| Living with a Rocket. |
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| Sunday, 02 July 2006 | |
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Living With A Rocket When originally announced, the Rocket was more extreme than almost any other roadcar on the market. Undoubtedly this scared off some customers. But in the decade that followed, several other cars have been produced that are equally, or more extreme. If you intend to use your Rocket on the road, here are the things you should know: Performance Straightline performance remains astonishing, in fact considerably better than the normally quoted figures. The first time you drive the car, it is quite likely that it will get your attention! However, the throttle action is gentle, and the engine quite tractable at reasonably low revs (3-4,000rpm). With only a little experience, you will become very comfortable with low speed driving. If you do get a little over active with the throttle pedal, and light up the rear tyres, it is nice to know that back end break away is very controllable (and I profess not to be a professional race driver). A calm head and gentle inputs to the throttle and steering wheel will pull her back in line without too much drama. Handling Basically, in dry weather at least, the Rocket is very neutral and progressive, with a slight tendency to oversteer. With no anti-roll bars, performance and adjustment is dominated by the damper settings. So it is important to experiment, and learn how these affect your car. Even on the correct settings, the Rocket’s handling gets your attention. It is more direct than any car I have driven with any input almost immediately converted into a change of direction. On all but the worst roads though, it is demanding but controlled – and absolutely thrilling. Stiffening the dampers to track settings makes the reaction time even less, and on the road this can get scary. The slightest steering input, even a catseye or white line can make the car skit across the road. Great on track, not good on a country road. It is important to learn and memorise your damper settings. See the Driving Tips section for practical advice. Comfort The driver’s seating position is remarkably comfortable, and I have driven for four hours, non-stop. With just the one seat across the width of the car, there is significant elbow room to stretch and move. the key adjustments are: • Seat moves forwards and backwards by about six inches (15cm) • The steering wheel adjusts forwards and backwards by about 2” (5cm) • Lap belts need to be tightened to suit (for road use it is advisable to slacken them slightly so they are not rigidly holding you into the seat) Provided you have the damper settings about right, you will find the ride surprisingly compliant and comfortable. Obviously not like a Mercedes, but then you are in the car to enjoy it, not to glide from A to B. The passenger seat is somewhat basic, and more cramped – not ideal for long trips, but it is an astonishing ride back there! If you do carry a passenger, remember to: • Allow them to get in before the driver • Allow time to get the belts correctly tightened • Give them earplugs – they are only inches from the engine, after all. Noise Even with the quiet exhaust, the Rocket is loud. A ready supply of earplugs is essential, including sets for passengers. For longer trips, you may choose to use a helmet. The Clutch And Standing Starts The standard Yamaha clutch is obviously trying to manage more weight than on the original bike. This also has to be considered with the rather responsive throttle – the traditional blending in of the clutch at a steady 1,500rpm isn’t going to work. So standing starts in normal traffic can be quite tricky. Even an experienced driver will get it wrong some of the time, whether stalling it, or spinning the wheels at 5,000rpm outside the church! So (non-racing) starts are a weak point, but that’s the compromise you have accepted. See more in the Driving Tips section. Bumps, Potholes And Speed Bumps The Rocket is quite softly sprung for a car of this type, but you will learn to avoid most bumps, dips, manhole covers, etc. Despite the car’s low ground clearance, it appears to clear almost all standard specification speed bumps. You will of course slow down, but it is unlikely that you will find that you have to trickle over them at walking pace. However, it is important to realise that this only applies if you are alone. The weight of a passenger drops the car noticeably, and you should expect some nasty scraping noises. One (small) positive – the Rocket has a totally flat underside with nothing critical sticking through, unlike a Caterham where the engine sump is often the lowest point. So if you do hear that sickening scraping, relax and surf over. All you will do is scrape the aluminium tray. It’s not a nice sound, but at least you haven’t ripped off the sump. Wet Weather In short, not recommended. Especially if you have the optional Avon ACB10 track tyres fitted. However, sooner or later you will get caught in a shower, or have to make a journey in the wet. The rocket does offer more protection than you might think (more than say a Caterham with a spoiler screen). For advice on preparing yourself, see Useful Equipment For advice on driving in the wet, see Driving Tips The Rocket has some drainage holes, so at least it won’t fill up with water. But once you get it under cover, it is wise to wipe down all the surfaces, particularly inside the cockpit. Cold Weather With minimal protection, and no heater, it can get a bit cold. Your feet are kept reasonably warm by hot air from the radiator blowing over the pedal box – if you are going to use the car regularly in the winter you can also remove the access panel on the pedal box to let more warm air in. Best protection is required for the body, arms and head. Multi-layer is best. See Useful Equipment for some tips Traffic The Rocket copes surprisingly well with slow and stop-start traffic. Clutch control is the only real issue. The cooling system has good capacity, better than many similar cars, and can cope with most extreme conditions, rarely rising above 80 degrees. If you are concerned, it may be useful to install a fan override switch. Motorways The Rocket isn’t really designed for motorways. If you absolutely must, you just need to settle in, and put her in top gear, Hi-ratio. Be cautious of tramlining, where the car tries to follow the grooves worn into the slow lane by heavy trucks. All cars will do this, but something as direct as the Rocket will make it more noticeable. Maintenance & Reliability Extremely good. Gordon Murray’s core design is very effective and simple, and problems are rare. You do not need any expertise with tools and will not be spending your weekends rebuilding or repairing the car. Basic maintenance requires no more than a cursory check of all levels and pressures. You are unlikely to need to get your hands particularly dirty. Please also look in the Maintenance section and we have also produced a Troubleshooting section identifying any known problems – though you should note that many of these have occurred on only one chassis. So that is our honest assessment of the realities of actually owning a Rocket. Unsurprisingly the Rocket is not ideal for commuting, but it can cope well with most road conditions. It is surprisingly practical, and considerably more so than many other specialist cars and classics. You are not buying one because it is practical, but you can now rest assured that it can do much more than you might think. Time to book a test drive. Trackback(0)
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