Have Zamperla bitten off more than they can chew with TT2?
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- Опубликовано: 18 май 2024
- Is Zamperla in over their heads with Top Thrill 2 at Cedar Point? Find out what went wrong with this ride and why it's closed.
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I do find it interesting though that Intamin obviously knows how to make trains that work and Zamperla didn't bother to reverse engineer some of the ideas. It's suspected that it's the urethane on the wheels cracking and they could break apart 400 ft up and shower down on guests. Obviously that's the last thing cedar point needs after the problems this ride caused them a few years ago.
For sure. And I think it’s great they’ve taken action so soon. It shows the maintenance team are all over it. I just hope a solution is found soon 🙂
Zamperla:
We can totally do this!
Intamin:
🍿
😂😂😂
It is quite a leap to go from a 56mph coaster to a 120mph coaster for a manufacturer. There are only 2 manufacturers who have built coasters that go over 100mph. Intamin and S&S. An LSM has stators on the track and rotors on the vehicles. The rotor is quite large and rotor clearance between the vehicle and track was Zamperla's first hurdle. You either go with big road wheels or you follow the original wheel dimensions and steering geometry of Intamin and work on a solution onboard the vehicle to get rotor clearance or change the track completely. 2nd issue, there was always a thermal management problem with the tyre/tire at these speeds. The theoretically logical approach is to go with larger road wheels, which gives a larger circumference, so there is more time for the urethane to cool on each rotation of the wheel. Great. Problem solved. Larger road wheels for thermal management and rotor clearance. Brilliant plan.
However.... there are huge drawbacks to using this approach on an older coaster track. The original track gauge was designed to work with the Intamin wheel dimensions and steering geometry, so Zamperla's solution should have followed these dimensions as much as was reasonably practical, bearing in mind they needed clearance for the LSM rotors that had to be added to each vehicle. The centre of Gravity or COG is higher with larger road wheels, putting more load on the wheel carriers, the seat mounting point to the vehicle and the restraints. The road wheels are also further apart, generating more friction whilst navigating a bend or curve. The ride was always going to have a compromised solution. Did Zamperla pick the best compromise? They likely have but they have not engineered it in a satisfactory way, in my opinion.
A high rate of wheel wear is not unusual on a new coaster as it takes time to bed the track in and the first few months of testing are very intense, as the coaster will operate with full loads of water dummies for weeks. A normal operating day will not carry 125 kilograms (275 lbs) per seat, on every seat, which is what test days will do. Wheel wear in this instance is not the issue. After months of testing, if you are approaching the maximum wheel wear tolerance, you would not open the coaster. You would notice a rapid wheel wear rate during testing, change compound and continue testing, until you found a compound that can last for 6 to 12 months at the very least, or investigate the causes of wheel wear and address them.
Zamperla as a manufacturer are very capable. They have a decent coaster engineering team, which has been growing over the past few years. However, as someone who has worked with nearly every coaster vendor in the world, I had a few concerns with TT2 and they are around the wheel carriers and the suspension. The structural strength of the guide wheel/upstop wheel assembly does not have a high level of cross-sectional thickness where it attaches to the road wheel carrier, so that would be where my daily checks would be concentrated. The guide wheel suspension is also Zamperla's standard approach to their normal coaster suspension. This is not very robust, hence the noticable shake the TT2 vehicle has. Zamperla will have a very good idea of what the issue is and how to address it. I am glad to hear they are still testing, and I hope they have strain gauges on the wheel carriers and accelerometers in a few places. A go pro or 2 strapped to the wheel carriers watching the suspension is a great way of seeing how the suspension is coping. If it is bottoming out a lot, it is not coping. A data gathering approach is always a good way to come up with a solution to a complex issue. I am quite sure the Zamperla team will get the ride back up and running safely, as soon as possible.
Wow. You know your stuff! I think Zamperla should give you a call 😉 thank you for the info 🙂
@coaster_dad I am sure the guys at Cedar Point have been having the same conversation with Zamperla. 🤣🤣
That was hell of a comment, thank you for the detailed insight!
@@frankthecat1660 I have been through the mill and can feel Cedar points pain. I could write a book on how to not build a modern roller coaster. Zamperla have a few issues to resolve but they will get there. It is in nobody's interest that they don't, because there are not enough manufacturers out there, and we will all help each other as much as possible. As ride developers, we need variety and multiple sources.
The ride is amazing! It is not uncommon for a completely new build to run and then have to make some modifications. It might take time to get the modification done, but when it’s done it will be amazing. They are working hard, let them work!
Agreed. I’m definitely hoping they solve this one. 😀
It’s a stretch to call this a completely new build. LSMs, swing launches, and the trains aren’t new. Kingda Ka is holding up just fine. This was a little quick for it to be shut down. Do I blame Zamperla? No. But they were definitely punching up by taking this on, being a predominantly flat ride manufacturer. Even Wild Mouse was botched by them. I went to CP 4 times last summer and wild mouse was never open.
Your music is too loud. I feel like in a noisy bar where we don't hear each other well.
Thanks for the feedback. I’ll take that in to account in future vids 🙂
The ride is awesome, hope they get it back up shortly!
It does look spectacular so I’m with you on that one. Fingers crossed for them 🤞
I was just out there today and the wheels appear to be off the trains. they also closed off the observation grandstand which was open last weekend
Well that ties with the rumour that the wheels were the problem. Hopefully they find a solution soon 🙂
Are u still able to get over to the Top Thrill 2 gift shop ? Or is that closed off as well ?
@@lesliepearson7711 it's open
I rode it opening day. I can confirm is an incredible ride and much improved over the dragster. In my opinion the hydraulic launch is a small price to pay for the 2nd and third launches and the way you absolutely fly over the top hat. Also the original dragster was down constantly. Hoping once they figure this out it will be a much more reliable ride.
Indeed. Reliability will be key on this one. Fingers crossed 🤞
Nah. Original Dragster is much better in my opinion. TT2 is just alright if you ask me.
@alecscheerer2329 ah. I’ve still not made it over to CP so haven’t been on either. Would have loved to compare them 🙂
I'm not an expert, but if I had to guess I'd say that whatever is causing the noticeable shake on the trains is also causing parts to wear down more quickly than expected. I'd also guess that it will not be reopening anytime soon, I would guess 60-90 days.
Yeah I saw the shake on some vids. Fingers crossed they find a solution soon. But I agree it’s probs a little while off yet.
It's not wearing out after just 10 days the ride was running for months before the season open
My apologies. I should have specified 10 days of public operation. Still very very early in the rides lifespan 🙂
I would say they have not. This is not an uncommon thing, especially with a new train. It is likely there is an issue with the wheels, especially the compound on the wheels. There's likely excessive wear on the coating that could cause it to break off and get thrown. Wheel problems are incredibly common on new coasters, especially new models.
Yeah I really want Zamperla to succeed on this one. So fingers crossed they find a solution soon 🙂
I wrote it on May 1st it was an awesome ride I hope they fix what needs to be and reopen soon
I’m with you on that. It looks amazing. Fingers crossed a solution is found soon 🙂
This is a bummer hearing it may be down for several months. Ive got a trip booked there in 2 weeks and to not get to ride this will be a huge disappointment. I was hoping it would be ready to go for Memorial Day or at least by June 3rd. This totally sucks.
I can imagine. I’m sure a lot of people had plans. Fingers crossed you get on it. But I do think it’s not looking promising 😔
A ride mechanic blogger said if they have to do a new urethane compound for the wheels that it takes 2 months for it to CURE !! And that’s not counting the time it takes for recertification and to get reinstalled !
Ryan by any chance? Yeah I think it’s gonna be a while 😔
@@coaster_dadYes sir Ryan……he did a good video on it.
I have been on it a few times and loved it. I think Zamperla crushed it. Sometimes, stuff happens. They can build me another big coaster again. I'm in the camp of August or even next season, especially with the recertification needed. The lighting trains are so comfortable, too, could have easily fallen asleep waiting to unload. We gave Intamin so much grace in their screw ups, but some refuse to do the same for Zamperla.
I’m definitely hoping they get to the bottom of the issue. I’d love another manufacturer for big rides 😀
You couldn’t have easily fallen asleep lol.
@travisvanalst4698 Given enough time just sitting on the return track, with the sunshine and all.
There Seems to be a trend towards exceeding whats physically possible. As far as i can see the only significant change is the high speed run back before the relaunch . How many breakdowns did it have as TT1?, suspect it would have to roll back occasionally if it didn,t hit the crest at correct speed but now its doing that everytime
Yeah from what I’ve heard they intentionally upped the speed to prevent rollbacks. Hence the three progressively faster launches. It’s a tricky one I get that they have to push the boundaries but it does come with its own problems 🤷♂️
When if ever is a Voltron ride coming to America?
Good question. Voltron is on my hit list and hopefully I’ll get over to Germany later this year. It does look like Starfall Racers at Epic universe will be a great Mack ride 😀
This thing wont open till next season.
It’s definitely a worry. I really hope they do find a solution within a couple of months. But i do think they’ll take how ever long it takes to do it properly so as you say it could be a long time 😔
It's so similar to Thunderbolt, I can't believe there's an issue.... Lol
Let’s see how they solve this one 🤞
The ride actually ran thousands of cycles before the first person even got on it so it has been running for months and months before the season open
indeed it did :)
Waiting for your review of Hyperia UK.
Me too 😂 still trying to work out when I’ll get down there. Hopefully soon!
I am so disappointed that I won't be able to ride Top Thrill 2 this Tuesday. I'm coming up to Cedar point this Tuesday For Arc of Ohio Day and I was hoping that I would be able to ride if but it sucks that I'm not going to be able too !! I'm hoping that Top Thrill 2 reopens soon !!!! As soon as it reopens I'll be back up with my HPC provider Marianne!!!!!
I have my fingers crossed for you mate but I have a feeling it’s going to be much longer 😔
Having a heavy train get sucked and repelled with a long and really powerful electromagnet over and over again has got to wear on something.
They had months to get it right
So did other coasters that have been delayed. This is not uncommon, especially when a ride system is new and trains are new. Intamin has had numerous delays or shutdowns as have others. Unless you have a tried and true ride system, this happens. This one just took longer to discover the issue - and sometimes it takes thousands of cycles to see it. There's some indication that B&M is having some difficulty with Penguin Trek at Sea World and Intamin had issues with DarKoaster and Arctic Rescue. Pantheon continues to have issues at BGW.
True. But sometimes simulations aren’t enough. Hopefully they find the issue soon 🙂
The parts are good for only 10 days. So they were made in China, I assume.
🙈
The ride actually has been running for months and months and months
I know the ride just open 10 days ago but the ride has been running for months and months and months before that
I rode the Ride May 1st it was incredible
I hope they fix it soon
EVERY ONE IS FREAKING OUT
WE DONT EVEN KNOW WHAT THE FACTS ARE
EVERYONE NEEDS TO CHILL AND STOP ALL THE
ZAMPERLA HATING RIGHT NOW IT JUST OPENED
THIS IS NORMAL
DAMN CHILL EVERYONE
EVERYONE THINKS THEY KNOW EVERTHING
AND STOP POSTING VIDEOS JUST ON UR OWN
SPECULATION
The hating should be aimed at the company who chose not to use a company that has trains designed to travel over 100 mph... Not 57 mph.
I’m hoping they solve this one. As you say teething issues are normal 🙂
It's funny how everyone had doubts, charity events/season pass weekend it's a hit. Now let's shit on it. All these so called coaster maintenance video got my laughing. Your welcome on earning money for my viewing. Do some research before doing videos
As I said in the vid I’m hoping Zamperla get this one sorted 😀 (oh and thanks for the 0.0001p for watching 😂😂)