Top Thrill 2 Reopening Sooner Than Expected? 

This totally makes sense. The park takes time to get a better idea of the part issue. Then, moving forward this season, replace the part as frequently as needed, and possibly come to a permanent solution during the off-season.

In a sea of amusement enthusiasts who present their opinions and speculation as if fact, lines such as "please take in mind that nothing I'm saying is confirmed, so please take this with a grain of salt and not as the absolute truth" really helps you stand out as a dude with serious integrity. Rock on, Ryan.

Sometimes an FEA on a part is not totally accurate. Also, the durometer of a polyurethane wheel usually needs adjustments. Some of this stuff just needs to actually run in real life, then be analysed and adjusted accordingly. Have a little faith everyone. There are a lot of people working very hard on this, all just for us!

This seems like the best strategy if true. I mean to close it (potentially) for a whole season when people have made plans to get to the park/ bought season passes would be a nightmare for the park - Kennywood and Steel Curtain are a prime example of this. Keeping it going and making replacements as needed while a permanent fix is being worked out makes the most sense.

Well, this video aged like milk... We're now more than halfway through June and TT2 is STILL closed!

If it is wheel bogies, I'd first think of the vibration and them maybe not being supported enough to combat the natural frequency resonance. This extra vibration could significantly move the parts up the cyclic loading fatigue to failure curve. It's easy to underestimate this, other factors like the polyurethane wheels gaining flat spots as the rides sits overnight (normal) and the first cycles of the day needing more power and force all contribute a lot and could be miscalculated or omitted. The shrouds over the large wheels look suspect to me.

I was there on Saturday (5/25) and there was no testing or people there at the ride. I did see an employee walking by steel vengeance with a top thrill 2 polo on.

Its really an amazing ride experience! I hope more people get to ride it soon!

Thank you!! The only source I trust for Top Thrill info.

The issue is that ALL the trains have developed cracks in the wheel carriages in the short time since opening day. That is a fundamental design flaw and not something that can be fixed by "frequently replacing parts" when needed. They would be replacing wheel carriages and parts every week or so. No way this ride re-opens earlier than mid-July at best. The trains have to be redesigned.

Grazie da Italia ElToroRyan! I am looking forward to riding TT2 soon, and at times, felt hopeless that I wouldn't be able to ride it. While my hope is still low, as are my chances, I am holding out hope that it'll be ready in time for my visit on May 29th, 2024.

You are absolutely the best coaster enthusiast channel out there.

i will be there in a few days so man i hope it’s open

glad I decided to check your channel, I had been looking at flights and hotels for a trip soon.

I rescheduled my cedar point trip this weekend and got tickets for Hersheypark instead (already been to cp haven't been to Hershey btw) and then I find out the ride may open this weekend. Great

It’s Ben 2 month’s sense this video it’s still not open

Nothing like watching the new El Toro Ryan video in the kings Island parking lot

All I need is one ride this Memorial weekend. Pls let this happen 🙏

I bet it has to do with how fast it flys over the top hat. They will most likely slow the coaster down

When in June are you planning to be at Cedar Point? Since it's my home park, I easily can head there and say hi to you

so it may be a bit like the big one where it stops on the lift so they can do a wheel check on the other train in the brakes

So I’ve read posts about this last night and the anonymous poster shared a link to a YT channel that posted a video from late winter or March. Until that park confirms then all of this is hearsay.

Ryan, what kind of engineer are you again? i remember you said it once…

Im almost willing to bet it has to do with the wheels being cast with aluminum. Which is known as a string metal when it comes to compression forces, BUT it is also a soft metal when it starts to heat up.

Step 1: TT2 mentioned. Step 2: Queue all the anti Zamperla comments that everyone must be dying to read 🙄

Ok I'm going Monday, I'm praying for an opening this weekend 😂😂

You’d assume that they had spare parts on site so could be they’ve swapped the affected part for spares and approved it under extra supervision

Really like the videos and updates. Good stuff!

Wonder if the rollback is what made the park worry? I don't think it can self recover

"Between nights it will be examined thoroughly" yes I am sure by the same maintenance men who failed to realize a blatant rusted flag plate back in 2021. CP's maintenance team has always been awful and the constant ride breakdowns show they do not know what they are doing.

I’m still more concerned about the water dummy flying off. We need way more transparency on that.

Part of me would like to see it reopen sooner because it's nice to have it going, but the other part doesn't want to pay $3 to ride..

July 15th and its still closed 😅😅

Why don’t they just make replacement parts for now while engineering another part that’s able to withstand greater amounts of Gs than it needs to be?

I’m praying PRAYING it’s open Saturday! 😭😭😭

Damn it man, don't give me hope. I'm going to CP for the first time next week for four days. I want just one ride, just one!!!

Zamperla should change their motto to “Fuck it”

Immense amount of testing? Rides don’t go through massive testing or the issues on these newer rides would be realized/discovered sooner.

Guaranteed that it will open Soon™

Im going to cp on June 7th i reallly hope its open

It's going to rain this weekend....

Cracked wheels

Completely lost interest ,the momentum is gone. Looking forward to see what coaster great america is getting.

Zamparla didn’t estimate that Americans are FAT basically. lol. No seriously, it’s probably true.

No way. Not happening.

Nope, its bad design. Coasters are supposed to be able to withstand forces 10x what it would routinely face on an average day. Don't hire a kiddy coaster designer to bulild a coaster that is 400 feet tall.

If you don’t reply to this comment I will delete your credit count

Don't be afraid or worry about this experimental ride that they are rushing to open because of mechanical problems

El toro Ryan💍❓

43 comment

Playing with fire… better not get burnt once again

Just hope this will fail, put Zamperla in bankruptcy and force CP to open TT3 with Intamin (or any real coaster manufacturer)

Might as well start making your TTD2 problematic coasters video now 😂

The same was true for the Wheels on Millennium Force. When it opened, the Park was running one train at a time, or taking trains off about every hours. It was frustrating back then in 2000 with the que at 4 to 6 hours.

I think the ride testing is more of a examination of the specific part and how it is wearing down so quickly rather than preparing for opening

Life Cycle Maintenance v Reliability Centered Maintenance often comes up with new products.

They probably have replacements of the OG part. It never failed, just wore a little faster than expected. They probably want a better, longer lasting part for maintence reasons

Not glad i took this with a gallon of milk bc i got my hopes up when i went and it was closed loo

Cedar Point panicking that 12 of the top coaster influencers on youtube made videos saying the ride would be closed for weeks 😅 hope it gets up soon & safe.

You make some of the best coaster content, we appreciate you! ❤

At the very least we can assume an Engineer (Eltoro) has an educated guess, more than most that have commented, on realistic reasons. It makes sense to me. Heck they wouldn’t run it without knowing they can. No one including CP wants a déjà vu to happen.

While a disappointment, it's normal for big new rides like this to need some tweaking. I'm sure Zamperla is going to get this issue solved as quickly as possible. After all, they kept touting their new trains as requiring less maintenance. They need to make this work to prove that the company is capable of producing record-breaking rides that are reliable. The entire amusement industry is watching them.

It’s still closed and I’m sure it won’t open this year or ever tbh

Your "predictions" videos are the only ones I actually watch and give credence to. Your insight and track record with predictions are impeccable.

At least they are trying to fix it BEFORE they have a serious injury

From the roof top shout it out!

I am there from Sunday-Tuesday and I live in Texas, so it's quite the trek. My plane+hotel tickets were nonrefundable so I didn't have the option to reschedule.... I really hope it will open up this weekend.... Fingers crossed.

The problem is it's all speculation. Nobody knows what is wrong with the ride. It could be complex, it could be simple. Literally nobody other than Cedar Point/Zamperla know.

I feel like they know they have to have it ready by Coastermania on June 7. Pretty much the whole event (2.5 hours of ERT, backstage tour, poster, Q+A) revolves around Top Thrill 2. While I don't think it will operate this weekend, I can see them using this strategy to open it next weekend, Memorial Day weekend.

Can't wait for Problematic Roller Coasters: Top Thrill 2

hey, its the future....its still closed ..... although there is supposed to be an update at the IAAPA event on 7/25

can you do a video on the six flags surcharge on food a week ago it was 99 cents added to each order now it's 1.30 (1.99 refill bottles) are now 3.28 technically at the bottom of all the food menu screens shows the surcharge, this happened after the park failed at charging people additional 20 and splitting the premium peking lot (no one used it ) it's bad!

Id be pretty surprised if it reopens this weekend

Cedar Point is my home park; I always anticipate an El Toro Ryan video, but these ones? These ones having me waiting with bated breath

Alreay been on it, JUST AMAZING 👏 I'm sure Tony wants zero safety issues, better safe than sorry...

Preciate you doing these short update videos 🤝🏼

Have you heard about Ryan the ride mechanic video?? That sounds about right

May you talk about how this ride shakes so much because when I rode it on Thursday for the preview event i realised that it shakes a lot and it was honestly scary and i thought that is why they closed it. Thanks 😊 And btw i love your vids and i am a coaster enthusiast too.

I’m going to ride kingda ka on Tuesday!

Lmao its August

lol, nope

I'm just glad they're taking this seriously

If it were to reopen sooner based on part replacement (and finally redesign) we need more transparency from cp and zp as to what the changes are. Public deserves that.

Wow they fixed those blockzones mighty quick!

Physics.... As you double the speed of an object in motion....you quadruple the forces exzerted on it. Just imagine the forces on the wheels. Which is the problem.

Thanks Ryan! I always appreciate your informed perspective and the details you choose to focus on.

I could see Cedar Point running 2 trains and give one train the new wheels, and then do that to each train, and just keep two open.

I’m going next Wednesday. I’ve gone from accepting that I won’t get to ride it to now I might actually have a chance. 🤞

to me thats not a great look, when i especially was against going away from intamin. zamperla is over here not even making a coaster from scratch and still cant get the opening down properly? if this is what happens in a week imagine 10 years down the road. im gonna call it again, intamin was not to blame. zamperla for sure isnt going to do any better and they ruined the originality of a coaster all because cedar doesnt know the maintenance intervals for all things on a coaster this extreme.

This was predictable..

I am at cedar point today (5/18/24). There is no activity or testing on TOP THRILL 2. I hope I’m wrong but this seems like a 30 day+ problem.

We’re in August still closed

Not a chance

If they have shown no signs of updating que lockers, it means they probably don't expect this to go for a month+

Didn’t see any testing when I was there today. Actually no activity at all on the rides site.

Bottom Chill Zero fails again.

I ride it twice last Friday, it was great. I'm not worried, it will reopen hopefully soon and I will be riding it again as soon as I can. Hell, there was even an employee(I'm not sure if he worked for CP or the locker manufacturer) helping people make sure they could use the lockers properly(they should be free dammit), as you mention they are watching this ride like a hawk and being very cautious with it.

I honestly didn't expect TT2 to be closed long if it is the (***allegedly***) wheels that were the problem. Premature wear doesn't mean non-operational, so it makes sense that they'd open it back up and monitor as needed sooner rather than later. Hoping they open up before memorial day weekend!

I don't use salt 🧂 so I don't know what he's trying to say but YO CUZ THIS MAN SAID THAT TOP FUEL DRAGSTER IS GOING TO REOPEN TODAY!!!!!!!!!🎉🎉🎉🎉✨💥 SO IF CEDAR POINT IS ON YOUR BUCKET LIST, BOOK THAT TRIP NOW

What I imagine is that engineers at the park are trying to figure out a short term fix for the trains before the more robust parts are manufactured and shipped out. Cedar Point obviously doesn't wanna lose out on the potential revenue from people visiting the park to ride TT2, but they also wanna get away from the image of OG dragster being an infamously unreliable ride. But this is just me spitballing, though.