Calling Atom road users
Discussion
Bruce tells me that may Atom owners use their cars as everyday vehicles on the road. Is this true? I'm about to invest (I think), but need reassurance that the car can be used as a UK B road machine with the right set up. Strange though it may sound, I'm not a track day fan - I go to work each day along 25 miles of rural B road - can the Atom be set up to negotiate this without every bump felt?? If so, what order spec should I be looking for?
I have the car set up more for road use than trackdays. (Although I have been to two trackdays). I would be wrong to say you do not feel every bump or lump in the road. But for me that is part of the fun of driving the car as often as possible. The challenge is to beat the conditions you are presented with be that weather or road surface.
There are many threads on this forum about using the Atom as an everyday car. As long as you are not planning on using it to move a chest of draws it will do everyhing else your current car can with a little planning.
If you have motorbike experince treat the Atom like a motorbike, ie get a good well fitting helmet, plenty of warm clothing and wet weather gear. After that it's up to you how stiff you want the suspension. I travel to track days in the car. The furthest I have driven is 3 hours or about 120 miles. Next week I travel to Spa in the car.
Let us know where you live there is always an Atom driver near by wanting an excuse to get out in the car and we love giving potential buyers a taster.
>> Edited by John Lloyd on Sunday 22 May 10:00
There are many threads on this forum about using the Atom as an everyday car. As long as you are not planning on using it to move a chest of draws it will do everyhing else your current car can with a little planning.
If you have motorbike experince treat the Atom like a motorbike, ie get a good well fitting helmet, plenty of warm clothing and wet weather gear. After that it's up to you how stiff you want the suspension. I travel to track days in the car. The furthest I have driven is 3 hours or about 120 miles. Next week I travel to Spa in the car.
Let us know where you live there is always an Atom driver near by wanting an excuse to get out in the car and we love giving potential buyers a taster.
>> Edited by John Lloyd on Sunday 22 May 10:00
I've just placed my order for an Atom and one of the big considerations for me was how often I could use it.
If I thought I wouldn't be able to use it that often I wouldn't buy one - not going to tie 30k up in a car that gets used a few times a year!
My option was to buy a motor bike. I wouldn't think twice about using a bike in wet weather so why should the Atom be any different.
I've never done any track days and to be honest, I'd be nervous on my first few outings - I'm sure everyone feels that way. As John said, it helps you become a better driver, knowing how the car reacts at high speed etc etc.
Clarkson's review of the Atom started by making a direct comparison to a motor bike, that's what grabbed my attention.
The Atom for me is all about fun and excitement. The pleasure of owning such a unique car. The pleasure of seeing the jaw dropping effect on others and yes, even if I am old, fat and ugly, the pose value - just makes you feel good.
There is one contributor on this forum whose been debating 'shall I shant I' and redesigning the Atom for the past few months - I wonder if he knows what excitement is, has he ever had an orgasm!!!
Go for it, have fun. You only live once and death lasts a long time!!
If I thought I wouldn't be able to use it that often I wouldn't buy one - not going to tie 30k up in a car that gets used a few times a year!
My option was to buy a motor bike. I wouldn't think twice about using a bike in wet weather so why should the Atom be any different.
I've never done any track days and to be honest, I'd be nervous on my first few outings - I'm sure everyone feels that way. As John said, it helps you become a better driver, knowing how the car reacts at high speed etc etc.
Clarkson's review of the Atom started by making a direct comparison to a motor bike, that's what grabbed my attention.
The Atom for me is all about fun and excitement. The pleasure of owning such a unique car. The pleasure of seeing the jaw dropping effect on others and yes, even if I am old, fat and ugly, the pose value - just makes you feel good.
There is one contributor on this forum whose been debating 'shall I shant I' and redesigning the Atom for the past few months - I wonder if he knows what excitement is, has he ever had an orgasm!!!
Go for it, have fun. You only live once and death lasts a long time!!
Sometimes I get the feeling there are those who want the Atom to evolve into something it was never meant to be.
Some of the things wanted:
Windscreens
A roof
Side body panels
Soft suspension/ soft ride
Tow a caravan!
That's all been done and maybe a Ford Mondeo would be a better forum for them.
I hope the Atom evolves in ways that just make it better to use and better in quality.
e.g. I believe on the Mk1 the rear mudguards occasionally came into contact with the tyres when cornering hard because they weren't mounted in the best position.
That's changed now without any alteration to the Atom's appearance.
I love the Atom the way it is - like Clarkson said, I think it's one of the most beautiful cars in the World.
John
Some of the things wanted:
Windscreens
A roof
Side body panels
Soft suspension/ soft ride
Tow a caravan!
That's all been done and maybe a Ford Mondeo would be a better forum for them.
I hope the Atom evolves in ways that just make it better to use and better in quality.
e.g. I believe on the Mk1 the rear mudguards occasionally came into contact with the tyres when cornering hard because they weren't mounted in the best position.
That's changed now without any alteration to the Atom's appearance.
I love the Atom the way it is - like Clarkson said, I think it's one of the most beautiful cars in the World.
John
MRDC
I asked a similar question to the forum back in March (read my thread "Should I swap my Elise?"
.
After a lot of balanced advice from the lads on here, I decided NOT to get an Atom.
...So of course a couple of months later and I have gone completely against my decision from that time and bought a second hand 220
, which I've had for a week now and used it everday since I picked it up, both commuting and weekend runs. Here are my findings, which may or may not help:
The Atom is...
Not a motorway car.
Not too good in traffic.
Continualy tempting you to lose you licence on every trip!
No good for carrying anything, even small stuff like a briefcase or a bag of shopping.
Noisey, rattley and you feel every bump (no different from the Elise). Adds to the experience.
Not particularly nice sounding. More raspy than low rumbling menace.
The High revving engine takes a bit of getting used to, as does the non-returning indicator switch (non problem for bikers).
The Atom is also...
The most fantastic drivers car I have ever had. It sticks like glue!
Capable of (quite literally) taking my breath away when I floor it!
The biggest head turner you can imagine.
Worth driving for 10 miles on rubbish roads just for one short half a mile blast along the way!
Reading the above you may think that the balance is on bad points, not good ones. That would be the sensible view. The Atom is as far from sensible as can be imagined, and that's why we all here love it. Like having your very own 'Alton Towers' parked in your garage. I'm booked for my first Atom track day soon, and I can't wait. I don't do lot's of tracks, but believe me, should you decide to get one you will want to take the beast on the track just like I do. Country roads are fine, but I feel I will never find out what the car can truly do untill I take it on a track.
Datasafe is entirely correct: You're a long time dead.
I'll give you the same advice as John Lloyd gave me on this forum: DO IT! DO IT! DO IT!
I asked a similar question to the forum back in March (read my thread "Should I swap my Elise?"
. After a lot of balanced advice from the lads on here, I decided NOT to get an Atom.
...So of course a couple of months later and I have gone completely against my decision from that time and bought a second hand 220
, which I've had for a week now and used it everday since I picked it up, both commuting and weekend runs. Here are my findings, which may or may not help: The Atom is...
Not a motorway car.
Not too good in traffic.
Continualy tempting you to lose you licence on every trip!
No good for carrying anything, even small stuff like a briefcase or a bag of shopping.
Noisey, rattley and you feel every bump (no different from the Elise). Adds to the experience.
Not particularly nice sounding. More raspy than low rumbling menace.
The High revving engine takes a bit of getting used to, as does the non-returning indicator switch (non problem for bikers).
The Atom is also...
The most fantastic drivers car I have ever had. It sticks like glue!
Capable of (quite literally) taking my breath away when I floor it!
The biggest head turner you can imagine.
Worth driving for 10 miles on rubbish roads just for one short half a mile blast along the way!
Reading the above you may think that the balance is on bad points, not good ones. That would be the sensible view. The Atom is as far from sensible as can be imagined, and that's why we all here love it. Like having your very own 'Alton Towers' parked in your garage. I'm booked for my first Atom track day soon, and I can't wait. I don't do lot's of tracks, but believe me, should you decide to get one you will want to take the beast on the track just like I do. Country roads are fine, but I feel I will never find out what the car can truly do untill I take it on a track.
Datasafe is entirely correct: You're a long time dead.
I'll give you the same advice as John Lloyd gave me on this forum: DO IT! DO IT! DO IT!
I'm probably one of the hardiest Atom drivers - check Bruce's story on our last Ring trip on the owners club website under News, then MezzMeyrick experience. Weather isn't an issue with the right gear - see Datasafe's thread about what to wear.
The key issue for the roads you are talking about is set up. Ground clearance (unless you are usually two up and both ,errrrr, large) isn't an issue. If you have a stiff set up, they are pretty firm: mine is on race springs with adjustable Bilsteins. Driving to tracks and so on, they are set on 3 all round; on track usually 1 front, 2 rear. Blasting around dodgy B-roads in Somerset, usually 4 front, 5 rear - this gives fabulous compliance and more roll oversteer, so you can slide around more easily if you want to.
Talk this through with Simon, but the sort of set up you should be going for is:
- Adjustable Bilsteins, so you can set the ride up nice and soft for B-road havoc, then stiffen it for track days / A-roads, as above. This is a three or four minute job and needs no tools, or at worst a screwdriver if you don't have pincer-strength fingers
- Standard or possibly slightly softer than standard springs; PLUS
- Helper springs: these are the short, softer springs that some Atoms (inc. mine) have. These make a big difference to traction, especially on rebound over bumps, so on dodgy B-roads are a bit of a must.
- You should also think about ride height if you have softer springs, and make sure that the car is corner-weighted for your weight. Again, ask the factory, they are really good at set up.
Wholly agree with the general sentiment that Atoms are very similar to bikes, I have a Blade and a GS1150. If you are fine with a bike on a motorway, the Atom is miles better. Don't happen to agree that they are no good in town. They need a different, more bike-like driving style, than a normal car which has more weight to dampen the engine, but I think they are great in town if that's your bag: my wife, on realising that I was taking her home from the ballet at Covent Garden (in a floaty silk number) would have thrown her teddies out of the Atom has she got any, but volunteered when we got home (14 miles or so) that it was "quite fun" which is about as strong a compliment as you could imagine!
MC
The key issue for the roads you are talking about is set up. Ground clearance (unless you are usually two up and both ,errrrr, large) isn't an issue. If you have a stiff set up, they are pretty firm: mine is on race springs with adjustable Bilsteins. Driving to tracks and so on, they are set on 3 all round; on track usually 1 front, 2 rear. Blasting around dodgy B-roads in Somerset, usually 4 front, 5 rear - this gives fabulous compliance and more roll oversteer, so you can slide around more easily if you want to.
Talk this through with Simon, but the sort of set up you should be going for is:
- Adjustable Bilsteins, so you can set the ride up nice and soft for B-road havoc, then stiffen it for track days / A-roads, as above. This is a three or four minute job and needs no tools, or at worst a screwdriver if you don't have pincer-strength fingers
- Standard or possibly slightly softer than standard springs; PLUS
- Helper springs: these are the short, softer springs that some Atoms (inc. mine) have. These make a big difference to traction, especially on rebound over bumps, so on dodgy B-roads are a bit of a must.
- You should also think about ride height if you have softer springs, and make sure that the car is corner-weighted for your weight. Again, ask the factory, they are really good at set up.
Wholly agree with the general sentiment that Atoms are very similar to bikes, I have a Blade and a GS1150. If you are fine with a bike on a motorway, the Atom is miles better. Don't happen to agree that they are no good in town. They need a different, more bike-like driving style, than a normal car which has more weight to dampen the engine, but I think they are great in town if that's your bag: my wife, on realising that I was taking her home from the ballet at Covent Garden (in a floaty silk number) would have thrown her teddies out of the Atom has she got any, but volunteered when we got home (14 miles or so) that it was "quite fun" which is about as strong a compliment as you could imagine!
MC
I should add that I'm not a biker, so the helmet and waterproofs also take some getting used to. Having said that, It's not problem at all. I took advantage of the good weather the other day and had my first blast without a lid on or the rest of the gubbins (the 'Shoggles' work great Bruce!). I found that to be quite liberating, but had the drawback of making my jowls wobble at speed, A La Clarkson. Not very pretty!
On the suspension front, my 220 came with adjustable (spring platform) Bilstien's and race springs, and I had comp rod ends put on, which resulted in them having to redo the entire set-up. I asked Tom about adjusting the suspension, but he more or less said 'It's just been set-up, so don't knack with it'. Must've recognised that I was a numpty!
Seriously though, I would like to have the knowledge to change the set-up for track days/back to road. The guide on the website is good, but what would really help non technical idiots like me would be some piccies of the relevent parts (you know, Haynes manual stylee). Any chance Bruce?
On the suspension front, my 220 came with adjustable (spring platform) Bilstien's and race springs, and I had comp rod ends put on, which resulted in them having to redo the entire set-up. I asked Tom about adjusting the suspension, but he more or less said 'It's just been set-up, so don't knack with it'. Must've recognised that I was a numpty!
Seriously though, I would like to have the knowledge to change the set-up for track days/back to road. The guide on the website is good, but what would really help non technical idiots like me would be some piccies of the relevent parts (you know, Haynes manual stylee). Any chance Bruce?
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