Tuning Algorithms - How do you start tuning, the steps after it...

Romulo Barros

Romulo Barros

3
Brazil
Teresina, Piauí
romulobarrospi
There is a lot of resources on this forum about general concepts and premisses about how to tune specific aspects of the car based on something.

But, I was wondering which steps do you guys take in order to achieve a complete tuning setup. From which setting(s) do you start? Which one, in your opinion depends on the other, so that you might tune first? Etc.

What is the track you take in order to set up a tune? What is your algorithm for achieving the best tuning?
 
I usually start where I feel the biggest problem is occurring, either the suspension or the LSD.
If the car is rolling around in the bends then I will start by stiffening the spring rates a bit to match the chosen tyres (more grippy tyres, higher spring rates).
If the car feels ok in the corners but is struggling to transfer the power to the road then I will start with the LSD, making note of the stock settings I try to think of how I could best solve the current problems when using the custom unit.
Concentrate on and deduce the main problems first, then refine.

Once I have a car behaving roughly as I want it to I will drop the rear toe to 0.00 so that I'm getting more accurate feedback from the chassis and then I will start changing one setting at a time being sure to test after every change so I can work out what influence each setting is having and how I can use it to make the car faster. My aim is to isolate settings, if you change a few different settings at once you will never be able to find out which one is making your car better or worse.
I usually start with spring rates, then dampers and ARBs. Toe is the last stage for final refinement.
I will keep going back and forth trying various combinations of suspension setup and LSD tuning until I find the right one for the task at hand, its basically a process of elimination until you find the right balance.

Once the suspension and LSD are nearly there I will put a transmission tune on it that suits the power curve and track. Its always a good idea to re-check your LSD setting once the transmission is tuned, you might now be accessing more or less peak torque due to the gearing and this can have a noticeable effect on the LSD. It might need to be set a few clicks higher or lower on all settings to match the original balance.

I wouldn't really say I've got a fixed way of approaching a tune, I just try to use my experience to enhance traits and decrease flaws as they occur, each car reacts differently to the last but the all follow the same basic principles and physics and you learn something new every time.

The tracks I use depend on the car being tuned, if its a fast, powerful car then theres no point taking it to a tight twisty circuit and conversely if its a lightweight, handling focussed car then you'd be out of place on a fast circuit with long straights.
I find the original trio of Grand Valley, Deep Forest and Trial Mountain to be a great set of tracks for checking a car is well rounded and able to handle different condition and road surfaces. They have a good mix of corners and straights, smooth surfaces and bumpy, uneven tracks.
 
That's perfect for what I was looking for. Thank you very much DolHaus! That really shed a bright light on where do more experts start their tuning, and the steps they take further. I, maybe like many other novices, tend to get lost with those multiple variables that one can access to tune the car; very often the result is either worse than the out-of-the-shop configuration or nothing better than that.
 
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Romulo Barros
That's perfect for what I was looking for. Thank you very much DolHaus! That really shed a bright light on where do more experts start their tuning, and the steps they take further. I, maybe like many other novices, tend to get lost with those multiple variables that one can access to tune the car; very often the result is either worse than the out-of-the-shop configuration or nothing better than that.
Click to expand...
No problem, glad to help.
The simplest way to think about basic suspension tuning is:

Springs control the car
Dampers control the springs

With an LSD:

Initial - How easily the car rotates when no throttle or brake is applied
Acceleration: How easily a car rotates during acceleration
Deceleration: How easily a car rotates during braking

Lower numbers represent an open differential - Inside and outside wheels can rotate at different speeds to enable easier direction change but can lead to instability and/or inefficient power application

Higher numbers represent a locked differential - Inside and outside wheel are forced to rotate at the same speed which makes direction change harder but power application is more efficient as well as enhancing stability during free wheeling and braking.


My general tuning guide is located here - https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/threads/general-tuning-guide.297354/
Should hopefully tell you everything you need to get started.

@Motor City Hami has a more in depth guide here https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/threads/motor-city-tunes-gt6.291066/#post-9003798
You should probably head here once you've got a grasp of the basics
 
Romulo Barros
That's perfect for what I was looking for. Thank you very much DolHaus! That really shed a bright light on where do more experts start their tuning, and the steps they take further. I, maybe like many other novices, tend to get lost with those multiple variables that one can access to tune the car; very often the result is either worse than the out-of-the-shop configuration or nothing better than that.
Click to expand...
No problem, glad to help.
The simplest way to think about basic suspension tuning is:

Springs control the car
Dampers control the springs

With an LSD:

Initial - How easily the car rotates when no throttle or brake is applied
Acceleration: How easily a car rotates during acceleration
Deceleration: How easily a car rotates during braking

Lower numbers represent an open differential - Inside and outside wheels can rotate at different speeds to enable easier direction change but can lead to instability and/or inefficient power application

Higher numbers represent a locked differential - Inside and outside wheel are forced to rotate at the same speed which makes direction change harder but power application is more efficient as well as enhancing stability during free wheeling and braking.


My general tuning guide is located here - https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/threads/general-tuning-guide.297354/
Should hopefully tell you everything you need to get started.

@Motor City Hami has a more in depth guide here https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/threads/motor-city-tunes-gt6.291066/#post-9003798
You should probably head here once you've got a grasp of the basics
 
I was going to reply to this but I think @DolHaus has it covered! I would add that drive the car stock to get a feel for it, and find out its strengths and weaknesses. I use Eiger Norwand short track alot for that. Its short with a good mix of corners and you can do a lot of laps in a short time.
 

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