Difficult Car Spotlight - Option Stream Z

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XS

XS

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This thread is devoted to tuning the black sheep of Gran Turismo, the difficult cars that are seemingly beyond all hope. In GT5 days for every car that people gave up on as impossible to tune a tuner managed to fight through and find that "eureka" setup that made it enjoyable. Cars that come to mind from those days include the Lotus Europa, Oullim Motors Spirra, and TVR Cerbera, all plagued by some sort of tuning woe that seemed to take ages for a few good tuners to overcome. Every month a new car will be featured for tuners to test their tuning abilities with. The challenge is to simply tune the car as best as you can and post the results here. This thread is not meant to be a tuning shootout. The tunes should be submitted with all parts listed, vehicle specs, PP and tire info, and all settings for all custom parts listed. I will leave it up to the individual tuner whether or not they want to tune the transmission, but it is highly recommended to complete a great setup for a difficult car. Also, it is up to the tuner what PP and tire compound they would like to use.

First up for February is the OPTION Stream Z.
IMG_0742.JPG


Even Option had a hard time tuning their own car, which unfortunately resulted in a crash at the Nevada Silver State Classic run.
1_1sVZ_59.jpg


@demonchilde and I began discussing this car and needless to say between the two of us found it to be more of a black sheep than in GT5 days. I am still polishing my tune for this point-'n'-shoot beast. I know it can be tuned as both demonchilde's suspension setup and my full tune nearly have this car competing at the 600pp level. So without further ado, let the tuning begin!

Tune Archive
Demonchilde
DolHaus
donpost
FuzzyFez
KOGSoldier
Praiano63
Ridox2JZGTE
XS

Reviews
demonchilde's Option reviewed by Praiano
DolHaus' Option reviewed by demonchilde
DolHaus' Option reviewed by Praiano
FuzzyFez' Option reviewed by demonchilde
FuzzyFez' Option reviewed by DolHaus
KOGSoldier's Option reviewed by demonchilde
KOGSoldier's Option reviewed by DolHaus
Praiano's Option reviewed by demonchilde
Praiano's Option reviewed by DolHaus
Praiano's Option reviewed by XS
Ridox2JZGTE's Option reviewed by DolHaus
Ridox2JZGTE's Option reviewed by XS
XS' Option reviewed by DolHaus
 
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Very interesting idea. Looking forward to the many various tunes. Just an idea should the tunes be done on a specific track? Or at least have the tuner state which track (s) were used in the testing.
 
Yes, I forgot to mention that :dunce:. In my opinion the track the car is tuned on should be fairly technical. However, I will leave the track choice up to the tuner as I believe better results come from using a track that one is most comfortable with. I tune on Rome and the Nurburgring GT course (both courses for one tune). Many would consider these tracks not technical enough to produce a decent tune, but I am most comfortable with those courses and don't have to concentrate on completing a clean lap - I can simply race comfortably and let the lap times fall where they may and concentrate more on the tune and how it feels. So please use track choice wisely.
 
I love the idea but I feel you will struggle to get results if you don't set a PP/Tyre/Track Limit, makes it kind of hard to test and quantify.
Good to see a group like this, too many folks leave these cars to gather virtual dust because they aren't any good to begin with.
Consider me 100% on board once the battle lines are drawn
 
Hmm, I wanted it to be more like the FITT Car of The Month thread and less of a shootout. The idea isn't to test and quantify at a specific level, but more to show attention to difficult cars. In my mind the challenge is the tuner vs. the car, not tuner vs. tuner. I don't want to set a PP, track or tire limit because one tuner may feel their setup works best at 500pp and another at 450pp. Both setups might actually be great, therefore we have a larger variation of PP levels which people can use for career events or online racing. The OPTION for example might work at 500pp and 600pp, but from personal experience, requires vastly different tuning for those two levels. Opinions?
 
XS
Hmm, I wanted it to be more like the FITT Car of The Month thread and less of a shootout. The idea isn't to test and quantify at a specific level, but more to show attention to difficult cars. In my mind the challenge is the tuner vs. the car, not tuner vs. tuner. The I don't want to set a PP, track or tire limit because one tuner may feel their setup works best at 500pp and another at 450pp. Both setups might actually be great, therefore we have a larger variation of PP levels which people can use for career events or online racing. The OPTION for example might work at 500pp and 600pp, but from personal experience, requires vastly different tuning for those two levels. Opinions?
Click to expand...
Yeah but then you face the trouble of one person tuning at one track and getting it feeling great but then a tester tests it at another track and the car feels awful and gives it a bad review, there's too many variables in GT to have a great all rounder. I think you need at least a small amount of the variable taken out to make it fair. Also, popular tuners will get all the tests/reviews and others will just sit there in the thread and get bypassed, they might have a great setup but if no one knows there name/reputation then they will never get a fair crack of the whip. I'm not asking you to make a contest, i'm just asking that everyone gets viewed fairly and equally
 
I love the concept.

Might have a blast with this car.

I was going to suggest something similar, but for the amuse s2000 gt1 turbo. In gt5 it handled beautifully. But stock, in gt6, I found it to be extremely tricky. Major over rotation issues.

I do have a nice setup on it now, and it's seriously capable.

I think It showcases how a good tune can transform a car.

Will have a play with the option, never really been near it.
 
DolHaus
Yeah but then you face the trouble of one person tuning at one track and getting it feeling great but then a tester tests it at another track and the car feels awful and gives it a bad review, there's too many variables in GT to have a great all rounder. I think you need at least a small amount of the variable taken out to make it fair. Also, popular tuners will get all the tests/reviews and others will just sit there in the thread and get bypassed, they might have a great setup but if no one knows there name/reputation then they will never get a fair crack of the whip. I'm not asking you to make a contest, i'm just asking that everyone gets viewed fairly and equally
Click to expand...
The tuner testing to a specific track would happen no matter what, whether or not a specific track was designated. So how about requiring reviewers to review each tune at the track it was tuned on, and they must review every tune? I doubt we'll get over a dozen tunes so a reviewer shouldn't have much trouble reviewing every tune over the course of a month. So we make it fair by having every tune reviewed at the track it was tuned on. Lets see, what else, well I'd still like to be able to leave PP variable. How else can we make it fair but still give the tuners a lot of freedom?
 
XS
So how about requiring reviewers to review each tune at the track it was tuned on, and they must review every tune?
Click to expand...

This is the simplest answer - I'll test for this "challenge" and perhaps see what I can do tuning wise, but the task seems quite daunting so I'll not post a tune if its no good.
 
XS
The tuner testing to a specific track would happen no matter what, whether or not a specific track was designated. So how about requiring reviewers to review each tune at the track it was tuned on, and they must review every tune? I doubt we'll get over a dozen tunes so a reviewer shouldn't have much trouble reviewing every tune over the course of a month. So we make it fair by having every tune reviewed at the track it was tuned on. Lets see, what else, well I'd still like to be able to leave PP variable. How else can we make it fair but still give the tuners a lot of freedom?
Click to expand...
Fair point about the track, maybe if you set rough groups for pp/tyres? What I fear will happen is that one person will run a 500pp on racing tyres then test the next car on sports tyres and view them unfairly because the car suddenly feels a lot less grippy. If everyone is on a somewhat level playing field then it makes it easier to find which tune is better
 
Ok, well as far as even playing field goes, I did the adjustments I did on racing hard tires. Anyone who tunes on racing softs is not giving the car enough options for the user. So my vote, considering the pp range of the car, is just that, racing hard.

I've done some more tuning to the car since XS and I first dove into it. Suspension I'm happy with, toe I'm still messing with as I found 2 very different settings to 'help' in different ways. Need to figure which 'help' can be covered in other ways, and which can't, as to pin that down.
LSD is all over the place, lol. Every pp added, every hp taken away or added, every transmission fine tune, and the LSD needs adjusting once again, lol.
Dampers and ARB are going to be a huge player in getting this car to act decent. I've blown through 4 or 5 set-ups so far, and have discovered the same issue as with LSD, every small change and everything has to be adjusted again, lol.

I don't like the idea of a contest, I think maybe with the thirty or so brains of the tuning garages here, we together can make this beast something useful. But as always, I'm down for whatever.

~D€MON~
 
I just bought the car, wow, it has decent handling - with a minor tweak on the LSD and suspension. Driving it at Brands Hatch GP on comfort soft, 849HP, 600PP, easy 1:38s ( stock gearing, stock aero )
 
If you really want it to be "more like the FITT Car of The Month thread and less of a shootout" then I have the perfect solution for you. Pick 2 different tire/PP combinations (I'd suggest about 50PP apart and 1-2 tire compounds) and 2 or 3 different tracks, with the tracks having somewhat radically different character. Tsukuba and Bathurst for example. Allow entrants to choose either or both of the tire/PP combinations with the defined goal being the car should handle well at the 2 or 3 designated tracks. If you want to turn it into a contest of sorts, have pilots rate the cars solely on feel/fun/handling without regard to lap times.

Chuck Norris Edit: On cars like the Stratos, instead of having two different PP/tire combinations you could have ballast/no ballast tunes. 💡
 
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Weve already got 'quick tunes' as weve been playing with it for a week now.
more quick tunes isnt needed. The car has huge power, and unlike GT5, with weight stage 3, we can actually get this car into a decent weight range. This car should be "killing" competition, not just 'doing decent lap times'.
Its possible. Getting the hidden gem out of this car, is kind of the whole point, lol.
ive got great lap times too with a number of set ups I tried. But I was still very unhappy with the handling dispite this.
Ill see where we are in the morning, gotta go back to work, lol
 
I don't really care if my tune is quicker or not than other's as long as I can drive it and enjoy it, my tune now is the same pace as my Jaguar XKR-S tune at same 600PP, the Stream still has stock weight, gearing and aero :) I consider a base tune ( suspension and LSD only ) - got a help from a friend from another forum who has same coilover model on Z33 as fitted on the Stream Z.
 
All great points. I should have added a poll, but hindsight is 20/20. So in reply form, yes or no, can I get a few opinions? First are you guys in favor of an all-out un-restricted/no rules option? If so I'll change the thread title to: "Tough Car Tuning - OPTION Stream Z", to remove any hint of a challenge? Or do you want some PP, track, and tire restrictions with reviewers reviewing every tune for feel and usability but not lap times (tuners be prepared to have the tune reviewed much like the tuning review threads)? Lastly I didn't want to turn it into an all out competition because I want the focus to be on the wider range of tunes we can get from giving tuners some freedom. So just give me a one sentence answer and we'll go from there.
 
I don't mind about the rules :) My Option Stream Z base tune will have comfort soft to sport soft tire recommendation ( tuned on CS ) - just like Lotus Europa S and Jaguar XKR-S , it should also work on racing tire.

By the way XS, have you tried my Lotus Europa S tune :D

EDIT : Just got low 1:29s with the Stream Z at Brands Hatch GP, final tweaks on front damper, not really fast, but stable enough to push hard on sports soft with 849HP.
 
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While you guys think about the options, I'll go ahead and post my tune. Also, you may use this as an example as to how the tunes should be posted (although most tuners already know what to include).
First off, this is the first tune I've ever posted, so I'm a little nervous about how well it's going to do. Second a better tuner than I may be able to refine it some, but I just can't get it to lap any faster.

Nissan OPTION Stream Z '04

gallery_articles_Nissan_350Z_Option_Stream_Z_07.jpg


Tuner Info
Controller: DS3
Track Used: Nürburgring GP/F & Rome City Course
Tires Tuned On: Sports Soft and Racing Hard
All aides off, except ABS at 1

Vehicle Specs
599PP
HP - 796/6,200 rpm
Torque - 655.8/6,200 rpm
Weight - 1,252kg

GT Auto
Oil Change at 0.0 miles

Installed Parts
Weight Reduction Stage 3
Racing Brakes
Fully Customizable Dog-Clutch Transmission
Sports Soft and Racing Hard Tires

Suspension
Ride Height: Front 75 | Rear 75
Spring Rate: Front 14.30 | Rear 15.60
Dampers Compression: Front 5 | Rear 9
Dampers Extension: Front 3 | Rear 8
Anti-roll Bars: Front 3 | Rear 5
Camber Angle: Front 0 | Rear 0
Toe Angle: Front -0.25 | Rear -0.05
Brake Balance: Front 8 | Rear 8

Transmission
Set top speed to 217mph (default settings)
Set individual ratios
1) 3.024
2) 2.105
3) 1.596
4) 1.257
5) 1.026
6) 0.860
Adjust final gear to track, 3.264 is perfect for Bathurst.

Limited Slip Differential
Initial Torque: 12
Accel Sensitivity: 13
Braking Sensitivity: 5

Body
Downforce: Front 0 | Rear 125
Ballast: 0 at 0

Comments
This tune completely ended up going in a different direction than I could have predicted. I was first quite puzzled by the one second gain in lap time by reversing the damper settings. Usually this means something was amiss somewhere else in the tune, but no matter what I did to balance the tune out, the car still went faster on reversed damper settings. Mid-corner speeds are still a little sluggish for my liking but corner entry is easy and predictable. The car performs well on sports soft tires but really comes alive with racing hards. All in all I wouldn't consider it a victory but I am still pleased with the tune as is.



Nissan OPTION Stream Z '04 Soft Tune

Tuner Info
Controller: DS3
Track Used: Nürburgring GP/F & Rome City Course
Tires Tuned On: Sports Soft and Racing Hard
All aides off, except ABS at 1

Vehicle Specs
599PP
HP - 796/6,200 rpm
Torque - 655.8/6,200 rpm
Weight - 1,252kg

GT Auto
Oil Change at 0.0 miles

Installed Parts
Weight Reduction Stage 3
Racing Brakes
Fully Customizable Dog-Clutch Transmission
Sports Soft and Racing Hard Tires

Suspension
Ride Height: Front 80 | Rear 80
Spring Rate: Front 12.00 | Rear 12.37
Dampers Compression: Front 3 | Rear 4
Dampers Extension: Front 5 | Rear 6
Anti-roll Bars: Front 3 | Rear 4
Camber Angle: Front 0 | Rear 0
Toe Angle: Front -0.25 | Rear 0.15
Brake Balance: Front 7 | Rear 9

Transmission
Set top speed to 217mph (default settings)
Set individual ratios
1) 3.024
2) 2.105
3) 1.596
4) 1.257
5) 1.026
6) 0.860
Adjust final gear to track, 3.264 is perfect for Bathurst.

Limited Slip Differential
Initial Torque: 10
Accel Sensitivity: 16
Braking Sensitivity: 6

Body
Downforce: Front 0 | Rear 145
Ballast: 0 at 0

Comments
I wasn't going to publish this tune because it wasn't my fastest lap. However @DolHaus pointed out several problems with the hard tune that I had considered when making this tune, but didn't take seriously because the soft tune lapped Brands Hatch slower. So since the soft tune was still there I decided to publish it. Review one or both, it's all fine with me. PS, I did make rear toe and initial torque adjustments following DolHaus' advice, so credit where it's due :).
 
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I really like the feel of it curbed down to 580 and 600pp. Maxed out it is not worthy, compared to other cars at that pp level.
my advise and one sentence lol?

Im not in favor of a competition at all, when I got started with the OptionZ, it was because I was seeking out rare cars that are a huge challenge. Anyone can grab a GT500 ____________, and quick tune it to be a beast. I was just looking for the challenge, and am more interested in seeing what we can do 'as a whole' then individually.

I cant count I guess, lol, pretend that was one long run-on sentence. :)
 
Ridox2JZGTE
I don't mind about the rules :) My Option Stream Z base tune will have comfort soft to sport soft tire recommendation ( tuned on CS ) - just like Lotus Europa S and Jaguar XKR-S , it should also work on racing tire.

By the way XS, have you tried my Lotus Europa S tune :D

EDIT : Just got low 1:29s with the Stream Z at Brands Hatch GP, final tweaks on front damper, not really fast, but stable enough to push hard on sports soft with 849HP.
Click to expand...
That's a good BH time, I was at 1:33 at 599pp on SS. I haven't had the chance to try your Europa yet, but I will soon.
 
Here is my tune, also posted on my garage, I will also update my GT86 Toyota Motorsports GmbH CS V3 Cup Car :)


NISSAN OPTION STREAM Z ( Z33 ) '04 600PP

Tuned for Comfort Soft to Sports Soft​




CAR : NISSAN OPTION Stream Z '04
Tire : Comfort Soft to Sports Soft

Specs
Horsepower: 849 HP at 6600 RPM
Torque : 707.0 ft-lb at 6200 RPM
Power Limiter at : 100%
Weight: 1440 kg
Ballast : 0 kg
Ballast Position : 0
Weight Distribution : 53 / 47 as stock
Performance Points: 600

GT AUTO
Oil change
Improve Body Rigidity ( NOT INSTALLED ) -optional, there's no bad side effect of this, highly recommended.
Wheels : Stock
Car Paint : Stock

Tuning Parts Installed :
Racing Exhaust
Low RPM Range Turbo Kit
Adjustable LSD
6 Speed Transmission
Fully Customizable Suspension


Suspension - ZEAL SUPER FUNCTION SPL 車高調
Front, Rear

Ride Height: 100 100
Spring Rate: 16.0 18.00
Dampers (Compression): 7 4
Dampers (Extension): 6 4
Anti-Roll Bars: 3 3
Camber Angle: 0.2 0.2 ( use zero camber all around if wanted max grip possible )
Toe Angle: -0.08 0.10

Alternate Suspension setup for bumpy tracks - Bathurst etc
ZEAL SUPER FUNCTION X Series

Ride Height: 100 100
Spring Rate: 16.0 14.00
Dampers (Compression): 6 5
Dampers (Extension): 6 5
Anti-Roll Bars: 3 3
Camber Angle: 0.2 0.2 ( use zero camber all around if wanted max grip possible )
Toe Angle: -0.08 0.10


LSD - 1.5 way low preload
Initial Torque : 9
Acceleration Sensitivity: 20
Braking Sensitivity: 10
Alternate initial torque : 26 ( high preload ) for better stability.

Aero
Front : 0 ( Fixed )
Rear : 100 ( Use max if preferred )



Brake Balance:
8/9 ( personal BB) or for ABS 0 wheel : 4/5, for ABS 1 - feel free to use your preferred brake balance. I would recommend to run just one click higher on rear brake.

Recommended setting for DS3 user :

Steering sensitivity at +1 or +2, all aids off, except ABS 1 ( if not comfortable with ABS 0 ) with 8/9 brake balance as starting point.



Notes :
Made a simple tune for Option Stream Z '04. Used real life ZEAL SUPER FUNCTION SPL spring rates and with the input of a friend who owned Z33 fitted with same coilover - tuned the damper. The alternate spring rate is for bumpy track, using Zeal SUPER FUNCTION X spring rates
Tuned and tested at Bathurst and Brands Hatch GP, sports soft tire can do easy 1:29s at Brands Hatch GP
 
At first glance, Ridox, I like the first suspension set of abs/dampers/height/toe, and I like the second spring rate for it.
that is close to one of the 2 toe settings I was down to. (Mine was -.1/.1) so I definatly agree with you on that note.
Tires, I did try SS and liked them, but running 600pp most races call for RH so I went with that.

I like what I see so far, when I get home in the morning, I will take her for a few laps and let you know how it went ^^
 

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