Share Your Review
Have you been to Carowinds? Do you have a favorite coaster? Do you think my reviews are way off--or on--the mark? Join the conversation! Let us know which Carowinds coaster is your top pick--and why.About.com Theme Parks Rating for Afterburn (0=Blech!, 5=Wahoo!): 4
Carowinds Afterburn Up-Front Info
- Type of coaster: Steel inverted
- Thrill Scale (0=Wimpy!, 10=Yikes!): 7
Powerful positive G-forces, lots of inversions - Height: 144 feet
- Top speed: 62 mph
- Number of inversions: 6
- Track length: 2956 feet
- Height requirement: 54 inches
- Ride time: 2:47 minutes
A thrilling ride with a great layout, Afterburn is among the best inverted coasters I've had the pleasure to hoot and holler my way through. Like many inverted coasters, Carowinds' thrill machine includes lots of inversions and huge bursts of positive G-forces. Unlike too many inverted coasters, which turn riders's noggins into human pinballs, Afterburn mercifully does NOT deliver much over-the-shoulder-restraint headbanging.
Once known as Top Gun, when Carowinds was a Paramount park and featured movie themeing, the coaster has retained its fighter-pilot inspiration. Afterburn's barrage of dives, tumbles, twists, and other elements play like a series of acrobatic aerial maneuvers. With wild views of trainloads of passengers' dangling feet flipping, er, head over heels, the coaster is as much fun to watch as it is to ride.
