Are you ready to brave the toughest hyper-hybrid roller coaster called Steel Vengeance at Cedar Point?
Today, we continue our journey as we dive into the histories of some of Cedar Point’s most thrilling and impressive coasters!
Let’s move on with Steel Vengeance, another coaster who calls Frontiertown home. In fact, it’s right across the way from Maverick, a coaster I recently discussed.
But what is the story behind this coaster? What came before it that caused it to become what it is today? What makes this particular coaster so special?
Let’s begin together the story of Steel Vengeance, the world’s longest hyper-hybrid roller coaster!
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What Roller Coaster Did Steel Vengeance Replace?
Before we gained the masterpiece that is Steel Vengeance, we had Mean Streak. It’s bones are still part of the foundation to this very day.
The Rise and Fall of Mean Streak at Cedar Point
Mean Streak was the tallest and fastest wooden coaster when it made its debut at Cedar Point on May 11, 1991.
It was one of the last two coasters to be built by the Dinn Corporation, the other being Psyclone at Six Flags Magic Mountain, which is now also gone.
Construction boasted 1.7 billion boards of treated southern yellow pine and opened to mixed reviews upon opening.
It was located near the end of the park next to Maverick and the Lighthouse Point.
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Mean Streak: The Stats
As far as roller coaster ride stats go, Mean Steak maxed out at 65 MPH (miles per hour) along 5,427 feet of track.
Not to mention Mean Steak’s impressive 155-foot drop with a top height of 161 feet. Guests traveled on this ride for a little over 3 minutes as it carried 1,600 people per hour.
The Love and Hate for Mean Streak at Cedar Point
While considered a classic, it was not without its complaints, which were about the same one usually has for wooden coasters. It was simply too rough.
I had a similar complaint with Hersheypark’s classic wooden coaster “Wildcat.” It was so rough that it was not even enjoyable.
Wildcat at Hersheypark has been closed since July to receive the same RMC (Rocky Mountain Construction) treatment that Mean Streak eventually would gain.
On top of the complaints regarding the roughness of the ride, the coaster was a pain to maintain. The track had to be replaced yearly and had its own carpentry staff to do so.
In 2016, after operating for more than 25 years, Mean Streak closed. Shortly after, it was hinted that changes were coming to the track.
From Admiration to Vengeance…
Mean Streak was beloved and held its own awards, being called Cedar Point’s Best Kept Secret.
It was featured on the Today Show and ranked consistently on Amusement Today’s Top 50 Wooden Roller Coasters as well as being ranked amongst the best wooden coasters all over until its closure.
Steel Vengeance would continue Mean Streak’s legacy…
In 2017, Cedar Point formerly announced, Steel Vengeance, advertised as the World’s First Hybrid-hyper Roller Coaster, combining wood and steel with help from Rocky Mountain Construction.
It would also be taller than Mean Streak with a height of 200 feet.
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Steel Vengeance Debuts at Cedar Point
Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) worked with Cedar Point on this project and are well known for their amazing restoration work on wooden coasters.
Just a brief look at RMC’s best roller coasters:
- Twisted Timbers at Kings Dominion
- Iron Gwazi at Busch Gardens
- Storm Chaser at Kentucky Kingdom
RMC would implement the I-Box track system as it refurbished the ride.
When Did Steel Vengeance Come Out at Cedar Point?
In the end, Steel Vengeance opened on May 5, 2018, with slight issues and accidents.
Unfortunately, two trains collided leaving the ride shut down for most of the day, leaving fans slightly irritated.
It would resume operation the following day with one train as RMC looked into repairing it.
Steel Vengeance would close briefly for the repairs to be made and resumed operation on June 1st of 2018.
Since then, it has been a must-do and fan favorite of the park, opening to hold ten World Records.
Cedar Point’s Steel Vengeance Breaking World Records:
- Tallest hybrid roller coaster
- Steepest drop on a hybrid roller coaster
- Fastest hybrid roller coaster
- Longest drop on a hybrid roller coaster
- Most inversions on a hybrid roller coaster
- Longest hybrid roller coaster
- Fastest airtime hill on a hybrid roller coaster
- Most airtime on any roller coaster
- World’s first hyper-hybrid roller coaster
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Mean Streak to Steel Vengeance Upgrade with RMC
After the conversion by RMC, the track length was extended to 5,470 feet and featured 3 trains based on the ride’s backstory, which we will get into in a bit.
In the end, Mean Streak was called The Best Kept Secret of Cedar Point. However, Steel Vengeance is taking back what is rightfully theirs from Maverick!
And I just love a good ride backstory, so let’s get into it!
Steel Vengeance at Cedar Point: Backstory and Ride Layout
It only makes sense in my mind that having two world-class roller coasters like Maverick and Steel Vengeance sitting next to one another would make the perfect backdrop for a great storyline.
The Story of Steel Vengeance (with a Maverick twist)…
According to Cedar Point, Years ago, Maverick raced through Frontiertown and took it over by force.
Taking down White Water Landing and creating a roller coaster named after himself, because you know, narcissism.
Also, he rudely chased three of the townsfolk of Frontiertown, who was bold enough to challenge his conquest. These three men would not lay down quietly though.
Jackson “Blackjack” Chamberlain, Wyatt “Digger” Dempsey and Chess “Wild One” Watkins have returned back to their hometown with, you guessed it, a Steel Vengeance!
They came correct with one of the wildest coaster creations in the game, ready to reclaim Frontiertown back from Maverick. But the question remains, who will come out victorious?
The answer is the people of Frontiertown and those who visit because we get two jaw-dropping and thrilling roller coaster experiences!
Mean Streak vs. Steel Vengeance: Roller Coaster Layout
If we are to dissect the ride layout of Steel Vengeance, we must first look at Mean Streak. Most of the track for Mean Streak was repurposed by RMC to create its successor, after all.
Mean Streak’s Ride Layout
As we follow Mean Streak’s journey, it would go into a 180 degree turn and upwards upon the 161 foot hill lifted by chains.
You would then drop from 155 feet at an angle of 52 degrees, reaching maximum speed of 65 MPH.
After that, you would then hit a 123-foot turnaround followed by an airtime hill into another twisted turnaround.
Finally, you would hit several more hills before hitting a slight brake run. You will encounter a dip into several more airtime hills before concluding your run.
Clocking a little over 3 minutes, Mean Streak was the longest run of any roller coaster at Cedar Point at the time.
Creating the Steel Vengeance Roller Coaster Layout We Know Today
There are slight changes to the layout upon Steel Vengeance’s inception. To start, the beginning drop is now 200 feet dropping at a 90-degree angle!
Three of the new trains, originally on Mean Streak colored red, gold and green, are now different and named after the three men seeking vengeance against Maverick.
Mean Streak’s train ushered 28 riders per cycle while Steel Vengeance takes 24 per cycle. It takes approximately 400 less riders than Mean Streak but packs a harder punch.
How fast does Steel Vengeance at Cedar Point go?
You will reach max speed of 74 MPH on Steel Vengeance. After the airtime hills, you climb up a slightly smaller hill at 116 feet, hitting another airtime hill into a zero g-roll inversion.
How many times do you go upside down on Steel Vengeance?
The big difference between Mean Streak and Steel Vengeance is there are slightly more airtime hills and the addition of 4 inversions on the updated version.
How tall is Steel Vengeance at Cedar Point?
Steel Vengeance’s peak height is 205 feet and the runtime is shorter, clocking at a little over 2 minutes now instead of 3 minutes as previously experienced on Mean Streak.
Steel Vengeance at Cedar Point Ride Stats
Moving right along, let’s dive into Steel Vengeance’s stats. I have already mentioned its world records, which is to be expected of a Cedar Point roller coaster.
Upon its debut, it won the Best New Ride from the Golden Ticket Awards and was placed in the Top 50 Steel Roller Coasters every year (usually in the top 3).
It boasts 3 trains with 6 cars and still uses the chain lift system. It features a twister layout and a top height of 205 feet.
Overall Stats for this Cedar Point Roller Coaster
- How Tall is Steel Vengeance at Cedar Point: feet
- Opening Date: May 5, 2018
- How Fast is Steel Vengeance at Cedar Point: 74 miles per hour
- Duration: 2 minutes and 30 seconds
- How Long is Maverick at Cedar Point: 5,470
- Minimum Height Requirement for Steel Vengeance: 52 inches
- How Tall is the Drop on Steel Vengeance: 200 feet
- Number of Inversions for Steel Vengeance: 4
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CAUTION: Read This Before You Ride Steel Vengeance at Cedar Point
Something important to remember is that when entering this attraction, all loose articles (including metal objects, glasses and phones) must go into lockers.
You will have to go through metal detectors prior to boarding the roller coaster. Please don’t try to sneak anything on as you will be sent out of the line if you have these items on you.
For your glasses, be sure to have attachments on them to keep them on your face. This was implemented due to an incident with Twisted Timbers at Kings Dominion.
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Overall, Is Steel Vengeance Scary?
If you’re a thrill geek, then no! However, if you’re a novice to roller coaster, then you may want to start out with something on the calmer side such as Blue Streak at Cedar Point.
Now you know that when you are in Frontiertown at Cedar Point, you are in the midst of a Western showdown of roller coaster delight!
Whether you are team “Steel Vengeance” or team “Maverick” , Cedar Point managed to cook up two amazing replacements for coaster fans to try out.
Steel Vengeance in particular, with its ten world records and epic makeover, was so cool that it was featured in the Planet Coaster video game!
The history, backstory and impressive stats of the ride is what makes it one of the BEST roller coasters in America!
Have you experienced a ride truly worthy of being the wildest of Frontiertown? Let us know in our Facebook Group!
Until next time, Happy Park Hopping Hipsters!
About the Author
About the Author
Victoria is a professional solo traveler here to make your solo trips as stress free AND enjoyable as possible for you.
She has over 5 years of Disney and Non-Disney travel experience and was featured by POPSUGAR as one of the Top 50 Black Disney Creators you should follow.
She is a Proud Native to Baltimore, Md but always will call Disney World home. You can find her at Disney Tea with V.
(Original Article Date: October 7, 2022/Updated by Editor on May 4, 2023)