Are Roller Coasters Getting Rougher?

For the longest time, the common-held belief was that if a roller coaster was made of steel, you could expect a butter-smooth ride experience, and if it's made of wood, well, it's going to be a bumpy ride. Today, the expectations of what we want out of roller coasters has changed. We expect all roller coasters to be a butter smooth ride, because we’ve experienced butter smooth rides on all forms of tracks and models. Those janky transitions that we seemed to expect back in the eighties or nineties, have been replaced by computer precision tracks that allow for smoother transitions.
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[@jonathanwoods3136]

Honestly if there isn’t headbanging or jack hammering, then it’s smooth. A rattle is so nit picky that I really don’t care

[@Lynxlynx47]

I share this opinion.

[@SnowghostFilms]

I’m nervous about what a rough roller coaster is actually like. All 4 coasters at Warner Bros Movie World are very smooth, and that is all my recent experience on proper coasters. The recently closed Thredbo Bobsled had a classic cla-cluck over the different segments of track, yet I found it charming and not excessively rough, unlike some section of the mountain’s mountain bike trails that have potholes and brake ruts so bad I found riding down the stairs smoother. So in summary, I can handle quite a bit, yet I have an idea of when something is really bad.

[@SkyrushFanboy]

Based

[@jonathanwoods3136]

@@SnowghostFilms generally speaking as long as I don’t come off in pain I’m A-Okay. There have been rides some even legendary rides where I come off in pure discomfort. Riding voyage in a wheel seat for a long time has been very uncomfortable for myself but simply change to a non wheel seat and it’s top 5 for me. Many rides you have to ride defensively or in better seats than others, it’s annoying but you’ll know what a rough and uncomfortable ride is when you experience it.

[@phantafan7965]

Yeah, a little rattle makes no difference in terms of fun, so why should you care?

[@AirtimeAxolotl]

Why do people complain that a coaster is rough, or has a rattle? It never bothered me! Most of the coasters you mentioned are coasters I think are very smooth!

[@tigerrocks503chase8]

RCCA coasters were rough to the point of painful due to that company cutting corners on builds and poor engineering

[@ItsSiebay]

Most times a rattle doesn’t bother me. In fact I prefer a little bit of a rattle to a glossy smooth ride, especially since my preferred coaster type is wood. It gives the rides a sense of intensity in my opinion. Still, there are some coasters that have given me an instant headache from how much they rattled my head around.

[@mattyorshin]

​@@ItsSiebayas I love Woodies also. I like a little bit of rattle.

[@AirtimeAxolotl]

@@tigerrocks503chase8 I agree that RCCA was horrible

[@johnfoltz8183]

Unfortunately Wildcat at Hersheypark was rough in 2021-2022 and it didn’t help that the lapbar stapled me due to the forces of the ride

[@ItsSiebay]

I don’t they’re getting rougher, but I do agree expectations have grown astronomically since the coaster wars.

[@skodwardee]

Even more so since rmc’s debut

[@Str8trackhaters]

Time traveler is the smoothest ride I have ever been on

[@TheNinjaDC]

I'll take a B&M rattle over head banging any day of the week.

[@nathanpayne5358]

Great video!! This one was for the enthusiasts who’s getting a little older!!🤙

[@mitchellries256]

I think I can tolerate roughness on coasters better than most people. For example, people have complained about a rattle on Banshee at Kings Island, but I've never experienced such a thing.

[@billsskiefc]

Griffon and iron gwazi are probably the smoothest rides I’ve ever been on Edit you mentioned banshee and god that rattle and vest is so bad

[@XscreamThrills]

Iron Gwazi is butter smooth

[@TwoOldsTogether-bn5kv]

Griffon was super smooth for me through all the huge elements, and then banged my head on the restraint right when we popped up onto the final brake run. I laughed because it seemed so silly 😂

[@andyroman8223]

Skyrush felt like it was running square wheels when I rode it in august of 2022. Even the GP that sat next to me said that the thing he hated with the ride was "its bumpiness" and not its restraints.

[@XscreamThrills]

Hopefully that was fixed this year 🤞🏻

[@stormchaser419]

B&M utilizes Clermont Steel Fabricators in Batavia, Ohio to make track for all their coasters worldwide so the question might be directed towards there.....but it could be design, the ground the coaster sits on, the coaster cars and other factors.

[@olliecs3106]

I think a key reason why newer b&ms are seemingly rougher is because of the newer trains. They’re much wider and heavier than most other trains by other manufacturers, so they’re gonna track a bit worse

[@XscreamThrills]

I think that's the main reason why they dropped the nineth row on their hyper models, actually most now only have 7

[@theunknown0887]

Roughness isn't inherently a bad thing, some coasters can be rough but still fun it all depends on the layout and restraints that'll make the roughness bad most times

[@Ihatethoosies]

Boss and Hades 360 are great example of that

[@OklahomaCoasterFan]

I think all of the possibilities you mentioned are legitimate to a certain degree. Trying to think of it objectively, wooden coasters have overall been getting smoother, while steel coasters seem more likely to rattle recently. We went through a phase of steel coasters riding as smooth as before, but also having better transitions than before. Now, the good transitions remain, but they're not quite as smooth, unless we're talking about Vekoma. I'm not bothered by Dr Diabolical's slight rattle, but it's not as smooth as SheiKra. Not complaining or saying that my life is ruined by the rattle, but it's an observation that I think is true. Even Velocicoaster had a few jackhammering moments on my rides a few months ago, but Pantheon is very smooth, so I don't know what's going on. I think B&Ms vest restraints, as much as I love them, might be to blame on their dive coasters & Banshee. I think the train and/or track are designed different to accommodate the different restraints. I don't know why they couldn't be like Vekoma, where their vest restraints are interchangeable with any of their old restraints, and fit perfectly with the track.

[@Calakapepe]

It's expectations. I remember growing up in the 2000s and ppl didn't really complain too much (amongst friends, family, and online forums).. and yet I know the woodies were definitely much rougher on the regular. Now with more precise profiling & woodies are becoming more smooth for longer... Expectations are getting higher .. I think it's mostly a good thing. I don't wanna go back haha Also I have a suspicion that B&M lost their touch somehow but I have no legitimate reason

[@jacgalla]

Probably cheaper manufacturing cause of covid and maybe to do with a different design in trains is why b&m coasters have recently got more rattle

[@Calakapepe]

@@jacgalla maybe cheaper manufacturing cause I think of Banshee(2014) compared to Batman in Gurnee, IL (90s)

[@kaylawhipple7570]

I think its all expectations. I remember hearing about the B&M rattle and almost immediately noticed it on Behemoth. So its affecting the newbies too. They hear about it then look for it.

[@CosterRush]

thank you for the 4k foteg

[@Lynxlynx47]

The „B&M Rattle“ is greatly exaggerated by many enthusiasts these days.

[@tomo3387]

Have you ridden Kraken?

[@tomo3387]

I’ve also gotten pretty bad rattles on Montu in the center of the train on outer seats.

[@Lynxlynx47]

I haven’t ridden these two coasters. But when I go to Florida I will definitely check them out. I currently rode 5 B&Ms: Silver Star, Shambhala, Dragon Khan, Raptor and Oblivion (Black Hole). None of those had a rattle despite many coaster enthusiasts claiming that Dragon Khan would have a rattle. Maybe I’m just not that sensitive to rattles and roughness in general. Out of 30 coasters that I rode the only one that I found rough was a Vekoma SLC called Blue Tornado.

[@johnnyboy4630]

I was on Valraven last year and I sat at the back row far right side and I didn’t get a rattle at all. It was buttery smooth

[@OklahomaCoasterFan]

I've ridden it over 4 different years. 2 of those, it had a very noticeable rattle. The other 2 visits, it was as smooth as can be, and that includes my rides last year. I think that especially with B&Ms, how old or new the wheels are can make a big difference in how smooth or rattly it is.

[@quix9556]

I have a feeling it’s partially parks taking the budget friendly move with the little things. We’ve seen coasters be rougher than others when parks cheap out with the train design, down to what contractor they use to assemble the coaster. Yukon Striker was glass smooth when I rode it, when Valravn has had a shimmy to it since day one, just as an example. Then you have parks that are willing to pay the premium on the GCI ipe wood track like Mystic Timbers, while some like Zambezi Zinger don’t have it and already have some calling it rough.

[@chocolatecheesecake6011]

I've noticed the "older" b&ms that have the "roar" feel like they "ride" smoother along the track than the newer ones. The newer ones have better/smoother transitions, but much more of a rattle. I went to Kennywood last year and i rode steel curtain for the first time and the rattle was insane. Then i rode phantoms revenge and it rode like butter. How in the heck does a 25 year old coaster, that was redone btw, ride smoother than than a brand new one??? I don't understand how they haven't figured this out yet. Especially when you have rmcs being build that are like glass with a wooden structure underneath. 🤔

[@craigsmallegan5993]

Just had preview of TT2 and I think it will firmly go on this list. The trains can be seen shaking back and forth on the track. And when you're going over the 100 mph mark, it feels rough.

[@XscreamThrills]

Some will complain but I thought it was still pretty smooth

[@Bit-By-Brick]

Maybe a hot take, but Banshee doesn't have a rattle imo. Kings Island is my home park, and I've been riding it for years (including this season), and it seems intense, instead of having a rattle.

[@wooden221press]

Mean streak at cedar point beat you like a redheaded stepchild, a very unpleasant experience

[@XscreamThrills]

That was a really rough roller coaster for sure!

[@chrissharratt8042]

Rattles are barely anything to complain about on B&Ms when other manufacturers like Gerstlauer last about 2 years before painful jolting and head-banging.

[@coasterfair2602]

I just think we are expecting higher quality and we get disappointed by it being a little rough (which I kinda get it but no steel or wood coasters are going to be perfect for everyone)

[@pancakerabber]

i believe the b&m hyper is the smoothest b&m model

[@zacg_]

With your B&M examples at the beginning I see a common denominator but it might be a coincidence. That is the vest restraint. That would be ironic if the vests are to blame since the point of the vest is to reduce headbanging. And some of them cinch uncomfortably during the ride which is a problem. But if I was to assume the vest is not just a coincidence, here is a possible theory. It's maybe a bit far fetched but it could be true. What if B&M decided to cut corners since the introduction of the vests because they figured the vest would prevent headbanging? I have no evidence of this. And there are older B&Ms with hard OTSRs that are rough. But if it's true that on average newer B&Ms are rougher then at least it would fit as an explanation.

[@AFCompany]

I believe the steel B&M use to use got too expensive so they switched to a different one that is cheaper and it doesn’t take heavy G forces as well as the old steel they use to use. The rattle only seems to happen when the train is bottoming on drops.

[@jacgalla]

I think it's more the track as nemesis has a bit of a rattle now with normal otsr

[@zacg_]

@@jacgalla I guess that's what I'm getting at. My theory is that B&M is cutting corners on some other aspect of the ride design whether that is the train design, the wheel and track interface, the element profiling or something else to that effect. Or even the type of materials used. My worry is that they felt that because of the vest restraints they can cut corners in some other broad area of their ride design because they figured the rides would stay smooth enough. Nemesis may have hard OTSRs but if this is a general choice by the manufacturer to cut costs I doubt they'd reverse whatever change they had made just for a project as specific as the Nemesis redo. It's more likely that they simply shifted their whole process in some minute way to save money. Again, I don't have proof and this is just speculation. But if newer B&Ms are consistently starting out with a more pronounced rattle than before then something must have changed. And if they felt that more comfortable restraints gave them license to cut corners elsewhere then it's likely we'd see that on most any new project regardless of the specific restraint used on that ride.

[@awesomedudenathaniel5406]

bro literally titled this video if coasters are basically becoming less enjoyable and all he did was complain about rattles come on!

[@carysage]

I ride both Banshee and Valravyn at least 20 times every year. I have yet to feel a rattle on either coaster.

[@bassjasinski]

Probably related to the wheel compound and ride ops parking the train with hot wheels at the end of the night 😂

[@ThousanWhite]

The rattle on Goliath at SFOG is getting pretty bad; conversely, Thunder Striker at Carowinds has been butter smooth

[@timk987]

They aren't rougher, people are softer. Although, I will say that the wood coasters were much more enjoyable with single position "buzz" bars, no seat belts, and no seat dividers. You just bounced around with the roughness and it made it fun. Today we're so tightly strapped down that you are one with the train and no amount of grease can make it feel "smooth."

[@XscreamThrills]

There is some truth in that statement. Those buzzer bars just let you bounce around

[@chrisogrady28]

The content is great but this VO delivery is hella robotic, maybe it's just a case of practice, but I'd recommend not just reading a script as it sounds very AI, and these days we need to try extra hard to separate genuine content from AI content etc. But still, I enjoyed the video, thank you

[@XscreamThrills]

Sorry, my voice was a little messed up creating this video. I noticed the robotic voice as well during the editing

[@sumguy8]

"Acrost" isn't a word

[@liamcollinson5695]

I was a bit surprised that Voltron at Europa Park can be really rough depending on which trains you get people who had the good trains said it was one of the best rides in the world but the rough trains make it almost impossible to enjoy or recommend i hope it can be sorted because its such a shame for a brand new 2024 rollercoaster

[@XscreamThrills]

I think most Mack coasters have some sort of rattle

[@Duffster115]

Ive never felt any rattle or vibration on Steel Curtain through my 200 something rides ive had on it

[@DanielBlaney]

The issue is the newer b&ms are not as smooth as the many of them that have been operating since the 90s.

[@mythicgamingmk1105]

Roller coasters are going to be around for a long time but B&M’s day are numbered its RMC and Intamin’s and even Vekoma’s time to shine. I think we could see more intamin gigas and hypers

[@Bnizzofashizzo]

Why do you think more Gigas are coming ? Coaster wars are over. Only cedar fair builds gigas for the most part and they are pretending they don’t need Intamin. Intamin changed their design language to the extent that Velocicoaster blows fury out the water at half the height. Parks don’t have room for huge giga coasters and realistically the ride experience on them, with the exception of fury is forgettable. I DO THINK B&M gas waited too late to “ innovate”. If cedar fair starts buying from Intamin, B&M is going to be making kiddie coasters

[@mythicgamingmk1105]

@@Bnizzofashizzo roller coasters are some of the best rides out there they are not going to get outdated for a long time and I can see companies like intamin building big coasters like hyper coasters are parks that replace or want a new ride the roller coaster wars are over but parks will still get a big coaster which will happen a lot

[@mythicgamingmk1105]

@@Bnizzofashizzo if B&M goes out of business which might happen I think intamin will build more Hypers if parks want them which they most likely will

[@Bnizzofashizzo]

@@mythicgamingmk1105 this is getting more and more ridiculous. They are absolutely not going out of business. They have the ability to diversify their portfolio and, there are certain things that they do better than anyone else, such as execute quality product and have the ability to pivot on a dime when it comes to servicing their rides. they literally had a new column for fury at Carowinds at the blink of an eye. They are in no danger of going out of business anymore than Honda and Toyota are.

[@HayFatwithSurf]

Maybe companies are getting inspiration from Zamperla, making rougher rides. I mean, I've been on Rollin' Thunder and that thing is far from smooth, and it's like 6 years old.

[@XscreamThrills]

Yeah, I heard their Thunderbolt models weren't smoothest.

[@HayFatwithSurf]

@@XscreamThrills Far from. And they released a new version of it yesterday on their channel, the carts run smoother for sure, but it seems to now have pacing issues and the track seems a bit rougher.

[@Jcjc-lr4bf]

Went on Iron Menace last week. What a shame, it was a one and done for me. Almost as bad as Thunderhawk. I’ll stick with the other two B&Ms, Steel Force and Possessed. For all this mess they could have just found a way to bring back Laser😢

[@mythicgamingmk1105]

If you go with B&M or RMC you got a smooth coaster on your hands. Roller coasters are getting better if anything these rides will be around for a while

[@Yonel6969]

i cant speak for rmc but b&m isnt really like they used to. they are very rattley or bouncy now. Iron menace is bouncy and jolty, nemesis reborn is much more rattley than the original

[@mythicgamingmk1105]

@@Yonel6969 true but maybe we can make more Intamin Hypers instead and maybe some more gigas from intamin. Intamin and Vekoma are improving and B&M is falling

[@mythicgamingmk1105]

@@Yonel6969 The last smooth coaster they made was Candymonium or mako but the rest are trash. I think its the end for B&M but at the same time I think they could fix what’s wrong

[@Yonel6969]

@@mythicgamingmk1105 100%. Im uk based so i cant talk much about the states. but mandril mayhem is so damn rough for what it is the swarm is miles smoother too. Nemesis is shakey but its still smoothish. But it makes me think if b&m is cheaping out on the train/wheels or the track material. it has to be caused by one of those

[@mythicgamingmk1105]

B&M makes amazing coasters and I’m sure they will make more Hypers and dive coasters and family coasters and they are starting to figure out there rattle problem

[@massachusettscoasters]

6:46 more like it depends on what coaster if you ask me

[@StacyRayl]

Top thrill 2 has a very noticeable rattle to I ride it today

[@XscreamThrills]

There's a rattle, but I thought it's still very smooth and the new trains are super comfy

[@MyInsanityPersonafied]

Yeah i don’t understand how mako is smoother than iron menace. Idk what’s going on. 😢

[@ThrillsofColdplay]

Shellraiser isn’t too bad

[@huntzzio]

I thought Copperhead Strike was 100% smooth

[@XscreamThrills]

Nitpicking here, but there is a rattle of sorts, nothing horrible though

[@Bnizzofashizzo]

No. People are becoming more and more pussified. Y’all complain About rattles. Ridiculous. Some of you need to spend the off season working on your core strength

[@XscreamThrills]

💪🏻

[@OneOne7Rih]

Who Is The Audience For You Had Said Nothing New

[@williammay1986]

Tell me you’re gen z without telling me you’re gen z 😂 clearly you never had to settle for arrow loopers before B&M 😂

[@XscreamThrills]

First looping roller coaster was a Vekoma MK-1200, followed by Viper at Darien Lake :)

[@coasterexplorers1972]

I think banshee is straight up rough😂

[@callmemarc]

People are just soft these days

[@BlizzardDaPup777]

You're getting old. That's literally the thing. When I was younger I loved rougher coasters as an adult if it's slightly rough I get headaches

[@XscreamThrills]

LOL probably true

[@carysage]

Nah, age has nothing to do with it. Flexibility does though...I'm about 50 and I can lap Beast or Shivering Timbers all day long. Just have do regular stretching routine like Yoga or T'ai Chi and you'll have no troubles.

[@williamryan6794]

No, you're getting older.

[@XscreamThrills]

Aren't we all

[@StamfordBridge]

*Inflation is down now in most respects and the economy is booming by every traditional metric.