New Texas Giant is a steel hybrid roller coaster at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, Texas. Opening on April 22, 2011, it rose from the bones of the original Texas Giant — once the tallest wooden roller coaster in the world when it debuted in 1990. Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) replaced the aging wooden track with their newly developed I-Box steel track system, making New Texas Giant the very first RMC hybrid conversion ever built.
The $10 million transformation yielded a dramatically faster and smoother ride, hurling riders 147 feet downward at a 79-degree angle and reaching 65 mph across 4,200 feet of track. A signature 95-degree over-banked curve — tilting riders well past vertical — set a world record at the time and became the ride’s calling card. The coaster won ‘Best New Ride’ in the 2011 Golden Ticket Awards and launched RMC into the industry spotlight, inspiring dozens of hybrid conversions at parks across North America in the years that followed.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Six Flags Over Texas, Arlington, TX
- Manufacturer: Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC)
- Opened: April 22, 2011
- Height: 153 ft (47 m)
- Top Speed: 65 mph (105 km/h)
- Length: 4,200 ft (1,300 m)
- Inversions: 0
- Max Drop Angle: 79°
The Ride Experience
Riders are hauled up a 153-foot chain lift before plunging 147 feet at a near-vertical 79-degree angle, one of the steepest drops of any coaster when it opened. RMC’s I-Box track then delivers a relentlessly smooth sequence of airtime hills, sweeping turns, and the famous 95-degree over-banked curve that throws riders sideways past the horizontal. With 4,200 feet of track and individual hydraulic lap bars providing an open, unobstructed view of every plunge, the experience is both raw and remarkably fluid.
Unlike many hybrid coasters that followed its blueprint, New Texas Giant contains zero inversions — all of its thrills come from speed, extreme banking, and sustained airtime rather than loops. Three trains, each carrying 24 riders in a 2-across, 2-row configuration, keep the queue moving efficiently at one of Six Flags’ busiest parks.
A Landmark in Coaster History
New Texas Giant occupies a singular place in roller coaster history as the first ride ever built using RMC’s I-Box track and the first coaster the company converted from wood to steel hybrid. The original Texas Giant had opened in 1990 to worldwide acclaim but grew progressively rough over the years. Rather than tearing it down, Six Flags partnered with RMC — then a little-known Idaho firm — to gut the wooden track while retaining most of the classic timber support structure.
The gamble paid off spectacularly. RMC’s work on New Texas Giant proved the hybrid concept viable and set off a wave of conversions across the industry. Designer Alan Schilke’s signature over-banked turns and aggressive pacing became trademarks of every subsequent RMC project, and the company went on to become one of the most celebrated coaster manufacturers in the world — all tracing back to this Arlington, Texas, landmark.
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New Texas Giant FAQs
Where is New Texas Giant located?
New Texas Giant is located at Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, Texas.
Who built New Texas Giant and what makes it a hybrid coaster?
Rocky Mountain Construction (RMC) built it by stripping the wooden track from the original Texas Giant structure and replacing it with their steel I-Box track, creating a steel-track coaster on a mostly wooden frame — the defining characteristic of a hybrid coaster.
How fast and tall is New Texas Giant?
The coaster stands 153 feet tall, drops 147 feet at a 79-degree angle, and reaches a top speed of 65 mph along its 4,200-foot course.
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Photo: SFOTPR / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.