Just took a ride around the track in an Ariel Atom
03-08-2008, 09:39 PM
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Just took a ride around the track in an Ariel Atom
I was taken for a few laps today in an Ariel Atom with a good driver today. Wow... what a treat. That car was amazing. The funny thing that I thought I should mention is that as a result of the factory tires (Proxies) the driver said that his best time is NOT in the Atom but a GT3 RS.
He did admit that the Atom was just a whole lot more fun to drive, but he could still not beat his time in the RS. A couple things stood out. 1) High speed runs in the atom and it seemed to be a little unstable, like it was going to take flight. 2) 65/35 weight distribution makes for an interesting drive.
He did admit that the Atom was just a whole lot more fun to drive, but he could still not beat his time in the RS. A couple things stood out. 1) High speed runs in the atom and it seemed to be a little unstable, like it was going to take flight. 2) 65/35 weight distribution makes for an interesting drive.
03-09-2008, 07:50 PM
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Driveway austin. It was Bill Dollahite's Son, Scott (who, according to Bill, is faster than him) who gave me the ride
http://www.drivewayaustin.com/main/node/44
Not my video, not the same driver or not me in this YouTube video... but it is the car and the track
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gwvj8qnjRAs
The Atom was the AMD sponsored Ariel
http://www.drivewayaustin.com/main/node/44
Not my video, not the same driver or not me in this YouTube video... but it is the car and the track
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gwvj8qnjRAs
The Atom was the AMD sponsored Ariel
03-09-2008, 11:34 PM
#7
Nordschleife Master
Ariel Atom is toast, gone, dead. At least Brammo Motor Sports in Oregon is.
To be honest, it never lived up to its billing on the track. All the samples I saw were reported to "twitchy" or some such by their owners, and slower than me, GT-3 or Z 06 ( and that is SLOWWWWW)
Sort of reverse-synergy.
To be honest, it never lived up to its billing on the track. All the samples I saw were reported to "twitchy" or some such by their owners, and slower than me, GT-3 or Z 06 ( and that is SLOWWWWW)
Sort of reverse-synergy.
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03-10-2008, 01:36 AM
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The truth is, most Atoms aren't tracked much, and sadly many not at all. Those that are tracked are not often driven well (perhaps myself included).
With no traction control, stability control, or ABS, along with its extreme power to weight ratio, the Atom feels different than "normal" cars. Its almost more like a shifter kart than a street car. Twitchy? Yes. Slow? Not IMO, but that's a matter of opinion. Mine has no problem with GT3's or Z06's.
You can be the judge of how twitchy and slow my Atom is here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvdilDQ-XBI
03-10-2008, 02:18 AM
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http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/03/n...om-in-the-u-s/
www.arielatom.com
03-10-2008, 09:10 PM
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I find it funny how some people blame their machine for their lack of ability. Put these same drivers behind the wheel of any race car and I'm sure you'd get the same results - "slow and twitchy".
The truth is, most Atoms aren't tracked much, and sadly many not at all. Those that are tracked are not often driven well (perhaps myself included).
With no traction control, stability control, or ABS, along with its extreme power to weight ratio, the Atom feels different than "normal" cars. Its almost more like a shifter kart than a street car. Twitchy? Yes. Slow? Not IMO, but that's a matter of opinion. Mine has no problem with GT3's or Z06's.
You can be the judge of how twitchy and slow my Atom is here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvdilDQ-XBI
The truth is, most Atoms aren't tracked much, and sadly many not at all. Those that are tracked are not often driven well (perhaps myself included).
With no traction control, stability control, or ABS, along with its extreme power to weight ratio, the Atom feels different than "normal" cars. Its almost more like a shifter kart than a street car. Twitchy? Yes. Slow? Not IMO, but that's a matter of opinion. Mine has no problem with GT3's or Z06's.
You can be the judge of how twitchy and slow my Atom is here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvdilDQ-XBI
JoeD
03-10-2008, 09:20 PM
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I find it funny how some people blame their machine for their lack of ability. Put these same drivers behind the wheel of any race car and I'm sure you'd get the same results - "slow and twitchy".
The truth is, most Atoms aren't tracked much, and sadly many not at all. Those that are tracked are not often driven well (perhaps myself included).
With no traction control, stability control, or ABS, along with its extreme power to weight ratio, the Atom feels different than "normal" cars. Its almost more like a shifter kart than a street car.
The truth is, most Atoms aren't tracked much, and sadly many not at all. Those that are tracked are not often driven well (perhaps myself included).
With no traction control, stability control, or ABS, along with its extreme power to weight ratio, the Atom feels different than "normal" cars. Its almost more like a shifter kart than a street car.
03-11-2008, 12:46 AM
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I've never driven a Caterham, but I'm guessing that they might handle better than an Atom. The reason I say this, is that Caterhams have been around a lot longer, there's a lot more of them, and they've been raced. Atoms haven't ever really been raced or developed at all, and for that reason, I don't think anyone has found their true potential.
03-11-2008, 05:32 PM
#14
I love the concept of the Atom but have always been suspect of the crash protection afforded by the skeleton. Energy needs to be dissipated in a crash and bending metal, suspension arms, doors, door jambs etc all serves that purpose. I'm not sure what crash testing was done on this vehicle and I'm open to the possibility it is actually better than a GT3 in a crash, but it doesn't seem to be that way...
Thoughts?
Thoughts?
03-11-2008, 07:09 PM
#15
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I love the concept of the Atom but have always been suspect of the crash protection afforded by the skeleton. Energy needs to be dissipated in a crash and bending metal, suspension arms, doors, door jambs etc all serves that purpose. I'm not sure what crash testing was done on this vehicle and I'm open to the possibility it is actually better than a GT3 in a crash, but it doesn't seem to be that way...
Thoughts?
Thoughts?