Ariel.Club Forum

So who bought it? Now sold on PH - was going to be my car until I was talked out of it...

So is it a good'un?

PS - another weekend, another video - will edit the bunny killing highlights when I recover from the 4.30am start this morning 

What he said ^

Cheers
Hedge

[quote="wattie"]
[quote="lampstax"]


Atom 300 Supercharged sounds sooo much better at Starbucks than an Atom 245 ..

[/quote]
really, it makes that much difference.....Do people think 245's are the poor mans toy......lacking that oomph??.

I've really gotta try this 300 thingy. I've honestly no idea what to expect given I bought a 245 without even seeing one. The 300 guys seem committed to the cause , 245 guys like myself are as passionate about the roar etc. Am i really missing out on that X factor thing.... ???is a 245 less of an experience......why does Tom drive a 245????? Not sure....passion, soul,.....essence of Atom etc

Cheers Wattie
[/quote]

In front of Starbucks, to a certain crowd ( car + coffee shows crowds ? ), showing up in a 245 hp atom would be like saying I can't afford the extra $7000 for a supercharger to make 300 hp.

Not saying that is the right approach, just saying that to many people the badge matters most.  Same reason why you see old ladies driving to the supermarket at speed limit in 388 hp ML500 V8s. 

I personally am in the camp of spending money to learn to drive before spending money on the car itself.  The nut behind the wheel is the best upgrade you can do to any car.  I am actually delaying my Atom ownership 2 years to do more trackdays / AX / driver school in my Boxster before I jump off the deep end which any Atom would kinda be.  Even then I would start with a 245 as a platform and upgrade as needed as I get better and better. 

Just take the whine put and put in a F458 sound - music!!  Gotta love NA...



[quote="kaygee"]
Hedge

I think you have been to the same diplomacy school as Bruce and John H

Words could be expressed a bit more friendly.

Anyway, all decent drivers know the supercharged is much better than the na - FACT!!!

Cheers

Karl
[/quote]

I couldn't agree with you more Karl :-)
Cheers,
Hedge

Hedge

I think you have been to the same diplomacy school as Bruce and John H

Words could be expressed a bit more friendly.

Anyway, all decent drivers know the supercharged is much better than the na - FACT!!!

Cheers

Karl

I'm saying exactly the opposite, as is perfectly clear.
Anyway, snow time.
Cheers,
Hedge

I think it's more worrying you feel by having plenty of track experience, you CAN visit the performance envelope on the rd.

No chilling out required. I'm merely responding to an unfair and unessessary suggestion made against me.

"Accelerating flat out of a roundabout"?
Still don't know how you can have adjusted to its power having only been on a track once.
Ain't a criticism, merely an observation. Chill out.
Cheers,
Hedge

[quote="Hedge"]
you reason that you've found the whole performance envelope of the 300
[/quote]

Hmmm, I don't recal saying that at all. From what I posted I really don't see how you feel you can judge my driving. My post was a simple story of how you get used to a cars performance over time.

Some people don't half know how to look for a criticism that isn't based on anything.

I'm glad I haven't been travelling your neck of the woods if you reason that you've found the whole performance envelope of the 300 with only ever have visited a track just once....

Cheers,
Hedge

It's interesting reading peoples thoughts on "progressing" up the power ladder. I kind of agree as my resent car history leading up to my 300 has been a big torquey 350Z and a flyweight supercharged Exige. However even that had "just" 260bhp per ton compared to the 550+bhp per ton of my 300.

At the end of the day tho the throttle is analogue, and you can use as much or as little as you want. It took me over 3 months to get up to using full throttle in any gear (I did buy the car in Nov though) and by May I was having regular sport massage on my right shoulder. I broke my scapula 7yrs ago but it had been fine for ages but all of a sudden the extra strain I was putting on it from holding the wheel too tight when accelerating and changing gear was giving me grief. All because the hit was so huge it's difficult to take in and inevitably my body was over reacting.

However a couple of summer months on and (I never thought I'd say this) I had got used to it! It still surprises me if iv not been out for a few weeks, and in no way does it ever feel slow, but ur brain adapts. Like an F1 driver can fire through swimming pool at Monaco at 120mph with walls inches away and all they are thinking about is their line and not how scared they are, us mere mortals brains can also 'catch up' over time. At the end of last summer I was accelerating flat out of a roundabout and found myself glancing at my satnav for the next turn whilst changing gear. Driving the car had become more natural and extra brain capacity had been freed up. Iv not had a shoulder complaint since.

So I guess my point is don't bother chasing power purely for a strait line hit, cos u will get used to it, however the one thing that is possibly a reason to get supercharged is the torque. On the rd it makes a hit to the kidneys accessible at any speed in any gear (plus the charger sounds mental) and although iv only been on track once so far it allows you to rely on the torque more. Great for a beginner as that means less gear changes.

[quote="lampstax"]


Atom 300 Supercharged sounds sooo much better at Starbucks than an Atom 245 ..

[/quote]
really, it makes that much difference.....Do people think 245's are the poor mans toy......lacking that oomph??.

I've really gotta try this 300 thingy. I've honestly no idea what to expect given I bought a 245 without even seeing one. The 300 guys seem committed to the cause , 245 guys like myself are as passionate about the roar etc. Am i really missing out on that X factor thing.... ???is a 245 less of an experience......why does Tom drive a 245????? Not sure....passion, soul,.....essence of Atom etc

Cheers Wattie

Its the same reason why new riders buy 600CC supersport bikes instead of 250CC ninjas that's got as much of a hp / weight ratio as a modern corvette.

Atom 300 Supercharged sounds sooo much better at Starbucks than an Atom 245 ..

Driving / riding skills .. and common sense .. got nothing to do with it.   

Here here Wattie, i have started with a 2-160 and a super car it is. I do think even a 245 is quite a jump for a mear mortal. I have come from Caterham 150 ownership before so the 2-160 is a nice step. If you come from the standard car to a 300 then there is a sure way into a hedge somewere. With a front engine car like a carerham you will feel it go quite early. I have not pushed the atom yet as the weather has not been good enough since i got it. I do think i have got a good one that has good history and well looked after and after all that is what we all want. If you buy a bodged up car some day you will come to sell it, do you realy want to risk your hard earned