Power Tower

with power tower you have a better guess of when you are going to go. at kings island's drop zone i've counted a waiting period anywhere from 5 seconds to 20 seconds

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It's like a new pair of underwear; at first it's constrictive... but after a while it becomes a part of you. -Garth Algar

similarly with Power Tower's Turbo Drop. i have counted times ranging from 10- 30 seconds one day. and once i saw it drop after about one second! that ride scares the bejeezus outta me!

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"I'm sorry, Timmy, but you need 15 tickets to live..."
Onward to Kennywood!

When Power Tower opened, they dropped at exactly 11 seconds. Now it is varied. You can't count on counting!
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Race For The Sky!

Does anyone know why they have retrofitted the drop cars with brake fins as well as add brake calipers to the top of the towers? What changed after 5 1/2 years of operation that requires such an addition?

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...and the most anticipated event of summer 2003 is...

The Matrix: Reloaded!

I know they were on there at least last year...unsure about previous years..I am certain I saw them last year at least though.

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Race for the sky in 1 Day
!!!!!!!!!

I don't know about that. I remember looking up at the towers at CoasterMania and don't remember brake calipers jutting out from the tower.

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...and the most anticipated event of summer 2003 is...

The Matrix: Reloaded!

I am 99.9999 percent sure I saw them....you are talking about the steel strips that are vertical on the top corners of the cars right? yes those were there and the calipers too. I'll bet my firstborn on it.

When I have a firstborn

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Race for the sky in 1 Day
!!!!!!!!!

The brake fins on the drop side were there from day one.

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I'd rather be in my boat with a drink on the rocks,
than in the drink with a boat on the rocks.

I believe the brake fins are so the car can be held at the top while the air pressure adjusts for the drop. That's why you hear the air hissing as soon as the car locks in at the top. After the pressure gets where they need it to be, the brakes release, dropping the car.

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-Chris Woodard
"We got pop and Gatorade over here for $100 a bottle, so have your credit card ready. Seriously, the food here is so expensive, I just eat the condiments because I can't afford a meal." - MF que DJ 6/16/03

I wonder why I never noticed them before. Oh well.

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...and the most anticipated event of summer 2003 is...

The Matrix: Reloaded!

Raptor0137-I have done that every time since the first. It makes it sooo much better!

I found that stretching your arms and legs out on the space shot gives you a suprising amount of floater air at the top, while it just added to the freefall notion on the turbo drop. Either way, your bound to recieve a little more of a thrill while doing this.

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AKA Cobraroller on Cbuzz
*** This post was edited by raptor323 7/15/2003 1:02:25 AM ***

CP bound...very weird. I JUST noticed those last Sunday too. I wonder why that is.

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What's "TORR"?

Extremely brief version:

Cart weighs to determine air pressure needed for shot or forced drop. Shot side fills with air/Drop side goes to top and fills with air. Air pressure is released when correct pressure is attained, and the ride operates.

Backup brakes are the four steel posts with the little rubber things that look like hockey pucks on the top of them, one on each corner of the tower, about 15 or 20 feet tall. The towers have came down a little hard, and this breaks the fall and brings it down somewhat easier. :-D

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Alan
PTC02/ScrewCrew02
ScrewCrew03

Thank you for the explanation, AlanPTC02. So the drop side fills with air after reaching the top, & how much air is used is determined by the cart weight. So the heavier the cart, the longer the wait at the top. It's starting to become clearer to me why it seems like I'm at the top longer... ;-)

Actually, logic says the lighter the cart, the longer the wait on drop side...because heavier carts will drop faster with no air pressure at all than lighter ones. This means that a lighter cart needs more pressure to push down, to create as much of a "push" as a heavier cart would have with less pressure. Sound confusing? I couldn't think of an easier way to say it...but it's quite simple, really.

Your logic does work on shot side though, heavier cart, more air pressure, longer wait.

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Alan
PTC02/ScrewCrew02
ScrewCrew03 - Processed Out