Trim Brakes

[Worm]

I want to ask the big question:

Why in the world was something as terrible and awful as trim brakes ever created!!?!

Just look at california screamin! it had airtime and a loop, now it only has a loop! Silverstar is wasted cuase of this. One Day Millenium Force will be ruined by trim brakes as well!!

It just breaks all the coaster's potential and speed!

WHY!!? WHY?!!

[BGWfanatic]

^ because of safety. without trims many rides would have sections that are just to violent and painful if they were taken at full speed. Its a shame they have to slow the trains down, but on most rides i really dont think it takes that much from the ride (except for a few rides, like california screamin')

[VekomahangNbang]

Silverstar is wasted cuase of this.

Silverstar trims are hardly on anymore

One Day Millenium Force will be ruined by trim brakes as well!

Are you a psychic or something?

[Chip]

Millennium Force won't get trim brakes. It would roll back in the last turn during testing on a cold day. Besides, Cedar Point took pride that it has no brakes until the end.

Trim brakes are added because of, like what was said earlier, safety. Maintenance is also another reason, as is the case with Mean Streak. The structure would tear itself apart if it didn't have those brakes down the drop.

Silverstar has brakes because it's a gigantic coaster in a tame park. It was supposed to be a family attraction, so the trim brakes help keep it from being too intense. I don't get that reasoning, though.

California Screamin' got trim brakes for the same reason The Beast's brakes were changed to magnetic: safety. There were minor collisions on them, so the park wanted to take extra precautions in order to prevent that from happening again. What's better in the park's eyes: Some airtime and speed taken away or a lawsuit or injured people?

[Brian F]

as is the case with Mean Streak. The structure would tear itself apart if it didn't have those brakes down the drop.

Personally, that sounds like a good idea to me. A woody with no air and excessive roughness (and it takes a LOT of roughness for me to call it excessive) needs to be firewood, even if it is as aesthetically pleasing as MS

[magnum_man1989]

Were the trims before the pretzel on Magnum always there? If not, that would be the best part of the ride speedin through those turns. Makes me wish I was born earlier.

[Chip]

I don't think the trims were on Magnum when it opened, but they added some shortly after it opened. They were originally on top of the third hill.

[Katie]

Here Here! Burn Mean Streak! Where's my match?

I don't particularly like trims. When I was at BGT this December, the trims were on Montu's mid-course extremely hard. Then there are times that you get a trim-less ride. But, when you are running 3 trains, it is crucial to make sure no sensors are set off and no collisions happen.

Now, I had one kick butt ride on Raptor this year. Trim-Free! I love rides like that!

[Chris L]

Why do some people assume trim brakes exist as a reason to keep a ride from running to its full potential? Sure, that may be causation, but not the reason they are there.

Like stated above, trims are on certain coasters for many reasons, reasons that are very important pertaining to different things. Safety, rider comfort, maintenance, reduction of wear and tear, as well as other things.

[Alan J]

I know on Wild Thing the trims are to slow the train so the on ride photo camera flash can keep up with the train. It kills the ride. I have been on it without trims and it is just airtime packed, but with the trims. Its like sitting in a chair getting tilted forward and back.

[VekomahangNbang]

The trim on Montu before the batwing is a killer.

[Worm]

^ i didn't even know montu had trims! it must be awful!

[bk2004]

/\ I don't think it is...the ride is still instense and just as fun...after all, it is in trenches most of the time afterwards, and not just on the ground. If that makes any sense.

[rlrcstrfreak]

^ it does, because if you took it out of the ground it would make it look taller, with bigger drops after the trims.

[Zingoman]

Magnum runs withought the trims sometimes. It is seemingly rare, but it happens, and boy oh boy let me tell you, it is a thing of BEAUTY. Not only does it rip throught the pretzel, those bunny hills are ejector quality. I got my thighs rubbed raw on the lap bar by taking only four laps in a row without the trims. It is truly an awesome experiece. The ride is still great with them on too. If you ride on a cold windy day, they turn them off because the trains run slow and have the potential for a roll back if the brakes are on. It also over shoots the brakes next to the lift hill right after the final tunnel if the trims aren't on. The first three cars will speed past the catwalks, and if they had to evacuate, it would be a pain in the butt. There are some pros and cons right there of trims.

[Ryan F]

My experience is that Magnum never has trim brakes on at night. Every night ride I've had o nthat ride was trim less.

[Worm]

the airtime must have been amazing!

[Sir Willow]

^ i didn't even know montu had trims! it must be awful!

Frankly, the trims on Montu take nothing away from the ride. Not trying to be insulting, but I've always kind of felt that those who complained about Montu's trims were pretty much just whining.

The trims on Montu are just before the batwing/ cobra roll/ whatever you want to call it. As it is, it's still pretty intense going through it. In the back my feet get numb with the blood rushing to it, and I've had friends get very lightheaded through it. It doesn't need to be more intense, and it shouldn't be. And the slight slowdown they make keep it tolerable for the normal rider.

Which brings me to what trim brake's purpose is: to keep the ride running in a fashion that is optimum for the ride and for the riders. It may relieve some of the stresses on the ride, or possibly on the riders. But that's why they put them on. They may result sometimes in another part of the ride not being quite as much fun, but I'd rather that than have an unsafe condition.

[Worm]

i've never been through a batwing so i'll probaly never understand...

[Cephas]

The trims don't kill montu-the problem is the MCRB. The second half of the ride is so boring when the MCRB is on.

[Joseph]

There is a significant difference between a trip through Montu's Batwing without trims and one with them on. If you've ever done both within a very short period of time you know what one ride has one of the best inverions on the planet and one is nothing too special.

[Steven]

If you want a guaranteed trimless ride on Magnum... either the train has to be less than half full, or winds must be greater than 20 knots. Just because it's night doesn't mean that it's going to be trimless because i've ridden and operated the ride at night with trims on. Though, with the recent paintjob its received, or if it happens to be a really cool morning, it may change somewhat.

[rlrcstrfreak]

Ha, trimless.. at night... thats funny. what difference does it make.. night or day...ha

[apsterling]

rides with SEVERE Trim issues

5. Thunder Mountain @ MK
4. Raptor (Sometimes)
3. Thunder Mountain @ DLC
2. Montu
1. Space Mountain @ MK (In my opinion, the brakes really take too much away.)

[Chip]

Ha, trimless.. at night... thats funny. what difference does it make.. night or day...ha

Roller coasters go faster at night. No lie.

My best experience on Magnum was a full train, trimless, at night with a little fall of rain. I was in the ejector seat. It was wild.

[James]

Roller coasters go faster at night. No lie.

Its not that its night.. Its that they have had all day to warm up and break in. If you opened a ride for the day at say...7pm it wouldnt run as fast as it would be if it had opened at 10am...

[rlrcstrfreak]

So Im confused.. what are you saying? wouldnt the track be a bit tighter at night due to the decreasing temp?.. whatever.

[Worm]

the train kinda needs to warm up...

[Sir Willow]

It's not the train that warms up. It's the grease in the bearings and "friction" areas that when it's warmed up allows things to move freer and more quickly. Same thing with the wheels and track, which increase in temperature as the ride is operated. But more to do with the grease than anything else. Air temperature doesn't affect that all that much.

Think of it like your car- when does it run better? When you first start it up, or after it's been running for a little while. Does the outside temperature really make much of a difference in how well it runs, or how long it's been running and the time for the fluids inside of it to warm up to operating temperature? Same thing applies to coasters.

[rjholla2003]

If you're ever at Dorney Park, watch Hydra (and ride it) during the day. Then look at it at night. That is the first coaster that I could visibly see running faster at night. It's downright ridiculous. My girlfriend and I flipped out when "something didn't seen quite right" with how Hydra was running. The ride itself was a lot better at night when it's going at full speed.