Pre-Drop

A pre-drop is a small hill or valley positioned on the final section of the lift hill, just before the crest that leads to the main first drop. Its primary engineering function is to reduce tension on the lift chain as the train crests — preventing a jarring or rough transition from the powered chain segment to the unpowered free-fall drop. Without a pre-drop, the chain must support the full weight of the train through the crest, which can create noise, wear, and an uncomfortable jolt.

A secondary benefit is purely experiential: the brief airtime pop as the train crests the pre-drop gives riders a teaser of weightlessness before the main plunge begins. Pre-drops have become a popular and widely appreciated design feature on both wooden and steel coasters. The pre-drop on Goliath at Six Flags Magic Mountain became famous among enthusiasts for the intensity of its airtime moment despite being a preparatory element rather than a headline feature.