Thus far I have had the most success with the TLD Fezza Fast40 500th Edition 700PP tune by Paulie (HKS’s 3rd Suggestion).
I ran Paulie’s setup verbatim, although I did increase the F40’s horsepower to the maximum (something not done in his tune to maintain 700PP).
As mentioned above, my goal in all of this is to develop an F40 setup ideally suited for the Suzuka circuit. Paulie’s tune has provided a great template to begin with. The car handles extremely well through the first series of turns (Gyaku Bank). Traveling through the Gyaku Bank I am able to hug the corners while still subtly applying pressure to the accelerator.
This tune really shines as your rise around the Dunlop corner. This is consistently a successful overtaking zone. Unlike the un-tuned F40, this setup allows maximum throttle and steering stability coming over the rise and around the corner.
That said, braking into Degner can be a bit squirrelly if you haven’t had time to balance and straighten the car before entering the turn. Considering the success I have at overtaking at Dunlop, my car is often not on the ideal racing line when approaching Degner… so, brake with caution.
Exiting Degner you can once again really get on the throttle quickly. The tune really adds a significant amount of stability to the rear-end of the F40. It’s still a beast, but slightly tamed.
Turn 11 (Hairpin) is pretty standard. As always you want to exit the Hairpin on the correct line or else you are setting yourself up for trouble going up the rise and around 200R.
200R is difficult. You really have to be careful with the throttle depending on what line you are following. It is possible to keep the throttle floored throughout 200R, but more often than not I find myself easing up a bit considering I am not on the ideal racing line and the F40 is just waiting for an excuse to break out and put you into the wall. It should be noted that if taken correctly, 200R is another great passing zone.
Braking into Spoon can be both easy or difficult depending on how/where you exit 200R. One advantage to being a little cautious around 200R is that you can follow the ideal line for Spoon and setup for a powerful run down the back straightaway (Crossover).
The gearing of Paulie’s tune shines on the run up Crossover. This can be a good passing zone, you just have to make sure you set yourself up right for turn 14 (130R).
The F40 is fairly stable at high-speed so 130R can be taken with only minimal braking. A quick tap on the brake, turn in, and then full throttle all the way to 15 & 16.
The engine bogs down a bit at lower speed, so this tune is not ideal for turns 15 & 16. No worries considering once you get through the chicane and back into the power-band, the front straight away provides ample length to overtake.
So, that's my initial impression following one night of racing on my G27 using Paulie’s F40 tune (with horsepower max’d). Fighting the car around Suzuka was a hell of a lot of fun, especially considering last weekend’s F1 race at the circuit. As mentioned, I plan to continue running laps in the F40 and will keep this thread updated with whatever the final tune ends up being.
