Titan

TOP 10 STEEL COASTERS — #7
_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​
Hold onto yer hats, boys and girls! This here’s the biggest, baddest, and roughest toughest ride in the whole state of Texas!
Measuring in at over 5,300ft in length, the Lone Star State’s undisputed coaster champion submits you to a mindbending 4.5G’s over its 3 minute 30 second journey. Utilizing 2.8 million pounds of manufactured steel, Titan hits you with everything it’s got: intense airtime (especially on the camelback following the turnaround), nerve-​wracking lateral G’s (experienced most on the train’s left side) and undoubtedly some of the most insane positive G’s on any coaster in operation.
I’m talking of course about the double upward/​downward helices of death. They’re so infamous, they are specifically mentioned on the ride’s Wikipedia page: «Titan has been known for occasionally causing blackouts or grayouts in the helices… Park Policy prohibits re-​rides due to the extreme G-​forces.» Oooohhhhh yeah. Now THAT’S my kinda coaster, baby!
In fact, operations has to slow the train down to a near screeching halt on the mid-​course brake run, in an effort to reduce the physical sensations riders would otherwise encounter on the downward helix (which actually caused my dad to ‘see stars’, not usually a good sign). Titan is made for high rider capacity, so even on crowded days the line moves quickly. Crews were efficient in dispatching trains, and most seats contained a zippered pouch you could put your belongings in to take with you on the ride! This was an awesome feature, and much preferred to leaving your valuables inside a sh*tty temporary bin that anyone could swipe.
~Special ride elements~
*255ft drop into an underground tunnel, reaching a top speed of 85mph (!)
*540° upward helix
*Block brake
*540° downward helix
Make no mistake friends, Titan is one helluva thrill machine. I think of this ride as coaster manufacturer Giovanola’s ‘swan song’, if you will, as they filed for bankruptcy not long after its opening (whoops!) Easily the best coaster they ever made, it rightly earns its position as number seven on my list of greatest steel coasters in the world.