Paddles / sequential, who owns or has experienced ?

[PAJ]

Just a quick question ahead of my visit to the Ariel factory. This is a difficult question to put across, I'm more trying to work out what these sequential gearboxes are like to use on the road rather than if you yourself would personally want or would justify the cost of one. So, accepted that it's probably pretty clunky, requires the clutch most of the time you're not accelerating flat, but I wondered if people consider it to add to the raw experience of driving the atom, or they are 'purely' for track use and would be a complete nightmare on the road.

Do you dip the clutch, pull the right paddle for first, drive off as normal. Is the response to the throttle, say in traffic in first gear about the same ? I'm guessing there's more noise from the straight cut gears. How about transmission back lash, surely much more, but uncomfortable ?. On the open road, at medium rpm, say following cars, you're still clutching the up and down shifts, but then to overtake, and flat on the accelerator, you don't lift, just hit the right paddle, and then how about on the brakes, requiring matching the revs, or does it auto-blip ?

I'm sure I'll get to experience this, I just wonder if anyone has any comments. I'm happy to put up with mechanical noise, and the clunkiness of the system, providing it's reliable over time and not horrendously bad, in exchange for the seamless shifts, cackling exhaust and the fact that it won't force me to perfect my poor heel and toe abilities (or am I still needing those ?)

[Yorkshire]

The sequential gearbox is the best feature on my car!!!!!

I would say it is better suited to track work rather than road but is easily remedied by using the clutch (which i know defeats the object but just softens the experience at slow speed)

Once the car is going its a different thing again. Flat shifts up Auto Blip down is something to enjoy.

Yes you won't have to perfect your heel & tow abilities the car will do this for you and leave you to concentrate on keeping it on the track / road.

Its not for everyone it is noisier / harsher than the standard box but once driving the car harder its a fabulous experience.

If i could only afford a certain spec Atom i would have a 245 with the sequential rather than a manual 3.5R.

But that is only my opinion 

Luckily i have a 3.5R with a sequential!!!! Happy Days

[Rocket Man]

has anybody used the quaife box


www.cplracing.co.uk/products.php?productid=231

[meladdo]

That would not include all the remote control system and the ecu / interface with engine management and what not.....5K though.. It would be a dog round town......

[PAJ]

To Mr Yorkshire :

That's quite some machine you have ! What exactly comprises a 3.5R, I've had some price lists from them, and in bold it seems to show various options which I presume comprise the minimum that makes a 3.5 go "R", which seems to be (and correct me if I'm wrong :-

The standard 310 sc upgrade, plus them the 350bhp upgrade, seems to show Alcon brakes, and 16" magnesium wheels, but nothing about any suspension upgrades, not at least on this 'suggested" list, with the price of £53,706, still not including and sequential box, or upgraded suspension as per the test car seen in road tests, so this test car must be close to £75,000 ? Probably more with the front/rear wings ?

[Yorkshire]

Yes I would expect the 3.5R as Ariels demonstrator to be well in excess of £75k

I think the R upgrades are purely the charge cooler and mapping to give 350bhp.

You can have a R with the manual box but as I said in earlier post think gearbox the best box to tick even though expensive

To be on the safe side just tick most boxes 

Good Luck your choices but could always do 245 and gearbox and add the extra power later

My car was a standard 3.5 310 and had the R upgrade done at the factory when it became available

Cheers

Stuart

[PAJ]

That's a very good point, because holy Jesus, the full spec car isn't cheap ! But as you suggest, the Sequential has to go in at the build, later you can supercharge and upgrade to 350 ? That is smart, saving roughly how much on the initial purchase I wonder ? Maybe £12,000 ish ?

Actually, I'm not sure I could un-supercharged initially, I wonder what percentage of the owners here have super chargers ? Or, perhaps, as I'm not so well versed on precise atom history, but we're early cars generally un- supercharged ?

[roger morton]

I've got a 3.5R with the 6 speed manual box, must admit that the Sequential box is awesome, but for me it's to aggressive for road use, if it wasn't so aggressive would deffinately of had it, I would book a test drive first to see what you think yourself. I'm sure the demo car cost around 95k on the road.

[John Scherrer]

I think the 350R package with the extra supercharger boost from 7.5 to 11 psi includes the side pods with a charge cooler in one side and an oil cooler in the other.

If the Sadev gearbox is fitted, its air compressor will also be in the pod.

The 350R also includes the Ohlins TTX dampers.

I don't know how much Ariel permit options to be missing if the 350bhp spec is required - It would be 'undesirable' to go for the 350 power but keep the standard brakes and standard suspension etc - in fact Ariel may not want to sell such a spec on safety grounds ...

The 1st Atoms were not sold with a supercharger option, I think this started with the '2' 275 in 2004.

[AtomMadStew]

Palmersport have the 245's with the sequential box & it looks well suited for the track.

[PAJ]

So the Sadev system comprises of gearbox, an air compressor separately in the side pod, so it shifts the gears pneumatically ? (I can find little information on how this actually works), and then some form of add-on electronics that deal with the paddles and talks to the ECU ?

[AtomMadStew]

Yes its pneumatically operated.
Not entirely sure which box it is (hail John  )
Sadev ST75/6/8?

[Yorkshire]

The gearbox is the Sadev ST82-14

The compressor (which is underneath the car in the tunnel section) to shift the gears is actually part of the Geartronics package that sorts all the flat shifting / downshifting. See attached.

http://www.geartronics.co.uk/paddleshift.htm

Hope this helps

Stuart

[John Scherrer]

Thanks for correction Stuart - I naively assumed the compressor was in the sidepod like on the '500'

[FlyingTrotter]

Doesn't the 350R also have the wider dymags and a few other bits - I spec'ed one up without the sadev and without wings (as was toying with using those from my old car) it came in only a shade under £60k

If you add wings and sadev and play a bit with a few options you can clear £100k (my mate is getting one with saxes and he's between £90k and £100k and I met a guy collecting his who I seem to recall broke £110k with carbon and fancy paint and various specially created options he wanted

I decided to a break from Atoms but it was tempting - very nifty looking car even with the manual box - Tom said more have left with the normal box