C-ZETA's car reviews - C-ZETA Awards 2012 - 21/12/12

  • Thread starter C-ZETA
  • 754 comments
  • 151,903 views
IIRC I also borrowed that RE Amemiya RX-7 for my review on it. Thanks much for that too! :lol:

ah, the GT300 FD? I put that up for share way back just because I have nothing to do with it :lol: you're welcome btw.
 
Give me the chips and I'll eat them instead.

nawwwwwwww, I only bought Doritos for Onboy123 because I owe him something. :lol:

I'll only give you some yen so that you can go to that Mister Donut branch along the highway. :P
 
nawwwwwwww, I only bought Doritos for Onboy123 because I owe him something. :lol:

DORITOS YOU SAY? What flavour?

I already gave him my Cizeta yesterday for free, he should give me that packet of Doritos in exchange.
 
DORITOS YOU SAY? What flavour?

I already gave him my Cizeta yesterday for free, he should give me that packet of Doritos in exchange.

err I just took random packs off the fridge.

tell him then. :lol:
 
tell him then. :lol:

Nahhhh I'll just go on your page and stare at Rise allllll daaaaaay loooooong. :D

Right, anyway, where were we...ah yes requests! Gimme MOARRRR :grumpy: No seriously do keep requests filled in, the amount of ones I've confirmed for reviews is still about none for now, so just keep asking! :sly:
 
go to zerochan, you. :P

I've told you about the C5-R, now go and compare that to the Oreca Viper. :D

Nope! Chuck Testa.

No no madson, not the Oreca model. The Concept version that you can win races in using only 3rd gear.
 
No no madson, not the Oreca model. The Concept version that you can win races in using only 3rd gear.

okay-face.jpg
 
Nahhhh I'll just go on your page and stare at Rise allllll daaaaaay loooooong. :D

Right, anyway, where were we...ah yes requests! Gimme MOARRRR :grumpy: No seriously do keep requests filled in, the amount of ones I've confirmed for reviews is still about none for now, so just keep asking! :sly:

Send me a Volvo 240GLT and I'll Trolololol-it up for you
 
TVR Cerbera Speed 6 and Aston Martin V8 Vantage
Now. I quite like the TVR Cerbera Speed 6...but then I quite like the Aston Martin V8 Vantage...

...but which is better?

There's only one way to find out...

HHfight.jpg


TheTopGearTestTrack_5-3.jpg
TheTopGearTestTrack_2-3.jpg


TVR Cerbera Speed 6
Aston Martin V8 Vantage​
Stats​
Power: 367bhp
Power: 553bhp​
Weight: 1130kg
Weight: 1970kg​
Price: 79,880 Cr.
Price: 448,000 Cr.​
Prize: No
Prize: No​
0-60: 4.848 seconds
0-60: 5.193 seconds​
0-100: 9.959 seconds
0-100: 9.946 seconds​
¼ mile: 13.092 seconds
¼ mile: 13.194 seconds​
1 mile: 31.443 seconds
1 mile: 31.323 seconds​
Max Speed: 190.8mph
Max Speed: 193.1mph​
Max G-Force: 0.63G
Max G-Force: 0.57G​
Drivetrain: FR
Drivetrain: FR​
Possible AI in: Nothing
Possible AI in: Supercar Festival​

This is gonna be a good comparison, I can tell. If you can see though, in terms of general characteristics, these two cars are perfect opposites to eachother despite a large number of similarities between them. For example, the colour I bought them in. Both blue. Yes, the TVR isn't just blue, but Chameleon Blue is Blue and that is it.

Let's start with the Speed 6. This isn't entirely the best thing to spend 80k almost on, in my opinion, but you could do a lot worse. The problem the Cerbera has is that, it simply doesn't quite slide enough for my liking.

TheTopGearTestTrack_4-2.jpg

Something with stats like this should be able to give tyres a real kicking, but here this one is actually rather grippy. This isn't bad obviously, but it makes having true fun a little harder. It certainly will slide, but you need to give it quite a bit to make it do that.

I also don't necessarily think this looks too awesome either. It's not bad but not great at all. The sound is also a bit of a fart too, I'm not keen on it at all. There are certainly many positives to this thing though, such as the low power to weight ratio this thing holds, with that light weight. What I think we should all have back though is the killer Cerbera LM of GT1 and 2: that thing was a true rocker back then.

Now, moving from our Cerbera...

TheTopGearTestTrack_3-2.jpg

to the Aston.

TheTopGearTestTrack_1-2.jpg

This does the job far better. Which is a surprise, because my previous memories from driving this in GT4 don't exactly follow what I believe now. Nor do the constant last places in Remote Races in this thing's caliber. I've seen this thing get goddamn lapped on Tsukuba, christ's sake...

...but if you're the one driving this thing, this becomes a true beast of power. A grossly high amount of power. Yes, it weighs nearly 2 tons, which is nearly ridiculous, but with the 550ish hp this thing has to haul, it could literally crush a monster truck with the corruption this thing's V8 can cause.

This thing slides to infinity and beyond, and with a superb soundtrack as well. The V8 was represented nearly perfectly here and the sound is overall superbly tuneful.

TheTopGearTestTrack-5.jpg

One thing I also must note is how awesome the freakin' horn on this thing is. It is completely the opposite of what this usually big, bad and henchman-worthy car is like. I mean, when you expect a horn that says threatening things in a deep voice but instead get a nice squeak that even leaves the Miura deaf and leaves the horn #112 extinct, that's laughable. Good marks there. 👍

Now though, we shall head to London instead to try these cars out some more.

London_6-3.jpg
London_3-2.jpg

London is far different to the Top Gear Test Track, despite them being in the same country. Indeed, for starters, everyone loves TGTT far more than London, seeing as London is more congested than...itself without the barriers here that stop traffic going over this part and cause more congestion out of this little bit. Smart call, PD. :P

Back to the Cerbera and it seems a bit more comfortable here to be honest. Here is a course that needs a tight turning circle to get around corners, and the Cerbera looks like it has a good 'un. It's not too wild here and as a result there's much less chance of getting it in a barrier. You can even still get it into some handbrake turns if you're confident enough...

London_5-1.jpg

The Vantage does not have this luxury. London is really not a course for cars like this that are mainly designed to slide and rock out D1GP-style competitions. Here, you have to try it under control, which is damn near impossible at times, especially if you've stepped off another circuit and gone and given it the beans everywhere there. The Vantage is far better the wider the track you're on, and probably vice versa for the Cerbera.

London_4-2.jpg
London_2-2.jpg

As another note, I think the V8 Vantage looks like a ute from some angles, and a Lancia 037 from others. And on the subject of utes...didn't you know Vauxhall are now selling one in the UK?

Vauxhall-Maloo-VXR.jpg

Based off the VXR8, that looks damn awesome I find. Now though, I'm getting off topic.

Which is better then? The more graceful but still brutal colour-shift Cerbera Speed 6? Or the brawn and no brains V8 Vantage?

I don't hate the Cerbera in any way, but compared to the V8 Vantage, it's pretty boring. It also looks worse and doesn't have as good a sound. The V8 Vantage, meanwhile, is just crazy. I would recommend picking one up, then sliding it like mad everywhere you can. If you want, why not try and fully mod it to about 900hp-ish, with no weight reduction, give it a massive bunch of transmission ratios (note: the stock ones on this will literally kill themselves come 6th gear), give it 10 camber, max toe, no ride height, max brakes and some British Racing Green paint? That's what I'd do if I were intending to find the most insane thing ever. So, can someone provide me with one of those?

London_7-2.jpg
London_1-1.jpg

Cerbera Score: 14/20
Vantage Score: 16/20


Pictures and writing by C-ZETA

London-2.jpg
 
RougeMotorSportsGarage 86 GT and Mazda Roadster
Been a while since I've done tunes of any sort, no?

TsukubaCircuit-4.jpg
TsukubaCircuit_6-2.jpg


RougeMotorSportsGarage 86 GT
RougeMotorSportsGarage Mazda Roadster​
Stats​
0-60: 5.770 seconds
0-60: 5.345 seconds​
0-100: 14.578 seconds
0-100: 11.679 seconds​
¼ mile: 14.435 seconds
¼ mile: 13.716 seconds​
1 mile: 36.181 seconds
1 mile: 33.333 seconds​
Max Speed: 146.8mph
Max Speed: 164.0mph​
Max G-Force: 0.74G
Max G-Force: 0.68G​
Drivetrain: FR
Drivetrain: FR​

obsessive rules is the man who owns this garage. And judging by the fact he is the fourth most postest man in this thread, he seems to be quite the fan. So it's only right that we give him some fan service for his benefit.

So, fans...here's some girls, to serve your needs!

...Lol, got you there. Still, you're probably hooked, so now I'll introduce you to the cars I've got of his. The 86 GT and the Mazda Roadster.

Let's try the Eightsix first.

TsukubaCircuit_1-3.jpg

This is a fairly light tune for the 8six, sort of like the stuff I do to most cars.
tumblr_lltzgnHi5F1qzib3wo1_400.jpg
I do have a GT86 tune though that is fairly more powerful than this, but either way, let's get into it.

This tune, it must be said, is a rather grippy one. It's not like what a GT86 should really be like, but it still does a great job at what it does. It has enough speed, and with this black metallic I gave it the car still looks so good that...it might as well be your fan service. There it is, my friends.

TsukubaCircuit_2-5.jpg

The sound is of course a boxer engine mated to a racing exhaust, and I am a personal fan of those sounds. I know that no one else is, because it sounds like nothing you could ever hear in real life, but it's just such a good sound IMO that it doesn't even matter how unrealistic it is. Like the CT230R, or Murcielago LP670-4 SV really.

Alas, this is still a little slow compared to some other stuff, seeing as the level of modification isn't that great. Still, I certainly wouldn't consider this a dud by any means. It certainly does the 86 justice, even if it loses slideability. It's a nice tune overall.

TsukubaCircuit_3-3.jpg

And now for his Mazda tune.

TsukubaCircuit_7-1.jpg

This is a good bit more extensive of a tune compared to the 86, and is more powerful and lighter, but the tyres are a grade lower. That means you would definitely be expecting sliding, and this does plenty of that.

TsukubaCircuit_8-2.jpg

This is a superbly easy car to get going at an angle through corners, and you might not even need the handbrake. I used the handbrake a rather large amount during my run with the car, but regardless this is certainly a top-class slider.

It's also rather fast. It has a small level of weight with a decent level of power, so it feels a lot faster than the average NC. The semi-racing exhaust also sounds quite tuneful, and the looks on this are still all good.

TsukubaCircuit_4-4.jpg
TsukubaCircuit_10-2.jpg

I have to say, there is some potential in obsessive rules as a tuner. Like many he likely won't get as much attention as the big tuners, but these kinds of tunes tell you a simple thing - never write off the underdog. Everyone started small before getting to a big level. I guess I might have well learned that over the course of my life here myself...this is another example of the statement.

TsukubaCircuit_5-3.jpg
TsukubaCircuit_11-2.jpg

86 GT Score: 13/20
Roadster Score: 15/20


Pictures and writing by C-ZETA
 
Two great reviews, well done once again. 👍

Even though the Vantange is a powerhouse beast that drifts like a madman, which is good, but I have to side with the TVR.

The Cerebra 6 is the sleekest car from the U.K. back in the 90's. And those curvy lines :drool:, one of my top 10 favorite UK cars. But it's a force to be reckoned with since it follows the rule "Less is more" with a lightweight chassis and a smaller engine to the brute of the V8 Vantange's V8, proves the rule on the London track.

Those are some good tunes I have to try on both cars, espically the NC Miata. But why put stickier tires on the 86? Unless it for time attack or curcit racing, the baby 86 with obsessive's tune could be excellent going sideways with.

This is going to you obsessive. ;)

But the cars are fantastic hands down. 👍
 
VspecZR1GT2RS89
Two great reviews, well done once again. 👍

Even though the Vantange is a powerhouse beast that drifts like a madman, which is good, but I have to side with the TVR.

The Cerebra 6 is the sleekest car from the U.K. back in the 90's. And those curvy lines :drool:, one of my top 10 favorite UK cars. But it's a force to be reckoned with since it follows the rule "Less is more" with a lightweight chassis and a smaller engine to the brute of the V8 Vantange's V8, proves the rule on the London track.

Those are some good tunes I have to try on both cars, espically the NC Miata. But why put stickier tires on the 86? Unless it for time attack or curcit racing, the baby 86 with obsessive's tune could be excellent going sideways with.

This is going to you obsessive. ;)

But the cars are fantastic hands down. 👍

403437_409998192358708_100000455917189_1371041_200758358_n.jpg

The parts needed for the evo. Sorry for the blur.
389580_409997965692064_100000455917189_1371040_382019591_n.jpg

The setup. I tried it and it's more drifty. Try it out ;)
I also made this yesterday
563631_409721379053056_100000455917189_1370251_1365324234_n.jpg
 
Last edited:
Wallbanger's Cafe & Outlaw Motorsports Garage’s Ginetta G4 “Holy Handgrenade”

We're using coconuts! But did they come from an African swallow or a European swallow?

There's only one way to find out...

...no there isn't.

TheTopGearTestTrack_1-3.jpg


Wallbanger's Cafe & Outlaw Motorsports Garage's Ginetta G4 "Holy Handgrenade"
Stats

0-60: 5.287 seconds
0-100: 10.257 seconds
¼ mile: 13.373 seconds
1 mile: 32.502 seconds
Max Speed: 148.1mph
Max G-Force: 0.58G
Drivetrain: FR

Bringing you another crazy car from the depths of normality...well, if something like this is normal to you when stock, it's XDesperado67, who has brought up a Ginetta G4 to be very silly and make Monty Python references. It's even the size of the average shoe! Even if that's not the particular one he's referencing here.

The Ginetta G4 is a bogey car for many tuners. It's one of those cars that is quite impossible to tune, because this has some unbelievable stats. It starts in the 90s with hp, but it's tripled here, which combined with the bad PP system, gives this thing a technically ridiculous 605PP maxed out. I have a tune for this myself, and the only difference in the parts list is the tyre grade, as this is on SS where as mine's on RS.

So anyway then...what's this one like?

TheTopGearTestTrack_2-4.jpg

I'll tell you. It's rather scary, to be honest.

It's like a W12 or a Furai but...it really, really isn't. It's almost sickening to think something this small could cause so much trouble, unlike those other two. It's just the most bizarre feeling you could ever think of from a car like this. It's very unorthodox.

But in the end, it's not terribad at all. It's not very fast despite the absolute lack of weight but it can hold its own somewhat.

On TGTT, it feels a lot more different to what it does on Trial Mountain, the place I first tried this tune for the Quest for the Holy Grail. Back there, I really couldn't drive it. Here though, it seemed a far easier proposition. It kind of shows that there is an argument for physics differences on different tarmac...I noticed it with my AdrenaTune HKS CT230R previously as well. So indeed, this G4 seems like it works far better on some tracks than others. Judging by the tranny setup it probably was setup for Trial Mountain, but it works better elsewhere, really. Not a bad gun, this.

Final Score: 12/20

Pictures and writing by C-ZETA
 
Formula Gran Turismo
Possibly the hardest thing to drive without TCS...in the world.

FujiSpeedwayF.jpg


Formula Gran Turismo
Stats

Power: 936bhp
Weight: 550kg
Price (Level): 5,000,000 Cr. (24)
Prize: No
0-60: 2.372 seconds
0-100: 3.742 seconds
¼ mile: 8.624 seconds
1 mile: 21.226 seconds
Max Speed: 222.0mph
Max G-Force: 1.20G
Drivetrain: MR
Possible AI in: Formula Gran Turismo World Championship

So here we have a rather fast white and purple car. Hey, those are the colours of PD themselves! And this is also their own custom Formula racer, the Formula Gran Turismo name. You expected it to be called something else?

This is an incredibly powerful car, and has the second highest power-to-weight ratio of any car in this game behind the X series. So you would imagine this would be a very fast thing.

And it is, but it's also an incredibly complex car to get into and drive. As a matter of fact, if you're really brave, you could technically use this as a top class drifter. I know I tried at some point on this run. Of course now I've said that the drift forum is gonna come into this and hit me with objects for using a stupid car for their cute little hobby.

FujiSpeedwayF_1.jpg

But either way, aside from the bad handling, which is probably down to less downforce than, say, the two Ferrari F1s, this is immensely fast. 0-100 takes no time whatsoever, nor does a 1/4 mile. And nor does 1 mile, if I'm honest...the transmission is rigged to give max performance out of corners, but it's much for the better of this thing. It can also be said this is one of the standard cars with a cockpit, being an open-wheel and therefore getting such a luxury. I have to say that the cockpit in it does look very good, and they even animate the paddle-shift in it as well. None of the stuff works, but still...

One thing that almost certainly bugs me about this car though is the one event you see it in, which is the Formula Gran Turismo World Championship, of course. This is the only non-enduro A-Spec event I have not completed yet. It is just such a marathon to try and keep on driving this thing for 20 laps of Fuji, Indy, Monaco, the Nurb, Monza and Suzuka. I have only golded Fuji and Indy - I tried Monaco and couldn't get to the front, and just went and backed out from there. It really is a complete nuisance of an event. B-Spec is fine, of course, because I don't have to work there.

FujiSpeedwayF_2.jpg

So then. The FGT. Certainly not the best car to drive in this game, but certainly ridiculously fast. It's also rather overused online, it must be said, coming up alongside the X series in the 9-year old trolling brigade's race to find the top car to have 'fun' in. :rolleyes: I must also say before I finish this, I like the looks on this thing a lot. This is rather colour dependant as with the Citroen GT Race Car, but this white/purple shows off all this lovely bodywork so well. I think it looks better than any of the other three Formula-related racers in this game, so there's one other positive to this thing. Still, I'd just take something like an FTO to drive around a track, not this.

Final Score: 14/20
 
Nissan Silvia Spec-R Aero (S15) '02
As requested by DK. I'd so much have preferred this in blue though. Or yellow. Or white. Or silver. Maybe black, I dunno

SuzukaCircuit.jpg


Nissan Silvia Spec-R Aero (S15) '02
Stats

Power: 250bhp
Weight: 1240kg
Price (Level): 25,600 Cr. (3)
Prize: No
0-60: 6.011 seconds
0-100: 14.440 seconds
¼ mile: 14.645 seconds
1 mile: 35.909 seconds
Max Speed: 166.5mph
Max G-Force: 0.61G
Drivetrain: FR
Possible AI in: Japanese Championship, Grand Valley 300km

Everyone loves the Silvia. Drifters, draggers, drivers, dancers, dentists, directors, divers, drillers, doctors, detectives, designers and just about anything else I haven't thought of beginning with D. Yup. It's a well loved car, for sure.

This is the S15, and among Silvia's, I find it to be one of my favourites. I have three tunes for the entire S15 series alone, and this was the base for my first released tune which became an RM based on Super GT300 specs, like the C-West Razo Silvia, which is my personal favourite of all the GT300s in the series by the way. Stuff like the HKS Silvia is somewhat shabby, but I don't dislike the Silvia as a series in the slightest.

Compared to the oldest Silvia in the game, the CSP311, this is a lot faster, although not as luxurious. That is 37 years older than this though, to be fair. The Silvia 240RS is a lot more boxy but more insane, and more Italian. The S13 is my personal least favourite of the series, seeing as it looks just too plain for me. That's not to discount from the amount of modification you can do to one, but they're way too common here. They are very cheap normally though and I recently picked one as my starter for a new save in GT1, with great success. The S14 was OK but somewhat dull. Indeed, I think it looked alright, but it didn't feel that good for me. So how does this S15 compare?

SuzukaCircuit_1-1.jpg

Well, I'd consider it my favourite of the S series for certain. This thing has got some decent soul in it, and some decent sliding in it too. As would be expected from a Silvia - it's a good job Toyota now are making the GT86 for us to get some similar feelings like this again.

It's not terribly fast, though 6 seconds from 0-60 is certainly good. It's got plenty of top speed as well, but really, speed is not the true strong point of this Silvia. As I've said, it's the driving and it does a good job of it.

However, I never really can consider this Silvia as a favourite of mine. There isn't enough of what it does, and this is where the tuning comes into play. There are plenty of tunes for this particular Silvia out there. It probably needs a good bit more but there are many replicas of other Silvias out there and some custom mods from big makes, such as Praiano, RVR, MCT and...myself.

SuzukaCircuit_2-1.jpg

We aren't testing one of those tunes though. This is a stock model, and if I'm honest, you can do better when stock. For example, you could actually get one of the 276hp Japanese cars to do much better damage here - for instance, Nissan's own Skyline GT-R. In fact, I think this has a body with design cues from an R33...and that's good, because that's the best looking Skyline. And because it's a completely different model, it isn't a shameless fake like the Skyline GT-S models from the R32. That's very good, certainly, because I cannot stand the GT-S models whatsoever.

However, the stuff this Silvia provides isn't to be ignored. This is certainly a good car to drive, though you need a pretty wide track to get the best of its free-sliding ability. This is one of Nissan's greater hits in their history, but I'm not sure I'd want to use one constantly.

SuzukaCircuit_3.jpg

Final Score: 13/20

Pictures and writing by C-ZETA
 
Evolved08's White Civic
An anonymous Championship White Honda Civic Type R '08 was sent to me.

TokyoR246_1-1.jpg


Evolved08's White Civic
Stats

Power: ---
Weight: ---
0-60: 5.903 seconds
0-100: 12.872 seconds
¼ mile: 14.261 seconds
1 mile: 34.899 seconds
Max Speed: 162.2mph
Max G-Force: 0.55G
Drivetrain: FF

Yeah, I couldn't find any possible reading of power or weight on this thing. Either that, or I just forgot them. In fact, it's almost certainly the latter. Sorry.

So I got sent this Honda Civic by Evolved08, leaving a message behind, saying "It's not too fast, but it handles and grips pretty well". Could this be true?

Let's find out.

TokyoR246_2-1.jpg

So once I was out on Tokyo R246, I realised that his idea of the lack of speed was somewhat correct. It's just about a level above the Silvia I reviewed above, which means it isn't slow, but not that fast.

So about the handling. Well, it just seems to be one thing that too many FFs seem to suffer from, and that is understeer. It's still pretty much here, I'm afraid. The catch is, around Tokyo R246, the less speed through the corner, the more prominent the understeer looked but the faster the corner, the more the understeer made itself actually felt, even if it wasn't there. So this seems like it still has the big problems of an FF.

The driving experience is not bad. The engine is still a VTEC has turned on, hi engine but it has now gone to 9000rpm with the mods (and to the tip of the onboard rev gauge too. The onboard stuff looks quite cool but the view itself isn't good). It has a sports exhaust to give it all the buzz of the average bee, although I can say there wasn't any chassis changes bar a rigidity improvement. Was that necessary, though?

TokyoR246_3-1.jpg

This thing has a new LSD and a new suspension, but the changes aren't that big, save for a big upping of the brake balance controller. I haven't really driven one of these FD (?) Civics in a while but they're still as I largely remember them. I really still want the Type R here, but now there's a new Civic and the Type R got outlawed by emissions regulations here earlier, so...yeah. Sad.

So Evolved's effort at tuning has been a not bad one, not for my first impression of him anyway but he still needs perhaps some work getting FFs to work perfectly. We saw krenkme taming 600hp Dodge SRT4s so surely a Civic with about 280hp shouldn't be too terribad...I want a bit more from this man.

Final Score: 11/20

TokyoR246_4.jpg

Pictures and writing by C-ZETA
 
Back