What’s behind the recent rise in “rattle” criticism on new roller coasters?

[Matt N]

Hi guys. You’d think that as time goes on and technology advances, new coasters would get smoother and more comfortable. And for the most part, this is true; we’ve come a very long way in terms of coaster smoothness since the rougher rides of the 1980s, for example! But in the last year to the last couple of years, I’ve noticed a sharp rise in the number of new coasters that seem to be opening up that are getting criticised for having “rattles”.

In recent years (particularly 2024), I’ve noticed that the number of coasters where the first time reviews come in and people remark on a noticeable rattle or generally remark on the smoothness of the ride seems to have increased two-fold. Look at the coasters this year; with Nemesis Reborn, the rattle has been a key contentious discussion point. It’s been the same with Voltron and its supposed roughness roulette. It’s been the same with Iron Menace and its alleged rattle and kinks. It’s been the same with Hyperia, with people remarking on a notable rattle. Top Thrill 2 also had some saying it was rattly in the brief period for which it operated… the list goes on.

One key intriguing manufacturer in the “rattle” criticism sense is B&M. They’ve been historically known for smooth and comfortable rides, but as of late, there have been a spate of new B&M installations that have received criticism for rattling or an otherwise uncomfortable ride experience. As I said, the Nemesis Reborn “rattle” has become a contentious discussion point ever since the retracked ride opened, Iron Menace’s rattle and jolts went viral on YouTube, the two SeaWorld family coasters that have opened this year have both had rattles remarked upon, and based off recent testing footage, it looks as though Rapterra at Kings Dominion may continue this theme.

This might be controversial, but another key intriguing manufacturer, in my view, is Mack. Their thrill coasters were also historically known for being smooth and comfortable, but they too have had an increasing spate of “rattle” criticism on new installations. Voltron has seemingly been a roughness roulette ever since it opened in April, with some having a fine ride experience and others getting bounced around phenomenally and coming off with banging headaches. Hyperia has also had a fair few criticise it for being rattly and headache-inducing, and those who’ve been out to China and ridden Beyond the Cloud have also said that that has quite a noticeable rattle.

But it’s not just those two. More generally, I have noticed a trend towards new rides getting criticised for being “rattly” in the last couple of years. With this in mind, I’d be intrigued to know; what do people think is the cause of this rise in “rattle” criticism on new rides? Is it a change in the way manufacturers are doing things? Or is it simply enthusiasts growing less tolerant of roughness, and criticising minor things that have always existed to some extent?

I don’t have any real theories of my own, I must admit, but I’d be interested to hear what others’ thoughts are on this recent phenomenon!

 

[Bowser]

Or is it simply enthusiasts growing less tolerant of roughness, and criticising minor things that have always existed to some extent?

My instinct would lean towards this. The proliferation of shared experiences and opinions via social media tends to lead to increased criticism imo.

 

[Dhev123]

I can’t speak for any other B&M that’s opened in recent years as the only one I’ve done is nemesis.

While I do think rides are becoming rougher, I do thing people over exaggerate. I think it’s because from the late 00’s to 2010’s, smooth coasters no longer became a pleasant ‘surprise’, they became the ‘norm’. Therefore, when newer ride models/installations open in recent years, we enter the queue expecting a glass smooth ride, and this expectation isn’t met.

Just like how before I was a full blown enthusiast, I entered queues for wooden coasters expecting them to be rough, janky and uncomfortable, even though most of them these days are super smooth.

So essentially, expectations and standards have been set, and if a ride falls short of that, it is deemed a ‘failure’ or ‘unbearably uncomfortable”.

As enthusiasts, we notice things the GP don’t, such as if a ride is running faster/slower than usual, the best time of the day to ride, best seat to ride, wheel assemblies and stuff - but even when I’ve noticed rough patches on rides, my non enthusiast friends don’t even mention it, because it just doesn’t really phase them or cross their minds. We all have a preconceived idea of what a ride ‘should’ feel like, such as by comparing rides from the same model/manufacturer: Shambhala vs the rattly diamondback, for instance

Although, with regard to B&M, I do think it’s down to them just using cheaper materials to construct their rides to be honest.

For Mack, I guess an argument can be made that their recent installations are more intense than their older rides. For instance, blue fire and Voltron are day and night when it comes to intensity (from what I’ve heard), and hyperia does not shy away from strong sustained positive g’s. So perhaps it’s down to their current track style not being able to withstand the forces (not mechanically but from a guest roughness tolerance point of view).