Radiator Springs Racers No Longer Works In The Rain?!? Is TDA Broken, or Just Broke?

[Disney Analyst]

It's possible that safety standards simply changed. Cedar Point in Ohio, for example, used to keep running all the trains on its roller coasters in rain if it was able to do so. Then two trains on one roller coaster had a minor collision in rain, and so now they have a tendency to, if their coasters remain open, go down to only running with one train. Safety standards change all the time at parks, and we're almost never privy to the reasons. That is not evidence of laziness or ineptitude on the part of the park.

It doesn't necessarily need to be heavy rain to close TT either.

In terms of the videos you present as evidence, I'm not sure what they necessarily prove. You say that they prove the ride operated in rain. But looking at those two videos, both were from years ago, which could simply mean that safety standards have changed, as stated above. We also were not present and thus cannot know the exact circumstances in which the ride was deemed ok to operate.

In the first video, it is indeed clearly raining at the start of the video. However, I dispute what you said about the interiors. With the interiors, it does indeed look like the track is shiny in the way that surfaces reflect light when they have been rained on. But what I noticed is that the same 'rainy-day sheen' look appears visible underneath the cop car at the beginning, Mater, and several of the stationary cars inside the interior version of Radiator Springs. These 'cars' would have no reason to have that rainy day shine as they remain off the ride track. This leads me to believe that this might be evidence of something other than rain seeping into the interior-perhaps hydraulic fluid or some other liquid that runs through AAs.

During the second video, it is unclear to me that it is actually raining at the moment the video it was shot. Sure, the video is called RSR in the rain and the outside track appears wet. However, the only water shown on the screen appears to have already been extant on the vehicles and track; the only time water visibly appears to be falling on the screen is when cars begin the race and first go outside. This means that it may well have simply been dripping down the outside wall, as water sometimes drips from trees even after it is no longer actively raining.

I wouldn't put too much stock in the anecdotal opinions of riders either. It doesn't take much for "it was raining and then we rode Radiator Springs Racers [after it stopped raining]" to become conflated into "They rode RSR in the rain."

Again, the "something changed" is almost certainly based on anecdotal evidence or, if a genuine operational change did occur, is almost certainly because of some safety rule changed. Disney isn't going to take down the most popular ride at DCA "just because" they feel like cutting some operational costs. Even Disney's not that stupid. And if Disney were one to unflinchingly take rides down for the heck of it, then theoretically they would have fixed Indiana Jones a long time ago instead of visibly doing only the bare minimum to keep the ride running until they finally close it for this imminent grand refurb.

"It operated one way and now it operates another", if it indeed regularly operated in such a way, is not proof of laziness or corporate ineptitude. It's only proof of change.

Very much so.

The historic wooden coaster here in Vancouver used to run two trains, now with new safety standards they are only allowed to run one.

Safety standards change all the time.

 

[TP2000]

Again, the "something changed" is almost certainly based on anecdotal evidence or, if a genuine operational change did occur, is almost certainly because some safety rule changed. Disney isn't going to take down the most popular ride at DCA "just because" they feel like cutting some operational costs.

Agreed. Something clearly changed recently with the way they operate, or in this case now don't operate, Radiator Springs Racers in the rain.

What was that change, and will the upcoming rehab fix it and return that major E Ticket to its original design specifications???

Here's a shot from that excellent Queue Times website that tracks every ride daily, monthly, annually during all park operating hours. For the past seven days, one of the busiest weeks of the year mind you, Radiator Springs Racers only operated for 50.4% of the time when the park was open for paying customers. The park's biggest E Ticket only ran half the time!

And that figure above includes yesterday and today, when there was no rain in Anaheim and Racers ran nearly continuously both days.

Today, a rainless dry day in Anaheim, Racers has only been closed for three short 10 minute downtimes in this dry weather.

Rain arrives on Monday night, but may not make into Anaheim before DCA closes. Tuesday will be rainy all day, so I imagine we'll see another day where Racers is closed for some reason.

Radiator Springs Racers at Disney California Adventure wait times

Waiting times, information and statistics for Radiator Springs Racers. View historical average queue length by day, and view ride availability.

queue-times.com

 

[PiratesMansion]

Agreed. Something clearly changed recently with the way they operate, or in this case now don't operate, Radiator Springs Racers in the rain.



What was that change, and will the upcoming rehab fix it and return that major E Ticket to its original design specifications???



Here's a shot from that excellent Queue Times website that tracks every ride daily, monthly, annually during all park operating hours. For the past seven days, one of the busiest weeks of the year mind you, Radiator Springs Racers only operated for 50.4% of the time when the park was open for paying customers. The park's biggest E Ticket only ran half the time! 







And that figure above includes yesterday and today, when there was no rain in Anaheim and Racers ran nearly continuously both days.



Today, a rainless dry day in Anaheim, Racers has only been closed for three short 10 minute downtimes in this dry weather.







Rain arrives on Monday night, but may not make into Anaheim before DCA closes. Tuesday will be rainy all day, so I imagine we'll see another day where Racers is closed for some reason.

Radiator Springs Racers at Disney California Adventure wait times

Waiting times, information and statistics for Radiator Springs Racers. View historical average queue length by day, and view ride availability.

queue-times.com

Cause they clearly changed policy, for reasons we will likely never be privy to.

It's nothing more complicated than that.

This is such a non-story.

 

[LittleBuford]

Something changed. That is simple fact. I'd love to know what changed with Racers, and if the upcoming rehab has plans to fix it and get it back to normal. The ride was designed to run in the rain. It used to run in the rain regularly. It no longer does.

You started a thread saying the very same thing back in 2016:

A bizarre October rain storm moved in off the Pacific today, likely some remnant of some distant tropical cyclone or something. But Orange County got an almanac-busting three tenths of an inch of rain, in a month normally known for hot and dry weather, with even some lightning and thunder thrown in. (It was really just a few passing showers for those beyond SoCal, but it was actually rainy and dark for a few hours.)

When the rain moved in around 2:00pm, I noticed on the Disneyland App that both Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters and Radiator Springs Racers immediately closed. I know that Miceage said that Luigi's can't work in the rain due to the WiFi signals, but I thought Racers was okay to run in the rain? Both rides remained closed for hours and hours as rain showers came off and on all afternoon into evening. Now at 9:30pm the rain has stopped and Racers has just reopened with a 90 minute wait. But Luigi's is still closed, seven hours later.

So, four years after it opened, it appears that Cars Land can't operate in even a few light rain showers. No wonder they never cloned this otherwise fabulous land for Orlando or Tokyo.

But why does WDI design and build things that can't run in even a few light rain showers? It's been a few years since SoCal had a truly rainy and wet winter. El Nino last year was a complete bust for anywhere south of Fresno. If it's a normal rainy winter this year, Cars Land will be closed for days and days. Is WDI proud of that?

 

[Californian Elitist]

You started a thread saying the very same thing back in 2016:

 

[truecoat]

Agreed. Something clearly changed recently with the way they operate, or in this case now don't operate, Radiator Springs Racers in the rain.

What was that change, and will the upcoming rehab fix it and return that major E Ticket to its original design specifications???

Here's a shot from that excellent Queue Times website that tracks every ride daily, monthly, annually during all park operating hours. For the past seven days, one of the busiest weeks of the year mind you, Radiator Springs Racers only operated for 50.4% of the time when the park was open for paying customers. The park's biggest E Ticket only ran half the time!

View attachment 690807

And that figure above includes yesterday and today, when there was no rain in Anaheim and Racers ran nearly continuously both days.

Today, a rainless dry day in Anaheim, Racers has only been closed for three short 10 minute downtimes in this dry weather.

View attachment 690808

Rain arrives on Monday night, but may not make into Anaheim before DCA closes. Tuesday will be rainy all day, so I imagine we'll see another day where Racers is closed for some reason.

Radiator Springs Racers at Disney California Adventure wait times

Waiting times, information and statistics for Radiator Springs Racers. View historical average queue length by day, and view ride availability.

queue-times.com

It sounds like the track needs some resurfacing, mainly at the end where the cars have to hit the brakes. My guess is there were problems with the cars sliding too far on a wet track.

 

[BuzzedPotatoHead89]

It sounds like the track needs some resurfacing, mainly at the end where the cars have to hit the brakes. My guess is there were problems with the cars sliding too far on a wet track.

The site that shan’t be named is reporting that this was the purpose of the short weeklong refurb in their Monday update. Hence I’d expect perhaps less downtime if this issue has been addressed (and that portion of track repaved).