To be fair, this has nothing to do with thoosies vs GP and everything to do with typical, run-of-the-mill NIMBY-ism.
News Project 2026/409: Fast & Furious Hollywood Drift (Prototype Intamin Rotating Coaster)
- Thread starter Viator
- Start date
I can say with a fairly high level of confidence the noise issues have zero bearing on the coaster not being open. The coaster was signed off to operate by all required parties back in mid June and was ready for technical rehearsals as soon as it met Universal's internal standards, then on July 3rd the coaster suddenly stopped running completely after cycling consistently every day for weeks. Shortly afterward, Intamin reps were spotted on site, cars were seen covered by tarps while work was being performed, and reportedly a couple trains have actually been taken off the coaster altogether. At the same time, team members were instructed to be ambiguous about the opening timeframe and were barred from discussing the ride on social media. The leading rumor is that something malfunctioned in one of the trains that's going to require some re-engineering and recertification, which will likely push the coaster to a fall opening, but Universal is waiting until the very last minute to publicly announce that because they've been using the ride as a selling point for some of their HHN products.
It is accurate, however, that the coaster is more audible in the surrounding neighborhoods than Universal originally expected, especially when trains are filled with riders screaming at the top of their lungs. However, it is still below the volume level allowed in Universal's operating agreement, and is probably being called out because those particular residents have been against this project from the beginning and are looking for any excuse to go after it. The park likely will be installing additional sound mitigation measures at some point, but this is absolutely a case of opportunistic NIMBYism and not a serious issue.
It is accurate, however, that the coaster is more audible in the surrounding neighborhoods than Universal originally expected, especially when trains are filled with riders screaming at the top of their lungs. However, it is still below the volume level allowed in Universal's operating agreement, and is probably being called out because those particular residents have been against this project from the beginning and are looking for any excuse to go after it. The park likely will be installing additional sound mitigation measures at some point, but this is absolutely a case of opportunistic NIMBYism and not a serious issue.
This is so stupid. How loud can a train full of people on a steel coaster be? The nearest neighborhood to the coaster is by the golf course but thats also behind a TON of buildings. The god damn busy insterstate there would be louder than any sound reaching them from the coaster. Hell on a quiet day at carowinds front gate I can't even hear a train full on fury until it gets almost to the bridge
“Park engineers are using on-track sound monitors and installing barriers to mitigate the noise, shifting the target opening date to the end of the year”
www.foxla.com
Universal Studios' new 'Fast & Furious' coaster sparks backlash from neighbors over screams
Park engineers are using on-track sound monitors and installing barriers to mitigate the noise.
“Park engineers are using on-track sound monitors and installing barriers to mitigate the noise, shifting the target opening date to the end of the year”
Universal Studios' new 'Fast & Furious' coaster sparks backlash from neighbors over screams
Park engineers are using on-track sound monitors and installing barriers to mitigate the noise.
This is extremely irresponsible reporting being used to generate clicks, consisting largely of claims blown out of proportion and making statements that are not backed up by any evidence. I would strongly recommend disregarding this one in its entirety.
Is this article the only source for the "announcement" that the ride opening has been delayed?
EDIT: I haven't found any other source (certainly not Universal themselves), and I've seen at least one redditor claim to have called the park directly and was told the ride opening has NOT been delayed.
EDIT AGAIN: Aaaand the article has been edited to remove any mention of a delay, and states the ride is still scheduled to open summer this year. Yaaaaay reporting.
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Heads should roll at Fox 11 LA for this. Whatever "journalism" resulted in getting the story that royally wrong should be eradicated from the marketplace yesterday.
Out in the parking lot, I can hear it, but it's VERY faint. Like, volume on your phone at 10/100 faint. Nowhere near "distracting"
Edit : I typed this days ago but forgot to post it
Yeah, this reeks of the same kind of jumping-to-conclusions logic that form the worst kind of theme park rumors. The reporter hears neighbors complaining about noise and that the ride's opening appears to be delayed, then assumes the former caused the latter without having any real source connecting the two.
This is a real news station and there should be consequences for that. I *wish* there were similar consequences when influencers and YouTubers use the same tactic and then pretend they have inside information, when all they're doing is guessing.
Uni may try to pull these POVs so get them while they're hot!
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Ride looks sick. Gonna be so many new and novel forces to experience on this thing!
Direct Link to Embedded Media Source
Direct Link to Embedded Media Source
Ride looks sick. Gonna be so many new and novel forces to experience on this thing!
I've posted my thoughts on a different forum, but I thought I'd share them here too!
This ride is a 10/10 and is in my top three. It might even be number one but it's hard to decide when I've only ridden twice. Different cars spin in different ways so your rides will vary. 3rd car was great, but the 2nd car (4th row) oh my god. You spin more on the stall in that car and maybe it's like this in the back row of every car but I was getting strong floater on the wave turn and dive loop. The wave turn/dive loop/stall sequence is my favorite part of any roller coaster. The cars and seats are all extremely comfortable too. I do value unique rides over intense rides so take this with a grain of salt, but I think it's better than Velocicoaster.
That being said, the queue for it is an absolute dumpster fire. It's an endless maze of switchbacks with almost no shade or theming. I waited in it for three hours and had to take a break from riding anything after because of heat exhaustion. It's BAD.
One last thing, and this might be my hottest ever theme park take: Universal Studios Hollywood is the best Universal park in the United States and the best park I've been to period.
This ride is a 10/10 and is in my top three. It might even be number one but it's hard to decide when I've only ridden twice. Different cars spin in different ways so your rides will vary. 3rd car was great, but the 2nd car (4th row) oh my god. You spin more on the stall in that car and maybe it's like this in the back row of every car but I was getting strong floater on the wave turn and dive loop. The wave turn/dive loop/stall sequence is my favorite part of any roller coaster. The cars and seats are all extremely comfortable too. I do value unique rides over intense rides so take this with a grain of salt, but I think it's better than Velocicoaster.
That being said, the queue for it is an absolute dumpster fire. It's an endless maze of switchbacks with almost no shade or theming. I waited in it for three hours and had to take a break from riding anything after because of heat exhaustion. It's BAD.
One last thing, and this might be my hottest ever theme park take: Universal Studios Hollywood is the best Universal park in the United States and the best park I've been to period.
Yesterday, I got to attend the pass preview for Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift. We were only allowed one ride, so here's a summary of my thoughts from riding the front car:
-In general, the coaster is fairly floaty, with only one or two moments of legitimate ejector airtime. There aren't any real drops on the ride, which probably contributes to this feeling.
-The drifting effect is kind of weird, and I think it results in the ride feeling less intense but more disorienting. Lateral forces are practically nonexistent as trains tend to turn into the corners, and many of the elements don't ride the way you'd expect from looking at them.
-You do really feel the full speed of the coaster after the third launch, but that's unfortunately the only real fast part of the ride. A couple of the elements, most notably the turn around the Starway, actually felt like the train was over trimmed compared to how the element was designed.
-The ride felt more like a collection of elements where they fit on the hillside rather than a coherent coaster experience. Many of the elements hit on their own, but the flow between them was lacking.
-It did not feel like a short ride to me, but it also didn't feel as long as I'd expect a 4,100 ft. coaster to feel.
-The coaster is super smooth and comfortable. Even compared to other modern Intamins, the trains felt very roomy.
Overall, it is a ton of fun and I did really enjoy the ride, but I think I had my expectations set a bit too high for this one. I'm not going to rank it until I've ridden a few more times, but I'd guess it will wind up in the 25-50 range on my list (out of 700+) based on this one ride. That said, I've heard the front car is the weakest when it comes to the programming, so that could very well change.
-In general, the coaster is fairly floaty, with only one or two moments of legitimate ejector airtime. There aren't any real drops on the ride, which probably contributes to this feeling.
-The drifting effect is kind of weird, and I think it results in the ride feeling less intense but more disorienting. Lateral forces are practically nonexistent as trains tend to turn into the corners, and many of the elements don't ride the way you'd expect from looking at them.
-You do really feel the full speed of the coaster after the third launch, but that's unfortunately the only real fast part of the ride. A couple of the elements, most notably the turn around the Starway, actually felt like the train was over trimmed compared to how the element was designed.
-The ride felt more like a collection of elements where they fit on the hillside rather than a coherent coaster experience. Many of the elements hit on their own, but the flow between them was lacking.
-It did not feel like a short ride to me, but it also didn't feel as long as I'd expect a 4,100 ft. coaster to feel.
-The coaster is super smooth and comfortable. Even compared to other modern Intamins, the trains felt very roomy.
Overall, it is a ton of fun and I did really enjoy the ride, but I think I had my expectations set a bit too high for this one. I'm not going to rank it until I've ridden a few more times, but I'd guess it will wind up in the 25-50 range on my list (out of 700+) based on this one ride. That said, I've heard the front car is the weakest when it comes to the programming, so that could very well change.
You gotta ride again, the front car is easily the worst ride. It turns into a completely different beast in Car 2 and 4.
You're not the first to tell me this, and given how many friends I have calling this a top ten coaster I'm definitely inclined to believe there's quite a bit of variance depending on which car you get. I plan to go back after the ride is officially open and ride several more times before giving the coaster an official ranking, but I'll still be basing it on the average of my rides.
