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

[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!

 

[Heth]

I think i first became overtly aware of the B&M rattle this year.

I rode Nemesis in 2021 and Nemesis Reborn in 2024. Because they are the same layout, there was a direct comparison. Reborn had a terrible rattle, to the extent that I'd have sworn that Reborn was the older ride of the two! I don't know what has gone on, but there's no situation where I'd expect a new ride to feel that bad.

 

[Jamesss]

I've no idea what's behind it, but I'm super curious if anyone does have any clue. Especially with the B&Ms. They've never had this problem before. What exactly has changed?

 

[VonRolland]

Hasn't B&M track gauge changed slightly?

 

[Climb]

First time I noticed it was after riding Banshee at KI, I tried so many different seats and it was one of the first B&Ms I have ridden that I found had it. It seriously impacted my ride experience to be honest, I rate it pretty lowly.

 

[roomraider]

I've no idea what's behind it, but I'm super curious if anyone does have any clue. Especially with the B&Ms. They've never had this problem before. What exactly has changed?

The simplest explanation is probably correct. In an effort to cut their prices and be more competitive in a market where B&Ms particular brand of supersized coaster is no longer sold on the numbers they were. B&M will have made some efforts to cut costs across their manufacturing process.

I suspect they are using a cheaper grade or different steel supplier for the manufacture at Clermont. Along with some other cost cutting measures it's probably what's caused the down turn in quality.

 

[Hyde]

If I can also offer a hot take: the B&M rattle has always, kind-of, been around. Even to the first progeny of their late 90s coasters, if you sit in just the right seat, with the restraint just so - you would still get the occasional rattle.

But the B&M rattle feels to now reached meme status, akin to “looks slow” and “Aquatrax”; it has somehow felt a race to see who can say “rattle” first every time a new B&M opens.

It’s a bummer when you get it, and yes I’ve had it on newer B&Ms, but as Talking Heads once sang: same as it ever was.

 

[Heth]

If I can also offer a hot take: the B&M rattle has always, kind-of, been around. Even to the first progeny of their late 90s coasters, if you sit in just the right seat, with the restraint just so - you would still get the occasional rattle.

But the B&M rattle feels to now reached meme status, akin to “looks slow” and “Aquatrax”; it has somehow felt a race to see who can say “rattle” first every time a new B&M opens.

It’s a bummer when you get it, and yes I’ve had it on newer B&Ms, but as Talking Heads once sang: same as it ever was.

As a counter to that, Nemesis original didn't have it, but Nemesis Reborn is like being on a vibrating massage chair made of metal.

Nemesis Inferno is still butter smooth with no rattle and it's 21 years old.

 

[Dan Nguyen]

You can definitely feel the rattle on a lot of older B&Ms.

That being said, it took years and years of operations to develop the rattle.

The problem is you feel the rattle on most newer B&Ms. Why are Penguin Trek, Emperor, and Nemesis Reborn as rough as rides like Nitro, Kumba and Kraken? While it doesn't really affect the experience nowadays, imagine how rough those newer B&Ms will be in 20 years or so. Penguin Trek and Phoenix Rising especially, those rides are meant to appeal to families and I know families can't really tolerate rougher rides.

Griffon still runs smoothly today. Same with most of the Batman clones I've ridden. There's no reason newer B&Ms should be running rougher than those 20+ year old coasters.

 

[CloudRuben]

Hi everybody! First time posting from a long time reader.

I find the discussion interesting, but I am not sure if there is actually a recent rise in rattle. It could be that there are a handful of very notable examples which have a rattle, while we (rightfully) did not expect them to.
B&M is a great example of this, although my experience with B&M is limited (4 in total). The rattle on Hyperia sure is disappointing, but is it entirely unexpected? While roughness on Voltron is unacceptable, some rattle on a prototype with new 4-seater trains is not that surprising when you think about it. It is disappointing though.

From what I read, it is B&M which is the outlier here. They recently developed a rattle on their newer rides, while they are known for smooth rides. Other manufacturers seem to be improving or stay somewhat the same. Perhaps they even see it as acceptable.
Vekoma, for example, was known for their rough coasters. They certainly improved recently! I've even read criticisms that their new rides are maybe too smooth. RMC generally constructs smooth coasters on opening day as well, right? Wooden coasters also have become a lot smoother in general, although they should have some rattle.
Other manufactures have always been kind of hit or miss. Gerstlauer is known to deliver a shaky experience, but I've read about very smooth rides as well. You could classify Mack in this category as well. I have read about a Mack-rattle, but they can also deliver smooth coasters.

I don't think major coasters in general are developing a rattle, but there sure are some unexpected examples recently.

 

[JoshC.]

I think the reason is that we've gotten too soft. That's right, the coaster community has gone woke!!

That's a joke, just to be clear.

but it dipped in with a sense of reality.

Matt said it from the forefront: as technology has advanced, coasters have become smoother. And that's meant that the tolerance for less-smooth rides has decreased, and expectation for smoothness in rides has increased.

This is also mixed in with the fact that the majority of new coasters have lap bars now, so even when a new coaster is less-smooth, it's harder to notice as you don't bash your head here, there and everywhere. In fact, one of the only exceptions to that rule is...B&M, who's major thrill rides still rely on OTSRs. And so, any bump (which might have been common on rides 15-20 years ago) is now uncommon. Which I think is one of the reasons why B&M is getting a bit of a bad rep.

For those who have ridden it, imagine what Voltron would be like with OTSRs. Heck, imagine what Taron would be like. How on earth would people react to RMCs with classic OTSRs from yesteryear?

Obviously not every coaster with lap bars is considered smooth. But again, something as small as a vibration, or just a transition which is half a millimetre off, is picked up by people nowadays. Standards are much higher.

I think this is another thing too: the polar opposites that social media creates. If a ride is perfectly crystal smooth, it's labelled as "rough". It's not "not smooth" or "a bit janky" or whatever, it's rough. There's no middle ground, which is of course a wide scale problem these days beyond coasters being called rattly.

In short:
-People have higher expectations.
-People over-exaggerate things


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With the specific case of B&M, there's questions which could be raised about whether they have changed things in recent years, such as with the design / manufacturing process. I also wonder whether the fact that they're branching out further (beyond vertical drops, launches, etc) just means that they're now more susceptible to making errors, whereas before they had a very narrowing offering, which they'd managed to perfect.

 

[Sticky_T_Wicky]

I think there are a few factors that have led to the increased rattle criticism on B&M's at least:

1. The emergence of RMC and its glass smooth completely non-rattly I-box track. Not only has RMC flipped the game with its action packed layouts, it has also flipped the game with its unparalleled I-box track smoothness.
2. Wing coasters and dive coasters on the edge seats are almost always going to have a little more shake and rattle then other models due to being so far outside where the wheel meets the rail. If you've ever ridden in the back of a school-bus behind the rear wheel, this should make a lot of sense.
3. The expansion into launches. Launches tend to be shakier than other portions of track. I presume this is due to instead of the train using gravity to accelerate, the train now is fighting gravity to accelerate creating a downward force that causes some vertical shake or bounce that can also generate some horizontal shake or bounce. That combined with the wide trains of a wing coaster may make for the bouncy launch we saw in that video of Rapterra. Physics folks can tell me if my presumption is full of it.
4. The vest and hydraulic restraints. I think hydraulic restraints "pin" riders to the train more than mechanical restraints causing riders to feel every bounce that much more.

I will also say that I have not noticed a more pronounced rattle on any of the newer B&M's... I cannot speak to the newer B&M family coasters that have a rattle according to some but of the 10 B&M coasters that I've ridden that have opened in the past 10 years, I have not ridden one that I thought was exceptionally rattly. That list includes three dives that some say have rattles in Emperor, Dr. Diabolical's Cliffhanger, and Iron Menace. The only thing I noticed on Iron Menace and Dr. Diabolical is a jolt with IM's occurring as it heads into the final break-run and on the zero-g roll on DDC. Neither of these were painful but rather just noticeable.

The only B&M's I've noticed with a pronounced rattle are Banshee (2014) and Diamondback (2009) at Kings Island and Goliath (2006) at Over Georgia. Each of those are big, fast and forceful coasters. Additionally, Banshee was a prototype in the sense that it was the first invert to use vest restraints. I also think the trains on Banshee are wider than your standard invert which may add to its shake.

Just my thoughts.

 

[dixhuit]

This is a comment I saw under a review of Phenix Rising

@Sticky_T_Wicky All the way up in Europe, I have noticed three B&M coaster that have significant shakiness ! Silver Star (2002) at Europa Park, Dragon Khan (1995) at Port Aventura and The Monster (1996) at Walygator.

I have heard about shakiness on Katun (2000) at Mirabilandia but never got a chance to ride it.

Tbh I think we will start to see a lot of older B&M go in the 2030s.