Afterburn • Carowinds

I thought this would be a decent ride, with how high other people rank it, but this ride was one of the worst at the park. I could barely enjoy the ride with the constant headbanging and rattle. I usu...

I thought this would be a decent ride, with how high other people rank it, but this ride was one of the worst at the park. I could barely enjoy the ride with the constant headbanging and rattle. I usually enjoy rougher rides, but I don't think I have ever had a good experience on a B&M invert. 1 Year Later: I recently came back to this ride, and it was better than I remember. It still wasn't great, which is expected, as it is a B&M invert, but I was able to enjoy the ride more than I expected.

Night ride on a mild October night. 2nd from back row. This packs a punch. In the moment, it's higher than Over Georgia's batclone on my rankings, but I haven't ridden it in a while and will once SF A...

Night ride on a mild October night. 2nd from back row. This packs a punch. In the moment, it's higher than Over Georgia's batclone on my rankings, but I haven't ridden it in a while and will once SF All Park Passport kicks in. This runs well, and the headbanging wasn't near as bad as Raptor. #1 invert for now, and will probably stay that way until I get down to Montu. It starts to lose steam at the end, but not enough to kill the ride, due to its use of trenches (picking up a theme here). I'm sure it blows that out in summer months. I <3 batwings.

Given all the talk about the first drop, the view, and the intensity it brings, I was pretty excited to ride this one. News Flash- It's not that great. I don't get it. It was my first 100ft+ drop of t...

Given all the talk about the first drop, the view, and the intensity it brings, I was pretty excited to ride this one. News Flash- It's not that great. I don't get it. It was my first 100ft+ drop of the day, so it couldn't have been that my stomach was tempered. Honestly, I like ones such as the Great Bear and Alpengeist especially, because something about them makes them more powerful and intense than Afterburn felt. Obviously still a quality ride, but I expected more, given the hype.

Très bon Inverted avec une belle pointe d'intensité surtout au niveau du Batwing, mention spéciale au Zéro G Roll qui envoie du gros basculement au First Row, le rythme est très bon et le layout régal...

Très bon Inverted avec une belle pointe d'intensité surtout au niveau du Batwing, mention spéciale au Zéro G Roll qui envoie du gros basculement au First Row, le rythme est très bon et le layout régale de A à Z.

This is my favorite inverted roller coaster to date. You can definitely tell the difference in speed between this one and rides like the Batman clones and Silver Bullet. The added height to the firs...

This is my favorite inverted roller coaster to date. You can definitely tell the difference in speed between this one and rides like the Batman clones and Silver Bullet. The added height to the first drop plus how sharp the track drops down gives it that speedy edge over most inverts I've ridden. The loops are also taken much faster than your generic invert. The batwing element was so much fun and feels like nothing I've experienced on any other ride. The large dips going underground also allowed this one to keep a crazy amount of speed. This one should be talked about much more because it vastly exceeded my expectations. 4.5/5 stars

This is a nice B&M Inverted Coaster. The first drop over the parking lot looks so high, the intensity is almost too much and the elements are good and interesting. The entire thing end a bit abruptly ...

This is a nice B&M Inverted Coaster. The first drop over the parking lot looks so high, the intensity is almost too much and the elements are good and interesting. The entire thing end a bit abruptly though. I think it could use a couple of additional hundred meters.

Afterburn is really good. I don't think it's one of the best inverts like most people do but I do enjoy it. It's fast-paced and intense but it is on the shorter side when compared to other inverts. St...

Afterburn is really good. I don't think it's one of the best inverts like most people do but I do enjoy it. It's fast-paced and intense but it is on the shorter side when compared to other inverts. Still one of the best rides in the park.

This is the inferior top gun. The top gun at great america totally mogs this one. I went during some winter event where this was the only ride open. So I stared longingly at Fury wishing I could ride ...

This is the inferior top gun. The top gun at great america totally mogs this one. I went during some winter event where this was the only ride open. So I stared longingly at Fury wishing I could ride that instead of this inferior loser. To this day I still haven't been able to ride fury.

Afterburn is one of the first roller coasters I ever rode. I recently rode it again, and I enjoyed it just like I did the first time. Nothing too fancy, just a very solid inverted coaster that has ele...

Afterburn is one of the first roller coasters I ever rode. I recently rode it again, and I enjoyed it just like I did the first time. Nothing too fancy, just a very solid inverted coaster that has elements of the track that complement the inverted character of the ride. I recommend Afterburn to people looking to do their first larger coaster, and I feel that it balances out the other coasters at Carowinds.

This is what the best invert looks like. When you take all of the mid away from Montu you get just the good stuff with Afterburn. Its like skipping your veggies at dinner as a kid. Who the hell likes ...

This is what the best invert looks like. When you take all of the mid away from Montu you get just the good stuff with Afterburn. Its like skipping your veggies at dinner as a kid. Who the hell likes eating their veggies?

This was absolutely hauling in early 2024. The first few inversions are your typical fun B&M invert ones, but then the batwing is a killer moment of sustained intensity, and the final corkscrew is the...

This was absolutely hauling in early 2024. The first few inversions are your typical fun B&M invert ones, but then the batwing is a killer moment of sustained intensity, and the final corkscrew is the whippiest on any B&M. I thought the train would come right off the track on the ending helix, it just ripped through it.

B&M inverts are always fun and this one is no exception. My preference is to ride from the front get the full effect of the inverted-ness. The inversions are forceful and whippy (causing me to headb...

B&M inverts are always fun and this one is no exception. My preference is to ride from the front get the full effect of the inverted-ness. The inversions are forceful and whippy (causing me to headbang a bit once). I just love how it whips through the first inversion of the batwing and then whips right back through the mirror-image second half. Despite being old, it doesn't really have any more rattle than any other roller coaster. I think the pacing here is better than on my favorite invert, Alpengeist, due to the lack of MCBR, but overall Alpengeist's extra height and speed give it the edge though.

This is the best invert coaster experience I've had...slightly more enjoyable than Raptor, which I rode at CP last month. I'm not sure exactly why this was better for me...but I suspect the seat towar...

This is the best invert coaster experience I've had...slightly more enjoyable than Raptor, which I rode at CP last month. I'm not sure exactly why this was better for me...but I suspect the seat towards the front that I had came into play. I couldn't see anything coming sitting in the back of Raptor...I could spot and actually appreciate what was happening on AB much more so. The remnants of Top Gun theming also struck a chord with me (Fightertown USA)...and of course the general speed and intensity of the ride were fantastic. I'm going to give Alpengeist and Great Bear a go in the coming months...I'll be curious how they all compare.

Un B&M de plus, il ravira certainement les fans du genre old school, mais au final c’est un peu toujours la même chose et on a l’impression de faire toujours le même Coaster… À part pour le batwing qu...

Un B&M de plus, il ravira certainement les fans du genre old school, mais au final c’est un peu toujours la même chose et on a l’impression de faire toujours le même Coaster… À part pour le batwing qui change du traditionnel cobra roll, et cette dernière inversion passée a toute vitesse.

Afterburn is the most intense invert that I've been on, and I loved it. It's relentless from the surprisingly steep first drop to the whippy final corkscrew. The batwing fully delivered; I grayed out,...

Afterburn is the most intense invert that I've been on, and I loved it. It's relentless from the surprisingly steep first drop to the whippy final corkscrew. The batwing fully delivered; I grayed out, but not for so long that it was concerning, which I had been worried about. The pacing is amplified by the dense foliage you fly through and the lack of a midcourse. I still prefer Alpengeist for its scale, whippiness, and presentation, but Afterburn is a close second.

A phenomenal invert. It's beautifully forceful - I greyed out after the first loop and during the batwing. The inversions, especially the zero-g roll, are fantastic. It utilizes the terrain super well...

A phenomenal invert. It's beautifully forceful - I greyed out after the first loop and during the batwing. The inversions, especially the zero-g roll, are fantastic. It utilizes the terrain super well, and the elements that dive underground are some of my favorites. Relentless from start to finish, this is a truly great ride. 8.5/10 - this ride offers the best views of a parking lot across all of Carowinds' lineup.

Eh, it's not the coaster for me. I don't enjoy it AS MUCH as others do, but still a great ride. INCREDIBLY intense, whippy, and horrifying (I know I have intense listed as a con but imo it's kinda bo...

Eh, it's not the coaster for me. I don't enjoy it AS MUCH as others do, but still a great ride. INCREDIBLY intense, whippy, and horrifying (I know I have intense listed as a con but imo it's kinda both a pro and con, I just didn't have enough space for pros.) My only issue with this ride is headbanging, it comes close to ruining the ride. The roughness is not bad though, it's just head-banging and a rattle. This ride is above average, it's not (imo) great or anything buts it's alright. Definite 7.5/10? I kinda have no idea what to rate it.

Definitely a top tier invert. Most of the elements have force but the batwing and corkscrew are the real stars of the show with their neck snapping whip and foot numbing positives. The coaster also te...

Definitely a top tier invert. Most of the elements have force but the batwing and corkscrew are the real stars of the show with their neck snapping whip and foot numbing positives. The coaster also tears through its layout, having no mid course definitely helps. There’s only one real dead spot with that hill over the lift but it’s right in between the 2 craziest elements on the ride so it doesn’t feel like it kills the ride much. Also contrary to what some people say the coaster does not feel short at all, there is definitely plenty of elements and the ride time is satisfying. The theme is also kinda cool with that fighter jet stuff and the sharks and cardinals on the trains. Overall not my favorite invert because the whole ride isn’t balls to the walls intense but it still has its fair share of insane elements.

Afterburn is a perfect example of an outstanding B&M invert. It's perfectly paced without any dead spots. It has a loop, an immelmann, a zero-g roll, and a best of all, a batwing. The flat spin and a ...

Afterburn is a perfect example of an outstanding B&M invert. It's perfectly paced without any dead spots. It has a loop, an immelmann, a zero-g roll, and a best of all, a batwing. The flat spin and a forceful final helix is a great finale to a fast paced ride that left me dizzy each time.

My current favorite invert is a nonstop ride with some of B&Ms always amazing 90s invert inversions. The drop doesn't do much for me but it's not a huge deal, the loop, immelman and zero g roll are fa...

My current favorite invert is a nonstop ride with some of B&Ms always amazing 90s invert inversions. The drop doesn't do much for me but it's not a huge deal, the loop, immelman and zero g roll are fairly typical for an older B&M invert but still really intense and fast paced. Nothing before on the ride can truly compare to the batwing however, the one on montu was trimmed and a bit dissapointing but this one was full force and absolutely insane with that much whip and positives at once with that really cool trench. The hill going over the station is the only breather on the ride but even still gives some good floater dipping you right into a crazy whippy corkscrew and an ending helix which gives maybe the best positives in the whole park. There is a reason this is my favorite coaster in the park and my second favorite B&M.

Front row on this bad boy (which I prefer for inverts) is incredible. They nail the sense of high flying speed of a fighter jet. The first of the half bat wing is taken with such velocity that I thou...

Front row on this bad boy (which I prefer for inverts) is incredible. They nail the sense of high flying speed of a fighter jet. The first of the half bat wing is taken with such velocity that I thought we were gonna fly off the tracks. An amazing no nonsense coaster

An awesome B&M invert, my favorite of the three I’ve ridden. The first drop is awesome and the coaster just keeps going from there, lots of awesome inversions and great intensity. My only complaint is...

An awesome B&M invert, my favorite of the three I’ve ridden. The first drop is awesome and the coaster just keeps going from there, lots of awesome inversions and great intensity. My only complaint is that it seems to be getting slightly rougher on some of the banks and inversions, nothing too bad at all but worth a mention.

One of my favorite inverts. It never seems to have any lines. Most of the time, I wait less than five minutes to get on it. Anyway, the layout is good, and it has some really intense turns and inv...

One of my favorite inverts. It never seems to have any lines. Most of the time, I wait less than five minutes to get on it. Anyway, the layout is good, and it has some really intense turns and inversions. It probably has the most and best positive Gs of any invert I've ridden.