Impulse is the only major steel roller coaster at Knoebels.
This Zierer tower coaster feels similar to the Gerstlauer EuroFighters and in 2020, the
ride was upgraded with new trains.
I have ridden Impulse both with the old and new trains, so in this video, I will review
Impulse and explain if the new trains have improved the overall ride experience.
Knoebels is most well-known for their award-winning wood coaster collection.
You have Phoenix, the best wood coaster in the world per Amusement Today’s Golden Ticket
Awards.
You have Twister, the spiritual successor to Elitch’s old Mister Twister.
You have the world’s only wooden bobsled in Flying Turns.
But their steel coaster lineup was lacking for many years.
From 1977 to 1992, the park was home to a Schwarzkopf Jet Star.
The ride was replaced by Whirlwind in 1993.
This was a Vekoma MK-1200 double looping coaster.
But Knoebels removed this ride after the 2004 season due to space constraints and rider
complaints about it delivering a rough ride.
This would leave a void in the park’s lineup that would take a decade to be filled.
Knoebels would add a new kiddie coaster in Kozmo’s Kurves in 2009 and an indoor steel
coaster dark ride in Black Diamond in 2011, but they were still lacking an adult steel
coaster.
In 2014, the park announced Impulse, a Zierer tower coaster that would replace the former
Bumper Boats and Boat Tag.
Impulse would open in 2015.
And this was an interesting addition.
Impulse was Zierer’s answer to the Gerstlauer EuroFighter.
The two rides had a lot of similarities with their steep drops and compact layouts.
Zierer had only built one prior tower coaster, the launched Wicked at Lagoon in 2007.
And Impulse was the second and final tower coaster Zierer built.
Meanwhile, Gerstlauer has built 24 different EuroFighters across the globe.
But is the Zierer product inferior?
I don’t think so.
Impulse is located at the very front of Knoebels.
The ride runs alongside the roadway into the park, so it makes quite the impression upon
guests with its vertical drop and tangled layout.
The ride looks great too with its royal blue track and electric yellow supports.
It really stands out.
And it got an upgrade in 2020.
As I mentioned earlier, the coaster received new trains.
These trains have lights on the bottom of the train that really pop as the coaster carves
its way through the course.
Knoebels is legendary for lightning fast dispatches.
Impulse is no different.
They often crank trains out in less than 30 seconds.
But this coaster still generates a lengthy wait most days due to its capacity.
Each train only seats 8 riders in 2 rows of 4.
In most of my visits, Impulse has been running one train.
But I believe the park intends to have this coaster running with two trains going forward
to help boost the coaster’s throughput.
Knoebels has every incentive to do so considering they are a pay-per-ride park on weekends.
I avoid this coaster if it has a sizable queue, but I have seen it quoted at 1-1.5 hours by
the attendant at the ride’s entrance.
The ride does have a single rider line that can be a major help.
I have used this several times and never waited more than 10-15 minutes to board Impulse.
In terms of seat selection, the sensations don’t change whether you’re in the front
or back row.
The front is slightly better for the unobstructed view though.
Now let’s talk about the trains.
Impulse operates with just lap bars.
These lap bars come down like panini presses and fit rather tight, but they never have
caused me any discomfort.
I personally didn’t notice much of a difference between the old and new trains in terms of
the lap bar.
But there was one key change- the height restriction.
Impulse always had a 48” height requirement.
But if you were between 48 and 52 inches, you were required to ride in a booster seat
that Knoebels would have to add and remove in between cycles.
The new trains made it so the booster seat was no longer necessary for those between
48 and 52 inches in height.
The new trains also provide a smoother ride.
Impulse was starting to develop a vibration with the old trains.
The new ones track much better.
Now the ride is glass smooth outside of one shuffle in the final helix, so it’s a tad
more reridable now.
Impulse begins with a U-turn and a 98 foot or 30 meter tall vertical lift.
This is followed by a vertical plunge.
It always surprised me Zierer didn’t go beyond vertical like the EuroFighters, but
Impulse’s drop gives a strong burst of ejector airtime.
It’s about on par with the average EuroFighter in terms of power.
The pullout from this drop delivers crushing positive Gs.
Impulse pulls a maximum of 4.2 Gs and I’m almost certain this is where it happens.
The rapid transition from strong negative to strong positive Gs makes Impulse worthy
of its name.
This is followed by a cobra roll.
And this element is actually better when the coaster is running slow.
If the ride is running slow, the first half of the cobra roll gives a little hangtime.
If the ride is running fast the first half of the cobra roll is a dud.
The second half of the cobra roll starts dull under all conditions, but the pullout delivers
another strong dose of positive Gs.
After a brief straight track, you navigate a rather circular loop.
You really slow down atop this loop, so you get some nice hangtime, especially if the
ride is running slow.
The pullout from the loop quickly re-establishes the positive Gs.
That’s one of the trademarks of this ride.
That is followed by a turnaround and a helix around the lift hill.
Both feel like filler elements, but they provide a nice visual for those in line.
The train then crawls through a barrel roll.
This element gives some incredible and sustained hangtime, especially since you have just that
lap bar.
It’s my favorite inversion on the ride without a doubt.
You then have one last helix, an upward 540 degree helix.
It offers some solid positive Gs at the start of the element, but those are broken up by
that aforementioned shake.
You then crawl into the brake run, ending the ride.
I strongly recommend riding this coaster early in the day.
Not only will you be able to ride it before a queue builds up, but the ride is a bit better
when its running slower early in the day since you get more hangtime on the inversions.
So what would I rate Impulse?
I would give this coaster a 7 out of 10.
It’s a solid steel coaster that provides an intense drop, powerful positive Gs, and
some good hangtime.
The ride does have a few filler elements, so the pacing isn’t perfect, but the ride
is very reridable especially with the new trains.
I don’t think those trains dramatically changed my perception of the ride, but they
are an improvement.
I think Impulse is a great fit for Knoebels.
It’s a nice compliment to the wood coasters, as it provides a radically different ride
experience.
I do prefer their top two wood coasters and several of their non-coasters over Impulse,
but it’s still a solid coaster worth a few rides every time I visit
the park.
So those are my thoughts on Impulse, the Zierer tower coaster at Knoebels.
Have you ridden this coaster?
What are your thoughts on the ride itself or the new trains?
I would love to hear your thoughts down in the comments.
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