Rollercoasters...

[ErinsMommy]

DD has discovered the thrill of rollercoasters while I on the other hand am not a big rollercoaster fan at all...and DH won't get on one even if his life depended on it.

Anyway a super nice CM told me the front car is the best one to be in as it tends to be 'slower' (don't know the reason behind that, but it actually seemed to be slower) - is this the case with most rollercoasters?? After riding Big Thunder about a dozen times I feel more brave. LOL

 

[parkhopping]

It depends on the coaster. I'm not sure about BTMRR - it could be all in your head - but it's certainly the case on Space. The ride always feels wilder to me when I sit in the back. I don't think it's true for RnRC.

 

[grimley1968]

Actual speed would be no different on any portion. The front tends to have slightly less jarring movement since there's nothing in front of you to pull you left or right. However, there is the psychological problem of having nothing in front of you. For different people, the psychological thing may be worse than the slightly more jarring ride behind the front car.

 

[Smiling Cheshire Cat]

We have found this to be true. It's probably some law of physics, which I am too dumb to explain.

However, I wouldn't try this on Rock n' Roller Coaster. I love roller coasters, but I'm afraid of the front seat on that one.

 

[Izzieheartscindy]

My experience has always been that the farther back you go on the ride the "wilder" it is with the last car being the one that is the most whipped around. Not that the first car is slower but that you aren't jerked around as much. I love roller coasters and like to ride in both the front car (for the view) and the last car (for the craziness of it.)

 

[stinkpickle]

The front seats are less intense on coasters with the traditional lift and drop. This because the front is already partially down the first drop by the time the train reaches full speed. The back seats will accelerate over the crest of the first hill, so the first drop will seem much faster. The front seats allow you see what's coming better, though...and that's usually more scary than the ride itself.

 

[Izzieheartscindy]

Oh and the same is true for the pirate ship rides - you know, the ones that swing like a pendulum. The seats at the ends of the ship are much "rougher" on the passenger compared to the seats closer to the mast in the middle.

 

[Love Tink]

I think a good way to put it, rather than "slower" would be that the first car has less momentum. As the coaster goes over a hill, it gathers momentum and the back of the train gets pulled or whipped with more force.

So yes, people who don't like being thrown about would probably find the front of a coaster a little less unsettling...if they don't mind seeing the track right in front of them (which is something many people love, and why you see people waiting extra time for both the front seats and the back seats at any coaster).

 

[ErinsMommy]

ah that makes sense. thank you all. i personally like seeing what's ahead of me so i can brace appropriately for it. things that take me by surprise aren't my cup of tea ...which is why I already know a battle over Space Mountain will ensue when we visit next.

 

[spacemountain]

ah that makes sense. thank you all. i personally like seeing what's ahead of me so i can brace appropriately for it. things that take me by surprise aren't my cup of tea ...which is why I already know a battle over Space Mountain will ensue when we visit next.

If you do sit in the very front in Space Mountain, though, you can see the track a little bit in front of you

 

[ktlm]

I prefer the middle. The back car is definitely a rougher ride than the front on most coasters. As a little bit of a coaster chicken, I feel more secure being able to see people in front of me and I get a little panicked if I have to sit in the very front.

 

[JoshuaShaw]

It's not slower, as it would be physically impossible for rear cars to move faster than the front car, but it is a much gentler ride. The farther in the back you sit on a roller coaster train, the rougher the ride. Big Thunder is a great starting point, I hope you're able to enjoy others. The only time sitting in the front may be too much for you is on coasters with steep drops, in which case I'd recommend sitting in the middle-front. The only WDW coaster I can think of where you'd want to avoid the immediate front if drops frighten you is Expedition Everest, and even it only has one big drop. The rest of the ride is fairly comparable to Big Thunder, save for an extended backwards section of track. Good luck!

 

[mesaboy2]

DD has discovered the thrill of rollercoasters while I on the other hand am not a big rollercoaster fan at all...and DH won't get on one even if his life depended on it.

Anyway a super nice CM told me the front car is the best one to be in as it tends to be 'slower' (don't know the reason behind that, but it actually seemed to be slower) - is this the case with most rollercoasters?? After riding Big Thunder about a dozen times I feel more brave. LOL

A ride vehicle on any coaster has a center of mass that is located--you guessed it--at or very near the center of the vehicle. The "smoothest" ride would be at this point. Anybody sitting ahead of the center of mass will feel a dragging effect (rearwards), which would be most noticable at the very front of the vehicle. Anybody sitting behind the center of mass will feel a pulling effect (forwards), which would be most noticable at the very rear of the vehicle. These effects are what make the front "feel" slower and the back "feel" faster.

Both of these effects are best felt at the top of the largest lift hill--those in the front row will tend to "hang there" for a moment while they wait until the rest of the vehicle to go over the peak, while those at the rear will be pulled quickly over the peak as the vehicle starts to pick up speed before their row even gets to it.

 

[stinkpickle]

a ride vehicle on any coaster has a center of mass that is located--you guessed it--at or very near the center of the vehicle. The "smoothest" ride would be at this point. Anybody sitting ahead of the center of mass will feel a dragging effect (rearwards), which would be most noticable at the very front of the vehicle. Anybody sitting behind the center of mass will feel a pulling effect (forwards), which would be most noticable at the very rear of the vehicle. These effects are what make the front "feel" slower and the back "feel" faster.

Both of these effects are best felt at the top of the largest lift hill--those in the front row will tend to "hang there" for a moment while they wait until the rest of the vehicle to go over the peak, while those at the rear will be pulled quickly over the peak as the vehicle starts to pick up speed before their row even gets to it.

Bingo!

 

[ErinsMommy]

A ride vehicle on any coaster has a center of mass that is located--you guessed it--at or very near the center of the vehicle. The "smoothest" ride would be at this point. Anybody sitting ahead of the center of mass will feel a dragging effect (rearwards), which would be most noticable at the very front of the vehicle. Anybody sitting behind the center of mass will feel a pulling effect (forwards), which would be most noticable at the very rear of the vehicle. These effects are what make the front "feel" slower and the back "feel" faster.

Both of these effects are best felt at the top of the largest lift hill--those in the front row will tend to "hang there" for a moment while they wait until the rest of the vehicle to go over the peak, while those at the rear will be pulled quickly over the peak as the vehicle starts to pick up speed before their row even gets to it.

Yes, I noticed the 'hanging' feeling while we kind of dragged slowly down an incline while the rest of the cars got to the top...I rather enjoyed that part. I did notice certain areas where it felt like the train 'jumped' from the downslope to the up-slope...that part scared me a bit, but happily I escaped in one piece.