Advice? Ford Focus Suzuka 550PP

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Hawkeye07871
Hello, I need help on my tune for the expert race at 550PP on Suzuka Circuit.The car I am driving is a Ford Focus ST '06.

Here's the Tune:

Power: 237 (+9)
Weight 1358 (95%)
Tires R3's
Ride Height: -11/-10
Spring Rate 7/6
Dampers 5/5
Toe -0.06/+0.06
Camber 1.6/1.6
Brake Balance 5/3
Turning Angle 40
Traction Control 2
ABS off
Finial Gear 4.813

With this set up during races I run lap times anywhere between 2:25:xxx-2:27xxx

Any help with this tune would be very appreciated.
 
You'll be faster if you turn TCS off. Yes you will have to be a bit more gentle with the throttle but TCS kills fwd cars.
 
Turn off TCS, turn ABS back on. ABS won't make you faster... in fact, it makes some people marginally slower, though if you're running 2:25, you don't have to worry about that... but at least it'll make your laps more consistent.

I don't know how your handling balance is, but I'd suspect it tends towards understeer in the esses... I'd sacrifice some rear grip for adjustability. I like to run a stagger set. And with the length of this track, downgrading to R1s or R2s for some extra power doesn't hurt. Going for nothing but power is counterproductive, though... as you won't be able to hold that 200+ km/h 13R turn without some grip, and grippier cars will eat you up in the esses.

Generally, you'll want your gears so that 2nd pulls clear to 100 or so (for the hairpin), 3rd goes a bit further, and 4th is around 140-150 for the esses. Balance 5th and 6th for a mix of acceleration and top-end down those loooong straights.

I dunno how you like it, but I like my springing a little softer and my damping a little harder. Too much spring and you won't be able to hook up properly when banging off of curbs.

I generally run sloppy 2:19s and can hit 2:18s on occassion, using a dualshock. I'm not anywhere near the fastest guy on NTSC, but I do all right.

If the reason you're leaving TCS on is for the launch, here's a tip... map out your RA functions on the controller so you can toggle TCS in-race. I generally put them on the D-Pad. I turn TCS to 1 for the start, and turn it off for the rest of the race. Also helps to have these functions if, for some reason, you want to change your brake balance for better controllability or more flickability.
 
Turn off TCS, turn ABS back on. ABS won't make you faster... in fact, it makes some people marginally slower, though if you're running 2:25, you don't have to worry about that... but at least it'll make your laps more consistent.

I don't know how your handling balance is, but I'd suspect it tends towards understeer in the esses... I'd sacrifice some rear grip for adjustability. I like to run a stagger set. And with the length of this track, downgrading to R1s or R2s for some extra power doesn't hurt. Going for nothing but power is counterproductive, though... as you won't be able to hold that 200+ km/h 13R turn without some grip, and grippier cars will eat you up in the esses.

Generally, you'll want your gears so that 2nd pulls clear to 100 or so (for the hairpin), 3rd goes a bit further, and 4th is around 140-150 for the esses. Balance 5th and 6th for a mix of acceleration and top-end down those loooong straights.

I dunno how you like it, but I like my springing a little softer and my damping a little harder. Too much spring and you won't be able to hook up properly when banging off of curbs.

I generally run sloppy 2:19s and can hit 2:18s on occassion, using a dualshock. I'm not anywhere near the fastest guy on NTSC, but I do all right.

If the reason you're leaving TCS on is for the launch, here's a tip... map out your RA functions on the controller so you can toggle TCS in-race. I generally put them on the D-Pad. I turn TCS to 1 for the start, and turn it off for the rest of the race. Also helps to have these functions if, for some reason, you want to change your brake balance for better controllability or more flickability.


Thanks for the help, and the i'll definitely turn TCS off. Also, is there a reason why everyone seems to run a Honda Integra on that specific race?
 
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Thanks for the help, and the i'll definitely turn TCS off. Also, is there a reason why everyone seems to run a Honda Integra on that specific race?

Cause the teg is the bad boy of the ff world. Like a second a lap faster at suzuka with equal pps.
 
At first, it is... with tuning, you can get the other cars to go pretty fast, but the Integra is relatively easy to tune fast out of the box. And stock-to-stock, it's the fastest. (edging out the Focus by a bit). Makes sense to start with the best platform and tune from there.

But some of those PAL guys are running 2:17s with Swifts and Focii. The Swift, I can hardly believe... the Focus, it's possible. I got a tune that would bring the Atenza to 2:18s, but it's nearly undriveable online (lag plus twitchiness = no fun).

I've always felt that the Focus was the best weapon in FF. It's heavier by default than the Integra, so it's harder for punters to shove you into the weeds. It has more torque, which means better out-of-corner acceleration, and it's pointier. Once you reach the limits of tuning, you'll note that the Integra is all or nothing. The rear end either grips and grips and grips or lets go. The Focus is just a bit more mobile in this regard, but about as stable as the Integra.

And it's just so much fun to beat people with an underdog car. Which is why sometimes, I still use the Atenza. :lol:
 
Cause the teg is the bad boy of the ff world. Like a second a lap faster at suzuka with equal pps.

I run mid-high 17s with the Mini as well as the Integra, for what that's worth (little). R2/R1 split on both. Haven't tried the Ford yet.

And Re: starts...I adjust first gear such that I can do a full-throttle redline launch with no more than one car length of wheelspin, no TCS.
 
At first, it is... with tuning, you can get the other cars to go pretty fast, but the Integra is relatively easy to tune fast out of the box. And stock-to-stock, it's the fastest. (edging out the Focus by a bit). Makes sense to start with the best platform and tune from there.

But some of those PAL guys are running 2:17s with Swifts and Focii. The Swift, I can hardly believe... the Focus, it's possible. I got a tune that would bring the Atenza to 2:18s, but it's nearly undriveable online (lag plus twitchiness = no fun).

I've always felt that the Focus was the best weapon in FF. It's heavier by default than the Integra, so it's harder for punters to shove you into the weeds. It has more torque, which means better out-of-corner acceleration, and it's pointier. Once you reach the limits of tuning, you'll note that the Integra is all or nothing. The rear end either grips and grips and grips or lets go. The Focus is just a bit more mobile in this regard, but about as stable as the Integra.

And it's just so much fun to beat people with an underdog car. Which is why sometimes, I still use the Atenza. :lol:

Yea thanks for the great answer and I have been tuning my car and I fixed the handling problem pretty well, but i'm curious to know what kind of top speeds do you guys get on the straights. Because I reset the gearing, and I was really getting nowhere with it when I was messing with it before.
 
Yea thanks for the great answer and I have been tuning my car and I fixed the handling problem pretty well, but i'm curious to know what kind of top speeds do you guys get on the straights. Because I reset the gearing, and I was really getting nowhere with it when I was messing with it before.

Between Spoon and the 130R, I was getting about 210-215 km/h (130-5 mph).

That would be using a not-too-good setup (lap time 2:19.0).
 
210-215... goes down to about 190-200 if you sacrifice grip for top end (to get 230 or more on the main straight). You don't need to gear more for 220 if you have a high-grip set-up, but if you have a lower grip set-up and more power, you can try for 235-240, and slipstream and overtake on the straights.
 
just wondering... are you racing solo or against opponents in your ff car?
solo, the integra is by far the best. it has the acceleration and power needed to power out of turns but can be lightened to the point where it can brake later.
with opponents, i have to say the focus is better just because it can kinda bounce off other cars better than the integra.
 
just wondering... are you racing solo or against opponents in your ff car?
solo, the integra is by far the best. it has the acceleration and power needed to power out of turns but can be lightened to the point where it can brake later.
with opponents, i have to say the focus is better just because it can kinda bounce off other cars better than the integra.


I am racing against other racers online.
 
in that case, go with the focus. dont be afraid to jostle around with other cars, because the focus can take it. think about this: gt5 is very realistic. In real life, Ford managed to put 295 hp through the same chassis. the st can handle extra power, so online, you should use tuning to really help your results.
 
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