China Dinosaurs Park in Changzhou, Jiangsu province, hosts Dinoconda as a standout attraction that opened on April 29, 2012. The steel coaster reaches 78.3 miles per hour, the highest top speed recorded for any 4D roller coaster. It stands 226 feet tall and stretches 3,445 feet along its track, placing it among just three 4D hypercoasters operating anywhere.
S&S engineers designed the complete layout, which included employing a chain lift to bring the trains to the top before letting go for a relatively long initial descent. As the trains depart the station in reverse, visitors may enjoy a panoramic view of the entire park and surrounding area from the top. The descent then progresses through a series of raven twists, a zero-gravity roll, and a few fly-to-lie and lie-to-fly transitions that effectively rotate your body relative to the track. The 4D system, which consists of auxiliary rails running beside the main track, connects to the mechanisms in each vehicle, and converts forward speed into spinning movement, is what truly distinguishes this experience. The seats or car pieces can rotate separately, with some whirling a full 720 degrees at the perfect moment.
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Riders can experience a variety of positions, including standing up, flying, and lying flat, as the train follows a standard track of dips, banks, and inversions, but what really adds to it is how the 4D technology adds all of this extra motion and perspective changes on top of the track itself. Each train consists of six cars, each with four people, two on either side of the tracks. Harnesses fit over your shoulders and keep you in position while you spin around. Each train can carry 24 passengers at a time, and the compact arrangement of all the elements helps to maintain the forces strong and sustained, with some peaks reaching 5 g. The trip is paced really closely, so there is only a few minutes between all of the difficult portions, but the entire journey is a white knuckle experience from start to finish.
The landscape and theming around the ride really help the latter parts stand out, with some wonderful vegetation and near-miss passages that fit in perfectly with the dinosaur park backdrop. The scarlet track and dark green supports shine out against the verdant scenery. Fans of S&S’s other 4D coasters claim this one is smoother in function but more forceful in character, with tighter spacing between parts that adds to the overall effect.
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