Gear speeds and turning circle quandry...

[magburner]

OK, there is probably another obvious reason for this, but I'm not technically minded, so please bear with me!

I've got a Tuned Corvette, that I like to race at Suzuka. I originally set third gear as the main cornering gear, but I have noticed that when I accelerate in that gear, the car seems to go wide considerably, and is much harder to handle. I also noticed that when the car is doing the same speed in second gear, it handles better, and doesn't go so wide. why is this?

 

[FoolKiller]

I am possibly wrong here, but assuming your gear settings are the same when using second or third gear, I would say it has to do with power bands.

Check your estimated RPMs when in second and then in third and then look at your torque/power chart in tuning. It is possible that in third gear you are hitting your peak power and it is pushing you harder, causing you to have a harder time controlling it, while in second gear you may be past your power band and so not having as much force pushing you.

Just keep in mind that power and torque is not constant and has a peak point in the RPMs.

Here is a Quick Tune screenshot to see what I am talking about.

Notice the power and torque have a peak on the graph. I think you are closer to that peak in third gear than in second gear.


Like I said, I could be wrong, but that is my guess. I am sure someone will be along to correct me shortly.

 

[AgentM5]

I am possibly wrong here, but assuming your gear settings are the same when using second or third gear, I would say it has to do with power bands.

Check your estimated RPMs when in second and then in third and then look at your torque/power chart in tuning. It is possible that in third gear you are hitting your peak power and it is pushing you harder, causing you to have a harder time controlling it, while in second gear you may be past your power band and so not having as much force pushing you.

Just keep in mind that power and torque is not constant and has a peak point in the RPMs.

Here is a Quick Tune screenshot to see what I am talking about.

Notice the power and torque have a peak on the graph. I think you are closer to that peak in third gear than in second gear.


Like I said, I could be wrong, but that is my guess. I am sure someone will be along to correct me shortly.

You are exactly correct. Using different gears at different speeds is to gain the most acceleration (putting the most power to the wheels). Of course if you do not throttle during cornering, they car dynamics should be exactly the same regardless of which gear you are in.

Transfering power to the wheels during cornering will overcome the grip the tires have on the pavement causing your back end to come loose and wide. Check your RPMs and then check the chart, you are probably at peak power when you spin out. This may help you moderate the power band in your engine and allow you to gain more in aerodynamics or tires or weight loss if you feel you dont need the extra power. I hope this makes sense.

 

[The Cheef]

if you're going wide im guessing that the car is pushing or understeering, and that's probably from the acceleration of the car transferring more load to the rear tires. when you accelerate you know how the front of the car lifts up, if you accelerate while cornering the same thing happens and the tires now have less grip... so if as stated above, third gear accelerates harder, thats why it corners worse under acceleration...

 

[magburner]

Thanks for the info guys, I think I need to look at the peak power chart as FoolKiller says. under further investigation, I have noticed that the acceleration is not as 'powerful' in 2nd gear as it is in 3rd, maybe that has something to do with the power band, which I will look into. 👍

 

[jgda9rs]

not all corners can be taken in third gear anyways. you can use it for, say the first corner or the s-bends, but it will have a lot to do with gear ratios and the torque band like they said above. how hard do you throttle up when you're cornering ? what are your gear ratios like ?what corner are you using it for ? i have the corvette, so if you want you can tell me what you're doing and maybe i can work some settings for you. just let me know.