Dodgems 2017?

Go to Knoebel’s. You can try to reclaim your title there. But it’s gonna be hard, they’ve got some pros there, especially during Phunphest.

What criteria is required? Effective dodging, or the ability to ram opposing cars so hard their drivers get their fillings knocked loose? :P

Last year there was a benefit for Bumper Car Jack, one of the long-time caretakers who had passed away. Tickets were sold and sessions were set 15 minutes apart. Which meant actual drive time on the world’s best bumper cars was around 11-12 minutes. Talk about exhausting! It’s a narrow, one way oval and it’s fast. I spent most of my time dodging and trying to see how many times I could make it around without getting hit.
Some of the drivers were extremely agressive, and the good ones had mastered a technique where they could knock another car along it’s side and spin it around so it faced traffic. Yikes! There were some thrilling moments during those sessions.

^^There are a few requirements:
1. The ability to avoid getting a huge mess of cars and not being able to move because the other folks can't drive
2. Being able to avoid getting hit
3. As stated earlier, driving in reverse is a MUST to be a skilled dodgem driver
4. While waiting in line (it helps to be no further back than fifth in line), instead of talking or playing with your phone, you need to do some scouting to pick a couple of the fastest cars and make sure you get in one of those. This has been totally negated because the new cars all go the same speed or close to it
5. If you know the car you want and it is in the middle of a group of cars you need to push the others out of the way before you get in so when it's go time, you go!

Those are a few I thought of off the top of my head

Long time lurker first post.

Just get rid of the whole thing if you're going to put the new neutered cars out there.

1. Slower cars = equals weak bumping.

2. The steering wheel is off center hence the driver sits off center = weak collision.

3. The giant lap bar no longer allows you to throw your weight and momentum into the collision like the loose seat belts did.= weak collision

4. No true backwards driving

I've been cheered for repeated brutal hits by those waiting in queue. Oh the poor unsuspecting fools that don't know how to drive, blindly moving in reverse as you pick up a head of steam. The best however was always the car just slightly off a wall that you hit with a good run that caused the car to lift and ricochet off the car to the wall and back into the car again, the sparks flashing from the car as the queue roars in approval.

Not even worth riding anymore. The Antique cars have better collisions at the stop sign than the Dodgems have now.

There's enough violence in this world. We don't need it while riding the Dodgen Cars.

^ LOL, really? Wrong audience.

Bluestreaker said:

There's enough violence in this world. We don't need it while riding the Dodgen Cars.

Bumper car bumps cars!!! Hold the presses...

The Dodgems are the appropriate place for violence. I spend most of my life not slapping people who so clearly need it that I need a proper outlet for my "angst".

Bumping and colliding on Dodgems--yes, I done it my self and enjoyed it. But what KangtheConqueror described is excessive and could result in injury.

I'm probably guilty of some of Kang's methods but I always saved them for my own friends and family. I don't hit strangers with enough force to make their cars tip. I save that for special people.

Until last Thursday, I wouldn't have thought a rough hit was possible. We rode Thursday simply because there were only 5 people in line. It could have been the "off center" steering column as someone mentioned or just pure dumb luck, but I got hit on the side by a kid (not my own) hard enough that my knee slammed against the steering wheel. It hurt pretty good and was bruised the next day. In fact, it's still pleasant shade of green and purple as I type this.

Not saying I care, nor am I complaining. Just pointing out that if the stars line up and you pay attention, you may still be able to pull off one of those menacing bumps against those you feel deserve it. ;)

Driving Dodgems like KangtheConqueror drives was also my favorite method of driving Dodgems. My friends and I even did a variation of the wall technique but it required just the right timing. One person did a hard head on, another person came from behind for the secondary hit. Timed just right, the person bumping from behind would hit the car just after it was slammed backwards from the head on bump. Talk about a brutal one two punch!

Bluestreaker said:

Bumping and colliding on Dodgems--yes, I done it my self and enjoyed it. But what KangtheConqueror described is excessive and could result in injury.

Yeah there have been countless deaths and dismemberments over the 50 years on dodgem. So unsafe. Things are getting out of hand, they built this sports force parks where actual bodies bump together now. Let me know when your petition to convert Cedar Point & Lake Erie Rail Road to solar is ready to sign. Somebody is going to get lung cancer from all that coal smoke.

I've been critical of this version of Dodgem cars, but yesterday my son & I rode them and I noticed something that I found very interesting. There is a manufacturers tag on each car : Majestic Amusement Rides, New Waterford, OH. It's a small town in eastern OH near the PA border, I never heard of it before.

Shout out to Cedar Point for using an in-state company!

Despite the more sluggish nature of these cars it is still a ride that you see many people enjoy greatly, kids get the "driving" experience. There are usually lots of smiles & laughter on Dodgem. The best thing I have liked the last few years is hearing Crazy on You and Barricuda playing, nobody has pipes like Anne Wilson.

Remove them and everything towards the Coral dining room, relocate Tiki Twirl and Troika to another spot in the park and put in a Gravity Group family coaster similar to Wooden Warrior there.

Pete said:

Driving Dodgems like KangtheConqueror drives was also my favorite method of driving Dodgems. My friends and I even did a variation of the wall technique but it required just the right timing. One person did a hard head on, another person came from behind for the secondary hit. Timed just right, the person bumping from behind would hit the car just after it was slammed backwards from the head on bump. Talk about a brutal one two punch!

My dad and I did that exact same thing to some young whipper snapper at Geauga Lake (some of their cars really moved!). My dad went in for the head on collision, he said the kid had a big grin on his face as he approached him. Just as soon as the kid's car bounced backwards I nailed him really good from behind. As we drove away the youngen was holding the back of his neck. We laughed and high fived as we got off the ride. Go ahead and tell me "That's not right he could have a permanent injury from such a violent collision." I don't care it was funny in the moment and it still is.

^ Cool story bro.