Ariel Atom Autocross Development

[timcking]

Now that it's the end of the 2017 season, I'd like to know what you've learned 762. My experience led me to realize that downforce is the fundamental limiting factor. Thought about a number of alternatives, but don't know if I have the required motivation to implement.

[762]

My general learnings are pretty simple. The car needs much much stickier tires (A7s at a minimum), much wider tires, shocks/springs, and as you mentioned some way to get grip at the front of the car such as downforce.

On A7s, Ohlins, and with the wings the car did start to handle ok. There was still some understeer and threshold braking was challenging.

I have since sold the car and moved into a Viper ACR which has been a surprisingly great autocross car. Have taken several top pax finishes running the car stock in Super Street.


More videos on my youtube channel for both cars.

[FourFather]

I had the best cornering gee with downforce. Mechanical grip with damper settings, alignment, tires, etc. will only get you so far.

I spent way too much time designing and building and testing belly pans, diffusers, side skirt seals, higher rear wing placements, even developing an F-1 style front wing, but I am happier with the aero results, than with all the mechanical grip iterations that I tried. And I have a customer using one of my F-1 style wings in front and the higher and more rearward wing mounts, along with the wheel/tire combo I developed, and he says he can now do a corner flat out, that he used to have to slow down for.








But I have since moved into a Mercedes twin turbo V-eight roadster with seven speed paddle shift for the street, and a Pro Formula Mazda for the track, and so will be selling my last Ariel Atom 3 Supercharged K20a, the high-rpm one, with all the aero and everything else I developed over the 10 years I raced and sold new and used Atoms, as soon as I can stop what I'm doing long enough to do an ad.

Cheers,

Eddie

[timcking]

Moving to a Viper ACR is a radical change. Almost triple the weight. I was beat in my last autocross by an ACR. It was a high speed event and I attributed it to the downforce. I used to own a GTS coupe. Amazing torque, but I'm a light weight car guy. A Lotus Eurpopa S2 spoiled me years ago.

[timcking]

Eddie, that's one awsome aero Atom.