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Walt Disney World

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Hollywood Studios' drop tower on Sunset Boulevard. Wikipedia says 39 mph for the drop. The ride is operating.

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror reaches about 39 mph (62.8 km/h), an estimate.

Also known as Tower of Terror, Hollywood Studios
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Ride speed

Published as 39 mphPublished as 39 mphPublished as 39 mph

Drop speed of The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Wikipedia's ride statistics say 39 mph (63 km/h), and the Hollywood Studios account says the drop reaches 39 miles per hour. The same infobox also covers the closed California tower and the Paris elevator. Paris specialist pages say a lower speed, so this row is the Hollywood Studios drop only, qualifier estimated.

EstimatedWikipedia (opens source in a new tab)

In context

  • 1.7× Usain Bolt's 100 m world-record paceSourced · Usain Bolt, 100 m in 9.58 s. World Athletics, Berlin 2009. Averaged over the race
  • 60% of a cheetah's timed top speedSourced · Cheetah, 29 m/s. Sharp 1997, mean of three timed runs over 201.2 m
  • A football field in 5.2 sConstant · American football field, 100 yd (91.44 m)

Worked out from the sourced figure above, which stays the ranked number.

Quick answers

People also ask

How fast is The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror?

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror reaches about 39 mph (62.8 km/h), an estimate.

Is that figure claimed or verified?

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is labeled Estimated. Calculated or approximated rather than directly timed.

What is the source?

The figure cites Wikipedia, “The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.”

Where does The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror rank?

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is 8th of 12 on Fastest Rides in Walt Disney World.

Mechanism

Why it's so fast

Hollywood Studios' Tower of Terror is fast because the elevator drop is powered, and Wikipedia says 39 mph.

Speed
39 mph
Ride type
Drop tower
Park
Hollywood Studios

  1. Where the speed comes from

    The drop shaft accelerates the elevator past freefall. Wikipedia says the drop reaches 39 miles per hour, or 39.1 mph (63 km/h). The ride is not a roller coaster.

  2. The number on the row

    The same Wikipedia statistics also cover Paris, and a Paris page says a lower speed, so this Hollywood Studios row is an estimate. The California tower is closed.

See also the Paris tower.

Provenance

Every measurement

Claimed, measured and official figures side by side, each with its source. The ranked figure is marked.

  1. 62.8km/h39mph17.4m/s33.9knRanked figure

    Drop speed of The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Wikipedia's ride statistics say 39 mph (63 km/h), and the Hollywood Studios account says the drop reaches 39 miles per hour. The same infobox also covers the closed California tower and the Paris elevator. Paris specialist pages say a lower speed, so this row is the Hollywood Studios drop only, qualifier estimated.

    Wikipedia's shared infobox is 39 mph. Paris is a separate row.

    Estimated
    Wikipedia (opens source in a new tab)

Reference

Specs

Resort
Walt Disney World
Park
Disney's Hollywood Studios
Ride type
Drop tower
Speed
39 mph

Context

Background

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is the drop tower on Sunset Boulevard at Disney's Hollywood Studios. Wikipedia says 39 mph (63 km/h) for the drop. The figure is 39 mph, qualifier estimated.

The ride is an elevator drop, not a roller coaster, so it is not on the coaster list or the launch list. The California tower closed in 2017. Paris and Tokyo have their own rows.

Spot a wrong number?

Every report is read by a person, and corrections are dated on the page.