Could Radiator Springs Racers be the new Rocket Rods?

[donald27]

I just got back from experiencing the newly updated DCA and when i went to check out the new Radiator Springs Racers it was broken down, although i waited for them to resolve the problem and then quickly move into the single rider line. I absolutely loved the ride and everything about it I thought it was something unique to either of the parks. When i got home I received a text message from my room mate saying he had been waiting 2 hours and it broke down yet again. I know on opening day it had broken down as well. Could this be a common occurrence to where it will eventually break down with the frequency of Rocket Rods? or is it too early to tell and are these just bugs that they'll have to work out?

What do you think?

[dland_lover]

Seeing as how this is the third iteration of the technology, I think it's just bugs that will be worked out. Soon, hopefully.

[Maximus]

West coast, meet Test Track.

Test Track was infamous for downtime when it first opened and still is, apparently, and it's been around for nearly 15 years. I've only seen it broken down maybe once. Radiator Springs Racers' track record will be bumpy for a while (pun intended), but it will be no-time before it is reliable. If the technology didn't work, WDI wouldn't have designed three rides using it.

[The First Star]

More like the new Indy.

Wildly popular, long lines, complex scenes and figures, subject to frequent closures in the beginning...

It'll still have long lines and be a must-see attraction in 15 years, but we'll all be here clamoring for an effects fix and desperately awaiting news of a measly 3 month refurb.

Rocket Rods is not a fair comparison because it was an ill-conceived attempt to build a fast-paced ride on an existing track that had been built for a slow-paced ride.

[RegionsBeyond]

As others have said, RSR won't just be scuttled like the Rocket Rods, I am sure a fix is in the works and they've used this ride tech before with similar speeds. But then, if it's most comparable system is Indy, that might not bode well for the precedent of frequency of downtimes either....will have to hope that's not the case.

[Trav1Disney]

Rocket rods was the first generation of this type of ride system , rsr is the 3rd generation of this ride system. I think it will be a very reliable ride system soon just need a little time get all the programming in order.

[lighttragic]

first of all rocket rods was never given the proper budget to do what it was intended to do. They just slapped it together and what the results were constant breakdowns, long lines and a short lived not worth it experience.
Carsland is new RSR will go through a series of breakdowns that is not unexpected. Harry potter went through the same thing. I think people need to just relax a little and let it settle in... Disney is doing everything they can to keep people happy here. They are letting people into DCA sometimes before 8am and the cast members have been fantastic

[Maximus]

Rocket rods was the first generation of this type of ride system , rsr is the 3rd generation of this ride system. I think it will be a very reliable ride system soon just need a little time get all the programming in order.

Wait, what? Rocket Rods was a completely different ride system. Radiator Springs Racers is the third generation of the slot car design. The first generation of the technology is Test Track at Epcot and the second is Journey to the Center of the Earth at Tokyo DisneySea.

first of all rocket rods was never given the proper budget to do what it was intended to do. They just slapped it together and what the results were constant breakdowns, long lines and a short lived not worth it experience.
Carsland is new RSR will go through a series of breakdowns that is not unexpected. Harry potter went through the same thing. I think people need to just relax a little and let it settle in... Disney is doing everything they can to keep people happy here. They are letting people into DCA sometimes before 8am and the cast members have been fantastic

I thought of Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, too. A completely innovative attraction that was well-known for breakdowns during soft openings and its early days, but has since become much more reliable.

[drtaru]

One of the big breakdowns on Opening day was someone got a bloody nose while on the ride and during the racing section blood was blown out of the car and got on the track, There are blood borne pathogen laws at amusement parks that state it must be cleaned immediately and in a certain way by specially trained personnel. after they got the mess cleaned up they were having issues for about 30 minutes with getting the ride restarted (apparently a sensor was tripping somewhere for an unknown reason which limited the cars to their safety speed of 5mph) then they got the cars going full speed again when that same limiter sensor promptly tripped again adding another 20 minutes to the wait. In all it was down for around an hour and a half. and this was only one of the times it went down that day.

[Trav1Disney]

Wait, what? Rocket Rods was a completely different ride system. Radiator Springs Racers is the third generation of the slot car design. The first generation of the technology is Test Track at Epcot and the second is Journey to the Center of the Earth at Tokyo DisneySea.


I thought of Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, too. A completely innovative attraction that was well-known for breakdowns during soft openings and its early days, but has since become much more reliable.

rocket rods are very similar system , it just didnt have a slot track cover. It ran on a very similar bus system with a car that drove on tires and a VFD controlled motor. I deal with similar stuff on a daily basis. Also in many other threads it has been mentioned too

[Mr Wiggins]

Could this be a common occurrence to where it will eventually break down with the frequency of Rocket Rods? or is it too early to tell and are these just bugs that they'll have to work out?

I have no idea what the issue is with RSR, but I doubt it's similar to the Rocket Rods' problem. RR was a disaster waiting to happen from the moment Disney decided to take the el-cheapo route and not rebuild the PeopleMover track and pylons to handle the stresses of a high speed ride. Its demise was predicted before it opened, but the Eisner-led management of TDA and WDI wouldn't listen.

Worse, the Rocket Rods vehicles were burning out their motors and 'puters during that period of Disneyland's history when maintenance not only had been slashed to the bone, but the bones rearranged into a mis-organized monstrosity. Spares on hand? Forget it. Specialists standing by for just that attraction? No way. Rocket Rods was launched when Paul Pressler's and T. Irby's orgy of budget slashing had reached its peak, and Disneyland's once-world class maintenance department was being flushed down the toilet.

All that said, the cause(s) of the RSR breakdowns will come out sooner or later -- sooner, if the frequency of breakdowns increases.

[MrsMonroe]

Wait, what? Rocket Rods was a completely different ride system. Radiator Springs Racers is the third generation of the slot car design. The first generation of the technology is Test Track at Epcot and the second is Journey to the Center of the Earth at Tokyo DisneySea.

no its the same concept and ride as rocket rods. i know this because i know people on the inside, so to speak lol but you are mostly correct

[explodingboy]

Comparing RSR to Rocket Rods isn't really fair, it's more like the new Test Track or even the new Indiana Jones.

Rocket Rods was the result of a thrill ride gone wrong. It wasn't really properly planned out, and thus lead to it's demise. RSR will be fine with time. Aside from the regular issue's that a ride of that size will have (let alone with that many complex effects/AA's) I think it won't be that big of a deal. We have to remember that right now with the grand opening of the the new DCA, and the summer season, the ride is experiencing tremendous amounts of people. It's bound to have some problems.

[Wren]

Glad to see we're already predicting the death of this ride after...4-5 days?

It just opened, it has kinks to work out, hopefully soon as it is the 3rd generation of this ride technology

[OswaldTheRabbit]

I definitely do not think the RSR will become another Rocket Rods. I was there for opening days of both, and RR were breaking down far more often then RSR. That being said in the beginning all rides need some time to get the kinks worked out of them, especially after last minute changes (I'll explain that in a moment). The reason Rocket Rods failed is the did not have a sponsor and Disney was unable to modify the People Mover support system and make banked turns for the ride to properly accelerator and decelerate without degrading the platforms. RSR is an evolution of existing tried and true technology in a new environment and has plenty of funding to fix any problems it has.

That being said, my GF and I went on RSR on the 11th during the invitation AP event. And others that were riding that day with me can vouch the racing portion of the ride was noticeable slower then when we rode it again on Opening Day on the 15th. Now I did not ride it after the 15th so I cannot tell you if the speed changed again. The only other reason I could think that the ride for faster is because John Lasseter and his family were riding on it and Disney was doing publicity interviews and shots. That being said, if the ride is truly faster and myself and others are not imagining it, maybe that is also causing some of the breakdowns. The ride actually might be running harder then it was originally tested for. Its a possibility. Also the mist screens were not operational when we went on the 11th, but were as of the 14th Celebrity preview event.

Thats just my two cents. I believe the problems will be fixed in time though.