Anyone have some endurance tips?

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h2g2guy
I'll be embarking on the 1000km Suzuka race in about 30 hours in a stock Honda NSX. I'm planning on some rather conservative, 2:05-2:06 laps in 23-lap stints on racing softs (yeah, yeah, I know, they're unrealistic).

While I've done all of the previous endurance races, I still consider myself as a beginner with enduros, because I accidentally chose extremely overpowered cars for all those that I've already done.

So can anyone give me general tips for enduros, and/or specific tips for this race? Even just basic strategies, like how to conserve tires/fuel, how often to pit, how much fuel to add when pitting, ANYTHING can help. I can't find a single, comprehensive strategy guide for GT5 on the web; guides for GT4 exist, but they mostly say 'use B-spec'!

Thanks!
 
Check which cars are entering, take the same as one of them (or the same as the rabbit car if there is one), undertune it or use tyres that are worse, and try to make the tyres last a lap longer as they do.

That's my strategy at least :)
 
Well for races that have lap limits instead of time I always use an insanely fast car because it takes much less time and its a guaranteed win. To get the "real" endurance experience, check the opposing car list for the event and choose a car within the range of PP. Then use tires that correspond to the car's type (race car, street car, etc).

-Use street tires if you can, as they last longer than racing tires on lower performance cars (pretty much anything that isn't a race car, but use your judgement). They have more understeer, which is the downside to them.

-Drive a practice stint in practice mode or in the race itself. The tires always (I think) run out faster than the the fuel. Calculate how much fuel you use in a stint and add a certain amount each time so you run out of tire grip just as you are getting low on fuel. This will make pit stops shorter as you will spend less time refuling the car.

-Don't push your car too hard. This will decrease tire life.
 
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so youre using a stock tuning setup [horrible] with racing softs [horrible]. I wouldnt have a minute of fun if i did that. grab a tuning setup and use racing hards, your laptimes shouldnt drop off since the car is underpowered anyways.
 
I set tc to 3 or 4, this helps conserve tyres by reducing any wheel spin, I don't use tc normally just in endurance races.
 
If you go to it and it's raining leave and try again. If its raining or rains during the race it can add an extra 2hours or so to your overall time :/
 
I'd say don't get too tied up in how many laps you want to achieve in a stint just pit as soon as you feel the tyres considerably wearing. That way you should have more concentration on your whole stint rather than worrying how little grip you tyres have towards the end of a longer stint where the chance of making a mistake increases as well.
 
As mentioned, use a car which is similar or slightly underpowered compared to the competition. Buy most of the tires available. If u find urself messing up the laps, switch to racing soft to gain time. Whenever u want close racing, switch to sports hard or whichever u feel challenged in. I tried pushing tires to almost bald or conservative driving to reduce pitstops. I find it faster to push tires to limits and then pit way before laptimes slow drastically. that means more pitstop but it is overall faster for me. Btw NSX is a tough car to drive with sports hard for me so try it before starting on long enduro.
 
Wow, lots of advice from lots of people! Thanks everybody!

Let me first say that the plan that I had came from more than a few hours of practice. I find that the other cars start pitting at 23 laps, and I can manage exactly 23 laps that are around my target time on one set of racing softs.

Let me also apologize, because maybe I wasn't clear. I'm using the EPSON NSX, not the street NSX.

My goal is to get the 'real endurance experience'. That's the main reason I'm asking for your help, because this is the first time in an endurance that I'm using a car that is less powerful and slightly heavier than the 'rabbit' car.

Check which cars are entering, take the same as one of them (or the same as the rabbit car if there is one), undertune it or use tyres that are worse, and try to make the tyres last a lap longer as they do.

That's my strategy at least :)

I couldn't find a SUPER GT car, but I did find three other racing spec NSX's lower in the grid, so that's why I figured I'd use this car.

The most interesting thing to me about your comment is the 'make the tires last a lap longer' advice. Is that because you always want to have better tires than the competition? Or are you aiming for one fewer pit stop than the other cars?

I'll definitely give this a try today.

To get the "real" endurance experience, check the opposing car list for the event and choose a car within the range of PP. Then use tires that correspond to the car's type (race car, street car, etc).

-Use street tires if you can, as they last longer than racing tires on lower performance cars (pretty much anything that isn't a race car, but use your judgement). They have more understeer, which is the downside to them.

-Drive a practice stint in practice mode or in the race itself. The tires always (I think) run out faster than the the fuel. Calculate how much fuel you use in a stint and add a certain amount each time so you run will run out of tire grip just as you are getting low on fuel. This will make pit stops shorter as you will spend less time refuling the car.

-Don't push your car too hard. This will decrease tire life.

I would consider this car a 'racing car', and I think that if I use tires any worse than these, I'll fall to the back of the pack in no time flat. I'm going to be running a bunch of practice stints today if possible, so I'll still give this a try.

Your fuel advice is something that I certainly will take, though, because I've been filling my tank every time. Also, is the weight of the fuel a factor in Gran Turismo physics? Just another possible added benefit :)

The conservative driving thing is perhaps the biggest lesson I had to learn for this race. Before I started slowing down and pacing myself, I was getting no more than 13 laps out of these tires!

so youre using a stock tuning setup [horrible] with racing softs [horrible]. I wouldnt have a minute of fun if i did that. grab a tuning setup and use racing hards, your laptimes shouldnt drop off since the car is underpowered anyways.

Actually, the challenge provided by an underpowered, overweight car tuned to near-real-life specifications, where the only benefit I have is more grip than my competitors has proven to be an intriguing, and rather entertaining challenge for me.

I set tc to 3 or 4, this helps conserve tyres by reducing any wheel spin, I don't use tc normally just in endurance races.

This makes a lot of sense, but I'm adding this element of challenge to my race.

If you go to it and it's raining leave and try again. If its raining or rains during the race it can add an extra 2hours or so to your overall time :/

Aww, but where's the fun in playing God? :) Fortunately I won't be under any real time constraints tomorrow, so an extra two hours won't kill me.

I'd say don't get too tied up in how many laps you want to achieve in a stint just pit as soon as you feel the tyres considerably wearing. That way you should have more concentration on your whole stint rather than worrying how little grip you tyres have towards the end of a longer stint where the chance of making a mistake increases as well.

Hmm, this strategy is in direct contrast with the first one, but two of you mention it. I assume you're suggesting pushing the car as hard as possible, as well?

With this car, since I don't forsee gaining a full minute lead on the competition in 13 laps, the only benefit I can really see for this strategy is the ability to go slightly faster and shorter pit stops. But wouldn't doubling the number of pit stops really limit those benefits?

Again, everyone, thank you for all the advice! Anyone else have tips for me?
 
Just keep thinking to yourself, "if I do it now I won't have to do it again," and "Just do it and get it over with".
 
Just keep thinking to yourself, "if I do it now I won't have to do it again," and "Just do it and get it over with".


:lol: just started my last endurance ,,

24 hour sarthe ,,,a spec

love the other one

going to be a very long 24 hours

not a chance of getting my wheel out ,,

hate it ,,hate it ,,
 
Just keep thinking to yourself, "if I do it now I won't have to do it again," and "Just do it and get it over with".

...why would you do it if you don't want to do it??? I just don't get the point of being a completionist :)

:lol: just started my last endurance ,,

24 hour sarthe ,,,a spec

love the other one

going to be a very long 24 hours

not a chance of getting my wheel out ,,

hate it ,,hate it ,,

See above.
 
Just keep thinking to yourself, "if I do it now I won't have to do it again," and "Just do it and get it over with".

Good way to ensure that you won't have any fun.

The enduros are the ONLY races in all of A-Spec, including the Seasonals, which allow you to actually treat GT5 like it is a racing game. There are no other official GT5 single player events in which you can race against the AI.

Because of that, with a little effort on your part, they have the potential to be the most fun you can have offline while earning money. Find a balance to be running almost the same times as the bots and even the Tsukuba races can be a blast.

It's just a shame there aren't more of them, especially in the 1-4 hour range, so there would be something fun to do after completing A-Spec.


On-Topic: Make sure to buy all three compounds of race tires before starting. You might find out the RS's are too much after settling in and with lighter fuel loads.
 
Hi
i'm right now in the middle of the 1000km endurance(lap 90). I'm doing 20 min/10 laps stints on racing softs. Best lap 1:56:4xx, most laps are1:58 to 2:00. So the "fun" will be over in 3 hours ;-)
took thee the xanavi gt-r 08
hope this helps, overall you'll be done in 6hours
greets
stereoandi
 
Don't forget to map the RA function to your wheel or pad so that you can control the TC and brake balance mid race when it starts raining.👍
 
I'll second the suggestion to base your pit strategy on tire wear, and adjust the refueling to suit accordingly. Racing softs will not likely last half a tank, and there is a difference in tire wear from fuel weight. In your instance I would start out with a full tank, and then run stints on only half a tank until 2 stops from the end.
 
-Drive a practice stint in practice mode or in the race itself. The tires always (I think) run out faster than the the fuel. Calculate how much fuel you use in a stint and add a certain amount each time so you run will run out of tire grip just as you are getting low on fuel. This will make pit stops shorter as you will spend less time refuling the car.

-Don't push your car too hard. This will decrease tire life.

👍👍 use the race itself for a practice then check replay. Switch to the other cars in the replay to see what tyres the field is using. I usually use one compound less than the AI.
Also the fuel will make a difference in some cars I am currently doing the Laguna Enduro in the premium mustang and i am getting a lot less understeer now that most of my fuel is depleted. After my first stint 30 litres came up for refuel so i will try to keep around 40 litres in the tank for the start of any new stint. All cars have a 100 litre tank.

I'd say don't get too tied up in how many laps you want to achieve in a stint just pit as soon as you feel the tyres considerably wearing. That way you should have more concentration on your whole stint rather than worrying how little grip you tyres have towards the end of a longer stint where the chance of making a mistake increases as well.

👍👍 AI tends to go to long on their tyres. Even if they are faster on fresh tyres they will lap several seconds per lap slower on the older tyres. I have made up more than a minute in some races by pitting a bit earlier than i really need to, usually when my tyres are around half wear.

Don't forget to map the RA function to your wheel or pad so that you can control the TC and brake balance mid race when it starts raining.👍

👍 Can be handy at times especially when not using ABS.

If it rains the AI can be easily outpaced, just try to maintain a consistent pace without overdoing it. Being a second slower than your limit and staying on track will be faster than having the occasional off at the limit (for me anyway, tend to have really bad offs when i push in the rain). Also Intermediate tyres maybe easier and faster in 100% rain conditions, would be a good idea to check your speeds on full wets and intermediates in practice before the race.

Good Luck and have fun.
 
It's not much, but say you have to pit for tires and not fuel. Only take 10-20 liters. It guarantees you have enough gas untill next time you need tires. So you can have 2-3 fast stops and one long one to go relieve your systems, make a sandwich, see daylight...

Only thing I truly hate about this game. It never gets old and it will devour you.
 
Good way to ensure that you won't have any fun.

The enduros are the ONLY races in all of A-Spec, including the Seasonals, which allow you to actually treat GT5 like it is a racing game. There are no other official GT5 single player events in which you can race against the AI.

Because of that, with a little effort on your part, they have the potential to be the most fun you can have offline while earning money. Find a balance to be running almost the same times as the bots and even the Tsukuba races can be a blast.

It's just a shame there aren't more of them, especially in the 1-4 hour range, so there would be something fun to do after completing A-Spec.

On-Topic: Make sure to buy all three compounds of race tires before starting. You might find out the RS's are too much after settling in and with lighter fuel loads.

I totally agree with you. The vast majority of the other races were really ridiculously easy to me, and ended up with me just drifting around the track a minute or two ahead of the competition.

On topic: Will do. Thanks.

Don't forget to map the RA function to your wheel or pad so that you can control the TC and brake balance mid race when it starts raining.👍

Thanks for the reminder; I actually have it set to the X button, which in hindsight is a terrible choice, because I need X for the pit menus :dunce:

I'll second the suggestion to base your pit strategy on tire wear, and adjust the refueling to suit accordingly. Racing softs will not likely last half a tank, and there is a difference in tire wear from fuel weight. In your instance I would start out with a full tank, and then run stints on only half a tank until 2 stops from the end.

Yeah, I just tried that in my last few practice stints, and it really, REALLY helped. I've also worked out that my car uses slightly less than 4L for every lap, so I can really use that to my advantage 👍

👍👍 use the race itself for a practice then check replay. Switch to the other cars in the replay to see what tyres the field is using. I usually use one compound less than the AI.
Also the fuel will make a difference in some cars I am currently doing the Laguna Enduro in the premium mustang and i am getting a lot less understeer now that most of my fuel is depleted. After my first stint 30 litres came up for refuel so i will try to keep around 40 litres in the tank for the start of any new stint. All cars have a 100 litre tank.



👍👍 AI tends to go to long on their tyres. Even if they are faster on fresh tyres they will lap several seconds per lap slower on the older tyres. I have made up more than a minute in some races by pitting a bit earlier than i really need to, usually when my tyres are around half wear.



👍 Can be handy at times especially when not using ABS.

If it rains the AI can be easily outpaced, just try to maintain a consistent pace without overdoing it. Being a second slower than your limit and staying on track will be faster than having the occasional off at the limit (for me anyway, tend to have really bad offs when i push in the rain). Also Intermediate tyres maybe easier and faster in 100% rain conditions, would be a good idea to check your speeds on full wets and intermediates in practice before the race.

Good Luck and have fun.

Great way to check competitors' tires, thanks!

Your other comments are also very helpful, and align with the seeming consensus over this issue. Thanks!

If I have time, and can do a couple of practice stints before the race, I'll give the Intermediates a try.

It's not much, but say you have to pit for tires and not fuel. Only take 10-20 liters. It guarantees you have enough gas untill next time you need tires. So you can have 2-3 fast stops and one long one to go relieve your systems, make a sandwich, see daylight...

Only thing I truly hate about this game. It never gets old and it will devour you.

Heh heh. Fortunately, since I'm not anywhere near 'fit' in real life, I need to take 10-15 minute breaks every hour or so, or my leg will start hurting. In actuality, I end up racing for significantly longer than that, ending up with a VERY sore leg when I finish!

But...uh...I'm having too much fun to really care. Is that a problem? :lol:

TO EVERYONE:

Again, thank you all for the incredible advice! I'll be starting the race in an hour or two, but I'll keep an eye on this thread during pit stops, so any last minute tips will still be well appreciated!

Generic tips about enduros in general are always welcome, as I plan to make my way through the rest of them at some point, gathering up a team of racers for the 24 hour ones. To be honest, I can't wait for those :D
 
Thanks for the reminder; I actually have it set to the X button, which in hindsight is a terrible choice, because I need X for the pit menus :dunce:
👍
I use the auto gear shift so I've assigned L2 to bring it up and the 4arrows to sroll up and down and alter values left to right. One day I'll switch to manual shift - honest:sick:
Good luck!! I'm quite envious, the 24hr Sarthe was the best ever moment(s) for me, just wish I had more time for more!
 
👍
I use the auto gear shift so I've assigned L2 to bring it up and the 4arrows to sroll up and down and alter values left to right. One day I'll switch to manual shift - honest:sick:
Good luck!! I'm quite envious, the 24hr Sarthe was the best ever moment(s) for me, just wish I had more time for more!

I have my DS3 set with L2,R2 Brake, Accel. R3 menu, d-pad adjusts. Square and X Gear up/down. Triangle for rear view and circle for handbrake. R1 lights and i can't remember what L1 does :)

L1 is my reverse :) lol
 
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So...

Did you start the race?

Yeah, sorry for not getting back to you guys.

Thanks to all of your help, I managed to place first by less than a lap! One of the most fun enduros I've done so far, with pit strategy really coming into play mid race.

Thanks again, everyone!
 
Excellent news, congrats!

Amazing how much fun a little risk and fear puts into a race. Of course, losing sucks. :)

And now with the new tire wear we get to figure everything out all over again, and no more "emergency tires" lol.
 

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