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, which opened as the world’s longest hyper-hybrid roller coaster!
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Steel Vengeance Roller Coaster at a Glance:
- Height: 205 feet
- Opening Date: May 5, 2018
- Top Speed: 74 miles per hour
- Duration: 2 minutes and 30 seconds
- Length: 5,740 feet
- Minimum Height Requirement: 52 inches
- Drop: 200 feet
- Inversions: 4
Keep reading to get everything you must know about this incredible Cedar Point Roller coaster.
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 dubbed as the tallest and fastest wooden coaster when it made its debut at Cedar Point on May 11, 1991.
This attraction was among the final two roller coasters constructed by the Dinn Corporation, with the other being Psyclone at Six Flags Magic Mountain, which has also been removed.
Construction had a whopping 1.7 billion boards of treated southern yellow pine and got mixed reviews when it opened.
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 the 5,427 feet long track.
Not to mention Mean Steak’s impressive 155-foot drop with a top height of 161 feet. Guests would be on this ride for about 3 minutes with 1,600 people per hour being pushed through.
The Love and Hate for Mean Streak at Cedar Point
Even though it’s a classic, some people had complaints, which is pretty common for wooden coasters. Overall, it was just a bit too rough!
I had a similar complaint with Hersheypark’s classic wooden coaster “Wildcat.” It was so rough that it was not even enjoyable anymore.
Wildcat at Hersheypark has since receive the same RMC (Rocky Mountain Construction) treatment that Mean Streak eventually would gain.
So, besides the whole bumpy ride deal, that coaster was a real pain to keep up. The track needed replacing every year, and they even had their own crew to handle the repairs.
In 2016, after doing its thing for over 25 years, Mean Streak called it quits. Then, there were whispers about some changes heading to the track.
From Admiration to Vengeance…
Mean Streak was totally adored and even snagged its own awards, being dubbed Cedar Point’s Best Kept Secret amongst fans.
Mean Streak would continue to get some love on the TODAY Show and stayed on Amusement Today’s Top 50 Wooden Roller Coasters list, being one of the top wooden coasters until it shut down.
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, meaner and more intense than Mean Streak with a height of 200 feet.
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Steel Vengeance Debuts at Cedar Point
Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) teamed up with Cedar Point for this project and they’re famous for their awesome 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
- Wildcat’s Revenge at Hersheypark
RMC went on to use the I-Box track system for the change of Mean Streak to Steel Vengeance.
When Did Steel Vengeance open at Cedar Point?
Steel Vengeance would go on to be opened on May 5, 2018 unfortunately with a few challenges and accidents.
However, there was a collision between two trains, which led to the ride being closed for most of the day, leaving fans feeling a bit annoyed.
It would open back up the next day ONLY with one train as RMC to the time to investigate more and to repair the other train.
This led to Steel Vengeance being closed for a short time as repairs were being made. It would reopen to the public on June 1st of 2018.
Since then, it has been a must-do and fan favorite of the park (and our favorite here at ThemeParkHipster), opening to claim ten World Records.
Cedar Point’s Steel Vengeance Breaking World Records at Opening:
- 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 and Changes with RMC
After RMC worked their magic, the track got stretched to 5,740 feet and had 3 unique trains inspired by the ride’s backstory, which we’ll dive 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)…
Here’s the story 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. The track for Mean Streak was mostly used again by RMC to create the new coaster.
Mean Streak’s Ride Layout
As we tag along with Mean Streak’s journey, it would make a cool 180-degree turn and then shoot up a 161-foot hill lifted by chains.
After that, you enter a dramatic drop from 155 feet at an angle of 52 degrees, reaching max speeds of 65 miles per hour (MPH)!
You’d then cruise through a 123-foot turnaround and enjoy some airtime on a hill before hitting another fun twisted turnaround.
Finally, you’d zip through a few more hills before reaching a small brake run. Then, there’s a fun little dip and a few more thrilling hills before you wrap up your ride.
Coming in at just over 3 minutes, Mean Streak held the record for the longest ride at Cedar Point among all the roller coasters during its time at the park.
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!
The three new trains, once painted in Mean Streak’s classic red, gold and green, were now sporting new looks and named after the three men out for payback against Maverick.
Mean Streak’s train carried 28 riders on each run, while Steel Vengeance accommodates 24 per cycle.
Steel Vengeance now hauls around 400 fewer riders than Mean Streak, but it delivers an even more intense experience that makes it one of the best roller coasters in America.
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How fast does Steel Vengeance at Cedar Point go?
You’ll hit a top speed of 74 MPH on Steel Vengeance. After the airtime hills, you’ll climb a slightly smaller hill at 116 feet, and then you’ll hit 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: 205 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 Steel Vengeance at Cedar Point: 5,740 feet
- 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
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.
UP NEXT: Cedar Point Crowd Calendar: AVOID THE LONG LINES
(Original Article Date: October 7, 2022/Updated by Editor on May 6, 2024)