FITT M Power Challenge Reviews
@shaunm80 @Bowtie-muscle @Otaliema @chrisspeed281 @Brewguy44 @fordracer @DaBomm4 @MrGrado @787bcgr @xande1959 @ugabugaz @brian wolf @Voodoovaj @jblackrevo9 @sinof1337 @Motor City Hami @coryclifford
All testing done at Nürburgring GP/F. Grip set to real.
All tunes were given 10 laps each. The first 3-4 laps were exploratory laps to understand the tune and its habits before putting the hammer down and driving them to the limits of my ability.
I will apologise in advance for what may seem like slow times compared to what you may have achieved in them yourself. I confess, I am not the quickest driver/tester in FITT but I did put all my driving skill into getting the most out of your tunes.
It is worth noting at this point that I am an X button basher and still using the original DS3 pad that I brought in 2011. Now that I have my Mr. Slowly excuses out the way with, here are the reviews.
Tuner 1 – BMW M3 Coupe Chrome Line
Best lap time – 2.09.209
DC – 8.8
One of the big guns and it felt like one too. Very quick, lots of power and over steer if you put the power down too early. I detected hints of under steer too on some of the slower corners but that did not prove detrimental to time or speed with this tune. Aggressive tune with aggressive driving and it felt great, driving slow and pedestrian as I did on the first few laps and it didn’t quite feel right. This is a FITT tune through and through. I both liked it and disliked it. Liked it because the brakes were AMAZING!, the transmission was spot on and the handling was great as long as you kept pushing this car, where I disliked it was that if you were pushing and it slid off the racing line, it was difficult to recover the time as you needed to come off the throttle to straighten up. A great tune and one that will get a much faster time in the hands of another tester.
Tuner 2 – M4 Coupe
Best lap time – 2.09.076
DC – 9.7
A very quick car, great rotation, quick responsive steering with the right amount of over steer to assist directional change. The transmission was perfect for the long straights and controlled the wheel spin out of the slow corners excellently. Really easy to drive and very predictable from one lap to the next. The brakes were good as they did not unsettle the car under heavy braking and I always had confidence that I could hit the right braking zone and know what the car was going to do. With more time on this track, this car could get faster than the time it achieved. A very nice drive and a really good tune. Good work!
Tuner 3 – BMW M3 GTR ‘03
Best Lap time – 2.06.675
DC – 9.8
Holy moly. Do you have german blood running through your veins at all because this car handled virtually perfectly. The only thing that let this tune down was the driver. I could write lots about this car but ill do a short and sweet version for this review. Transmission was perfect, brakes were perfect, handling was very nearly perfect, lsd was perfect and it sounded great. Awesome setup. Top tune indeed. Very well done.
Tuner 4 – BMW M3 Coupe ‘07
Best Lap time – 2.09.153
DC – 9.3
I love this tune, I could have achieved a faster time out of it but I think I spent 1 or 2 laps just having too much fun throwing this thing around. The handling is brilliant in this car, the right amount of over steer, a slight amount of under steer which hurt lap time a little, LSD could have perhaps been a little higher but it worked pretty good with the tuners settings. The transmission worked very well, 1-2-3 were as smooth as ice and kept the rear wheels in check on slow corners, on the mid corners, 3-4 was a quick shift which again helped with traction, and if you were in a playful mood it would smoke up a little and then settle down once again without a fuss. Nearly perfect transmission settings except I think a longer 6th gear would have helped on the start finish straight. I could have achieved a mid 2.08 easily had I had not gone into the kitty litter on a hot lap. This car/tune can be two things, fast, stable and smooth or you can just put your foot down, drive like a hoon and be as happy as Larry. Great car, great tune. Good job.
Tuner 5 – BMW 135i Coupe ‘07
Best Lap time – 2.10.425
DC – 8.6
As with all the other reviews, I am judging the tunes based on the cars themselves and use lap time a reference to the cars potential and to how I adapt to a car over the 10 laps. This car is one that caused a few issues during tuning phase and I was very glad that one survived to see for myself what was going on with it. I must say, I am very impressed with this tune. The brakes are perfect, the transmission is perfect and the rotation and handling is very good indeed. I detected no under steer what so ever with this car but I did have a lot of over steer that was chipping away at the overall lap time I could produce. Most of the time, I could use the over steer to my advantage but when the rear lost its grip (of which it had a lot!), it just dropped onto a kerb or grass and that was the lap gone. Smooth seems to be key with this tune, push it to far, you will lose too much time, don’t drive it aggressively enough and the grip disappears from you. I could sense a sub 2.10 lap time if I had enough time with this tune (and come close on two occasions). I must say, well done, amazing tune and in the right hands, for those who have mastered throttle control, this car will be amazing. Great job!
Tuner 6 – BMW M3 Coupe ‘07
Best Lap Time – 2.08.624
DC – 9.2
I love this car, It is quick, responsive and everything works as it should. Directional changes are fluid and you can turn this car in with confidence, the rear is grippy, yet has enough slide in it to give the extra rotation that is needed for some of the faster corners. On the slower corners, it can sometimes over grip and cause some time loss but what you lose on those corners can be easily gained back through aggressive driving on the faster corners. This tune is also forgiving should you make an error with braking points and that is a good thing. This is a great tune and one that would be good for any career or seasonal events.
Tuner 7 – BMW M3 CSL ‘03
Best time lap – 2.07.030
DC – 8.8
Very quick, felt light to drive but also quite heavy on the steering. The rotation was nearly perfect, I would have enjoyed more rotation from the rear to help with the quick sections on this track but on the tight corners, this setup worked effortlessly. Putting the power down was easy and I was able to pick and choose my lines. The transmission worked well but it also felt a little long in some gears. However, this did not affect the tune in a detrimental way so it isn’t a big criticism for that element. Overall, an enjoyable tune, I know I could have gone half a second if I had more rear rotation. Great job.
Tuner 8 – BMW M3 Coupe Chrome Line
Best lap time – 2.10.119
DC – 8.5
Quick, powerful and had excellent rotation. I detected a small amount of under steer on some corners, this cost a few tenths but it had the right amount of over steer for most corners. I say most because I had an issue with the slower corners and the rears lighting up causing me to come of the throttle to adjust my line which cost time overall. Good job and I am impressed at how this powerful car could put the power down easily.
Tuner 9 – BMW M4 Performance Edition
Not used for this event.
Tuner 10 – BMW M4 Coupe
Best lap time – 2.09.302
DC – 9.6
A great tune, really driver intuitive that gets faster each lap you drive this car. This car keeps saying push me, to the driver and it keeps on giving. I am sure it has a limit but I didn’t find it. I could have achieved a mid-high 2.08 with this tune given time but I messed up a great lap by missing a braking point and sliding past the apex. The brakes on this car are fantastic, the handling is second to none and it can take whatever line you want with ease. This might be an Automatic Transmission thing but the final gear felt far too long. I was just getting into the 7th before I had to brake for the 1st corner. This did not cause anything detrimental to the tune though as the car was always in the right power band to get pretty much perfect acceleration out of the corners. Occasionally, there was a tad too much over steer but the rotation on this car was perfect and the over steer only happened if I braked too late and took the wrong line through the corner. A very impressive tune, Great job!
Tuner 11 – BMW M3 CSL ‘03
Best lap time – 2.06.488
DC – 10.0
I am not going to beat around the bush with this review. Everything about this tune for me was perfect, I was able to drive this thing all the way to its limits and have the confidence that it was going to do what I expected. Awesome tune.
Tuner 12 – BMW M4 Performance Edition
Best lap time – 2.08.691
DC – 7.2
I will start by saying that the brakes were fantastic, They kept the car stable under heavy braking. When I was driving this car, the handling felt to constricted, I didn’t have enough rear rotation to really attack key corners and the car had a little too much understeer if you went off the racing line. However, If you were on the racing line, this car was quick and precise. I lost a lot of time on quick laps through the stiff handling as I waiting for the rear to come around so I could hit the accelerator. The time it achieved is good but it felt like hard work to get this lap time. Another issue I noticed was the transmission, I didn’t go into 7th gear once. I didn’t really max out 6th gear. Maybe once or twice but usually, I was on the brakes half way through sixth. I only had one red lap with this car as the rear dropped on an outside kerb and it spun into the grass. This tune certainly tamed the M4 but perhaps a little too much. A good attempt but not a tune I can adapt to very easily.
Tuner 13 – BMW M3 Coupe Chrome Line
Best lap time – 2.09.762
DC – 8.8
The Chrome Line. A lot of power and easy to control. Good brakes, nearly perfect transmission settings for this car and easy to put the power down out of the slow corners. Good rotation in all parts of the track, although it could use more rear grip at times. However, the sliding helped for certain corners so this is not a criticism at all. This car can, and will achieve better times with other testers. I enjoyed that I could hit the apexes easily, alter the driving line effortlessly and have confidence that the car would brake as expected each and every lap at the braking reference points I used. Great tune and a lot of fun to throw around the track. Good job!
Tuner 14 – BMW M3 CSL ‘03
Best Lap time – 2.07.552
DC – 9.1
I’ll start with the good stuff, Great transmission, perfect even. Traction was great and the car hardly smoked at all, even on the slow corners with full power out. Handling was nearly perfect, I had hints of under steer and hints of over steer. This cost me a little bit of lap time and I felt as though the car could have had more neutrality to it. Very easy to place the car in the racing line and carry speed through, Brakes were perfect, very predictable which gave me confidence to push the car on the next lap. If you went too far, you could save it pretty easily too and not damage the lap time too badly. A good tune, one that can be used in many GT6 events as it is safe and stable. Good job.
Tuner 15 – BMW M4 Performance Edition
Pending tune..
Tuner 16 – BMW M4 Coupe
Best lap time – 2.07.789
DC – 8.4
After testing the other two M4’s, I had great expectations of this car. This was my first mistake, in FITT, expect the unexpected. I’ll start with the negatives, too much understeer, not enough rear rotation, I felt like I was fighting the car through slow corners and it was not loose enough to negotiate the quick turns without lifting off the accelerator at times. However, when you were on the racing line, hitting every apex and managing to carry the speed through, this car was good. For a stock transmission setup, it worked really well. Hardly any tyre smoke, good traction and easy to drive. It also achieved a really good lap time. As I have mentioned previously, loose, grippy cars are what I enjoy driving the most and this wasn’t quite my preferred style. I could drive around these issues but I didn’t enjoy doing it that much. Nice car and probably will get a faster time with another tester.
Tuner 17 – BMW M3 GTR ‘03
Best lap time - 2.09.620
DC – 8.8
This tune is fairly heavy compared to its counterparts. It is still pretty quick though. The handling was spot on, enough rear rotation to cope with the slow corners and the medium-high speed corners were easy to drive, pick a line and the car stays there. Wheel spin was duly kept in check by the transmission that I must say is excellent. Brakes were variable, sometimes they worked brilliantly, and other times they worked okay. I couldn’t bank on the same braking zone being there each and every lap but they did the job fairly well. This tune was forgiving if you made an error but did have some over steer issues if you went into a corner a little too hot. Good tune. Well done.
Tuner 18 – BMW M3 GTR ’03
Best Lap time – 2.08.922
DC – 8.5
The brakes on this car were good, transmission was perfect and the front-end grip and rotation was good. However, I felt there was too much over steer, On a few occasions I experienced snap over steer, rear was grippy one minute but then all the grip disappeared randomly. Throttle control worked to a point but even when I thought the grip had returned, it wasn’t fully there so I did not have the ability to achieve a great lap. A fun tune to drive but seemed mysterious at times with what it was going to do from lap to lap. I think this tune will be better in the hands of a driver with more car control ability but I found it difficult to tame.
or did you
, I shall not tell. Great review, very fair and informative, and fast for you too
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. Host privilege allows you to test early, and you made the most of it.
👍
