- 6,380
- United Kingdom
- RoJJieE
- mb6roj
FF Challenge - 350PP Challenge
Eh?
The opponent cars in the FF Challenge are between 400PP and 420PP on Sports Hard tyres. They’re not exactly slow, but even a beginner will blow the competition away in the Civic they just won the Sunday Cup with. Said Civic would likely only have 400PP at best. So to really make this a challenge, the self-imposed PP limit won’t be 400PP, 390PP or even 375PP. It’ll be 350PP. To give you an idea of how little that is, a stock Honda CR-Z is 356PP.
What Car?
The initial car choice will make or break this challenge. As mentioned before, a stock CR-Z is 356PP, which is horribly outclassed by the 420PP Integra Type R that I’ll probably be racing against. To make the challenge more of a challenge, the car will remain as stock as possible, apart from power or weight tuning to make the 350PP limit and Sports Hard tyres will be used to be on an even playing field with the AI. As I’m somewhat of a premium snob, my shortlist stayed short because I’m only looking at the new car dealer, but here’s what made the list:
Fiat 500 1.2 8V ‘08
68BHP
1010KG
287PP
The lightest car here.
Honda Insight LS ’09
86BHP
1200KG
329PP
The interesting choice.
Suzuki Swift Sport ‘07
123BHP
1060KG
350PP
The ideal choice.
Toyota Prius G ’09
97BHP
1350KG
316PP
The troll car.
So which car should I take? On one hand, you have the two hybrid cars that can use their high weight to keep the PP down whilst I load on the power. Useful for all three tracks in the FF Challenge. On the other hand, you have the Fiat 500 that’ll tear up the corners and with some power mods, hold its position for the majority of the straights, probably only losing out at the end. Then you have the Suzuki Swift, which has no disadvantage with its low weight and having the most power out of the group.
After I wrote the above paragraph, I was given a Honda keyring as a gift from a family friend. Could it be a sign or is it a coincidence? Probably the latter but I’m going to take it as a sign to choose the Insight for this challenge.
So off to the Honda dealer I go.
I walk in and I’m given the usual VIP treatment. Ice-cold Coke, a few brochures and a comfy seat taken out of an Accord. One of the salesman starts raving about the RKM suspension on his Civic while another is already trying to get me to test drive an S2000. I stand up and point over to the Insight, telling the salesmen that I’d just like an Insight in Premium White Pearl. Apparently I was speaking in Korean because the salesmen started to explain that S2000’s don’t come in that colour. I marched over to the Insight and pointed directly at it. It seems they understand simple sign language at least. I made it clear that I knew how the hybrid system worked and how the rest of the car worked, as this wasn’t my first Insight. Half an hour later, I had the keys to a brand new Insight painted in Premium White Pearl and my wallet was 22,100 credits lighter.
After taking the car back home for a closer inspection, I find that the specs are slightly different than the showroom model. Namely having 94BHP instead of the claimed 86BHP and the PP is actually 325 and not 329. So more power and less PP than advertised. Excellent!
Here’s the detailed performance specs.
Displacement: 1339 cc
Max. Power: 94BHP/5600rpm
Max. Torque: 16gfm/1000rpm
Drivetrain: FF
Length: 4390 mm
Width: 1695 mm
Height: 1425 mm
Weight: 1200kg
Performance Points: 325
Performance at 0 miles, no oil change and no other modifications. Manual transmission used and all aids turned off except for ABS at 1. Settings were not changed from dealership specifications.
Not too shabby for a hybrid, but it needs some work. First things first, new tyres. The default Comfort Medium tyres are replaced with some grippy Sports Hard tyres to match the AI. Up next, the motor. A new ECU, intake manifold, air filter, exhaust manifold and catalytic converter boosts power to around 114BHP. The PP is sitting at about 348, which leaves some room for when the motor gets broken in during racing. Last but not least, some Enkei wheels painted up in green for that Takata look.
Ready To Race
So with the car finished, here’s how it looks.
Displacement: 1339 cc
Max. Power: 114BHP/5800rpm
Max. Torque: 18gfm/1800rpm
Drivetrain: FF
Length: 4390 mm
Width: 1695 mm
Height: 1425 mm
Weight: 1200kg
Performance Points: 348
Race 1
The first race is a 3-lapper at Suzuka East. The Insight is ready. Me, not so much. The grid looked like this:
Starting on pole, V.Legros in the Renault Obesity.
In second, R.Colon in the Accord Euro-R.
In third, G.Berg in the Alfa 147.
In forth, B.Foley in the Integra Type R.
In fifth, my Takata Insight.
Behind me in sixth, S.Estes in the Prelude.
In seventh, H.Mcmillan in the CR-X.
And lastly in eighth, H.Vatanen in the Celica.
The lights go green and Foley’s ITR starts leaving me in the dust. Estes’ Prelude starts to gain on me. The Insight’s little CVT gearbox is whirring away happily. I’m up to 100mph before the first corner. Mcmillan’s CR-X tries to make a move on me but I block him as I dive down the inside of the Prelude. I lose the back end of the Insight, but I manage to catch it while going round the outside of Foley’s Integra and Berg’s Alfa. I’m third after just one corner.
I’m now chasing Colon’s Accord, but not for long as the Insight tears around the outside of the next corner, trying not to fly off into the grass. Colon’s Accord is overtaken and I’m now up against the Renault with a weight problem. I pass it with ease. Insert a joke about the French at your own risk. It’s not over though, it was obvious I would take the AI around the corners, but it’s the main straight where they can catch up is where the problems happen. I have a little off on the last corner, but nothing the Insight couldn’t handle. Unless you’re really familiar with the cornering speeds on a track, a CVT gearbox is not ideal. The constant revving makes it hard to judge anything really. I’m cruising down the straight and I notice the AI catching up. There’s a huge gap between us though and they’re barely in a position to overtake by the first corner. My lap time is 1:08.710, I didn’t catch how far behind the AI was.
I have another little off, this time at the first corner. Luckily there’s a lot of tarmac before the gravel trap and I can just drive back onto the track. The AI is still a few car lengths behind even after my mistakes. With the AI no longer bothering me, I could complete lap 2 with no further mistakes. Keeping my cornering speeds manageable without needing to worry about the AI. I finish lap 2 with a time of 1:05.509 and the Renault is about 5 seconds behind me. I’m now on the third and final lap, the Insight is looking good to win this.
The final lap is uneventful apart from running wide at the last corner, but I still win. This lap turns out to be my fastest at 1:05.306. The Megane finishes about 6 seconds behind me.
After this relatively easy race, I’m now a lot more confident going into race 2 at Clubman Route 5. The Insight has surprisingly great handling out of the box. The only real issue is the CVT gearbox that makes things a little difficult with judging speeds. The acceleration is pretty good for a car with only 114BHP.
Race 2
With Suzuka East taken care of, it was now time for Clubman Stage Route 5. With my newfound confidence in my Insightful little Honda, we entered the Midnight Club. My opponents were more fierce this time.
Starting on pole, T.Stanton in the Civic Type R.
In second, V.Aguirre in Spain..
In third, J.Castano in the Alfa 166.
In forth, F.Tolonen in the Mirage Robot.
In fifth, my Takata Insight.
Behind me in sixth, V.Pacheco in the FWD Trueno.
In seventh, N.Weis in the random collection of alphabets.
And lastly in eighth, V.Mathieu in the Prelude Type S.
The lights go green and we’re off to a good start. The Mirage hardly pulls away and the FWD Trueno takes me on the right, not a good move for him as I’m able to take him down the inside under braking into the tunnel. I hang on tight around the continuous left hander, hugging the inside to take the Mirage down. We emerge from the tunnel right behind the Alfa. The Alfa breaks down around the next corner, letting us pass around the outside. Now we’re behind Spain. Spain brakes coming up to the second to last corner. I take to the inside and brake late to pass Spain. Now we’re behind the Civic, but not for long, as again the Insight proves it’s handling worth and takes the Civic on the inside of the last corner. I get on the power early and charge ahead, leaving the Civic choking on my hybrid exhaust. Lap 1 is complete with a time of 1:14.869, with the Civic rapidly closing in, only 0.3 seconds behind me.
I curse the Insight for having no VTEC at this point, just as the Civic takes me from the left. I’m side by side with the Civic going into the tunnel, but I’m unable to make a pass. I stick close behind the Civic around the tunnel, holding my position until I see an opening. The Civic moves to the right lane and leaves a gap, I zip through, claiming first place at the tunnel exit. I turn in too early for the next corner, bumping my front right wing against the wall. Sorry Insight. I slowly build a 1.3 second lead until we hit the main straight again. The Civic begins its attack. By the time I cross the line my lead is down to 1.1 seconds. My lap time is 1:12.145 for lap 2.
Lap 3 begins well, the Civic fails to catch me and I fly through the tunnel without any contest. I exit the tunnel with the Civic now trailing behind. The next corner I attempt without braking. I succeed but I completely screw up the next corner in the process. It doesn’t matter though, I didn’t crash and I’m still leading. I fly through the next series of corners and I’m finally on the last straight. The gap is too big for the Civic to catch up, making victory mine for the second time. I finish the lap with a 1:10.287, leaving the Civic 2.5 seconds behind.
This win brings us to a nice win ratio of 2 out of 2. So far so good. Deep Forest is next and I’m honestly not worried about it at all. I can treat Deep Forest like Trial Mountain, which of course means the AI has no chance.
Race 3 – The Finale
So this is it, the final race, 2 laps of Deep Forest. I’m not going to lie, I know this’ll be a walk in the park for the Insight, but at the end of the day, this is about winning with a 70PP disadvantage, not close racing.
Starting on pole, W.Abendroth in the Tiburon Turbulence.
In second, B.Gasparini in the Integra Type R.
In third, P.Georges in the Prelude SiR.
In forth, S.Tyson in the Eclipse Spyder.
In fifth, my Takata Insight.
Behind me in sixth, R.Robertson in the Prelude Type S.
In seventh, S.Matasu****a in the Axela.
And lastly in eighth, H.Hirata in the FWD Trueno.
The lights go green and I’m instantly overtaken by Robertson’s Prelude on my left side. I cut across to the inside lane and reclaim sixth place around the first corner. I hang behind Tyson’s Eclipse for a while before overtaking him and Georges’ Prelude across the concrete before the tunnel. Cheeky? It’s how I roll, son. Gasparini’s Integra is easily overtaken out of the tunnel with the Insight’s crazy grip. I tail Abenderoth’s Tiburon for a while until overtaking him from the outside before the back straight, sideways. I make a break for it and try and put some distance between us. He slowly starts reeling me in with the Integra in tow, but fails to make any sort of move. The high speed downhill section provides the Insight with some extra speed to keep ahead. This extra speed nearly backfired though, as I went far too fast into the last corner, taking to the grass to save myself. I recover quickly and finish the lap still in first place with a time of 1:45.243, with the Tiburon 0.5 seconds behind.
Lap 2 begins with the Tiburon and Integra scrapping for second place. Around the first corner they seem to be more interested in each other than me. To my amazement they actually seem to be having a little battle. The Integra overtakes briefly before the Tiburon counterattacks and takes second place back. Who says GT5’s AI are robots who don’t overtake each other? Despite the heroic efforts by Gasparini, Abenderoth is the one who ultimately claims second place as their own. Meanwhile my Insight just cruises it’s way to victory, as there’s no one behind me to try and take first. While having scraps for second place is a great thing for the AI to do, it doesn’t help them in their quest for first place. The Insight passes the finish line in first with a time of 1:42.864, with the Tiburon finishing 2.7 seconds later. The price you pay for second place eh?
Mission Acomplished
So there you go, a 350PP car can indeed win the FF Challenge convincingly. Even with huge disadvantages, it’s still possible to win with ease. Perhaps a lower PP is needed to truly push the limits of this challenge, or a Prius. Probably the Prius.
Eh?
The opponent cars in the FF Challenge are between 400PP and 420PP on Sports Hard tyres. They’re not exactly slow, but even a beginner will blow the competition away in the Civic they just won the Sunday Cup with. Said Civic would likely only have 400PP at best. So to really make this a challenge, the self-imposed PP limit won’t be 400PP, 390PP or even 375PP. It’ll be 350PP. To give you an idea of how little that is, a stock Honda CR-Z is 356PP.
What Car?
The initial car choice will make or break this challenge. As mentioned before, a stock CR-Z is 356PP, which is horribly outclassed by the 420PP Integra Type R that I’ll probably be racing against. To make the challenge more of a challenge, the car will remain as stock as possible, apart from power or weight tuning to make the 350PP limit and Sports Hard tyres will be used to be on an even playing field with the AI. As I’m somewhat of a premium snob, my shortlist stayed short because I’m only looking at the new car dealer, but here’s what made the list:
Fiat 500 1.2 8V ‘08
68BHP
1010KG
287PP
The lightest car here.
Honda Insight LS ’09
86BHP
1200KG
329PP
The interesting choice.
Suzuki Swift Sport ‘07
123BHP
1060KG
350PP
The ideal choice.
Toyota Prius G ’09
97BHP
1350KG
316PP
The troll car.
So which car should I take? On one hand, you have the two hybrid cars that can use their high weight to keep the PP down whilst I load on the power. Useful for all three tracks in the FF Challenge. On the other hand, you have the Fiat 500 that’ll tear up the corners and with some power mods, hold its position for the majority of the straights, probably only losing out at the end. Then you have the Suzuki Swift, which has no disadvantage with its low weight and having the most power out of the group.
After I wrote the above paragraph, I was given a Honda keyring as a gift from a family friend. Could it be a sign or is it a coincidence? Probably the latter but I’m going to take it as a sign to choose the Insight for this challenge.
So off to the Honda dealer I go.
I walk in and I’m given the usual VIP treatment. Ice-cold Coke, a few brochures and a comfy seat taken out of an Accord. One of the salesman starts raving about the RKM suspension on his Civic while another is already trying to get me to test drive an S2000. I stand up and point over to the Insight, telling the salesmen that I’d just like an Insight in Premium White Pearl. Apparently I was speaking in Korean because the salesmen started to explain that S2000’s don’t come in that colour. I marched over to the Insight and pointed directly at it. It seems they understand simple sign language at least. I made it clear that I knew how the hybrid system worked and how the rest of the car worked, as this wasn’t my first Insight. Half an hour later, I had the keys to a brand new Insight painted in Premium White Pearl and my wallet was 22,100 credits lighter.
After taking the car back home for a closer inspection, I find that the specs are slightly different than the showroom model. Namely having 94BHP instead of the claimed 86BHP and the PP is actually 325 and not 329. So more power and less PP than advertised. Excellent!
Here’s the detailed performance specs.
Displacement: 1339 cc
Max. Power: 94BHP/5600rpm
Max. Torque: 16gfm/1000rpm
Drivetrain: FF
Length: 4390 mm
Width: 1695 mm
Height: 1425 mm
Weight: 1200kg
Performance Points: 325
Performance at 0 miles, no oil change and no other modifications. Manual transmission used and all aids turned off except for ABS at 1. Settings were not changed from dealership specifications.
Not too shabby for a hybrid, but it needs some work. First things first, new tyres. The default Comfort Medium tyres are replaced with some grippy Sports Hard tyres to match the AI. Up next, the motor. A new ECU, intake manifold, air filter, exhaust manifold and catalytic converter boosts power to around 114BHP. The PP is sitting at about 348, which leaves some room for when the motor gets broken in during racing. Last but not least, some Enkei wheels painted up in green for that Takata look.
Ready To Race
So with the car finished, here’s how it looks.
Displacement: 1339 cc
Max. Power: 114BHP/5800rpm
Max. Torque: 18gfm/1800rpm
Drivetrain: FF
Length: 4390 mm
Width: 1695 mm
Height: 1425 mm
Weight: 1200kg
Performance Points: 348
Race 1
The first race is a 3-lapper at Suzuka East. The Insight is ready. Me, not so much. The grid looked like this:
Starting on pole, V.Legros in the Renault Obesity.
In second, R.Colon in the Accord Euro-R.
In third, G.Berg in the Alfa 147.
In forth, B.Foley in the Integra Type R.
In fifth, my Takata Insight.
Behind me in sixth, S.Estes in the Prelude.
In seventh, H.Mcmillan in the CR-X.
And lastly in eighth, H.Vatanen in the Celica.
The lights go green and Foley’s ITR starts leaving me in the dust. Estes’ Prelude starts to gain on me. The Insight’s little CVT gearbox is whirring away happily. I’m up to 100mph before the first corner. Mcmillan’s CR-X tries to make a move on me but I block him as I dive down the inside of the Prelude. I lose the back end of the Insight, but I manage to catch it while going round the outside of Foley’s Integra and Berg’s Alfa. I’m third after just one corner.
I’m now chasing Colon’s Accord, but not for long as the Insight tears around the outside of the next corner, trying not to fly off into the grass. Colon’s Accord is overtaken and I’m now up against the Renault with a weight problem. I pass it with ease. Insert a joke about the French at your own risk. It’s not over though, it was obvious I would take the AI around the corners, but it’s the main straight where they can catch up is where the problems happen. I have a little off on the last corner, but nothing the Insight couldn’t handle. Unless you’re really familiar with the cornering speeds on a track, a CVT gearbox is not ideal. The constant revving makes it hard to judge anything really. I’m cruising down the straight and I notice the AI catching up. There’s a huge gap between us though and they’re barely in a position to overtake by the first corner. My lap time is 1:08.710, I didn’t catch how far behind the AI was.
I have another little off, this time at the first corner. Luckily there’s a lot of tarmac before the gravel trap and I can just drive back onto the track. The AI is still a few car lengths behind even after my mistakes. With the AI no longer bothering me, I could complete lap 2 with no further mistakes. Keeping my cornering speeds manageable without needing to worry about the AI. I finish lap 2 with a time of 1:05.509 and the Renault is about 5 seconds behind me. I’m now on the third and final lap, the Insight is looking good to win this.
The final lap is uneventful apart from running wide at the last corner, but I still win. This lap turns out to be my fastest at 1:05.306. The Megane finishes about 6 seconds behind me.
After this relatively easy race, I’m now a lot more confident going into race 2 at Clubman Route 5. The Insight has surprisingly great handling out of the box. The only real issue is the CVT gearbox that makes things a little difficult with judging speeds. The acceleration is pretty good for a car with only 114BHP.
Race 2
With Suzuka East taken care of, it was now time for Clubman Stage Route 5. With my newfound confidence in my Insightful little Honda, we entered the Midnight Club. My opponents were more fierce this time.
Starting on pole, T.Stanton in the Civic Type R.
In second, V.Aguirre in Spain..
In third, J.Castano in the Alfa 166.
In forth, F.Tolonen in the Mirage Robot.
In fifth, my Takata Insight.
Behind me in sixth, V.Pacheco in the FWD Trueno.
In seventh, N.Weis in the random collection of alphabets.
And lastly in eighth, V.Mathieu in the Prelude Type S.
The lights go green and we’re off to a good start. The Mirage hardly pulls away and the FWD Trueno takes me on the right, not a good move for him as I’m able to take him down the inside under braking into the tunnel. I hang on tight around the continuous left hander, hugging the inside to take the Mirage down. We emerge from the tunnel right behind the Alfa. The Alfa breaks down around the next corner, letting us pass around the outside. Now we’re behind Spain. Spain brakes coming up to the second to last corner. I take to the inside and brake late to pass Spain. Now we’re behind the Civic, but not for long, as again the Insight proves it’s handling worth and takes the Civic on the inside of the last corner. I get on the power early and charge ahead, leaving the Civic choking on my hybrid exhaust. Lap 1 is complete with a time of 1:14.869, with the Civic rapidly closing in, only 0.3 seconds behind me.
I curse the Insight for having no VTEC at this point, just as the Civic takes me from the left. I’m side by side with the Civic going into the tunnel, but I’m unable to make a pass. I stick close behind the Civic around the tunnel, holding my position until I see an opening. The Civic moves to the right lane and leaves a gap, I zip through, claiming first place at the tunnel exit. I turn in too early for the next corner, bumping my front right wing against the wall. Sorry Insight. I slowly build a 1.3 second lead until we hit the main straight again. The Civic begins its attack. By the time I cross the line my lead is down to 1.1 seconds. My lap time is 1:12.145 for lap 2.
Lap 3 begins well, the Civic fails to catch me and I fly through the tunnel without any contest. I exit the tunnel with the Civic now trailing behind. The next corner I attempt without braking. I succeed but I completely screw up the next corner in the process. It doesn’t matter though, I didn’t crash and I’m still leading. I fly through the next series of corners and I’m finally on the last straight. The gap is too big for the Civic to catch up, making victory mine for the second time. I finish the lap with a 1:10.287, leaving the Civic 2.5 seconds behind.
This win brings us to a nice win ratio of 2 out of 2. So far so good. Deep Forest is next and I’m honestly not worried about it at all. I can treat Deep Forest like Trial Mountain, which of course means the AI has no chance.
Race 3 – The Finale
So this is it, the final race, 2 laps of Deep Forest. I’m not going to lie, I know this’ll be a walk in the park for the Insight, but at the end of the day, this is about winning with a 70PP disadvantage, not close racing.
Starting on pole, W.Abendroth in the Tiburon Turbulence.
In second, B.Gasparini in the Integra Type R.
In third, P.Georges in the Prelude SiR.
In forth, S.Tyson in the Eclipse Spyder.
In fifth, my Takata Insight.
Behind me in sixth, R.Robertson in the Prelude Type S.
In seventh, S.Matasu****a in the Axela.
And lastly in eighth, H.Hirata in the FWD Trueno.
The lights go green and I’m instantly overtaken by Robertson’s Prelude on my left side. I cut across to the inside lane and reclaim sixth place around the first corner. I hang behind Tyson’s Eclipse for a while before overtaking him and Georges’ Prelude across the concrete before the tunnel. Cheeky? It’s how I roll, son. Gasparini’s Integra is easily overtaken out of the tunnel with the Insight’s crazy grip. I tail Abenderoth’s Tiburon for a while until overtaking him from the outside before the back straight, sideways. I make a break for it and try and put some distance between us. He slowly starts reeling me in with the Integra in tow, but fails to make any sort of move. The high speed downhill section provides the Insight with some extra speed to keep ahead. This extra speed nearly backfired though, as I went far too fast into the last corner, taking to the grass to save myself. I recover quickly and finish the lap still in first place with a time of 1:45.243, with the Tiburon 0.5 seconds behind.
Lap 2 begins with the Tiburon and Integra scrapping for second place. Around the first corner they seem to be more interested in each other than me. To my amazement they actually seem to be having a little battle. The Integra overtakes briefly before the Tiburon counterattacks and takes second place back. Who says GT5’s AI are robots who don’t overtake each other? Despite the heroic efforts by Gasparini, Abenderoth is the one who ultimately claims second place as their own. Meanwhile my Insight just cruises it’s way to victory, as there’s no one behind me to try and take first. While having scraps for second place is a great thing for the AI to do, it doesn’t help them in their quest for first place. The Insight passes the finish line in first with a time of 1:42.864, with the Tiburon finishing 2.7 seconds later. The price you pay for second place eh?
Mission Acomplished
So there you go, a 350PP car can indeed win the FF Challenge convincingly. Even with huge disadvantages, it’s still possible to win with ease. Perhaps a lower PP is needed to truly push the limits of this challenge, or a Prius. Probably the Prius.
Last edited:
PS please paint it passionate pink? 
Yellow's more like it, it's more recognizable, but that's just me though.
