Why are the launches on Mack coasters so weak? 

This is literally only the second video I’ve ever seen about coasters that mentioned jerk, the other one being a documentary from the 90s. I think 99% of people don’t think about it when trying to describe a rides forces, even though high jerk (and the 4th derivative of velocity, called snap) is probably what makes a ride feel intense (after all, nobody has every said that a gravitron feels super intense)

I'm glad someone else did the G maths and understands rate of change of acceleration, this is really rare knowledge in this community. In my experience Icon's launch feels really strong, it just isn't at the start, it definitely kicks once the whole train hits the LSMs. I would hazard a guess that reliability and energy efficiency comes into play with their launch decisions. A full power from standstill LSM launch like Mavarick, Taron, etc takes a lot more electricity to get up to speed than if you get the train rolling with a little power before thrusting it

Yes the mack launches aren't that powerful, but I believe that it could be for many reasons, such as younger appeal or the availability of good themeing. As a coaster enthusiast, I agree it isn't the most powerful but it is enjoyable for everyone and the layouts of these launch coasters are usually really good such as ride too happiness or icon

Honestly, I think it makes a difference with how the whole layout is designed. Intamin thrill coasters tend to be far more about the intensity, whereas I find Mack thrill coasters tend to be more graceful with their movements and layouts reflect this. Rita and Icon I can compare directly as I have ridden both. Rita is all about sudden changes of direction - the way it snaps you into the first turn and has that lateral airtime over the first hill makes it feel like the ride is trying to shake you off, whereas the top hat, overbanked helix/shallow inclined loop into the snake pass into the ravine of Icon feels more like an exhilarating journey. But even seeing POVs of rides like Maverick or Taron against the likes of Helix or Copperhead strike shows a similar story. To me, Intamin and Mack are just two sides of the same coin (or dice, when you start to compare other manufacturers who would be in a similar bracket). B&M vs Intamin Hypers has a similar thing. Excluding Millenium Force, look at the way Intamin megacoasters operate versus B&Ms Hyper model - Intamin tend to opt for more wild forces and quick transitions, whereas B&M are far more graceful. Think of Intamin as 5 cans of Monster after sleeping past your alarm, and Mack as a nice morning cup of tea and it begins to make sense. I don't think either launch is strictly better or worse, it's a simple design choice that separates the manufacturers.

to be honest though, some mack launches are quite a lot more punchy than icon's. look at blue fire for example, the entire train sits on the launch fins and that is quite a lot more punchy than icon even though it has older generation LSMs so it could be a space issue too perhaps? and other manufacturers such as vekoma, gerstlauer and b&m use the same LSMs (by the same company) as mack but theyre often more punchy which makes me think that what you said about mack setting a limit (possibly for power consumption efficiency too) is likely the case on top of previously mentioned factors especially if the launch system being used is capable of providing more intense launches

At my home park, we have Time Traveler and Powder Keg, a S&s thrust air. While Powder Keg packs quite a punch, Time Traveler’s launch definitely isn’t lame as it gets with it pretty quick in a relatively short distance. Hard to think of a launched Mack that has a heavier train than an extreme spinner at the moment. It may come down to how the park orders the coaster and what they ask for in the launch.

The Mack power splash coasters have some real kick to it, Aquaman’s launches caught me off guard

This is a VERY good video. Well done on this. Slightly different topic, but I enjoyed recently getting into debates regarding Stealth being the fastest accelerating coaster in the world (some sillies were really arguing that Maxx Force had a faster acceleration because it reached its top speed before Stealth.. and I was like.. but they both reach their top speeds in 1.8s, and Stealth is 2mph.. do the maths! Anyway...) But, I always said that Stealth is the fastest accelerating coaster in the world... on PAPER. Like, who's to say that Kingda Ka doesn't accelerate faster than Stealth? 0-80mph in 1.8... or 0-128mph in 3.5? Tbh it probably is stealth, but who knows, it could be close. Who's ridden Kingda Ka and Stealth recently, and close to each other? Kingda Ka is a MENTAL launch and it's hard to say whether it's faster accelerating than Stealth or not... from memory, the jerk feels pretty darn similar. Need to measure real time acceleration, and jerk (lets be honest they go hand in hand) to really know. The faster you go, the more friction you have to deal with, and air resistance... so in order to get to 128mph in 3.5 seconds, maybe you will have needed to have launched to 80mph in under 2 of them, in order to keep launching in a uniform-like way. If we divide 128mph by 3.5, that would be 37.57mph/s... somehow I think Ka goes faster than that, and that just isn't going to be how acceleration/velocity works in the real world. (It would mean Stealth launching 44.44mph/s). I really don't think Stealth would beat Ka by nearly 7mph/s... maybe it does.. but who knows Is Stealth the fastest accelerating... or is it actually Ka... that's my question

It wouldn’t surprise me if it was also something to do with excess wear and the train/wheels. Making Mack launch coaster that’s bit more reliable and cost effective, which most parks will take any day over what an enthusiast wants.

My thoughts are on a power consumption side. A less powerful launch=less power consumption but thats just a thought. It maby helps with running costs and maintenance. Thats maby there selling point lol

even the other Intrasys launches are more strong... Gerst, even some vekomas Then theres RTH, that thing actually has a decent kick.... Like a rly good Kick

I remember hearind ryan the ride mechanic saying that at the start of launches the wheels dont turn, only a small amount, but they kinda get dragged. I wonder if they do it for easier maintenance

Actually an incredibly interesting topic, definitely going to be looking out for this on the launch coasters I go on from now!

absolutely love your videos, so amazing!!!

Cool video! Just wanted to say I remember ride to happiness having a punchy launch and that's a mack but obviously a different model and maybe spinning during launch adds to jerk!!

voltron has actually with DISTANCE the strongest syncrone motors on any mack coaster yet. And that + the lighter trains usw.. I think this will be a cool launch.

The effort in your vids are amazing 😍

They are only 2 launch coasters that I rode so far which is Fire Chaser Express at Dollywood and Copperhead Strike at my home park Carowinds

Comparing accelerated launched coasters to LSM launched coasters is a bit daft, considering these are two completely different types of launches.

Full Throttle has a decently powerful launch for lsm's

Red force has a tire drive right into the launch so it makes sense why it doesn’t feel punchy, as this probably decreases the jerk by a lot compared to if it launched from stationary

Yeah i completely agree with you. I think Voltron's launches are going to be the same though. I personally just don't have a lot of faith in Mack as an enthusiast, even though they obviously make phenomenal rides for GP with high comfort, reliability and throughput. Also RTH is a masterpiece, but I don't think Mack will be designing intense coasters like that in the future.

The Inbetweeners reference 😂😂

I can personally agree with this having copperhead strike at my home park I can agree they are weak

I'm pretty sure Maxx force has the fastest acceleration in the world for a coaster.

Maxx force is the fastest acceleration

Icon is a family coaster

Your video is already outdated with Voltron lol

I don’t like Icon to be honest - I think it’s massively overrated