millennium 10 years ago I don't see why they can't with this now) and remove those trims (but they probably won't). Still interesting to me that they aren't concerned about the G forces in that turn (or maybe they are and their hands are tied).

[swampfox43]

When White Lightnin' opened at Carowinds in '77, they had a wheel melting problem, which kept the ride down much of the season. They eventually solved that problem and it's hard to believe that wheel melting is still an issue after 30 years. Sure, the speeds are faster now, but knowing the potential was there and not preventing it before hand, doesn't speak too highly of Intamin, imo. This, of course, assuming there is a wheel melting issue with i305.

[RollerCoasterMommy07]

I know this is off topic once again but like page 34 I think I me and a few of yall got to talking about the Golden Ticket Awards. I have to say that I would agree that it's not very credible. It's like the last few years all they have done is taken the same top 10 steel coasters and just mixed up the order. I mean I figured our Intimidator probably wouldn't make it top 10 just for the simple fact Diamondback and Apollo's Chariot are up there and they are similar, but you would've thought that KD's 305 would've made it.

[Jonathan]

Let the drama continue... We've had I-305 version 1, version 2, and now I guess version 3 is coming. The 2nd hill has been removed. Who knows what they are doing to it.

[cwgator]

[youtube]N47SRKx4mSw[/youtube]

[carowinds4ever]

Ha Ha, I wonder if this will end up like SOB @ kings island. Someone must have filed a lawsuit. I am glad we got the b&m. I305 will make a nice statue.

note my sarcasm