As if a 215-foot drop and a maximum speed of 75 miles per hour wasn’t enough, this roller coaster is certainly one of the most unique rides in the world. The seats rest on an axle that randomly rotates throughout the ride, leaving riders guessing which way they’re going the entire time. X2, located in Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California is the world’s first fourth dimension roller coaster. Fourth dimension roller coaster are classified by their ability to rotate about a horizontal axis which is perpendicular to the train’s path of motion. This was the last roller coaster created by ride manufacturer Arrow Dynamics, which became defunct in 2002.
Considering this was the first of its kind, engineers ran into many problems when constructing it. In fact, the original X ride was planned for opening in Summer 2001, but engineers experienced several issues, particularly with the trains. The coaster then initially opened in January 2002 but was then closed in late 2007 to transform it into X2. It later reopened in mid-2008 with several upgrades such as new generation vehicles, flame throwers, increased maximum speed, and a sound system. Although these features are nice, it doesn’t even compare to the ride’s rotation feature. The rotation is possible due to the presence of four different rails on the track. Two of the rails are for the motion of the train itself while the other two are for controlling rotation. The two that control rotation move up and down and spin using a rack and pinion gear mechanism. This mechanism translates rotational motion into linear motion. In layman’s terms, the seats rotate based on the linear motion of the train.
The ride begins with a high anticipation climb to the top of the hill. After climbing 175 feet, there is a teaser drop before climbing an additional 15 feet to an altitude of 190 feet. The 215-foot drop immediately follows, in which riders are rotated 180 degrees so they’re facing the ground. The ride then enters a raven loop, also known as a raven turn, is unique to 4D coasters only. It features half of a loop followed by a drop which ends at the same level from which it entered. During the feature, riders transfer from laying on their backs to a “superman” position. This transition is also called “lie-to-fly.” After the loop, the seats rotate 360 degrees backwards. This is followed by a “fly-to-lie” twist. While this is going on riders can see flame throwing effects overhead. The ride continues through a outside raven loop followed immediately by a half-twist. The ride then hits a brake run and comes to a stop.
For the rating, I would take four factors into consideration: uniqueness, speed, G-forces, and height. For uniqueness, this ride gets a much deserved 10 out of 10. Not only is it the first of its kind, but there is only one other that has been built since X2. For speed, I would give it an 8 out of 10. This ride is not known for its speed, but considering the speed was improved from X to X2, it gets a pretty good rating for that. As for G-forces, this gets a 9 out of 10. There aren’t any features in the ride that would create an overwhelming amount of G-forces, but the rotating throughout the ride certainly does. And lastly, height gets a 9 out of 10 as well. Height is not a huge selling point of this ride, but the simple fact that its 4D and it is in the hypercoaster category gives it a 9 out of 10. After averaging all these together, it gets an overall rating of 9 out of 10 which is very reasonable for a ride like this one. It is certainly thrilling, and if you are ever on the west coast in the LA area, you should not hesitate to check it out.
