Vote of the week: Roller coasters - steel or wood?

December 8, 2007 at 8:19 PM · Steel! The woodies are killing my back these days. I want a smooth, fast ride with some amazing drops. Give me Raging Bull or Millenium Force anytime over Mean Streak or Rattler.

December 8, 2007 at 9:05 PM · Wow!! The resulsts are very odd??? Someone just posted a thread on this exact topic and everybody said they liked steel better!?!?!?!

December 9, 2007 at 5:04 AM · I completely agree with that first comment... Nostalgia tells me to like the woodies better, but steel is just more FUN!

December 9, 2007 at 6:26 AM · It's almost like comparing a 2007 Lexus to a 1970 Monte Carlo! The Lexus is the state of the art and offers so many more possibilities, but man, every time I sit in the Monte Carlo there is a special feeling that the Lexus will never be able to give me!

Every time I see a park invest in a new woodie it makes me feel happy even though it happens very rarely (and sometimes when it does it goes very wrong like Son of Beast at PKI).

I love the thrill I get every time I ride the Hulk, but long to head to Ohio and ride The Beast which for me is probably the best coaster on the planet.

Steel is steel. Pretty much one ride and that's it. Wood breathes and lives and changes with the weather and seasons and it is just different. Those of you out there that area lucky enough to live near a good wooden coaster know what I am talking about.

I love advancements in ride tech and enjoy the evolution of the ride, but I hope we always have a good number of these museum pieces around for our enjoyment for a long time!

December 9, 2007 at 6:46 AM · Well, I'm kind of split on this.
There's nothing like the feel of wood in the morning, but the afternoon you gotta go steel.

December 9, 2007 at 8:26 AM · It was a tough call for me, but for the most part, I would go with steel. Much more smooth! Thats not saying that Woodies are not sometimes smooth, but there are some that will do a number on your back! You seem to be able to do more with steel as well (as in theming). It would be good to hear if there is any Woodie that has some kind of theme!

December 9, 2007 at 8:49 AM · I voted for wood because my favorite roller coaster is El Toro at SFGA. The airtime & speed on that sucker is amazing!

December 9, 2007 at 10:45 AM · I picked woodies, though it was a veryu hard choice!!!!

Both coasters are great when well made, I guess while I love the smooth ride like Raging Bull, I just enjoy the roughness of a great woodie a little more.

December 9, 2007 at 11:42 AM · Steel all the way!

December 9, 2007 at 6:46 PM · Steel. While woodies are fun, and have lots of airtime, there is an eventual limit to what they can do. And steel coasters are proven smooth, except for some exceptions, which are already quite mediocre.

December 9, 2007 at 8:36 PM · If every wood coaster was like Thunderhead, I'd be clicking on the wood box. Unfortunately, most wood coasters out there lack the level of maintenance and upkeep required to keep them running properly (a conspiracy, I think, perpetrated by the chiropractic community).

Of course, if every steel coaster was an SLC or Boomerang, I'd just take up stamp collecting.

December 10, 2007 at 2:19 PM · Could you add a third option: It Depends - I can't really say wood or steel. I've been on great (and crappy) coasters in both mediums, and a great woodie will beat a mediocre steel any day. And vice versa. So I'd have to say if it's a coaster, it's my favorite.

December 10, 2007 at 3:42 PM · If y'all take a close look at the question, I didn't ask whether folks preferred wood or steel. I asked if your favorite coaster was wood or steel. That should help focus the debate a bit, I hope.