- 124
- New York
Well here it is guys, Just as I promised. This is a setting defintion guide for the people who really don't know if they are setting a car right. This should answer a lot of questions about the settings.............................Good Luck
Tyre Wear/Use Explanation
The lap numbers that The FAQ lists come from a chart in the reference manual, and those figures are listed as Wear Life (in Laps).
As Mr. P said, tires are bought like a subscription, you get a new set at the beginning of every race and when you pit.
Sports tires are indeed the best upgrade for any car (fundamentally, and as a first time tire upgrade because they're affordable). Don't make the mistake of buying Control tires, the leftmost option with the 'C' icon, because they are the GT3 equivalent of Simulation tires from GT and GT2. They provide realistic response (not video game response), which is the worst thing you can have with a 1183 ps Toyota GT-One Road Car (or Racecar, for that matter).
Now, for the goods: I have medium racing tires on all my good cars, regardless of 5 or 10 lap races, or even endurance races. Yes, some people say get super hards and last as long as possible before pitting, but I disagree. My 2 cents here is that the reference manual also agrees with me (and since the boys who wrote the physics engine also wrote the book, I tend to heed it).
The book has an example (pg 22) of tire wear and race times, citing that Medium Soft tires are better than Super Hard tires for endurance races. It compares the results of a sixty lap race at Grand Valley Speedway using these tires.
The logic is as follows: the average lap time for a car with Medium Softs is 1 min, 58.206 seconds. The average for the Super Hards is 2 min, 01.324 seconds.
It goes on to state the obvious, how Super Hards wear better than softer tires, and hence need less pitting. It says that over the course of 60 laps, a Medium Soft car will need 7 pit stops, while the Super Hard car needs only one. This is the prevailing logic behind those who feel Super Hards are best; you need only pit in once.
The book says that the loss time for a pit in (including time lost traveling the pit lane) is 30 seconds. So the single pit Super Hards have a total loss time of 30 seconds, while the Medium Softs lose a total of 3 min, 30 sec (7 pits x 30 sec).
BUT, do the math.
A Medium Soft lap time of 1 min, 58.206 secs for 60 laps, plus 3.5 mins for pitting gives a total race time of 2hrs, 1 min, 42 secs (1 min 58.206 sec x 60 + 3 min 30 secs).
A Super Hard lap time of 2 min 01.324 secs for 60 laps, plus 30 secs for pitting gives a race time of 2hrs, 1 min, 49 secs (2 min 01.324 sec x 60 + 30 secs).
So Medium Soft tires, while having to pit more resulting in more loss time, can turn over laps quicker, and ultimately finish a long race faster than Super Hard tires needing minimal pitting.
Of course, it also has a bit about how heavy breaking and acceleration can increase tire wear, thus increasing the need for pitting with softer tires, resulting in victory for a more conservative, harder tire riding opponent.
My bottom line is: if you've got the skills, softer tires mean the win. If you're wild on the stick, go for harder slicks. Why do I use Mediums and not Medium Softs? Because Mediums are just perfect for 5 lap races without ever having to worry about pitting, and I'm just wild enough to need a little extra endurance on longer races. Plus I'm stingy...
First of all, the majority of the cars in GT are setup with understeer built in. This is also true in real life. This is because a car with understeer is easier to control. So my normal setup method is to go drive the car and see if it understeers or oversteers. Assuming it understeers I go back to the setup menu and 1)lower both the front and the rear end (not all the way though) 2)stiffen the front springs 4 or 5 clicks 3)stiffen the front stabilizer a click or two. Then go drive it some more. Go back and lower the settings on the LSD, it almost always is an improvement for me. Keep tweaking until you get the balance you are comfortable with.
Then start playing with the gearing using the techniques outlined above. Once you get a good setup with gearing and balance, and are comfortable driving the car on the track (meaning able to turn fairly consistent times) then start changing things one adjustment at a time to see the effect and see if you can make the car better. Keep in mind the concept of interaction. And keep in mind the balance of the car. The fastest cars are usually neutral to slightly loose.
One other piece of advice. If you end up with a setup that is wildly radical between the front and rear end, you probably have a problem somewhere else that needs to be addressed. For example if the car handles best for you with the front stabilizer at 7 and the rear stabilizer at 1, then you need to look at your other settings to see what the problem is. Generally there shouldn't be a huge gap between any of the settings. I hope this is helpful to someone out there.
This guide was written by Bonzo.
SETUP BASICS
A) Steps in setting up a GT car:
1. Set gear ratios so that at the end of the longest straight you want the tach needle almost at the rev limiter in the highest gear before you brake.
2. Start with stock settings and drive a few laps. Get a feel for what the car is doing. Change one setup. Only one. And only at one end of the car. Drive the car again to gauge the effect of whatever you changed. Some people start with settings at zero, and work their way upward from there.
3. Youd normally start with ride height and springs, as these tend to have a bigger effect than other parts. Then, work on dampers, stabilizers, downforce, camber, and toe-in.
4. Some rules of thumb: The heavier the car, the stiffer the springs it will usually need. Stiffer dampers usually go with stiffer springs. Damper rebound has a greater effect than bound.
5. You will sometimes have to end up with a compromise. Set up the car so that the corners it handles best are the ones before the longest straights.
6. Just keep at it and any hard-to-handle car will handle like a dream and you can learn a lot about setting up your car in the process.
B) Tuning Out Understeer and Oversteer
Much of setup work revolves around tuning out these two.
Understeer means the grip at the rear is stronger than that at the front. This makes the front of the car push, or reluctant to turn in. To reduce, increase grip at the front relative to the rear. Try these:
Raise ride height at rear, or lower ride height in front.
Soften front springs, and/or harden rear springs.
Soften front dampers, and/or harden rear dampers.
Soften front stabilizers, and/or harden rear stabilizers.
Increase front downforce, and/or decrease rear downforce.
Increase front camber, and/or decrease rear camber.
Oversteer means the grip at the front is stronger than that of the rear. This makes back of the car go sideways, or spin. To reduce, increase grip at the rear relative to the front. Try these:
Raise ride height at front, and/or lower ride height at rear.
Soften rear springs, and/or harden front springs.
Soften rear dampers, and/or harden front dampers.
Soften rear stabilizers, or harden front stabilizers.
Increase rear downforce, or decrease front downforce.
Increase rear camber, or decrease front camber.
C) Setup Sins To Avoid
1. Copying someone elses settings. Unless you have the exact same driving style, this usually hurts rather than helps. Plus, you dont really learn the dynamics of each car.
2. Lowering ride height too much. Ive read a lot of posts where people say they automatically drop ride height to minimum. A low center of gravity certainly helps, but not when the cars jumping all over the place, or where it doesnt give the suspension enough room to work.
3. Setting brake force too high. With this, you usually will tend to brake too hard and too late. Also, with high brake settings you could transfer too much weight to the front of the car, especially for shorter-wheelbase cars.
4. Not changing setups for different tracks. Not optimizing gearing for each track. Nuff said.
5. Two wrongs dont have to make a right. Ive read posts where the setups for some components contradict those of others. For example, hard front springs and soft front dampers and stabilizers. This is then compensated for by some big adjustment in another component that neutralizes the effect of the others. Yes, you can drive the car, but youll enjoy it more if you set it up more thoughtfully.
If this sounds like hard work, remember that even Senna worked harder than most. Besides, if instant gratification is what youre (still) after, youre probably bored with GT2 by now.
Limitied Slip Differential explanation
LSD Accel - Soft to Hard
The softer you set it, the more the tires spin independant of each other as you apply the gas. For example, when turning left and powering out of a corner, the inside tire (the left one in this example) turns slower than the right one (under normal conditions). This is because the right tire has to cover more distance than the left one. If you try to accelerate in this situation the left tire spins as it tries to "catch-up" to the right tire's rotation speed. However if you set the LSD to a harder setting it attempts to keep both tires turning at the same rate. The result is less tire spin which sounds like a good thing (at first thought). However, it's a trade off- you gain more control over the car, but it turns slower (and develops some "push" or understeer) due to the fact that both tires now turn at the same rate. This makes the car want to go a nice straight line with little tire smoke... but, a straight often leads you into a wall or off the track. So, I turned the darn thing way down and was much, much happier.
LSD Decel - Soft to Hard
This does the same thing as the accel setting, but it effects the car under braking of course. As the car slows with this set to hard, both tires slow at the same speed. The advantage is the car does not spin out, but the direct disadvantage is that now you have to "wait" for both tires to slow down to the correct speed before making the turn.
Once again, for my driving style (and the del Sol LM atleast) this sucks big time. I want the tires to break lose under braking since this forces the car sideways and then you can cut a sharper angle thru the turn. Of course (on the other hand) your on the edge of control and can spin out at any second, but that makes it more fun I think.
LSD Inital - Soft to Hard
Think of this setting as the overall "power" of both the Accel and Decel parts of the unit. It seems to effect the speed at which the Accel and Decel portions engage. When set hard, the car "jumps" out of corners and reacts very quickly- instantly making the adjustments noted above. At a softer setting, it engages smoother (but slower). In fact, when set very low, it's almost like turning the whole system off.
Some Terms You Should Know:
Wheelspin - A wheel locks up and just slides.
Fishtail - The result of wheelspin, the tire(s) just slide.
Oversteer - The car steers too much when turning.
Understeer - The car steers too little when turning.
Body roll - The way the car rolls in the corner. (bad if high)
Weight transfer - The transfer of weight when acceleration/braking.
Springs
Springs are supposed to keep the tires on the road and not losecontrol. But if the settings are too soft or hard, weight transfer isscrewed up, as well as understeer/oversteer. Springs can have a lotof positive and negative effects, depending on what you do.
If both springs lean more towards stiffness, then these are theeffects: reduced grip on bumpy roads, reduced body roll, and increasedhandling. If both springs lean more towards softness, then the effectsare the opposite if the springs stiff: increased grip on bumpy roads,increased body roll, and reduced handling.
If you stiffen the front springs, more understeer will be induced. Thesame thing goes if you soften the rear ones. More oversteer will beinduced if you soften the front springs or stiffen the rear ones. Forcars with a lot of understeer, you shouldn't give it more oversteersince it'll probably be easy to spin out.
Weight transfer is also affected if you change the springs. If thefront springs are softened, front weight transfer is increased greatlywhen you brake. It may be good for a FWD car since it's front engineand front wheel drive. If you soften the rear springs, rear weighttransfer is increased greatly while accelerating. It would be good fora RWD or 4WD car, since the rear wheels are used, road grip isincreased while accelerating.
You shouldn't really use the springs for balance, since you need tohave the perfect settings so it could be right. The stabilizers arebetter for turning and road grip. Weight transfer is just tooimportant to use the springs, but if you're good enough, you mightwant to use the springs.
Ride Height
Ride height is the height of the bottom of the car from the ground ona straight paved surface. The lower the ride height, the less weighttransfer there is during acceleration, braking, and cornering. Thismakes it more stable and since there is less weight transfer, corneringis improved.
If the ride height is too low, you will lose control if you're goingtoo fast when you go into a bump or jump (bottom out). You can stiffenthe springs and/or dampers to get rid of this problem. Ride heightshould only be adjusted on smooth courses, otherwise you'll have a lotof trouble cornering.
You shouldn't really mess with the ride height unless you know whatyou're doing. The car is usually fine as it is. You can usually justadjust the settings until you find what you think is best.
Shocks (Dampers)
The dampers (Shock Absorbers or simply just Shocks) dampens the"swinging" of the springs. The shocks are very important when cornering.
Damper Bound:
This affects the stability and handling of the car. The stiffer youmake the Bound Damper, the more responsiveness the car has because weight transfer is more tolerable. If it is too stiff, stability is screwed upon non-smooth surfaces. If it is too soft, handling is terrible.
Damper Rebound:
(Affects entry and exit of corners.) This affects the entry and exit of corners, as well as turning. Toreduce understeer when turning, you can soften the front or stiffen therear. Also, to reduce oversteer, stiffen the front or soften the rear.
Camber
Camber's the angle the tires make with the road, it's measured indegrees. The grip of the tires to the road depends on the camber angle.Zero camber angle is supposed to have the maximum grip, but in realityit doesn't because a small negative camber makes the tires tiltinward, so when you turn, the tire is aligned perfectly with the road.It is aligned perfectly with the road as it is on a straight road withzero camber. In order to achieve maximum grip while turning, you needto have some negative camber.
A positve camber isn't very good and you should never make itpositive. You should just mess with the camber settings until you findsomething ideal for your driving style.
For some reason, in GT2, you cannot make the wheels' angles negative,so I suggest you to leave this alone and adjust the Toe instead.
Stabilizers
The stabilizers are similar to the springs in what it does. Thestiffer the front and rear, the more responsive handling is. But thiscan screw up the stability on bumpy surfaces.
While the softer thestabilizers, the less responsive handling is, although it gives morestability on bumpy surfaces. If you soften the front or stiffen the rear, understeer is reduced.Likewise, if you stiffen the front or soften the rear, oversteer isreduced. However, do not over-stiffen/soften the front or rear because it can have a negative effect, especially if you try toreduce understeer. Fishtailing can become quite common and may leadto spin outs. But if you reduce oversteer too much, you may not beable to take the turns as easily, and if you turn too hardly, it isvery easy to fishtail or spin out, so be careful.
Brake Balance
The purpose of the Brake Balance is to adjust the power of the brakes when braking. In order to reduce oversteer, increase the frontor reduce the rear. You can also reduce understeer if you reduce thefront or increase the rear.
You would want a little higher front brake balance than the rear, in most cases, because you won't oversteer while turning, thus making it easier to turn without spinning out or fishtailing.
Gear Ratios
The final gear is the most important, but the other gears can beused to adjust acceleration and gear changes. The lower the number,the more max speed there is. The higher the number, the less maxspeed there is. Remember, though, the higher the max speed, the more acceleration is reduced. Likewise, the lower the max speed, the more acceleration is increased.
For courses with a lot of corners (not many straight surfaces for acceleration), you would generally want faster acceleration, so you would increase the number. But for a course like the Test Track,you would want a higher max speed, so you would decrease the number.
I've gotten E-mail from people asking me how to increase the max speed even further after getting fully tuning-up their car, and after putting the gear settings to their lowest because some cars seem to only be ableto go up to 220 MPH or so. What I'm about to tell you will make thecar's max speed exceed the amount you think is the max possible.
Well, go to the Machine Test and choose 'Max Speed' to test your car's max speed. Go to the Settings, go to the Gears Settings, and put all of the gears to their lowest and start the test. See your car's max speed and if you want to increase it even further, quit and go back to the Settings. Push [Start] while highlighting one of the gears to return it to its default settings, and change the gears to their lowest settings again. Take the test again and the max speed should have either increased or decreased.
Now quit and go back to the Settings once again. You see the option all the way at the bottom of the menu with the gears? Well, select it and move it to the right a few, then push X or O to accept. Then push [Start] and it'll return to its default number. Go to the gears and make them the lowest possible. Take the test again and the max speed should have increased.
Note: Don't do this for all cars since the higher your max speed, the less acceleration you have. You can also only do this for the final gear afterwards
Downforce
This is the aerodynamic force that pushes the car down to the road. The higher the front and rear are, the more grip during cornering is. That also makes the car more stable, since it sticks to the road more.But this decreases speed on a straight surface because a lot of weight it put down on the car. The lower the front and rear are, the less grip during cornering is, although speed is increases on straight surfaces.
You can reduce understeer by increasing the front or decreasing the rear. Also, if you decrease the front or increase the rear, oversteer is reduced. The faster your car is going, the more downforce effects your car.
Toe
Similar to the camber, except somewhat different. It is the angle of the tires together. Zero toe means the tires are parallel with each other. A positive toe causes the tires to be more outward towards each other, while a negative toe makes the tires more inward to each other.
If you use a negative toe for both the front and back, handling is increased, but if the angle is too low, handling will be messed up.If you use some negativaty, handling is increased because the tires lean inward and when you turn, the tire are perpendicular to the ground, just like what camber does.
A positive front toe or negative rear toe reduces oversteer, while a negative front toe or positive rear toe reduces understeer
If you keep a positive camber and make some negative toe, the tires will lean inward some and grip and stability will be increased to acertain extent. When you turn right, the right wheels will be aligned perfectly to the ground but the left wheels won't. Likewise, when you turn left, the right wheels will be aligned perfectly to the ground,but the right wheels won't be.
When you turn right, the left tires will be aligned perfectly to the ground, but the right wheels won't (if the left tires even stay on the road). Similarly, when you turn left, the right tires will be aligned perfectly to the ground, but the left wheels won't (if the right tires even stay on the road).
On a straight road, grip and stability to the road are perfect. Butwhen you turn, well, that's different. It is more difficult to turn than if you made the toe somewhat negative.
Limited-Slip Differential
The limited-slip differential is composed of LSD during initial torque, acceleration, and deceleration. If you get this for an FF, youyou only get the 'Front' sets. If you buy this for an RR or FR, you receive only the 'Rear' sets. As for a 4WD, both 'Front' and 'Rear'sets are received.
- Initial Torque
FF: If you soften it, responsive handling is reduced, but there is less body roll as well as more stability. Stiffening it results in increased responsive handling, but increased body roll and less stability.
FR/RR: By softening it, responsive handling increases, although body roll increases as well and less stability. By stiffening it, responsive handling decreases, even though body roll decreases and stability increases.
4WD: By softening the front, responsive handling is reduced, but there's more stability and less body roll. If you stiffen the front, responsive handling is increases, but you get less stability and more body roll. Stiffening the rear results in less acceleration, although you get more stability. If you soften the rear, you receive more acceleration, but in return, you get less stability.
- Acceleration
Grip to the road is increased while accelerating, but stability is reduced while braking. When braking for a corner, the car is hard to handle, but when you exit the corner, it works very well. This can be fixed by adjusting the LSD Deceleration.
A high setting gives you fast acceleration, but handling is reduced. A low setting gives you low acceleration, but handling is increased.
- Deceleration
Grip, stability, and turning ability are increased while braking.A high setting gives you great grip, stability, and turning ability while braking, but all that stuff is reduced while accelerating. Alow setting reduces grip, stability, and turning ability while braking, but that stuff is increased while accelerating. Fix thisproblem by adjusting the LSD Acceleration.
Yaw Control System
This basically controls the distribution of torque between the left and right wheels. This is similar to the Limited-Slip Differential of cars, and some cars without the LSD have this. If you get this for an FF, you you only get the 'Front' sets. If you buy this for an RR or FR, you receive only the 'Rear' sets. As for a 4WD, both 'Front' and 'Rear'sets are taken.
A high setting gives the car faster turning speed, but fishtailing becomes more common. A low setting gives the car slower turning speed,but fishtailing is reduced.
There aren't many cars with this, and those with it aren't the best cars, except perhaps some rally cars.
Active Stability Controller
This controls the overall braking power of all four wheels. This stabilizes the car more when cornering and increases grip to the road. A higher setting decreases responsive handling, but increases stabilization when cornering and increases grip to the road.
While a lower setting increases responsive handling, stabilization during cornering and grip to the road are reduced.
This is very similar to the Limited-Slip Differential Initial Torque, so just look at that when dealing with this.
Traction Control System Controller
This reduces the delivery of power to a wheel that is losinggrip to the road.
A high setting increases overall grip to the road, but decreases speed on a straight road. A low setting decreases overall grip to the road, but increases speed on a straight road. The TCSC is ideal for FRs, RRs, and 4WDs.
A car with good grip to the road can corner easily while a car with bad grip corners difficultly. And if a car has good grip, it is more stable and more difficult to spin out and fishtail. A car with badgrip is less stable and pretty easy to fishtail and spin out.
Tyre Wear/Use Explanation
The lap numbers that The FAQ lists come from a chart in the reference manual, and those figures are listed as Wear Life (in Laps).
As Mr. P said, tires are bought like a subscription, you get a new set at the beginning of every race and when you pit.
Sports tires are indeed the best upgrade for any car (fundamentally, and as a first time tire upgrade because they're affordable). Don't make the mistake of buying Control tires, the leftmost option with the 'C' icon, because they are the GT3 equivalent of Simulation tires from GT and GT2. They provide realistic response (not video game response), which is the worst thing you can have with a 1183 ps Toyota GT-One Road Car (or Racecar, for that matter).
Now, for the goods: I have medium racing tires on all my good cars, regardless of 5 or 10 lap races, or even endurance races. Yes, some people say get super hards and last as long as possible before pitting, but I disagree. My 2 cents here is that the reference manual also agrees with me (and since the boys who wrote the physics engine also wrote the book, I tend to heed it).
The book has an example (pg 22) of tire wear and race times, citing that Medium Soft tires are better than Super Hard tires for endurance races. It compares the results of a sixty lap race at Grand Valley Speedway using these tires.
The logic is as follows: the average lap time for a car with Medium Softs is 1 min, 58.206 seconds. The average for the Super Hards is 2 min, 01.324 seconds.
It goes on to state the obvious, how Super Hards wear better than softer tires, and hence need less pitting. It says that over the course of 60 laps, a Medium Soft car will need 7 pit stops, while the Super Hard car needs only one. This is the prevailing logic behind those who feel Super Hards are best; you need only pit in once.
The book says that the loss time for a pit in (including time lost traveling the pit lane) is 30 seconds. So the single pit Super Hards have a total loss time of 30 seconds, while the Medium Softs lose a total of 3 min, 30 sec (7 pits x 30 sec).
BUT, do the math.
A Medium Soft lap time of 1 min, 58.206 secs for 60 laps, plus 3.5 mins for pitting gives a total race time of 2hrs, 1 min, 42 secs (1 min 58.206 sec x 60 + 3 min 30 secs).
A Super Hard lap time of 2 min 01.324 secs for 60 laps, plus 30 secs for pitting gives a race time of 2hrs, 1 min, 49 secs (2 min 01.324 sec x 60 + 30 secs).
So Medium Soft tires, while having to pit more resulting in more loss time, can turn over laps quicker, and ultimately finish a long race faster than Super Hard tires needing minimal pitting.
Of course, it also has a bit about how heavy breaking and acceleration can increase tire wear, thus increasing the need for pitting with softer tires, resulting in victory for a more conservative, harder tire riding opponent.
My bottom line is: if you've got the skills, softer tires mean the win. If you're wild on the stick, go for harder slicks. Why do I use Mediums and not Medium Softs? Because Mediums are just perfect for 5 lap races without ever having to worry about pitting, and I'm just wild enough to need a little extra endurance on longer races. Plus I'm stingy...
First of all, the majority of the cars in GT are setup with understeer built in. This is also true in real life. This is because a car with understeer is easier to control. So my normal setup method is to go drive the car and see if it understeers or oversteers. Assuming it understeers I go back to the setup menu and 1)lower both the front and the rear end (not all the way though) 2)stiffen the front springs 4 or 5 clicks 3)stiffen the front stabilizer a click or two. Then go drive it some more. Go back and lower the settings on the LSD, it almost always is an improvement for me. Keep tweaking until you get the balance you are comfortable with.
Then start playing with the gearing using the techniques outlined above. Once you get a good setup with gearing and balance, and are comfortable driving the car on the track (meaning able to turn fairly consistent times) then start changing things one adjustment at a time to see the effect and see if you can make the car better. Keep in mind the concept of interaction. And keep in mind the balance of the car. The fastest cars are usually neutral to slightly loose.
One other piece of advice. If you end up with a setup that is wildly radical between the front and rear end, you probably have a problem somewhere else that needs to be addressed. For example if the car handles best for you with the front stabilizer at 7 and the rear stabilizer at 1, then you need to look at your other settings to see what the problem is. Generally there shouldn't be a huge gap between any of the settings. I hope this is helpful to someone out there.
This guide was written by Bonzo.
SETUP BASICS
A) Steps in setting up a GT car:
1. Set gear ratios so that at the end of the longest straight you want the tach needle almost at the rev limiter in the highest gear before you brake.
2. Start with stock settings and drive a few laps. Get a feel for what the car is doing. Change one setup. Only one. And only at one end of the car. Drive the car again to gauge the effect of whatever you changed. Some people start with settings at zero, and work their way upward from there.
3. Youd normally start with ride height and springs, as these tend to have a bigger effect than other parts. Then, work on dampers, stabilizers, downforce, camber, and toe-in.
4. Some rules of thumb: The heavier the car, the stiffer the springs it will usually need. Stiffer dampers usually go with stiffer springs. Damper rebound has a greater effect than bound.
5. You will sometimes have to end up with a compromise. Set up the car so that the corners it handles best are the ones before the longest straights.
6. Just keep at it and any hard-to-handle car will handle like a dream and you can learn a lot about setting up your car in the process.
B) Tuning Out Understeer and Oversteer
Much of setup work revolves around tuning out these two.
Understeer means the grip at the rear is stronger than that at the front. This makes the front of the car push, or reluctant to turn in. To reduce, increase grip at the front relative to the rear. Try these:
Raise ride height at rear, or lower ride height in front.
Soften front springs, and/or harden rear springs.
Soften front dampers, and/or harden rear dampers.
Soften front stabilizers, and/or harden rear stabilizers.
Increase front downforce, and/or decrease rear downforce.
Increase front camber, and/or decrease rear camber.
Oversteer means the grip at the front is stronger than that of the rear. This makes back of the car go sideways, or spin. To reduce, increase grip at the rear relative to the front. Try these:
Raise ride height at front, and/or lower ride height at rear.
Soften rear springs, and/or harden front springs.
Soften rear dampers, and/or harden front dampers.
Soften rear stabilizers, or harden front stabilizers.
Increase rear downforce, or decrease front downforce.
Increase rear camber, or decrease front camber.
C) Setup Sins To Avoid
1. Copying someone elses settings. Unless you have the exact same driving style, this usually hurts rather than helps. Plus, you dont really learn the dynamics of each car.
2. Lowering ride height too much. Ive read a lot of posts where people say they automatically drop ride height to minimum. A low center of gravity certainly helps, but not when the cars jumping all over the place, or where it doesnt give the suspension enough room to work.
3. Setting brake force too high. With this, you usually will tend to brake too hard and too late. Also, with high brake settings you could transfer too much weight to the front of the car, especially for shorter-wheelbase cars.
4. Not changing setups for different tracks. Not optimizing gearing for each track. Nuff said.
5. Two wrongs dont have to make a right. Ive read posts where the setups for some components contradict those of others. For example, hard front springs and soft front dampers and stabilizers. This is then compensated for by some big adjustment in another component that neutralizes the effect of the others. Yes, you can drive the car, but youll enjoy it more if you set it up more thoughtfully.
If this sounds like hard work, remember that even Senna worked harder than most. Besides, if instant gratification is what youre (still) after, youre probably bored with GT2 by now.
Limitied Slip Differential explanation
LSD Accel - Soft to Hard
The softer you set it, the more the tires spin independant of each other as you apply the gas. For example, when turning left and powering out of a corner, the inside tire (the left one in this example) turns slower than the right one (under normal conditions). This is because the right tire has to cover more distance than the left one. If you try to accelerate in this situation the left tire spins as it tries to "catch-up" to the right tire's rotation speed. However if you set the LSD to a harder setting it attempts to keep both tires turning at the same rate. The result is less tire spin which sounds like a good thing (at first thought). However, it's a trade off- you gain more control over the car, but it turns slower (and develops some "push" or understeer) due to the fact that both tires now turn at the same rate. This makes the car want to go a nice straight line with little tire smoke... but, a straight often leads you into a wall or off the track. So, I turned the darn thing way down and was much, much happier.
LSD Decel - Soft to Hard
This does the same thing as the accel setting, but it effects the car under braking of course. As the car slows with this set to hard, both tires slow at the same speed. The advantage is the car does not spin out, but the direct disadvantage is that now you have to "wait" for both tires to slow down to the correct speed before making the turn.
Once again, for my driving style (and the del Sol LM atleast) this sucks big time. I want the tires to break lose under braking since this forces the car sideways and then you can cut a sharper angle thru the turn. Of course (on the other hand) your on the edge of control and can spin out at any second, but that makes it more fun I think.
LSD Inital - Soft to Hard
Think of this setting as the overall "power" of both the Accel and Decel parts of the unit. It seems to effect the speed at which the Accel and Decel portions engage. When set hard, the car "jumps" out of corners and reacts very quickly- instantly making the adjustments noted above. At a softer setting, it engages smoother (but slower). In fact, when set very low, it's almost like turning the whole system off.
Some Terms You Should Know:
Wheelspin - A wheel locks up and just slides.
Fishtail - The result of wheelspin, the tire(s) just slide.
Oversteer - The car steers too much when turning.
Understeer - The car steers too little when turning.
Body roll - The way the car rolls in the corner. (bad if high)
Weight transfer - The transfer of weight when acceleration/braking.
Springs
Springs are supposed to keep the tires on the road and not losecontrol. But if the settings are too soft or hard, weight transfer isscrewed up, as well as understeer/oversteer. Springs can have a lotof positive and negative effects, depending on what you do.
If both springs lean more towards stiffness, then these are theeffects: reduced grip on bumpy roads, reduced body roll, and increasedhandling. If both springs lean more towards softness, then the effectsare the opposite if the springs stiff: increased grip on bumpy roads,increased body roll, and reduced handling.
If you stiffen the front springs, more understeer will be induced. Thesame thing goes if you soften the rear ones. More oversteer will beinduced if you soften the front springs or stiffen the rear ones. Forcars with a lot of understeer, you shouldn't give it more oversteersince it'll probably be easy to spin out.
Weight transfer is also affected if you change the springs. If thefront springs are softened, front weight transfer is increased greatlywhen you brake. It may be good for a FWD car since it's front engineand front wheel drive. If you soften the rear springs, rear weighttransfer is increased greatly while accelerating. It would be good fora RWD or 4WD car, since the rear wheels are used, road grip isincreased while accelerating.
You shouldn't really use the springs for balance, since you need tohave the perfect settings so it could be right. The stabilizers arebetter for turning and road grip. Weight transfer is just tooimportant to use the springs, but if you're good enough, you mightwant to use the springs.
Ride Height
Ride height is the height of the bottom of the car from the ground ona straight paved surface. The lower the ride height, the less weighttransfer there is during acceleration, braking, and cornering. Thismakes it more stable and since there is less weight transfer, corneringis improved.
If the ride height is too low, you will lose control if you're goingtoo fast when you go into a bump or jump (bottom out). You can stiffenthe springs and/or dampers to get rid of this problem. Ride heightshould only be adjusted on smooth courses, otherwise you'll have a lotof trouble cornering.
You shouldn't really mess with the ride height unless you know whatyou're doing. The car is usually fine as it is. You can usually justadjust the settings until you find what you think is best.
Shocks (Dampers)
The dampers (Shock Absorbers or simply just Shocks) dampens the"swinging" of the springs. The shocks are very important when cornering.
Damper Bound:
This affects the stability and handling of the car. The stiffer youmake the Bound Damper, the more responsiveness the car has because weight transfer is more tolerable. If it is too stiff, stability is screwed upon non-smooth surfaces. If it is too soft, handling is terrible.
Damper Rebound:
(Affects entry and exit of corners.) This affects the entry and exit of corners, as well as turning. Toreduce understeer when turning, you can soften the front or stiffen therear. Also, to reduce oversteer, stiffen the front or soften the rear.
Camber
Camber's the angle the tires make with the road, it's measured indegrees. The grip of the tires to the road depends on the camber angle.Zero camber angle is supposed to have the maximum grip, but in realityit doesn't because a small negative camber makes the tires tiltinward, so when you turn, the tire is aligned perfectly with the road.It is aligned perfectly with the road as it is on a straight road withzero camber. In order to achieve maximum grip while turning, you needto have some negative camber.
A positve camber isn't very good and you should never make itpositive. You should just mess with the camber settings until you findsomething ideal for your driving style.
For some reason, in GT2, you cannot make the wheels' angles negative,so I suggest you to leave this alone and adjust the Toe instead.
Stabilizers
The stabilizers are similar to the springs in what it does. Thestiffer the front and rear, the more responsive handling is. But thiscan screw up the stability on bumpy surfaces.
While the softer thestabilizers, the less responsive handling is, although it gives morestability on bumpy surfaces. If you soften the front or stiffen the rear, understeer is reduced.Likewise, if you stiffen the front or soften the rear, oversteer isreduced. However, do not over-stiffen/soften the front or rear because it can have a negative effect, especially if you try toreduce understeer. Fishtailing can become quite common and may leadto spin outs. But if you reduce oversteer too much, you may not beable to take the turns as easily, and if you turn too hardly, it isvery easy to fishtail or spin out, so be careful.
Brake Balance
The purpose of the Brake Balance is to adjust the power of the brakes when braking. In order to reduce oversteer, increase the frontor reduce the rear. You can also reduce understeer if you reduce thefront or increase the rear.
You would want a little higher front brake balance than the rear, in most cases, because you won't oversteer while turning, thus making it easier to turn without spinning out or fishtailing.
Gear Ratios
The final gear is the most important, but the other gears can beused to adjust acceleration and gear changes. The lower the number,the more max speed there is. The higher the number, the less maxspeed there is. Remember, though, the higher the max speed, the more acceleration is reduced. Likewise, the lower the max speed, the more acceleration is increased.
For courses with a lot of corners (not many straight surfaces for acceleration), you would generally want faster acceleration, so you would increase the number. But for a course like the Test Track,you would want a higher max speed, so you would decrease the number.
I've gotten E-mail from people asking me how to increase the max speed even further after getting fully tuning-up their car, and after putting the gear settings to their lowest because some cars seem to only be ableto go up to 220 MPH or so. What I'm about to tell you will make thecar's max speed exceed the amount you think is the max possible.
Well, go to the Machine Test and choose 'Max Speed' to test your car's max speed. Go to the Settings, go to the Gears Settings, and put all of the gears to their lowest and start the test. See your car's max speed and if you want to increase it even further, quit and go back to the Settings. Push [Start] while highlighting one of the gears to return it to its default settings, and change the gears to their lowest settings again. Take the test again and the max speed should have either increased or decreased.
Now quit and go back to the Settings once again. You see the option all the way at the bottom of the menu with the gears? Well, select it and move it to the right a few, then push X or O to accept. Then push [Start] and it'll return to its default number. Go to the gears and make them the lowest possible. Take the test again and the max speed should have increased.
Note: Don't do this for all cars since the higher your max speed, the less acceleration you have. You can also only do this for the final gear afterwards
Downforce
This is the aerodynamic force that pushes the car down to the road. The higher the front and rear are, the more grip during cornering is. That also makes the car more stable, since it sticks to the road more.But this decreases speed on a straight surface because a lot of weight it put down on the car. The lower the front and rear are, the less grip during cornering is, although speed is increases on straight surfaces.
You can reduce understeer by increasing the front or decreasing the rear. Also, if you decrease the front or increase the rear, oversteer is reduced. The faster your car is going, the more downforce effects your car.
Toe
Similar to the camber, except somewhat different. It is the angle of the tires together. Zero toe means the tires are parallel with each other. A positive toe causes the tires to be more outward towards each other, while a negative toe makes the tires more inward to each other.
If you use a negative toe for both the front and back, handling is increased, but if the angle is too low, handling will be messed up.If you use some negativaty, handling is increased because the tires lean inward and when you turn, the tire are perpendicular to the ground, just like what camber does.
A positive front toe or negative rear toe reduces oversteer, while a negative front toe or positive rear toe reduces understeer
If you keep a positive camber and make some negative toe, the tires will lean inward some and grip and stability will be increased to acertain extent. When you turn right, the right wheels will be aligned perfectly to the ground but the left wheels won't. Likewise, when you turn left, the right wheels will be aligned perfectly to the ground,but the right wheels won't be.
When you turn right, the left tires will be aligned perfectly to the ground, but the right wheels won't (if the left tires even stay on the road). Similarly, when you turn left, the right tires will be aligned perfectly to the ground, but the left wheels won't (if the right tires even stay on the road).
On a straight road, grip and stability to the road are perfect. Butwhen you turn, well, that's different. It is more difficult to turn than if you made the toe somewhat negative.
Limited-Slip Differential
The limited-slip differential is composed of LSD during initial torque, acceleration, and deceleration. If you get this for an FF, youyou only get the 'Front' sets. If you buy this for an RR or FR, you receive only the 'Rear' sets. As for a 4WD, both 'Front' and 'Rear'sets are received.
- Initial Torque
FF: If you soften it, responsive handling is reduced, but there is less body roll as well as more stability. Stiffening it results in increased responsive handling, but increased body roll and less stability.
FR/RR: By softening it, responsive handling increases, although body roll increases as well and less stability. By stiffening it, responsive handling decreases, even though body roll decreases and stability increases.
4WD: By softening the front, responsive handling is reduced, but there's more stability and less body roll. If you stiffen the front, responsive handling is increases, but you get less stability and more body roll. Stiffening the rear results in less acceleration, although you get more stability. If you soften the rear, you receive more acceleration, but in return, you get less stability.
- Acceleration
Grip to the road is increased while accelerating, but stability is reduced while braking. When braking for a corner, the car is hard to handle, but when you exit the corner, it works very well. This can be fixed by adjusting the LSD Deceleration.
A high setting gives you fast acceleration, but handling is reduced. A low setting gives you low acceleration, but handling is increased.
- Deceleration
Grip, stability, and turning ability are increased while braking.A high setting gives you great grip, stability, and turning ability while braking, but all that stuff is reduced while accelerating. Alow setting reduces grip, stability, and turning ability while braking, but that stuff is increased while accelerating. Fix thisproblem by adjusting the LSD Acceleration.
Yaw Control System
This basically controls the distribution of torque between the left and right wheels. This is similar to the Limited-Slip Differential of cars, and some cars without the LSD have this. If you get this for an FF, you you only get the 'Front' sets. If you buy this for an RR or FR, you receive only the 'Rear' sets. As for a 4WD, both 'Front' and 'Rear'sets are taken.
A high setting gives the car faster turning speed, but fishtailing becomes more common. A low setting gives the car slower turning speed,but fishtailing is reduced.
There aren't many cars with this, and those with it aren't the best cars, except perhaps some rally cars.
Active Stability Controller
This controls the overall braking power of all four wheels. This stabilizes the car more when cornering and increases grip to the road. A higher setting decreases responsive handling, but increases stabilization when cornering and increases grip to the road.
While a lower setting increases responsive handling, stabilization during cornering and grip to the road are reduced.
This is very similar to the Limited-Slip Differential Initial Torque, so just look at that when dealing with this.
Traction Control System Controller
This reduces the delivery of power to a wheel that is losinggrip to the road.
A high setting increases overall grip to the road, but decreases speed on a straight road. A low setting decreases overall grip to the road, but increases speed on a straight road. The TCSC is ideal for FRs, RRs, and 4WDs.
A car with good grip to the road can corner easily while a car with bad grip corners difficultly. And if a car has good grip, it is more stable and more difficult to spin out and fishtail. A car with badgrip is less stable and pretty easy to fishtail and spin out.
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