kjkjkj Posted December 18, 2005 Posted December 18, 2005 i think Vortex needs lap restraints like FoF, i doubt it can but that would be so much more comfortable Quote
PKIVortex Posted December 18, 2005 Posted December 18, 2005 Here we go again! Vortex is not rough. I've been riding Vortex for a very very long time. (1987 - Present). FoF with the OSTR was horribe, but Vortex is far from that experience. Quote
kjkjkj Posted December 18, 2005 Author Posted December 18, 2005 welll are you 57 in. tall to wher your head bangs on the restrain through the loops and right before the brake run Quote
SixFlagsMasta Posted December 18, 2005 Posted December 18, 2005 ok i think we all agree that lap bars would be nice..though the ride is fine in its current condition.. but do we have to repeat this same discussion every month? the ride will probably be gone in a few years anyway (hopeing not.. but no one can deny its years are numbered) Quote
flightoffear1996 Posted December 18, 2005 Posted December 18, 2005 I think if they take care of it well which PKI usually does it could get another good 10-15 years out of it. I love that coaster and I hope it stays. The Vortex doesnt bother me one bit but it has some jerkey spots. Quote
deidre1976 Posted December 19, 2005 Posted December 19, 2005 I am 5 ft 4 and I feel safer with the shoulder harnes, 2 of my kids are under 54 inches and I feel they are safer. The Vortex isn't going anywhere, and liked the shoulder harnes of FOF, just keep your head back! Quote
Captain Nemo Posted December 19, 2005 Posted December 19, 2005 Lap bars work better on FOF because the ride has more negitive G's (pushed into the seat) than positive. Vortex on the other hand has many high positive g parts and that would not feel very comfy to the legs. Quote
harvesterofyoursorrow Posted December 19, 2005 Posted December 19, 2005 You would fall out I know the restraints are hurtful to some shorter people. I am 6' tall so I dont have any problems. Quote
kjkjkj Posted December 19, 2005 Author Posted December 19, 2005 ya i know you would fall out im just saying if you wouldnt fall out it would be mor comfortable Quote
Jasper Posted December 19, 2005 Posted December 19, 2005 ok i think we all agree that lap bars would be nice..though the ride is fine in its current condition.. but do we have to repeat this same discussion every month? the ride will probably be gone in a few years anyway (hopeing not.. but no one can deny its years are numbered) It has had its Hayday but now it is getting outdated anbd they will eventually take it out. Quote
Face/OffJZ Posted December 19, 2005 Posted December 19, 2005 The OTS restraints are fine and if it is rough one time, move your head with the coaster to prevent banging Quote
pkifreak Posted December 20, 2005 Posted December 20, 2005 I think that having lap bars would be way to weird and uncomforting... and i hope The Vortex will stay for about another 15-20 years... Which (if PKI takes care of it) could and just might happen FREAK Quote
flightoffear1996 Posted December 20, 2005 Posted December 20, 2005 I think you meant that The Vortex had more negative G's than FF. Flight f Fear has more postive G's you just had it backwards. Anyway The Vortex needs basicly nothign cause it is great how it is but a tunnel might be nice Quote
CoastersRZ Posted December 20, 2005 Posted December 20, 2005 Well, I like The Vortex just the way it is. And other people must as well, as it still has a line on most days. Although when it doesn`t it is because it is one of the highest capacity coasters in the park! As the old saying goes, if it ain`t broke, don`t fix it. The same applies to The Vortex. If it has run all these years, pleasing millions of guests, why change it? Quote
Shaggy Posted December 20, 2005 Posted December 20, 2005 Vortex is meticulously maintained, and still attracts "oohs and aaaaahs" from guests. It also still attracts many riders. So it still has plenty of life left in it. Take a look at Loch Ness Monster at BGW.... it's ben operating nearly 30 years and is still going strong. Arrow multiloopers are notoriously rough... and Vortex can be included in that list. They often get labelled as headbangers because of the horsecollars that box one's head as you are shuffled through the journey. However, it's obvious that the cause of the roughness felt on Arrow loopers is three fold: First, the trains wheels reside on the inside of the track. This causes a shuffling of the cars chassis between the two abrupt stopping points. On coasters (such as B&M's) where the wheels reside on the outside of the track, there is significantly less shuffling of the chassis. Second, there is often not enough transition time between elements. In order to squeeze in as many loops and inversions as possible, Ron Toomer and fellow Arrow Designers used quick and terribly abrupt transitions in between inversions/elements. On Vortex, the worst transition is no doubt the drop into the corkscrews. These quick pace/directional trasitions give the body significantly less time to brace/prepare/adjust. Third, Arrows trains situate the passengers lower in the car in order to try and place the mid point of the body as close to the center axis as possible. In theory, this seems right, but it has a flawed effect. It brings the head/neck closer to the axis point where the side to side motion is much more abrupt and jerky. You see, on coasters where the passengers ride well above or below the track, there seems to be much less stress on the neck/head. That's because it places the mid/upper torso region in the most jarring positions. The restraints are tighter in those areas, thus there is less movement of the rider within the seat. I think of it like a metronome. You know.... those tick-tock machines used by pianists to keep time? If you think of your body as that "hand" on the metronome, then you'll see that the closer your head is to the pivot point, then the more jarring it can be. However the farthur away the head is brought from the pivot point, the more sweeping and less voilent the motion becomes. It becomes more of a side to side sway while the upper body takes the brunt of the force. Add in horsecollars, which either hit the crown, ears, chin, neck or shoulders of the riders (depending upon their upper body length) and you can end up with a terribly uncomfortable boxing match of a ride. I like Vortex, and think it has the best air time on any Arrow looper. However I ride it very infrequently... especially now that I am older and my body cannot take loop after loop like it once could. But IMO Vortex is by far smoother than many of the other Arrow loopers that exist. For those that have ridden the likes of the former Steel Phantom at Kennywood, or Shockwave at SFGAM, or Anaconda at PKD, etc, you know what I am talking about. On the flip side, Dollywood's Tenessee Tornado is likely the smoothest Arrow multilooper ever built. Most likely due to the overly sized elements and better transition time between them. Shaggy Quote
screamingnight Posted December 20, 2005 Posted December 20, 2005 I had a crazy dream that Vortex had NO restraints! Everyone was safe but me and I fell out on the second loop then I woke up. Quote
deidre1976 Posted December 23, 2005 Posted December 23, 2005 It's good to know I am not the only one having these dreams Quote
Legend Rider Posted December 23, 2005 Posted December 23, 2005 I think you meant that The Vortex had more negative G's than FF. Flight f Fear has more postive G's you just had it backwards. Anyway The Vortex needs basicly nothign cause it is great how it is but a tunnel might be nice Yeah, I was about to correct him... Quote
TheKlockster Posted December 24, 2005 Posted December 24, 2005 I think Vortex should just have seat belts - like 5 point harnesses. That would be badass. I don't think that Vortex is rough at all. For those of you that think it is rough - did you ever think that maybe Vortex just doesn't like you??? Maybe you hurt her feelings. Quote
SkootersFan Posted December 25, 2005 Posted December 25, 2005 5-point harnesses... What are we, Intamin!? Quote
TheKlockster Posted December 25, 2005 Posted December 25, 2005 I would ride it with a simple lap belt. Quote
Legend Rider Posted December 25, 2005 Posted December 25, 2005 I would ride it with a simple lap belt. Me Too!! I know I could do T2 with just a belt, I have held myself in without touching my restraint... Quote
Legend Rider Posted December 26, 2005 Posted December 26, 2005 must have been difficult then... Quote
cougarman4907 Posted January 25, 2006 Posted January 25, 2006 Ive actually gotten to ride The Vortex many times over the past 10 years or so.. i wouldnt say that i dont like the ride.. cause it really is unique.. but i do believe PKI could do a better job in renovating it.. to appease the riders today.. To start out.. i looked for a new way to use some land for The Vortex.. i often found myself looking at the lake area just beyond the Vortexs hill.. my opinion would be to make the vertical hill taller by maybe 40 or 50 feet.. and then have a quick steep drop giving the effect that the ride will be almost "falling" into the lake.. Now that the vertical hill is taller, more speed can be produced, which in turn.. means more inversions, bunny hills, and a longer, smoother track.. I know that The Vortex is going nowhere, its NOT sinking.lol.. and im just going to appreciate it for however long it is around.. unlike some people here -Cougarman4907 Quote
Gordon Bombay Posted January 25, 2006 Posted January 25, 2006 It would probably be cheaper just to build a new coaster then to renovate Vortex like that, also, wheres the lake behind Vortex? Just checked google earth and I've been around those parts before, no lake. Quote
Outdoor Man Posted January 25, 2006 Posted January 25, 2006 first off... don't think anything is wrong with Vortex. new lap bars would completely change the ride though and make it seem "new" even though nothing has changed. And I'm not joking with this (in regards to my multiple new Beastie names posts)- but they could put new trains, new color scheme, new name, new feel for minimal investment and place more people in the lines for a while. The Vortex wait has been at the 15-30 minute mark for YEARS.... usually never more or less.... and I have never been there a time where it has been broke down. Anyone with knowlege on the subject... how much would new trains cost?... are we talking 10's of thousands as opposed to millions for a new? Quote
jlopez Posted January 25, 2006 Posted January 25, 2006 I think Vortex's life is coming to an end within the next few years also. I mean they dont even make coasters like that anymore and that is a great amount of space for a great new ride. If they did take out Vortex we all know they would put something in even better. I would hope for something like Kumba at Bush Gardens. I know we all love that ride and would miss it so much but everything has to come to an end sometime or another. ----Jennifer Quote
WooferBearATL Posted January 25, 2006 Posted January 25, 2006 Same with The Racer. It really takes up a lot of area. And heck, they don't build coasters like that any more. I just think that it's lived it's life. <G> Quote
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