A good hyper coaster. The height and speed are very good. The bunny hills are also good, you get some pretty good air off them. I like the view from the top, you can see the whole park.

You know, one of the things I enjoy as a coaster enthusiast is watching different phases of design sweep over the country. The phases never truly die out (like bad clothing trends tend to), but they certainly go through "spikes" in popularity, especially at the outset of their introduction. We all know of many of them – the inverts, the stand-ups, the flying coaster, and more recently the floorless. Well, I for one am very happy that a certain coaster craze swept the nation throughout the 1990s. I am, of course, referring to the Hypercoaster. Beginning in 1989 when Cedar Point introduced Magnum, parks all around saw its immense popularity and many of them got in line with their cash wanting one of these high speed, large drop, airtime machines. One of the companies that emerged during this phase was Morgan Manufacturing. They installed many hypers in their time, and they pretty much became the company of choice for Cedar Fair, as they had three installed at their parks across the country. One of their installations was the mighty Steel Force at Dorney Park in Pennsylvania.

Steel Force, to me, represents an era in coaster design. Its layout, while not being particularly ground-breaking or unique, contains all the elements needed to produce a hypercoaster that is fast, thrilling, and most importantly a ton of FUN! As you approach Dorney Park, you can’t help but notice Steel Force towering in the back of the park. I will admit that when I made my first trip out there and entered the parking lot, I was quite excited to see that majestic red and grey coaster standing proudly. It actually reminds me a good bit of Magnum, especially with the color choice. As you make your way towards the back of the park and approach the queue, you first see the large lift hill and then the ride’s logo. On a side note, I must say that Steel Force has one of the coolest logos I have seen for a coaster. As is typical to Dorney, the lines for Steel Force are always short (at least when I’ve been there they have been), thanks to a fantastic ride crew that is very efficient and keeps things moving. The trains are very roomy and comfortable, and the restraints consist of a simple lap bar and seat belt. Once you’ve strapped in and are given the all clear, you begin your journey on this steel monster.

The 200 foot climb up the lift hill is perfectly paced, as it is just slow enough to give you a good idea of how high into the air you are climbing. I tend to really like coasters with lifts like this, as it really builds up the anticipation!! The first plunge, at 205 thrilling feet, is wonderful, and as an added bonus the train flies into a tunnel! (hence the extra 5 feet on the drop) The airtime coming down the first drop is great, especially in the back. However, overall, the best airtime on Steel Force is found towards the front of the train. Wooooosh! The train jets out of the tunnel and climbs the second, rather sizable, hill. Cresting this hill you get some great floater airtime, and the same can be said cresting the next hill. After a smaller drop, the train heads into one of the real highlights of this ride, the massive double helix. This element is incredibly forceful, as the train picks up speed as it travels through it! Exiting the helix, you hit the mid-course brakes and prepare for the bunny hills that await you at the conclusion of the ride. And it is here that I must respectfully disagree with some of the more recent reviews below. The concluding bunny hills are a floater airtime assault, especially near the front of the train. I can honestly say that I’ve never had a ride on Steel Force that did not deliver rather sizable amounts of airtime. I will say that some rides on it will deliver varying amounts of airtime, but at worst I would classify the airtime to be well above average. I really don’t know how to explain what may have happened during some of the other reviewers’ rides where they received hardly any airtime. It’s certainly

Wow! This roller coaster packed a punch. This hyper coaster was different from others, that is why i loved it.

Compared to other hypers that Ive ridden, this coaster is slightly inferior. It is a little bit slower than some others out there. It has more braking than some other hypers. It has less airtime than some other hypers. However, it is still a pretty good coaster and definitely a good entry level hyper for first timers to enjoy.

Appearance: 7/10
It really towers over the park which is a definent plus. But the colors are a bit, meh, and theming is non_existant. I liked the sign though!
Comfort: 8 /10
The ride is relatively smooth, theres a few spots in there that are a bit rough but theres alot rougher rides out there. The trains were relativley comfortable but they could have been better.
Originality: 9/10
Well it was the first ride above 200 in the north east so thats a plus in originality. The oversized helix was pretty interesting as were the tunnels. But they layout doesnt have much variety in it. Its just hill after hill after hill.
Ride Excitement and Intesity 7/10
The first drop into the tunnel was great(I duck going into that tunnel Everytime!) and, but the next 2 hills had pretty much no air on it. Then it went a bit slow through the helix. The final hills had pretty good airtime and that gave it a good ending. Overall could have been better.
Re-Ride: 7/10
Definently something you should ride more than once, but its not an amazing ride, so its not something i would ride too many times in a row.
7/10

Steel Force has the power to be an excellent coaster, however it simply seems to refuse to be. The first drop is good, and I enjoyed the big turnaround at the far end, even though I think it went on a bit too long, but that brake run just absolutely destroys the ride for me. The final straight should be chock full of air and awesome, but instead every hill is crawled over, leaving the rider with little, if any, airtime. Brakeless, it could get an 8.. but as it was ridden [multiple times], it gets just a 7.

Steel Force dominates the skyline at Dorney. Thunderhawk is just dwarfed by the 200 foot steel monster. A visual testament to how far coasters have come. I stepped aboard the uninteresting Morgan trains and enjoyed the nice long ride up the peak. The first drop wasnt as steep as I thought it would be and the tunnel was just so-so. The highlight for me was the helix at the turnaround. The speed, gs, and the view of the lake or pond is really cool. The trip back to the station is pretty pedestrian. I didnt get much if any airtime on those bunny hills. For me, Steel Force was a bit of a let down. I didnt expect it to unseat my favorite hypers. Not only did it not do that, it didnt even come close. When visiting Dorney, its definitely a must ride and its by no means a bad ride. Its long, has a big drop, a fun helix, two tunnels and its not rough. Steel Force is still a good example of a traditional hypercoaster. Its good, just not quite great. Final Rating - 7.5 (Good-Approaching Great)

Steel Force seems to be getting weaker over the years as new hypers keep on coming. It has lap bars which for some reason I despise on hypers. It has a slow lift hill which does not bother me when I am on it because I can get a nice view of the park. After that you plummit down the 205 foot drop at 75 miles per hour if I am correct and soar through the first tunnel. I felt it to be smooth until the tunnel where it got a little bumpy but for only a few seconds. The next set of hills are ok but not spectacular. On the third hill I felt a bit of air time but that was about it. I felt the rest of the ride was missing something. The Helix was great but that was about it through the rest of it. The second tunnel was not thrilling like the first one and you just coast in. I left the ride unhappy and rode it a few more times only to find it to be ok besides the first set of drops and the helix. I am sorry if I upset a few fanboys for not giving it a higher rating but I felt this is all it deserved. I will settle with a 7 which I find to be an ok rating.

Steel Force, unlike most hypercoasters, is honestly not the most intimidating looking coaster. The first drop appears to be very gentle at the top and the second and third hills’ crests also are fairly gentle. At the far end of the ride’s course near Hydra, the helix appears to be too large and not very forceful. Looks are very deceiving for Steel Force though.

The lift hill takes a pretty long time to climb, so great views of the park are aplenty while waiting to reach the top. Once at the peak, the train teeters forward and begins to drop. The gentle slope at the top of the hill seems to take its toll here as the train feels as if it struggles to begin its plummet towards the ground. After this little stall, Steel Force becomes an airtime machine. The train squeezes into the tunnel awaiting you at the bottom of the hill and the screams now echo around you. Now the second hill, which didn’t look like anything special from the ground, is now under you after quickly riding up it. The airtime is great as you look to the side and see Lake Dorney below you. The next hill leading into the helix is wonderfully crafted. Instead of wasting an airtime opportunity at the top of the hill by going straight at the top into the helix, there is a little hump which leads into the helix. That might be hard to comprehend, but you’ll understand after experiencing it for yourself. The helix itself is very unique because it takes time for it to build up. By its end, you are pinned to the back of you seat. After a brake run, a stream of bunny hills begins. One after the other, this is a relentless string of camelbacks that give great airtime as you fly into the lapbar. After a few of these you arrive back at the station and could finally relax, step out of the station, and could hop right back on. Thankfully, waits on Steel Force (as well as other rides in Dorney) have minimal waits. After trying most of the seats, the best airtime felt as if it was in the front row of the back car.

This ride was good but not good enough to deserve over a 7. The first drop wasnt that great until we went through the tunnel which was quick but it was pretty cool. then after that it got slow and it was boring all the way until the block brakes the giant helix right before it was really boring cause it went very slow through it. After the brakes the hills were way better than the boring second hill and they at least had some air. overall its just an average ride.