Brakes: Cool, Fun, Painful

So the final brakes are the most depressing part of a roller coaster because it signals the finish of the ride. But sometimes, especially the past few years, brakes have become cooler looking, more fun (a prime example being Kingda Ka), and some brakes are just fun for their abrupt rough stops (especially older ones).

So, what brakes do you think are most fun? Best looking? Most Annoying? Roughest or most painful? Most Abrupt?

The most fun are probably Kingda's. Any Maurer Skywheel has a cool brake system, too (run through the station and let down slowly backwards from the lift). Of the rides I've been on, the most fun are either Timberland Twister's (abrupt stop topped off with leftover spinning, and a lot if you're lucky) or Renegade's because you just fly into them and stop pretty abruptly, especially if you hit a good day and overshoot them [approve]

I have to agree with renegade... Great ride especially in the left corner of the last car.

http://www.rcdb.com/ig1889.htm?picture=6 Ikeda skid breaks.

I love Wildcats (CP) old brake system... As a ride op on WC, I love watching riders faces. Don't like the fact that it has broken wrists.

Legend at Holiday World had its brake run shortened due to some station issues or something, and it's actually not much longer than the whole train. They stop the train so fast that you can just sit watching everyone's heads flying forward while in the queue, which goes directly under the run (if the lines are actually long).

lol...I love Sheikra's brake run, both of them! I love the overall smoothness of them and how easily abrupt of a stop they give me.

As old as rolling thunder @ sfgadv is, i think the breaks are one of the smoothest, if not best in the park[after KK].

i like stealth's, seeing as they are pretty much the same as ka's, they are smooth and fun

I think all the Magnetic braking systems used on many, many coasters...TTD, Kinda Ka, Maverick, etc. are all cool how smooth and consistent they stop the train.

I will always remember the Double Loop at GL. The final brake was the same length as the station and there was 1 brake section before the station, so, if they ran 2 trains...boom...the whole track section would bounce forward and back like crazy. If you didn't know it was coming, wow...it could hurt. Very similar to the Wildcat at CP.

I also really loved the old skid brakes on many older wooden coasters. I always loved the sensation of the train being lifted off of the track, and those also provided a very steady slow down.

It's not the brakes themselves but the entrence to Raptors' brake run can be painful if not expected.

The weirdest brakes I've seen were the ones on Pakal at Mirabilandia...
The first set of brakes was quite forcefull, and coming off it, everyone thought it was over.
But the second set was utterly brutal! God, I slammed my head on the front of the train the first time I went... Quite painfull, but also cool.

Also, if you weren't prepared, the brakes on Sierra Tonante could make you slam your head on the steel bar in front of you...

[hyyyper]

The ones on Tonnere De Zeus are pretty strong. The train is stopped with such a deceleration the entire support structure swings forward. Also, the train enters the brake with airtime, so as soon as the brakes disengage, so drop down a bit.

When I visited two years ago, a boy broke his nose on the front of the car due to the hard braking.

OMG flight of fear at kd has the traditional brakes and they are both weird cool and painful. So you flip throught the corkscrew and pop up the hill into the brakes then it just keeps going strait for a second. Then the brakes catch and you get thrown against the big harnesses lightly at first, then suddenly the grab extra tight and you crush your ribs on the rubbery handle things. Then once you finish you jolt back against your seat.


Then there is hypersonics brakes. So you hit the loud brakes at like 60 mph and start to fly forward plus the airtime which is weird. and by the time you start to curve out you are at 45 mph or so. Then suddenly your head and shoulders get sucked forward violently as you hit the small strait section of the brakes at the bottom. Then BAM! you stop completly and pull forward out of the seat really hard then jolt back.

Any coaster that uses manual skid breaks.

the roller coaster at blackpool pleasure beach still has manual breaks. there just cool

the smoothest are definetly air at alton towers, you dont notice your slowing down untill they almost stop

the hardest are either rattle snake at chessington world of adventures as in any seat then push you forward, if your short the lap bar winds you and if your tall it breaks your knee caps, or it is the lego technic coaster in legoland winsor. that has a loverly perspex windhild for you to slam your head off as you hit the very sharp final breaks.

the most fun is G-force at drayton manor as there very abrupt, very smooth and press you very tightly against the restainght