Racer at Kings Island reaches amazing speeds of 61 mph which is amazing it dosnt have a launch section or anything what I'd like to know is how can a rollercoaster like Vortex be 141 ft tall and only reach speeds of 55 mph and racer is only 85 ft tall and reaches speeds of 61 mph for a classic wooden rollercoaster like racer it should only reach speeds of 50 mph and yet Vortex which is almost twice as high as racer only reaches 55mph it's quite fascinating what I'd like to know is how can an 85ft tall wooden rollercoaster like racer with no launch system or anything reach such speeds oh and by the way The Vortex I was referring to was the one at Kings Island

I think it is because the weight of wooden coaster trains are heavier than most steel coasters trains.

Yes but shivering timbers at michagons adventure is 50 ft higher then racer and only goes 57 mph and that's a wooden coaster but still thanks for ur answer

Beast, at 135 feet, in the same park, is said to go 64.8 mph.

How does Racer do 61 mph? PR said it did. That same PR back then also claimed it was the world's tallest roller coaster, and did so more than once. It was not.

I think such practices were very common back then.

In my lifetime, I have seen the Great White in New Jersey claim to be the world's only wood coaster on steel supports (Coney Island Cyclone, anyone?), Top Thrill Dragster to be the tallest, fastest roller coaster in the world (months and months after it had been Ka'd), etc.

Both wikipeedia and rollercoaster database said it does 61mph and RCDB Is a very reliable source

RCDB isn't always correct.

Someone needs to take the radar gun at the fast pitch throw game in Coney Mall and find out for sure!

As if THAT were accurate.

And where does rcdb.com get its info? The parks.

Don't EVEN get me started on Wikipedia. Someone could go in there right now and have it say Racer does 6.2 miles per hour. It is not a reliable nor a credible source. Period. Speaking of which, punctuation is a very good thing.

Well how fast does it actually go

The park will tell you that it still goes the speed claimed.

My guess is goes about 45MPH

In optimal wind speeds and other conditions it may be able to go that fast. The speed claim could be potential speed, not necessarily average speed.

Not necessarily a number about speed here, but take a look at the stats for our new wind seeker for instance. It says 1.280 riders per hour. For a 3 minute ride cycle, that is 20 cycles an hour and with 64 passengers each cycle= 1,280. Guess what, no unload/reload times are figured into that number. I am sure that is the number was given by the manufacturer, for at this point they don't know the actual # including load/reload time for they have never operated one of these yet.

My guess is about 800 per hour on wind seeker.

http://www.wallaceracing.com/free-fall-math.php

It doesn't go 61 mph. Here is an interesting resource (assuming it is accurate).

My guess is about 800 per hour on wind seeker.

It will be interesting to compare actual throughputs at Cedar Point vs. Kings Island.

A certain Dave A. will almost certainly do it, too.

Concerning Racer, something to note:

The park itself doesn't claim a top speed of 65 mph. From Racer's page on the KI website:

Manufacturer: Philadelphia Toboggan Company

Ride Time: 2 min., 30 sec.

Speed: 53 mph

Year Opened: 1972

Thanks for finding that. They used to claim the higher speed. It's good to see Cedar Fair doing the right thing.

Both wikipeedia and rollercoaster database said it does 61mph and RCDB Is a very reliable source

Wikipedia? RCDB? They are both as reliable as the news.

I often hear The Racer ride ops claim it is "the fastest coaster in Coney Mall".

I often hear The Racer ride ops claim it is "the fastest coaster in Coney Mall".

If it went 61 MPH, then yes. But as stated before, it doesn't. FoF is faster, Vortex is faster, I'm not very sure about Firehawk though..

53mph sounds like a better speed to me. NOT 61. I mean, on The Beast (three MPH more than Racer) it feels like you're going to fly out of the train. On Racer, it's a fun FAMILY coaster. Most family rides will not go above 50mph.

I am aware of the need to reduce a coaster's speed for various reasons. More than likely, Vortex has been intentionally slowed since its opening. I am unaware of Racer having adjustments made to it's speed - but I could be wrong. Also, throughout the day, a coaster's speed may vary due to the ambient temperature.

http://www.wallaceracing.com/free-fall-math.php

It doesn't go 61 mph. Here is an interesting resource (assuming it is accurate).

That's an awesome site I can now predict the speed of the new wingrider at Thorpe park ( I'm British)

I often hear The Racer ride ops claim it is "the fastest coaster in Coney Mall".

If it went 61 MPH, then yes. But as stated before, it doesn't. FoF is faster, Vortex is faster, I'm not very sure about Firehawk though..

FoF & Firehawk are in X-BASE, instead of Coney Mall.

Nevermind Im in the wrong thread

Okay we can't settle this. Time to call Mythbusters!

Huh? What happened here, then:

http://www.KICentral.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=23636&view=findpost&p=423842

Seems pretty settled to me...

FoF & Firehawk are in X-BASE, instead of Coney Mall.

X-Base IS part of Coney Mall, it's not its own area.

Am I losing my mind, or is The Racer's speed now listed at 53mph on RCDB? Or was that already settled?

http://rcdb.com/69.htm

FoF & Firehawk are in X-BASE, instead of Coney Mall.

X-Base IS part of Coney Mall, it's not its own area.

So little remains of the park's original themed areas, it hardly matters.

What is Oktoberfest?

What's happened to Rivertown?

What these days is International about International Street, other than the original replica Eiffel Tower?

Action Zone? Really?

Planet Snoopy...sure, so far...but hardly original any more.

It almost raises the question...at this point is Kings Island a theme park or an amusement park. In typical Terpy fashion, I'd say the answer is yes...but it could easily go either way in the next several seasons....No one would contend Cedar Point is a theme park (though Frontier Trail is very nice...).

Am I losing my mind, or is The Racer's speed now listed at 53mph on RCDB? Or was that already settled?

http://rcdb.com/69.htm

You are not losing your mind. That apparently changed today.