The Intimidator 305 kicks serious @$$ Topic

^^Yeah no the lats and forces need something to support you. The straps do that in the best way they could have chosen.

Originally posted by Kyle Sloane

the lats would be annoying like they are riding bizarro near the front..

Bizarro doesn't have that many lats dude....

I didn't find the lats on SROS/Bizarro annoying at all. I really thought they accentuated the already blazing speed. Also, when in the back with my hands up I felt like I would come out of the train on the transition into the turn in the second tunnel. I'd say they're pretty strong. The onset in the second helix is also very quick, so that adds to it. Basically the lats and positives grip you very quickly after that turning dip, then don't let up as the helix gets tighter until the next hill. For a steel hyper coaster, I'd definitely say the lats are pretty strong.

Originally posted by dcs221

I didn't find the lats on SROS/Bizarro annoying at all. I really thought they accentuated the already blazing speed. Also, when in the back with my hands up I felt like I would come out of the train on the transition into the turn in the second tunnel. I'd say they're pretty strong. The onset in the second helix is also very quick, so that adds to it. Basically the lats and positives grip you very quickly after that turning dip, then don't let up as the helix gets tighter until the next hill. For a steel hyper coaster, I'd definitely say the lats are pretty strong.

Yeah I guess for a hyper, but It's nothing compared to other coasters out there, per say woodies.

Right, but you have to also consider that there are a lot of other elements adding to the thrill. You don't just have lats...you also have relatively high speeds at the same time, smoother tracking so you can enjoy the lats without shaking to pieces, and shots of -1 or stronger air between turns. That's not something you see very often on wooden coasters, if at all.

Originally posted by Jcoasters

Originally posted by Kyle Sloane

the lats would be annoying like they are riding bizarro near the front..

Bizarro doesn't have that many lats dude....

You have obviously not seen the force graphs for sros before. It goes up to .9 lats on parts. Im guessing it was recorded near the front, the back has next to no lats at all.

But imo lats are not AS fun without something supporting you. Like the side of a car on an x-car or ptc train. I take back the lats being annoying, but they arent as fun when you have to fight them.

I disagree on the back not having lats. I know, in particular, the transition into the second tunnel has strong lateral forces. I remember feeling like I would come out of the train when I had my hands up in the back rows on that transition. I'd guess it equals the force in the front at the end of the tunnel, though it has been a while.

I came here though to say I've finally gotten on Intimidator 305, and a good number of times in the two days I was there. A friend went to the park the day of the earthquake, and was next in line for his first ride of I305 when the earthquake hit...sooo he and those he was with were given free tickets to return before Sept. 12. He invited me, so we went up this weekend for two free days. It was supposed to storm both days as of early last week, but turns out it was perfectly sunny out both days, and ontop of that, the park was basically empty. The longest we waited was for a front row ride on I305 on the second day, and that was because they switched it to 1 train operation. That was about 40 mins...other than that we didn't wait more than 15 for anything either day. So onto the ride:

The first 3/4 was epic. The speed is awesome, the forces are incredibly intense, and the ride is buttery smooth. My first ride was in the front row, and I think that's the best spot on the train, especially when it starts getting faster in the evening. The first drop has decent ejector air even in the front. The first drop in the back row has airtime that starts at around -20*, and ends right at the pullout in a smooth transition. It's forceful enough that I felt the pressure in my head most of the way down, something I've only felt on El Toro's stronger hills before. That slight left bend at the bottom of the drop is pretty much not noticeable unless you look for it.

The forces at the bottom of the drop are very strong, but not like say Kingda Ka's pullup where you really feel like you have to work to sit upright. The physical strain comes toward the end of the turnaround where it seems most people gray out to some degree. My first ride wasn't bad on the gray out...not much worse than say Nitro or Batman on the helix. Basically you would "wake up" right as the ejector air on the next hill started. We rode 3x in a row with an empty station, then got on Flight of Fear, then came back to Intimidator and rode a fourth time (back row this time). My friend and I both were completely gone by the end of the first turnaround. Basically I grayed out like normal, but a bit worse, then I realized what was going on around the middle of the little hill. Between the 2/3 through the first turn, and that hill, (and these are my thoughts from immediately after the ride so it was fresh in my mind) basically I remember my hands being up, and I remember a little bit of wind, but other than that I felt like I was in a dream state, kinda knowing I was on a roller coaster, but not really feeling like that was the case. At the end of the little hill, I realized what was going on, and was able to enjoy the ride again. It was really weird for me...never happened to me on a ride before.

The 150' camelback is pretty sweet. The front row has good jerk into airtime, and the back has lower negatives, but longer duration. The first small hill is very fun and unique, if a bit awkward on the righthand side of the train. The left side flows really well. There's a shot of ejector air there...smooth and forceful. The next turnaround is awesome, and you can really feel the speed, perhaps more than the first turnaround because of the tighter radius and track surrounding the turn. The twists are extremely fast, and there's what feels like a strong but smooth pop of ejector in the middle of all of them. The turnaround before the straight hill is again extremely forceful and fast, and another one of my favorite parts of the ride because you can really feel the speed.

However...IMO, the brakes are on very hard. To me, it takes the experience from being one that is almost unreal over the first 2/3, back down to that of a B&M hyper with some really fast twists. The air on that hill and the next hill isn't that great, the transition ontop of the second straight hill isn't that effective, and the subsequent pullout before the last S curve has a bit slower pacing than I would like. The S curve is really good in the back since it drops farther than it rises, and again there's a nice and smooth shot of ejector air during the rotation. The rise into the brakes again has a hint of lag, and the rotation at the top is cool, if a bit awkward. There's again a pop of ejector air into the brakes. Because of the brakes, though, the pacing and excitement of the ending is in stark contrast to that of the rest of the ride. It's still a lot of fun, but even if it's better than the ending of lots of other rides, it's hard for me to overlook how stark the difference is between the ending and the rest of the ride.

My other issue with the ride is only a problem for some people. The restraints are NOT friendly to tall people. I'm about 6'3" and slim, and I generally have around an inch between my shoulders and OTSR restraints on Intamin rides. While they're not hard, these restraints are still fairly stiff, and press down on my collarbone when the restraints are all the way down, as they always end up because of the attendants and/or forces. That's annoying in itself, but you have to consider the fact that the negatives add pressure to your shoulders, and every twist has both negatives and quick back and forth motions with the laterals. The rubbing and pressure really adds up after a couple rides, which makes it hard to fully enjoy the craziness. The ride itself is great, but that does take away from it for me. Though the twists are incredible in their uniqueness, I'd personally greatly prefer lapbars and slightly slower rotations, or possibly even the OTSRs from the first iteration of the ride.

So overall an epic ride, and one I'm extremely glad to have had the chance to ride a lot, but not my favorite since it's not one I could enjoy too many times in succession, and also not one I can just relax and have a great time on without worrying about clenching my leg muscles to prevent blackout. I rode 12x over the two days, and my shoulders were sore both Saturday and Sunday night, and are still sore right now.

Still had a great time on it, and despite the drawbacks, without a doubt it's in my top 5, just not at the top spot. Haven't been on it in a long time, but that distinction goes to SROS/Bizarro SFNE. While it's not nearly as extreme, it's longer, has a better setting with more terrain and park interaction, and pacing doesn't slow drastically toward the end. The negatives are equally strong, and the whole ride is easier to enjoy with the lapbars. Both incredible, but SROS/Bizarro is a bit more my style.

[hyyyper]

To put the first turn into perspective, have you ridden Goliath or Titan, and if you did, how does it compare?

I rode Titan about 16x the one day I went in 2006. It was maybe 10-12* hotter the day I was at SFOT. Though sometimes the same ride will affect me in different ways (sometimes I gray out on Batman, while other times I don't at all), I don't think Titan was nearly as "bad" with the forces with the given durations. I didn't feel as if I had to fight gray out on the first helix (front row) or the second helix (back row). I did notice that Titan was the only sitdown ride that made my feel feel a bit tingly, and for whatever reason I didn't notice that on I305. I also always started to gray out a bit, then came back right away at the transition out of the last helix. I thought that turn and the forces were sustained perfectly...right when it starts to feel like too much, you exit the element. I think I305 had forces sustained just a bit too long for me to be able to say that, though the hill generally does a good job of bringing you back to earth lol. I'd say overall though, the gray out was much "worse" on I305 than Titan.

Note that I put "bad" and "worse" in quotations, because some people may like the sensation, and others may not. It's a subjective feeling.

Yeah titan is perfect as far as forces go. I still love the graying out and overintensity of I-305. And i really didnt notice the brakes being that hard the day i was there. I had just as much air in the back on the last few hills as i did the rest of the ride. For me, i like a ride to be waay intense. My favorite rides have strong forces, direction changes, acceleration, and out of controll feeling. Superman used to be much better imo, because not only did it have more spacious restraints, but also because now ive ridden it so much that nothing catches me off guard. I-305 is just more my kind of ride imo. Plus i actually like the straps, because im like 5'11". So i feel the straps when i get really intense air, and they allow me to ragdoll on the ride. Which is my favorite thing to do on a coaster. Just let the ride have its way with me lol.

Yeah to me the restraints also makes it hard to feel airtime that isn't really strong, which is generally OK on Intamins since the forces are high anyways. I could feel that there was some air there, but it just wasn't that exciting considering the stark pacing change, plus the forces didn't seem as high as say the first hill in the front, or even the twists. I think the lower forces would be ok if the pacing wasn't changed so much, and vice versa.

I loved the intensity between the station and end of the flat part of the first turn, then again from the start of the first camelback to the trims. The duration of forces on the first turn made it a little too much for me to feel like I'm fully enjoying it, and the trims made the rest (minus the rotation speed) not intense enough. Everything else was perfect in intensity for me, including both low turnarounds in the middle section.

No comment on your last statement. lolol

Can't wait to go next year! Didn't go to Kings Dominion this year due to budget (picked Busch Gardens this year) but can't wait to get back to the ALMOST the original thrill ride that shook my world back in early 2010.

This coaster is the best ride ever. Hands down*

... and I quote from Ling on NLE -

"You have the most sickening obsession with that roller coaster, more than I have ever seen with anyone, anywhere. Seriously."

*This is completely opinion based

Im literally counting the minutes till i can ride this ride again.

^Then how many minutes?

Originally posted by gigacoasterfan

This coaster is the best ride ever. Hands down*

... and I quote from Ling on NLE -

"You have the most sickening obsession with that roller coaster, more than I have ever seen with anyone, anywhere. Seriously."

*This is completely opinion based

Apparently he hasn't seen a certain someone's American Eagle fetish.

If I get to this ride next year and I don't grey out, I will be entirely disappointed. Still haven't found a ride (after several that people claim they have on) that even makes me feel like I'm greying out.

Boomerang loops backwards do it to me. Think thats it.

greyouts only come to the weak. it is why they rides the coasters. apparently you ride for the thrill. i only greyed out once during the pretzel on tatsu and it didnt happen anymore afterwards.

wish i could ride I305. too far though...

^ Really the pretzel loop on Tatsu is forceful but still nothing compared to Goliath back row when the trims are down a little but, the helix is something on another order of magnitude from any other sort of sustained g's I have ever felt.

I've only ever grayed out once, it happened on Millennium Force which was very strange because I had ridden that ride many many times before and never had a problem. I must of had low blood pressure that day or something.

[Coasterkidmwm]

Originally posted by richie5126

greyouts only come to the weak.

I know marathon runners that grey out on Batman and I'm pretty sure their hearts can pump the blood just fine.

Quite the opposite really. Greyouts can be caused by feeling comfortable on a ride as well. For example, the first few times I rode Millennium Force I didn't grey out becuase I was freaking out. However, now I grey out almost every time because my body isn't scared its about to die so its not as prepared to handle the forces that are about to wash over it.

^That makes no sense.

I agree.