Anyone else like me?

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SandStorm

SandStorm

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I can complete the long series with the fast cars no worries, and win by like a lap, but when it comes to the slower cars, ie the Vitz ( :banghead: ), I'm at a loss. I can't hold a candle to those other Vitzes.

Anyone else like this?
 
Same over here . But its pretty nice though , for a change , instead of driving fast cars against GT3's lacking of competitive AI ( which I'm not happy with ) , you get to drive these Vitz/Yaris or whatever . The competition is much closer , and very very good. It really puts the stress in you . And you gotta have the best tuned vehicle to win the cup .
 
It's called an "Echo" in Australia. I've got the settings for the Yaris Race, but by the middle of the first lap, the cars were like 10 seconds ahead of me! :eek:

Perhaps I'm just not skilled enough. Maybe I should drive around in Arcade for a bit. 💡
 
Hey its OK . I suck at driving slow cars in GT3 too. I've no time to hone my driving skills ( exam !!! ) and my TV is busted up so I can't play my PS2. Its been about 3 months now since I last played GT3.
 
You sad person. 3 months without GT3 and I'd go mad. Mad, I tells ya, MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!!!!111!!1 Heeheheheeeheheehehim goin mad!!!11!!1
 
Originally posted by SandStorm
You sad person. 3 months without GT3 and I'd go mad. Mad, I tells ya, MAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD!!!!111!!1 Heeheheheeeheheehehim goin mad!!!11!!1
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Just to tell you , I'm in a mental hospital now :p 3 months without GT3 is causing me a rare disease called "NoGT3" . Seriously , its driving me up the wall. So the only way for me to waste time is to come online . Thank god GTPlanet is here .
 
Originally posted by SandStorm
It's called an "Echo" in Australia. I've got the settings for the Yaris Race, but by the middle of the first lap, the cars were like 10 seconds ahead of me! :eek:

Perhaps I'm just not skilled enough. Maybe I should drive around in Arcade for a bit. 💡
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You should probably spend some time in the Arcade Free Run tuning the car. Play with the suspension settings to make it handle more according to your driving style, but most importantly, you should make sure that you drive smoothly and cleanly. In the underpowered cars, momentum is everything.

I suppose it's a case of practise, practise.
 
It's also a case of momentum, or having to keep momentum through the corners. Because in a fast car you can easily gain momentum again, wheras a slow car will be harder to get up to speed. Although a good Idea would be as Giles said to practice your setups and play around with the suspension gearing to suit your driving style. If not improve your driving style by actually doing the licences. :p Not using GTC to give you them. :D
 
Originally posted by Red Eye Racer
Cars under 800hp suck...... where's the intensity?
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Well, I disagree here. Maybe I'm just not a Type-A personality, but I really enjoyed the close racing at the beginning levels, and I'm actually looking forward to the Vitz/Yaris/Echo series for some close action. I think it can be very intense without requiring 800hp on tap. Knowing I've got to be smooth and clean and crisp is intense enough, without it being a test of raw reaction time.

Maybe it is because my background comes from some limited autocrossing, and a circle of friends who are Showroom Stock amateur road racers in real life. To say those guys can't drive because they're racing Neons and Proteges rather than 935s is doing them a great disservice.

In answer to the original question, SandStorm, the others have covered it pretty well. Practice and calm control are the key. Use the softest tires you can that will last the whole race without pitting (except for enduros, of course), and practice the course in free run. This will teach you not to rely on excessive grip and not pitting is usually a big advantage in any race.

The other thing is this: start with handling mods and weight reduction rather than power. Take the best advantage you can of the availale power before you add more. On the tires I mentioned above, head for free run on the course in question, then practice practice practice. Some people cna jump in and go, but I find I do better after I can establish a rhythm and really get into a groove (as best I can, anyway). I really prefer the enduros and the longer races in Pro, because there is time to settle in and focus.

Make small adjustments until the car suits your driving style, and until your driving style suits the car. Both have to change to meet in the middle. You have to learn where you are overdriving the car and where you are not using all of its potential. You also have to see how you can make the car better support you and fiddle it until it does. If you have suspension tuning questions, hit the Settings board. There are a lot of people with good suggestions there as I'm sure you know. There's no shame in asking questions and starting good discussions.

Good luck! Learning how to get the most out of lower-power cars will help your high-power driving, too. It's definitely worth the effort.
 
Originally posted by Red Eye Racer
Cars under 800hp suck...... where's the intensity?
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damn right! :D

the only reason i race(d) slow cars was to complete levels or gain money so i could drive REAL cars! :D heh

paul
 
The only problem with the 1000 hp beasts is theres no Drag strip in the game to see their full potential.
 
Originally posted by neon_duke
without it being a test of raw reaction time.
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That's exactly what I love,... one false move, and you lose. No room for error.
 
Originally posted by Red Eye Racer
That's exactly what I love,... one false move, and you lose. No room for error.
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But the same can be just as true with slower cars. If you don't take a turn perfectly and squeeze every mile an hour out of the exit, you'll never catch the competition on the following straight.

Just my opinion. I like racing the rockets, too, but I don't have anything against the slow cars. It's all about being evenly power-matched with the AI, no matter what the power level.
 
Use the softest tires you can that will last the whole race without pitting
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dont you mean the hardest tyres the soft ones (the t1's) wear out too quickly the t8's are the long lasters:rolleyes:
 
Originally posted by bondy_1625
dont you mean the hardest tyres the soft ones (the t1's) wear out too quickly the t8's are the long lasters:rolleyes:
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No, I meant just what I said. T2 Super Slicks are the hardest, longest-lasting racing tires with the least grip. They are also the slowest to warm up. T8 Super Softs are the softest, shortest-lasting racing tires with the most grip. They warm up right away but they only last about 3 laps, if that.

You should use the softest tires you can (for most grip) that have a long enough life to last the whole race (so you don't have to pit). This usually means T3s or T4s for a 10-lapper (depending on car and track) or T2s for the 15-lap races.
 
I finished the Vitz series in professional last night, and found it to be relatively easy, once I set the car up right. I am running the pink (don't laugh, I didn't choose the color :lol: ) 1.5RS that I won way back in the beginning of the game (because prize cars seem to have a couple more HP than the ones you buy).

Anyway, my car had all the available mods. The way I set the car up (starting from the defaults) was to turn the limited slip effect all the way down for deceleration (allowed the car to turn-in very sharply) Increased its effect on acceleration to 45, lowered the car as low as it could go, upped the spring rates by 1kg in the front and 2kg in the rear, and stiffened the rear sway bar to setting 3. I don't remember what gear setting I chose, but when it came time for the test track, my Vitz was hitting just over 160 on the straights. I was running T5 medium tires, and would have to pit once in each 10 lap race (usually at lap 6). The computer cars were also pitting once. On the test track, I went to T2 tires so I didn't have to pit at all.

Qualifying is more important in these closer races, as well. Keep in mind that your first qualifying lap will probably be your slowest, especially if you run harder tires than T5's. Once the tires get light green or yellow, I find my lap times dropping nicely. I usually turn my fastest lap times in a race the lap before I have to pit. Anyway, qualify on the pole (even if it takes you six or seven laps to do so) so that all you have to do is hold off your opponents until your tires warm up (usually the first or second lap). Then enjoy beating their asses... :D

One other thing you can do to insure that you win the championship is to race dirty, and make sure the same car doesn't finish second all the time, getting closer in points. In the third race (the test track), I was so much faster than the other cars that by lap 5, I was lapping the field. I used this as an opportunity to make sure that the white Vitz (who was second in the points with two second places) finished dead last in that race. I did this by pushing the slower cars past him, and then by getting in front of him and stopping with the handbrake. I made him fall back far enough that he could catch the draft of the leaders anymore. :lol: Then all I needed was a third place finish in the fourth race (Special Stage 11 II) to win the series. (I got second, by just 1.4 seconds, and I didn't bother qualifying, otherwise it would have been an easy win)
 
neurokinetik, if you're running your fastest lap the lap before you pit, then there's something wrong with your tyre strategy. You should be aiming to run the tyres through the sweet spot, and then pit, once your lap times start to get worse again.

You may want to rethink the tyres you're running, to try and get this sweet spot to run out around mid-distance. Run some laps in Free Run to see how the lap time comes down, then starts to go back up again.
 
Hey, neurokinetik, hello and welcome to GTPlanet! A good race story from you. If you haven't already, check out the Writeups board and share some other post-race tales.

Ask good questions and give good answers... and enjoy your stay here at GTP.
 
Originally posted by neon_duke
No, I meant just what I said. T2 Super Slicks are the hardest, longest-lasting racing tires with the least grip. They are also the slowest to warm up. T8 Super Softs are the softest, shortest-lasting racing tires with the most grip. They warm up right away but they only last about 3 laps, if that.

You should use the softest tires you can (for most grip) that have a long enough life to last the whole race (so you don't have to pit). This usually means T3s or T4s for a 10-lapper (depending on car and track) or T2s for the 15-lap races.
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OH sorry misread!:O
 
Well, i had the maxed out mods on the Vitz, and let me tell you this race was quite challenging...Very hard, and a good change from the rocket cars...never do a practice in free run with an F1 and then do this series though, trust me ;)
 
All right, that's it! I'm not even going to finish the Spyder Cup - it's time to pull the cover off the Pitz and fire her up. I don't even remember what I've done to the wee beastie, but I'm going to sink the pink tonight!

PS to Bondy - no problem. Didn't mean to be short with you.
 
Well, follow the advice several people gave earlier in this thread! It really will help, both in the 'weaker' cars and the race machines.
 
Originally posted by neon_duke
Well, follow the advice several people gave earlier in this thread! It really will help, both in the 'weaker' cars and the race machines.
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Must Wholeheartedly Agree w/Duke:

:D I didn't "grow up" w/the GT series (or any other video games for that matter.) When first exposed to GT3 I naturally wanted to drive the fastest cars I could. After a very short time I got in a Mini Cooper to show another "Newbie" (boy I hate that word!!!) how much I'd learned.
Very Interesting!!! I learned in short order how LITTLE I actually knew as the slow cars are VERY SENSITIVE to maintaining the PROPER LINE & KEEPING YOUR MOMENTUM UP. Spent a few sessions "re-educating" myself & am sure it made me a much better driver overall.

MORAL: Don't fear or despise the "Putt-Putt" cars, use them to your advantage!!!...UB57
:D
 
I think most people start out not liking to race with no car advantage but this is what makes the game good. It would be weak if we finished all races in an F1.

In general for FF cars you need to test a few things (well I did).

1. Test accelerating early around corners and accelerating late. I thought I was accelerating late enough in the Vitz race but was still getting massive understeer, if I took my foot (finger) off the gas I had decent oversteer. This is obviously due to the setup. I could actually coast quickly around corners with Kodiak's setup ie quicker than accelerating so I was actually gaining time by coasting.

2. Test the extremes ie low ride height and high suspension values at front back, then high ride height and low suspension values front and back and then front one way and back the other and vice versa. One of these 4 extremes will probably point you in the right direction for your driving style. And I believe it all depends when you brake and accelerate when cornering.
 
Originally posted by DODGE the VIPER
Well, i had the maxed out mods on the Vitz, and let me tell you this race was quite challenging...Very hard, and a good change from the rocket cars...never do a practice in free run with an F1 and then do this series though, trust me ;)
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Good point. Make sure you do at least a few laps in the slower cars to become accustomed to the slow speed, otherwise you will brake way to early and wonder why your times are slow. I did.
 
Winning with high power is easy....winning with low power requires skills !!!!!
 
eh..I used to be like that...but then after some more practice...i'm ok...its not that hard now...to race against the slower cars....
 
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