Car of the Week 228: COTY GTS Finale

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Random question fellas, do you guys prefer my videos recorded live during the race so you see everything as I saw it, or do you prefer how I used to do them on GT6 where I recorded the replays so there was more cinematic sorts of camera angles?
 




On this week's round of clips...
-A Ford GT on tyres too slippery for their own good.
-A Gr.4 battle that could have been cleaner..
-An epic duel between... you can probably already guess who.

And another wee story, I tried a Manufacturer race for the first time!! Though because of time zones, it was at 2am for me!! Still, here's how that went down!

 
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"Only YOU could be my Beater of the Year."
Livery by babaylonburner
The Hyundai Genesis was begging to its Mama to be saved from my Beater of the Year vote. Its wishes were answered at the Eleventh Hour by the worst Shelby Cobra. Whenever I hear someone declare the Dodge Viper "America's Greatest Car," it feels akin to hearing John Cena proclaimed "World's Greatest Professional Wrestler." The selection is not based on work rate or ring prowess, but upon pure flashiness and spectacle. While the Corvette and Ford GT can put on technical masterpieces; the Viper runs out wearing its Jorts with an annoying theme song blaring, hits its five moves of doom, and calls it a day while millions of children adore it every step of the way.

Take away the loud styling and the even louder V-10 engine and everything about the Viper falls apart. In spite of super-wide tires, it never feels like it has enough traction in the corners. The handling is about as intelligible as a high-school student with a week of French language class being dropped into the middle of Paris. Where will the plodding understeer transition into murderous oversteer? Good luck guessing.

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Do yourself a favor and just buy a Mercedes AMG GT instead. It's much like the Viper, with its long hood and its big engine sending power to the rear-wheels. There are just a few key differences for the Mercedes:

1) It actually works.
2) It won't burn your legs since it doesn't have an exhaust pipe running through its doorwell.
3) It won't require you to call for a tow truck every five miles.

It really does feel good to engage in some community service this time of year.

----

Speaking of community service, I'll end my last review of 2018 on a positive note. And I'll do it with a new video featuring my selection for this year's Car of the Year. Thank you all for another great year of Car of the Week, and look forward to seeing more of all of you in 2019! :cheers:

 
It doesn't turn well, it doesn't stop well, it doesn't sound good, and IMO it's the least attractive of the 3 Vipers in the game.
Take away the loud styling and the even louder V-10 engine and everything about the Viper falls apart.​
Isn't that the truth. The only thing that saved this from getting my vote for beater of the year was the Genesis. Here's my lineup of the top three beaters. Viper STP livery cribbed from someone, I've forgotten who. Even the poor Dodge couldn't win that one.

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Our last car for 2018 was the Dodge Viper GTS '02. It's pretty decent car but on SH tires it does make it hard to get the power down and can cause the back end to slide out on you. Racing was fairly decent on Wednesday after Christmas. We had a bunch of other cars make their appearance to compete against the Dodge Viper. I'd say overall the Viper is decent but has some downfalls but I give a neutral standing.

Now for the Beater of the Year for 2018 this goes to the car that didn't live up to our expectation and unanimously it goes to Hyundai Genesis Coupe.
2013-hyundai-genesis-coupe-11.jpg


Now for the car you've all been waiting for is Car of the Year. This car was one of the earlier cars we tested from the very beginning and about three people voted for it and even Top Gear agreed that it's the Sports Car of the Year. Please welcome to the stage Alpine A110 '17.
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Viper Very... Erm...
Couldn't think of a synonym for "bad" starting with V. Oh well..

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Anyone who knew me in the GT6 edition of COTW knows I don't entirely prefer American cars. It's not that they're bad, they're just not very common here in NZ so I didn't exactly grow up around them. Japanese cars, on the other hand, are everywhere, so hence I've become quite proficient with them. Thanks to GTS, I'm starting to warm up to them. The Mustang Gr.3 is awesome, and so too the Trans-Am. I am eyeing up the Cobra, but might hold off for a bit until I no doubt win it in a daily marathon.

This Viper, however, is the reason I prefer my JDM to my muscle.

20181230215435.jpg


Power is definately not the issue, though torque sure is! With the world's largest engine in a production vehicle, the amount of torque on call under your foot means the Viper's TCS cops a hiding with every corner you try to take at race pace. Dodge could have maybe followed up their engine size record with the world's fattest tyres, because you'll sure wish that was the case once you try to go fast in it! And unless you're ever so delicate with your throttle and steering, don't you dare disable the traction control! Especially when you're on sport hard tyres, which I fear is what made the racing on Tuesday so touchy. If we were racing on sport softs, or even racing tyres, perhaps the racing would have been cleaner, perhaps I wouldn't have come undone three times in a row, and maybe you wouldn't be reading my negative review of the Viper!
But we weren't, I did, and well, here you are. :P

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Consequently (And as is the case with a lot of American cars), handling was also very sub-par. The Viper was hopeless in anything but a straight line, and even so you needed to be extremely careful not to launch too fast and instead do a ripper burnout. It's okay at tracks with large, high speed sections, like possibly Fuji, but Tsukuba? Don't even think about it.

With this in mind, I tried pitting the Ford GT, another much loved American classic, against the Viper at Suzuka! But also on sport hard tyres, the GT struggled as well. The 22B proved a much better choice, with power beefed up to N500 specs, the 4WD and 0 TCS made for an awesome duel with Baron. Of course, the 22B was still slippery, but this was different. This was fun and controllable, not terrifying and downright homicidal! :D

Verdict? Beater all round. But on that note, anyone able to tell me if the Gr.4 or GT3 Viper are any better? I'm curious. :P
 
Viper Very... Erm...
Couldn't think of a synonym for "bad" starting with V. Oh well..

View attachment 789963

Anyone who knew me in the GT6 edition of COTW knows I don't entirely prefer American cars. It's not that they're bad, they're just not very common here in NZ so I didn't exactly grow up around them. Japanese cars, on the other hand, are everywhere, so hence I've become quite proficient with them. Thanks to GTS, I'm starting to warm up to them. The Mustang Gr.3 is awesome, and so too the Trans-Am. I am eyeing up the Cobra, but might hold off for a bit until I no doubt win it in a daily marathon.

This Viper, however, is the reason I prefer my JDM to my muscle.

View attachment 789966

Power is definately not the issue, though torque sure is! With the world's largest engine in a production vehicle, the amount of torque on call under your foot means the Viper's TCS cops a hiding with every corner you try to take at race pace. Dodge could have maybe followed up their engine size record with the world's fattest tyres, because you'll sure wish that was the case once you try to go fast in it! And unless you're ever so delicate with your throttle and steering, don't you dare disable the traction control! Especially when you're on sport hard tyres, which I fear is what made the racing on Tuesday so touchy. If we were racing on sport softs, or even racing tyres, perhaps the racing would have been cleaner, perhaps I wouldn't have come undone three times in a row, and maybe you wouldn't be reading my negative review of the Viper!
But we weren't, I did, and well, here you are. :P

View attachment 789965

Consequently (And as is the case with a lot of American cars), handling was also very sub-par. The Viper was hopeless in anything but a straight line, and even so you needed to be extremely careful not to launch too fast and instead do a ripper burnout. It's okay at tracks with large, high speed sections, like possibly Fuji, but Tsukuba? Don't even think about it.

With this in mind, I tried pitting the Ford GT, another much loved American classic, against the Viper at Suzuka! But also on sport hard tyres, the GT struggled as well. The 22B proved a much better choice, with power beefed up to N500 specs, the 4WD and 0 TCS made for an awesome duel with Baron. Of course, the 22B was still slippery, but this was different. This was fun and controllable, not terrifying and downright homicidal! :D

Verdict? Beater all round. But on that note, anyone able to tell me if the Gr.4 or GT3 Viper are any better? I'm curious. :P
The GTS can be tuned close enough to the Gr.4 Viper. With RH tyres and firmer suspension, it's pretty damn good in a Gr.4 Cistom Race.
The Gr.4 Viper steers nicely. It did good for me, in the Nations Cup, but wasn't the quickest at Bathurst Daily.
 
But on that note, anyone able to tell me if the Gr.4 or GT3 Viper are any better? I'm curious. :P

The Gr.3 and 4 Vipers are a whole world better-you can actually race them without fear of it turning against you. One of them used to be a META car in Sport mode, I can't remember which. Neither one was a favorite of mine. I think I was disappointed in the Gr.4 because I sold it. Praiano has a very good tune for the Gr.3 Viper, it's really sweet. I just got the Gr.4 again, so I can't say as to how good/bad it is.
 
I'll shamelessly copy a post of mine about the Viper from another thread:

Dodge Viper GTS '02: 07:35.133 on the Nordschleife: Man I just LOVE this car! The handling is absolutely amazing! It's like it is throwing itself into the corners without spinning, sliding or even losing any speed. In fact its corner speeds are really, REALLY impressive! The engineeres did a fantastic job here! Also it seems to have very nice brakes. For now it is my best driving car. And the looks man! What a sexy looking car. Also the under braking lit up Viper symbol at the back is such a cool detail! One of my favourite cars of all time.

To me it definatly is a beater. And a great one at that!

(Sorry for being late)
 
And that's the thing, the AMG GT is too easy. AMG build quality, eons ahead in technology, V8 rumble and it's soooo fast and complete. TCS on or off. Point. Squirt the throttle and have buckets of fun.
Take that Viper and improve driving skills. Old school. I bet many that jump from a current 911 into a 930, would question how Porsche could approve such a "widow maker".
The GTS ain't for everyone. With a name like Viper, that V10 and wide a$$ rear tyres, no way would it be a sleeper. It's a full woke beast! ;)
 
Just gonna leave this here....


I forgot bday cars are a thing.
Totally jealous!!!! With my luck I'll get a Honda S660 or something... come September we shall see! :lol:

edit: Also, apologies for my lack of general skill last night... T'was just one of those days, lot on my mind, and couldn't focus on the racing. Still, that's behind me now so here's hoping the new year brings some amazing races with you lot!
 
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Shelby Cobra 427 '66
6,997 cc
484 hp / 6,500 rpm
480 ft-lbs / 3,500 rpm
2,355 lbs

Cars within 0.500 seconds at Tsukuba:

1:01.343 Alfa Romeo 4C Gr.3 Road Car
1:01.390 Toyota S-FR Racing Concept
1:01.399 Ford GT40 Mark I
1:01.413 Ferrari F50
1:01.421 Lamborghini Diablo GT
1:01.555 KTM X-Bow R
1:01.567 Mercedes-Benz AMG GT S
1:01.681 GT Awards (SEMA) 1967 Chevy Nova
1:01.721 Dodge Viper SRT10 Coupe
1:01.721 Peugeot RCZ Gr.3 Road Car
1:01.792 Shelby Cobra 427
1:01.946 Mazda Atenza Gr.3 Road Car
1:01.975 Aston Martin DB11
1:01.986 Ford Mustang Gr.3 Road Car
1:01.989 Porsche 911 GT3 (997)

Well, would you look at that...The Cobra ties the Viper SRT10 Coupe '06. Forty years separates the two snakes, yet they are nearly identical at Tsukuba. Remarkable. The Cobra is insane. It weighs as much as a Mazda MX-5 but has more than triple the power. Love it.

Shelby Cobra, Chevy Nova, and Ford GT40 Mark I would make for a good race!
 
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Apologies to everyone, I didn't rage-quit last night at Alsace. The room had gotten unstable on my end and I was seeing GT6 type lag. About the time I ran off the track the PS4 shut itself off. After dealing with that, I decided to call it a night. Now, onto this weeks mule.

The good: It looks great, sounds great, handles decent for a 50+ year old chassis. This one has the coil spring suspension fitted on the A/Prod racing version. It makes you appreciate the talent of Ken Miles and Dan Gurney.

The bad: Once again PD has gifted us a stupid gearbox. Maybe topping out at 145-ish is appropriate for a street driven Cobra but it really dampens the fun when racing. The only thing I like less than the gearbox is SH tires. I got around that by practicing until I got used to it's slippery nature. I also figured out that this one typifies the mantra of going slow to go fast. When we switched to SS tires, I'd gotten so used to the SH that I promptly visited the fence.

And the weird: @Nismonath5 chose Willow Springs Horse Thief Mile for one of our races. The irony is that I'd done a N100 vs N1000 half hour enduro the day before on that track to make use of the refueling glitch to get a lot of credits, so I sorta knew my way around it. The Cobra isn't particularly fun there, but at least that experience paid off.

While you can't exactly call any Cobra a sleeper, it's a lot of fun. Verdict: Winner!

Yes I have two of these, one of the times the daily workout actually worked.

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Last night just seemed to be one of those nights.. Lots of lag, bad connection all round.. I've made a couple of mods to my setup so now, rather than use wifi my PS4 runs a LAN cable, which bumps connection speed to 90mbps, but for reasons I'm yet to discover, doesn't allow me to use the party chat option while racing. Still working that one out. :boggled:

So anyways, as I mentioned last night there's something I've been thinking about, and I wanted to know the group's opinion on it.

You see, I think we can all agree we've had meetings in the past that have been, well, tainted by the fact that the car's tyres just aren't good enough. We had the Viper struggle to unleash it's 550bhp on sport hards, and now we've had the Cobra which wasn't exactly the most stable car. Now, I get that PD has an algorithm for car tyre selection (Road cars get SH, tuner cars get SS, race cars get RH), but really it is flawed. They're putting a Veneno on the same rubber as an Evo 4.

In past iterations of COTW, we always ran whatever tyres came with the car, because you had to buy any other tyres and arguably, they're a modification, when of course we run standard cars. However, I propose we do it like this...

N100: Comfort Soft
N200-N300: Sport Hard
N400-N500: Sport Med
N600-N1000: Sport Soft
Gr.4 - Gr.3: Racing Hard
Gr.2: Racing Medium
Gr.1: Racing Soft

The outlier is of course, Group X, but with such a variety in the class, from i3 to P1 GTR, I think any group X pick would be considered on a case-by-case basis.

This isn't anything official, I just wanted to see the group's thoughts on if we should perhaps start being a bit more generous with what sort of tyres we run with each COTW pick. In GTS we don't pay for tyres, so why not, right?

Thoughts? Suggestions? Two cents?
 
Last night just seemed to be one of those nights.. Lots of lag, bad connection all round.. I've made a couple of mods to my setup so now, rather than use wifi my PS4 runs a LAN cable, which bumps connection speed to 90mbps, but for reasons I'm yet to discover, doesn't allow me to use the party chat option while racing. Still working that one out. :boggled:

So anyways, as I mentioned last night there's something I've been thinking about, and I wanted to know the group's opinion on it.

You see, I think we can all agree we've had meetings in the past that have been, well, tainted by the fact that the car's tyres just aren't good enough. We had the Viper struggle to unleash it's 550bhp on sport hards, and now we've had the Cobra which wasn't exactly the most stable car. Now, I get that PD has an algorithm for car tyre selection (Road cars get SH, tuner cars get SS, race cars get RH), but really it is flawed. They're putting a Veneno on the same rubber as an Evo 4.

In past iterations of COTW, we always ran whatever tyres came with the car, because you had to buy any other tyres and arguably, they're a modification, when of course we run standard cars. However, I propose we do it like this...

N100: Comfort Soft
N200-N300: Sport Hard
N400-N500: Sport Med
N600-N1000: Sport Soft
Gr.4 - Gr.3: Racing Hard
Gr.2: Racing Medium
Gr.1: Racing Soft

The outlier is of course, Group X, but with such a variety in the class, from i3 to P1 GTR, I think any group X pick would be considered on a case-by-case basis.

This isn't anything official, I just wanted to see the group's thoughts on if we should perhaps start being a bit more generous with what sort of tyres we run with each COTW pick. In GTS we don't pay for tyres, so why not, right?

Thoughts? Suggestions? Two cents?
I'd keep all the racing cars on RH since they're all fairly reasonable on the hard tyres. Everything else looks good.
 
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