Car and Driver Feb 2010 comparison

[dingo]

Cannot believe it.
http://www.caranddriver.com/features/09 ... 09-feature

page 22

"For the first time, we brought a couple of track machines to our Lightning Lap bash. One, the Ariel Atom 3, can be bought in the U.S.; the other, the KTM X-Bow, can’t.

The Atom is a pared-down, no-nonsense track weapon powered by a supercharged, 300-hp Honda engine. It’s wickedly fast in a straight line, at least until its blocky aerodynamics come into play, and it brakes and corners like a two-seat formula car.

But it wasn’t quite as fast as we expected, simply because it’s a touch nervous. Back off the throttle too quickly while turning into a corner, and the back end jumps out in a hurry. Apply a touch too much power too early, and the tail also threatens to head off into the undergrowth. Judging braking distances is also tricky because it’s quite easy to lock a front wheel. Essentially, the Atom feels like a 1970s formula car, only with a little less finesse and gobs more horsepower. Still, it’s a blast—literally and metaphorically.

The X-Bow, by contrast, is more like a modern race car, a superbly stable platform that storms corners. Like the Atom, its aerodynamics kill top speed, but the downforce generated by the body shape keeps it far more planted in high-speed corners and under braking. Indeed, the X-Bow’s stopping and cornering are so good that, despite a peak speed down the straightaway that was 25.7 mph slower than the ZR1’s, it was just half a second off the über Corvette’s lap time and more than two seconds up on the Ferrari 430 Scuderia’s time from 2008".

Conducted at VIR.. Perhaps they were slower in the Atom as they "backed off throttle while turning into a corner" and got nervous.  Funny that...wonder what would happen if they'd kept the car balanced and \ on throttle

[silver]

this was done at VIR....if that's the case I'd hope TMI supplied the atom...and if that's the case    it should have been set up perfect....OR they should have used a better driver that knew the car well enough to know the braking zones and whatnot.

[McFred]

I just picked up the mag from a collegue and read the bit about the "LLU class" (not street legal  ) and first impression made me think they were slighting the Atom for having too much power.  Makes it seem like they were just not used to an "analog" car.  Everything nowadays has some sort of electronic nanny.

I didn't see anything about the variety of tires used either.  I assume it's all "off the showroom floor" fare.

I guess $35000 gets you 5 seconds in the Xbow.  Maybe a wing package would have helped the AA3.

[atomaker]

TMI disappointed too!  Well setup (totally stock) factory demo car previously tested fast by Mark Swain, but C&D chose A-typical VIR track configuration ('Grand Course').  Toyo R888s.

[silver]

I think some people on here *cough* calscot have put that kinda extra money into the atom hoping for 5 seconds savings


so what's Mark Swain's time for that lap.....that'll let us know with a top notch driver what the real capability of the car is.

[Heywood-Yablowme]

I have been saying all along,and I will say it again..the Atom is not to be driven like most cars,or it will boot you..

Yes,the Atom is a difficult car to master,but once you become acustomed to its dynamics, you will have the car to beat. So many expect the car to transform them into a super hero behind the wheel..and only end up with disappointment.

Does not surprise me in the least that those bozos could not drive the Atom properly.
Who were they?Moe ,Larry and Curly?

Ah well,only reminds me why I don't read C&D any longer..              70's formula car...HA!.Like any of them EVER drove a 70's formula car.....

[McFred]

Well my Atom as delivered from Brammo was pretty tail-happy but the suspension setup was all sorts of weird.  That's been corrected though with different tires (R888s) and a re-alignment.  Now it's quite predictable and oversteer on corner exit's easily managed through throttle modulation and a little counter steering.  And maybe I'm just weird but even my FWD cars on stock suspension I've had at the track didn't react well to chopping the throttle entering corners. :shrug:

Maddy, you don't know who drove the cars for their test.  They could be familiar with other cars and the track/configuration.  If you don't know the test methodolgy then I'd refrain from criticising the drivers' abilities just becuase your favoured car got 2nd place. :|

[dingo]

I wholeheartedly agree with Max.

[Heywood-Yablowme]

McFred,they listed their drivers...Moe,Larry and Curly! Seriously,their names are in the article.No one I recognized.

"The four drivers were K.C. Colwell, Mark Gillies(executive editor), Tony Quiroga, and Dave VanderWerp. Each driver cycled through his assigned cars at least twice."

  Sound like all C&D employees. One is probably the janitor..

I suppose it's an honest test for Joe BLow to get behind the wheel of these cars and see what they will do,but it is NOT a true test of what the car is capable of..only the inexperienced driver.

If any of their "test pilots" hopped into a F1 car and tried the same course,what do you think the results would be? I know...carnage!

This test proves nothing to me. I know what my Atom is capable of. I hope to run into a few of those uber cars on track some day..

[dingo]

You'd have to study the protocol, but it's even quite plausible that they failed to sufficiently warm up tyres, or had them over inflated.
That would perhaps result in the nervousness and I (not alone here, I imagine) have lifted the throttle, having entered a corner too hot.
That's NOT the way to impress your instructor. It really does take some special insight \ experience to drive the Atom consistently and fast.

[silver]

[quote="dingo"]
You'd have to study the protocol, but it's even quite plausible that they failed to sufficiently warm up tyres, or had them over inflated.
That would perhaps result in the nervousness and I (not alone here, I imagine) have lifted the throttle, having entered a corner too hot.
That's NOT the way to impress your instructor. It really does take some special insight \ experience to drive the Atom consistently and fast.
[/quote]

who's to say they warmed up the tires sufficiently on the other car.....we don't have all the facts but I don't like it when people jump to the conclusion that they did something wrong in the atom YET managed to do everything right in the other car.

For all we know they could have totally flubbed the Xbow and left another 5 seconds on the table...perhaps the Xbow is really 10 seconds faster........I mean it's as appropriate an argument as you could make that the atom is faster then tested.

[Heywood-Yablowme]

The mere fact that they say the Atom was nervous and twitchy leads me to the conclusion that,yes,the Atom would be slower.

Who in their right mind, would push a twitchy car at 130mph,unless they had to?

I am NOT saying in the long run that the other cars may or may not be faster than the Atom.

All I am saying is the Atom is NOT a car Joe Blow can hop into and be competitive in.

Think of how many first time owners have come on this forum complaining how poorly the Atom handles.  Right?

        My first time on track was a bit nervous...and I made adjustments to the chassis,tires and my driving style. It was like magic from then on....

  The Atom is not an "off the rack" race car. It was never intended to be.

[McFred]

[quote="MadMaxAtom and company"]
McFred,they listed their drivers... Seriously,their names are in the article.No one I recognized.

"The four drivers were K.C. Colwell, Mark Gillies(executive editor), Tony Quiroga, and Dave VanderWerp. Each driver cycled through his assigned cars at least twice."
[/quote]

So you know their driving competence from their names and if the names are not published on F1 circuit ledgers they're incompetent rookies.  Gotcha.

You've better skills of preception than I. 

[Bruce Fielding]

Who cares?

If you want to look cool, drive an Atom.

If you want to look like a fugitive from a B movie scifi flick from the 60's, drive an Xbow

Not that I'm prejudiced or anything...

And actually, I bet you could do that track faster in a Nissan (if to begin with you couldn't drive...)

[Heywood-Yablowme]

McFred, they obviously can't drive an Atom,so like Bruce says..who cares?