Is Tower of Terror a roller coaster?

[Cactus_Matt]

I agree @Richard I think as ride technology advances we either have to expand what the definition of a roller coaster is, or forget about defining the differences at all. I'm sure there were a lot of purists out there back in the day who said "roller coasters can only be made of wood, I'm having none of this 'steel' business!"

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

Something I keep coming back to with the Wild West Vs. Storm discussion -

Storm has 3-way wheel assembly, does it not? Upstop, Side friction, running - yes?

Wild West - i would imagine - has rudimenary running wheels, but no upstop or side friction, given the flume nature of the ride? I'm not familiar with the underside of the WWF boats, but that's my assumption.

That then, for me, would be enough to differentiate between those two rides clearly enough on why one is a coaster, and the other is just a boat with wheels.

[themagician]

2 hours ago, Richard said:

Flume rides are track rides that use gravity and are moved from the station with gravity-fed water. What about that definition of a roller coaster -- or even a water coaster -- does a flume ride like Wild West Falls not meet. But Storm Coaster?

I don't see that WWF meets as a coaster. It may have a coaster styled section, but no one says let's go on that awesome coaster at MW, Wild West Falls. But it still is an interesting argument, and with all the different variations and technologies, the true definition for a coaster is not set. 

Edited February 10, 2017 by themagician
Can't spell stuff

[joz]

5 hours ago, YLFATEEKS said:

@joz The Dragon ride at Tops.  Yes/No

 

 

 

No! *spits in disgust*

 

That ride was awesome though 

[Slick]

49 minutes ago, themagician said:

Wild Weat Falls.

Also a term for when celiacs eat gluten.

[Richard]

1 hour ago, AlexB said:

Storm has 3-way wheel assembly, does it not? Upstop, Side friction, running - yes?

Lack of upstops would rule out Melbourne's Scenic Railway as a roller coaster. At any rate I believe these Hopkins flumes do feature all three wheel types. You'll note that the drops feature an overhanging T on the track edges, which doesn't appear on the lifts.

[Slick]

On 04/08/2014 at 1:36 PM, Slick said:

If it looks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it's probably a duck.

2014 @Slick is full of good cliches. Seriously though, a roller-coaster needs to coast, needs to do it most of the time, and needs to look like a coaster. Wild West Falls is a flume the majority of the time, so you know, it's a flume.

Honestly, I don't think there's a black & white rule, folks just need common sense and less of a necessity to credit whore.

[jake_hunt]

In response to the Storm vs WWF argument, I'd agree that it comes down to percentage. I count Storm in my credits, because it is roughly 60-70% dry elevated track, and has roller coaster elements.

While WWF is maybe only 5-10% dry elevated track, and is mostly a log flume-style ride.

You can also use the manufacturer's definition of the ride as a guide - Storm is marketed by Mack as a "water coaster", while WWF is marketed by Hopkins as a "log flume".

The rules I stated as my own are my guide for rides where I am unsure - this mostly applies to powered coasters, which I don't count, or flat rides such as SurfRider and Shockwave which run on tracks and could possibly be included. I count SurfRider, as it is predominantly gravity fed aside from its LIM launch - and it is marketed by Intamin as a coaster. Shockwave, meanwhile, is powered along the entire track, and is marketed by Zamperla as a flat.

There has to be some subjectivity - there will always be new rides that test and bend the definition. In terms of how I count my credits, it just comes down to judgment. Tower of Terror is a roller coaster - it is marketed as such by Intamin, and fits the general rules of track, gravity etc. It's not conventional, but it IS a roller coaster.

[themagician]

I wouldn't count Surfrider or Shockwave as a coaster either. But I would count TOT and Storm as coasters 

[Santa07]

Surfrider for me is a coaster, because the LIMs only sit on part of the track, and momentum/gravity propels the train up and down the ends of the two spikes. (plus rcdb lists it as one)

Shockwave is powered 100% of the time, and therefore isn't a coaster.

[Reanimated35]

1 hour ago, Santa07 said:

Surfrider for me is a coaster, because the LIMs only sit on part of the track, and momentum/gravity propels the train up and down the ends of the two spikes. (plus rcdb lists it as one)

Shockwave is powered 100% of the time, and therefore isn't a coaster.

What is shockwave to you then? Don't just say flat either. 

[Santa07]

Good question - I see it as a mix between a powered coaster and a flat. Because of its spinning nature and shuttle layout, it does have many similarities to a flat even if it does hold powered coaster elements and therefore isn't really a coaster. Just like WWF which holds some coaster similarities but is more of a log flume than a coaster.

[Flynn_Smith]

I like to keep things basic. If its got wheels and it runs on a track, its a roller coaster. If it doesnt, then its not!

[MaxxTheMonster]

2 minutes ago, wileecoyote said:

I like to keep things basic. If its got wheels and it runs on a track, its a roller coaster. If it doesnt, then its not!

So...

 

Roller coaster?

[Flynn_Smith]

1 minute ago, MaxxTheMonster said:

So...

 

Roller coaster?

Well, depends on the location. (this sounds stupid) but if it was in a themepark, I would say kid coaster, if it was at a farm, i would say a train.

[MaxxTheMonster]

11 minutes ago, wileecoyote said:

Well, depends on the location. (this sounds stupid) but if it was in a themepark, I would say kid coaster, if it was at a farm, i would say a train.

Better contact MW then and tell them they actually have 2 kid coasters then...

[Cactus_Matt]

Better contact Dreamworld too and tell them they have the longest roller coaster in Australia lol

[Tim Dasco]

Also if you go onto Zamperla's website they call it a Disk'O coaster.

[Gazza]

Its gotta have a free wheeling uphill section, hence the "coaster" part of the name.

 

Disk'O coasters don't have that because there is a drive wheel under the disk pushing it along the whole time, it doesn't coast.

A good way to consider it is that you have boxes for each ride type....lets say water slide, coaster, flat ride, water ride, dark ride.

You're only allowed to count a ride in one category, 

Eg WWF its a flume because the little hump is an insignificant part of the ride.

But storm is a coastee because quite clearly the coaster part is the significant part of the ride.

A disko is primarily a flat, not a coaster.

 

Etc

[DaptoFunlandGuy]

On 2/10/2017 at 2:18 PM, jake_hunt said:

 

21 hours ago, reanimated35 said:

What is shockwave to you then? Don't just say flat either. 

Oversized Rock'n'tug ?