Can we talk about the McLaren VGT Gr.1 car?

[NekoPufferPPP]

You'll notice this car has the most power out of all VGTs in Gr.1 BoP. As much as Group C cars. It even comes with hybrid.

However, it suffers from understeer on corner exit, but has very good turn-in off-throttle, basically as good as modern LMP1s.

I can't seem to squeeze out its full potential though, so I'd love to see a more experienced driver see what it's capable of.

It will overtake any LMP1 on a straight, but corner management feels all over the place.

I never see anyone use it or even mention it, it's like it's hidden or something. Heck, I didn't know about it either, I thought only the Gr.X version existed until recently.

 

[Groundfish]

My seat of pants take from last time I tried it which was LeMans...
I loved the handling and drive in qual trim, but the speed was slower than other cars of the class.
With fuel load for the race, it was much slower.
I’ve not done any analysis beyond trying it out, liking the sound and drive, trying it in race, it not being effective, then moving to other vehicles.
I’m by no means an expert on these cars, I will always run the gt c if possible.

 

[LeGeNd-1]

It's a VGT, so it has bad default suspension settings. It used to have severe lift off oversteer until they fixed it with the understeer patch.

The power rating is weird in this game, because some cars (like the modern LMP1s) do not include the hybrid power in their numbers. The R18/TS050/919 all makes 1000 HP combined when the hybrid is deployed. The McLaren is around 900 HP, but this number feels like the combined number so the actual petrol power is probably only around 500 HP, same as the other hybrid LMP. The hybrid is very powerful, but it runs out quickly and you're a sitting duck without it.

Also, the 6th gear is extremely long so it falls out of the powerband in long straights and even with slipstream it struggles.

A lot of other Gr.1 VGTs are forgotten as well: L750R, Hyundai, Bugatti, Audi. The only good ones are Alpine, Tomahawk and LM55. But even they are only good at specific tracks/situations.

Just like all other VGTs, it's best appreciated in the garage or photomode rather than the track

EDIT: Just to add, my experience is based on BOP settings. If you just play offline and tune the car your experience may vary.

 

[AfraidRacer]

You'll notice this car has the most power out of all VGTs in Gr.1 BoP. As much as Group C cars. It even comes with hybrid.

However, it suffers from understeer on corner exit, but has very good turn-in off-throttle, basically as good as modern LMP1s.

I can't seem to squeeze out its full potential though, so I'd love to see a more experienced driver see what it's capable of.

It will overtake any LMP1 on a straight, but corner management feels all over the place.

I never see anyone use it or even mention it, it's like it's hidden or something. Heck, I didn't know about it either, I thought only the Gr.X version existed until recently.

Freaking does wheelies at the Brands pit exit and Yamagiwa chicane.

 

[TonyJZX]

I have about 1,000km on my one and I used it with the Audi R18 2016 for all of the Gr1 challenges. I quite like the car.

I use the R18 for any track that doesnt need top end and overall, the R18 is the better handling car however the McLaren VGT has the top end and its not that bad. I use a tune and usually pretty high gearing. Like on the Toyko Express races its a shoe in.

I think 900hp IS a fair figure. The car is loosely based on the 2013 P1 so you do get the 3.8 liter Nissan based V8 twin turbo they all use. It has a light duty hybrid system just like the P1 which has a measly 6km (or 6 mile?) range on battery. So the electricity is mainly used to shoot out of corners and it runs out fast.

I do recall both the Gr.X and Gr.1 used to have amazing absolutely unworldly handling... like 8G cornering and that sort of WipeOut style handling but they really toned it down patch by patch but its still probably a car you could use for everything since it has great top end and the handling is manageable.

I beleive the Gr.X has a fixed final gear but the Gr.X is fully tuneable.

 

[FANCY CLOWN]

The Gr.1 McLaren VGT is so close to being viable but a couple of traits really hold it back. First one is the really goofy hybrid deploy: it only kicks in once you've already accelerated quite a bit, and it's not as strong as the modern prototypes. This means the LMP1s with their insane 500HP hybrids will dust you out of slow corners, and you'll only catch them if the following straight is really, really long.

The second problem is the sixth gear, which I suppose is nice for slipstream on, like, Tokyo East, but borderline useless everywhere else. Shift into 6th and your rpm basically drops to zero.

(Coincidentially, these problems are pretty much the same ones I have with the Audi VGT Gr.1. That car has a useless 6th/7th and the hybrid deploys way, way too strong too early, causing atrocious amounts of wheelspin.)

 

[TonyJZX]

You can always change the final gear. Just out of interest I took mine which actually has 2,000km on it (!!!) with a tune, Le Mans final gear of 400km/h and I did a 6'15" on the Ring and there's heaps of meat left of the bone.

I'd say sub 6'00" would be possible with a more ideal gearbox and streamlining the track. At around 6 mins you do feel like everything is on fast forward.

The 6 spd box is too W I D E for 400km/h or even 350km/h which is more realistic.

I'd say the power is an opposite of the LMP-H cars... while those cars have a very strong 50-250km/h mid range the McLaren feels like its more like 180-330km/h power hump so of course you do well on SSR7 etc.

 

[RX8 Racer]

I remember testing the McLaren VGT for the Nations race at BMB Infield B. The car felt good for the most part (besides the useless hybrid), but the car’s rear end had a tendency to snap and step out at turn 1’s banked to flat surface transition. Setting the brake bias forward fixed this issue, but came at the cost of inflicting more front tyre wear at a track you really did not want understeer at.

I went with the Porsche 962C for the actual race instead.

 

[TonyJZX]

I think most of us prefer the LMP-H cars in most instances. The Audi and the McLaren were my choice simply because they were gifted to me so you run what you got rather than wasting $1 mil. on a car you dont have and dont know is any good.

eg. I also got gifted the Hyundai and the Audi Gr.1 cars and they are not good, like at all.

But I would like to hear from anyone who's had any experience with the other Gr.1 VGT cars,

The Bugatti and Dodge SRT Tomahawk have comparable power.

The Mazda Lm55 has the advantage of 4wd and so does the Bugatti.

The Alpine and Peugeot L750R are backmarkers like the Hyundai just lack sufficient power.

 

[Cerebral303]

I like the L750R, it's very stable, rarely runs out of hybrid power and seems good on tyres at least from what I remember. I'm racing down in DR C where you are not fighting for every tenth and the car can make the difference between a win etc. It has it's place being easy to drive but even then I don't pick it to win anything, but to place well through consistency. The R18 is usually my go to and has been for years.