Gran Turismo 7 Custom Race thread

[Batschisane52]

@Voodoovaj @Yard_Sale, thanks for the replies! Very interesting that you both feel PP is better for balancing the field, I've played a lot of PP restricted online lobbies and my overriding impression is that PP is an absolute shambles, the pace difference between two 600pp cars can be extreme.

I suppose the benefit is that you can give Sophy some extra help and adjust things to create a balanced field? I haven't played enough Sport to be A+ but I don't think I would be far off that sort of pace, honestly.

I mostly went with BoP as a shortcut, I assume it would take a lot of time to get it right using PP - or is that not your experience? I used to play every day but tend to hop on only occasionally now, so I am mostly looking for some fun racing without massive effort. I've found BoP just fine for shorter races (I tend to drive at 75% and be smooth rather than aggressive, no dive-bombs etc.).

My experience from non-sophy custom, racing: adjusting power and weight is the best way, to get a balanced grid...I usually use PP as a rough guide and adjust power and weight for fine tuning and balancing...I never use BoP.(but I also hardly ever use designatetd Gr4 or Gr3 cars in my custom races...)

 

[Voodoovaj]

My experience from non-sophy custom, racing: adjusting power and weight is the best way, to get a balanced grid...I usually use PP as a rough guide and adjust power and weight for fine tuning and balancing...I never use BoP.(but I also hardly ever use designatetd Gr4 or Gr3 cars in my custom races...)

This ignores the grip of each car which varies tremendously. You can have a 100pp difference, or more, in some cars with the same power and weight. Set up a GR3 car and a street car to the same weight and power and watch how the GR3 destroys the street car.

@Voodoovaj @Yard_Sale, thanks for the replies! Very interesting that you both feel PP is better for balancing the field, I've played a lot of PP restricted online lobbies and my overriding impression is that PP is an absolute shambles, the pace difference between two 600pp cars can be extreme.

Yes, because in the lobbies it is strictly PP. With Sophy, you can equalize other factors to achieve a better balance.

I mostly went with BoP as a shortcut, I assume it would take a lot of time to get it right using PP - or is that not your experience?

As I mentioned regarding the GR3, make them all the same downforce. When balancing for Sophy, try to keep the cars relatively close on all the stats (grip, power, and weight), then adjust slightly for the PP target.

In the screen below, you can see how I set the downforce to 400/700 (399/699 and I will explain in a moment). Generally speaking, this is what you want for whatever field of cars you are assembling. Try to keep their downforce as similar as possible. Do this first.
Then, every car should get the ballast and the power restrictor. This will allow you to fine tune the power and weight. What I do is reduce the power on both the "output adjustment" and "power restrictor" until I get as close to 700pp as possible without going under (or whatever your target is). Then, increase the weight. This is usually enough.

In the example below, the move between 30 and 31 kg made a big difference to PP. So, I reduce the rear downforce by 1 step, which increased the PP slightly, then adjusted the front downforce 1 step, which decreased the PP, and boom. 700.01 pp

This provides the best balance possible next to driving the same cars. That said, you will likely still be much faster than Sophy.

IMHO the Sophy races are better with lower grip cars, such as the street cars or converted race cars. For instance, this converted 512 is an analog to the current GR3 cars. It's 700pp and you can create a field of these types that is much more entertaining and challenging than the actual GR3 cars. More power, less weight, and MUCH less grip which makes the cars move around and adds an element of unpredictability. Of course, this does take more work since you have to buy the car and add all the parts.

EDIT - Here's a better tune that works at Spa

And here's a 930 tune that also works at Spa

 

[chang chong]

I just use this thing to test which car in my garage is best.[I put like all my Gr3 or Gr2s and have them race and I follow in a slower or faster car]

 

[PlanetJanet]

This ignores the grip of each car which varies tremendously. You can have a 100pp difference, or more, in some cars with the same power and weight. Set up a GR3 car and a street car to the same weight and power and watch how the GR3 destroys the street car.

Yes, because in the lobbies it is strictly PP. With Sophy, you can equalize other factors to achieve a better balance.

As I mentioned regarding the GR3, make them all the same downforce. When balancing for Sophy, try to keep the cars relatively close on all the stats (grip, power, and weight), then adjust slightly for the PP target.

In the screen below, you can see how I set the downforce to 400/700 (399/699 and I will explain in a moment). Generally speaking, this is what you want for whatever field of cars you are assembling. Try to keep their downforce as similar as possible. Do this first.
Then, every car should get the ballast and the power restrictor. This will allow you to fine tune the power and weight. What I do is reduce the power on both the "output adjustment" and "power restrictor" until I get as close to 700pp as possible without going under (or whatever your target is). Then, increase the weight. This is usually enough.

In the example below, the move between 30 and 31 kg made a big difference to PP. So, I reduce the rear downforce by 1 step, which increased the PP slightly, then adjusted the front downforce 1 step, which decreased the PP, and boom. 700.01 pp

This provides the best balance possible next to driving the same cars. That said, you will likely still be much faster than Sophy.

View attachment 1456421

IMHO the Sophy races are better with lower grip cars, such as the street cars or converted race cars. For instance, this converted 512 is an analog to the current GR3 cars. It's 700pp and you can create a field of these types that is much more entertaining and challenging than the actual GR3 cars. More power, less weight, and MUCH less grip which makes the cars move around and adds an element of unpredictability. Of course, this does take more work since you have to buy the car and add all the parts.
View attachment 1456422

All makes sense, thanks. I was hoping to save myself the time but looks like some initial setup work will be worth it, cheers!

 

[Voodoovaj]

I've been working on vintage Group 3 events, blending cars from the 70's, 80's and 90's. The first group is made up of the Ferrari 512, the Porsche 930, the BMW CSL, and the Pantera. I can't bring myself to adding the HIDEOUS wing option to the CSL, so it stays with only 20 rear downforce. The Porsches get 100/250 and the Ferraris are at 50/150. I can't remember the Pantera settings but it's similar.

Super fun!!! I highly recommend this.

The other group is made up of the F40, F50, the XJ220, The 911 RS CS, and the Diablo. I'm considering adding the 959, but I only have one at the moment. Again, SUPER fun. I need to work on the 911 set up a bit more as it suffers more than the other through Eau Rouge.

I've said it before, but it's worth saying it again, these "boost weak" Sophy races gives purpose to the cars.

 

[DapperDan07]

I've been working on vintage Group 3 events, blending cars from the 70's, 80's and 90's. The first group is made up of the Ferrari 512, the Porsche 930, the BMW CSL, and the Pantera. I can't bring myself to adding the HIDEOUS wing option to the CSL, so it stays with only 20 rear downforce. The Porsches get 100/250 and the Ferraris are at 50/150. I can't remember the Pantera settings but it's similar.

I did something similar but also used the nissan 240z. I’ve also experimented by including the Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GT Veloce, mini cooper and nissan skyline hard top 200gt-r for some multiclass action

 

[DapperDan07]

GT3 legends grid is also one of my favourites. Using the Mclaren 12c, Chevrolet c6, lambo gallardo, ford gt, ferrari f430, audi r8 lms, porsche 911 (997), bmw z4, amg ‘11 and nissan gtr

 

[Batschisane52]

I've been working on vintage Group 3 events, blending cars from the 70's, 80's and 90's. The first group is made up of the Ferrari 512, the Porsche 930, the BMW CSL, and the Pantera. I can't bring myself to adding the HIDEOUS wing option to the CSL, so it stays with only 20 rear downforce. The Porsches get 100/250 and the Ferraris are at 50/150. I can't remember the Pantera settings but it's similar.

Super fun!!! I highly recommend this.

View attachment 1456758


The other group is made up of the F40, F50, the XJ220, The 911 RS CS, and the Diablo. I'm considering adding the 959, but I only have one at the moment. Again, SUPER fun. I need to work on the 911 set up a bit more as it suffers more than the other through Eau Rouge.

View attachment 1456759

I've said it before, but it's worth saying it again, these "boost weak" Sophy races gives purpose to the cars.

I believe, even on Reggie these boost week custom races give those cars(all of them 60s/70s/80s/90s sport cars) their most rewarding purpose in GT7...at least, that's what I am having the most fun with here and it is the main reason why I still play GT7 a lot...

 

[RacingZ]

IMHO the Sophy races are better with lower grip cars, such as the street cars or converted race cars. For instance, this converted 512 is an analog to the current GR3 cars. It's 700pp and you can create a field of these types that is much more entertaining and challenging than the actual GR3 cars. More power, less weight, and MUCH less grip which makes the cars move around and adds an element of unpredictability. Of course, this does take more work since you have to buy the car and add all the parts.

EDIT - Here's a better tune that works at Spa
View attachment 1456592

I'm trying to create a manually BoP'd grid so I can race Sophy 2.1 in all historic cars (60s-70s). Would be really cool to have some custom racing liveries and race these cars "competitively" for fun. Looks like you are adjusting Top Speed to be 250 and aiming for 700pp. When you need to upgrade the power, are there go-to enhancements that you would recommend? Do you typically try to keep the Output Adjustment and Power Restrictors as close as possible? Does keeping close in PP seem to give you semi close races at a baseline? From there I'm sure I can see if anyone is way behind or way ahead and adjust accordingly.

 

[Voodoovaj]

I'm trying to create a manually BoP'd grid so I can race Sophy 2.1 in all historic cars (60s-70s). Would be really cool to have some custom racing liveries and race these cars "competitively" for fun.

There's TONS available. I typed in "LeMans" and found many historic liveries.

Looks like you are adjusting Top Speed to be 250 and aiming for 700pp.

Yes, generally speaking, I try to balance the cars around the same PP level. I usually keep the rear downforce high to limit top speed, but sometimes, you have to play with it. The BMW CSL (below) is a good example. It's best balanced with less downforce.

When you need to upgrade the power, are there go-to enhancements that you would recommend? Do you typically try to keep the Output Adjustment and Power Restrictors as close as possible? Does keeping close in PP seem to give you semi close races at a baseline? From there I'm sure I can see if anyone is way behind or way ahead and adjust accordingly.

This is a difficult question to answer. The ECU, output adjustment, and ballast are a must. For me, racing suspension and adjustable differential are also a must have. You want the weight of the cars to be similar because heavier cars get a lot of power to balance them, which leads to them being very fast in a straight line. An optional upgrade that I like, but is not necessary, is the racing crank shaft. It feels better.

You are trying to get the PP/weight/power closely matched. Sometimes, it's a lot of work, but it is worth while. Balance leads to very close racing. Generally speaking, less power plays better, because the cars do not spread out as much.

I just finished FINALLY getting these three cars balanced and the racing is great (I still have to work on the Pantera). These cars were tested at Dragon's Tail (because of the curbs and Chicane of Death) and Spa, because Eau Rouge will expose a bad set up. These three setups are balanced, work great at both those tracks, and they are a joy to drive. The previous tunes I've posted are ok, but these are exceptional.

EDIT - Sorry, I uploaded the wrong BMW image prior to this one. It should be at 690pp with 607hp and 150 on the rear wing (yes, you need that rear wing)

 

[05XR8]

Got a Group 5 basic set up from a few years ago. Last car added was the Hakosuka swap. I'm sure the KenMeri would work as well.

Group 5 classics

The arrival of the Skyline Super Silhouette, introduces a new race category. Post your tunes to add to the grid.

www.gtplanet.net

 

[N-VEE]

Decided to do a random 700PP race the other day. Boost set to Weak, Slipstream Strength set to Real and some other settings I forgot. Pretty good racing overall, though one thing I'm beginning to notice is that Sophy doesn't really like to fight itself.

What I mean by this is that unless Sophy A's car has more power than Sophy B's car and thus makes overtaking easier when both cars enter a straight, Sophy Driver A just tends to stick to the rear bumper of Sophy B which results in this weird train track behavior where all the cars are just cruising behind each other with zero attempt to overtake each other. It's likely I'm probably not setting up my cars correctly to allow for easier overtaking in the corners, but one thing I'd like to see in future updates is further tweaking to Sophy's aggression. Not to the point where it pulls a Senna-esque move and attempts a pass the moment it finds the smallest gap, but something to make it more willing to overtake itself. Could this be a hardware limitation? I'm not sure...

Another thing I'd like to see return is Sophy making mistakes. Sophy 2.0 when it came out with the Spec II update actually had the ability to make mistakes. It may have been a little too frequent, sure, but overall it was a nice addition and kinda reminded me of Race Driver GRID's AI. An update however reduced or removed the ability for Sophy to make mistakes, which is a shame because believe it or not, professional drivers DO make mistakes. I'm hoping a future update brings more options on how to tweak a specific Sophy driver such as driver skill, aggression, chance of mistakes and so on. I'm not expecting the same custom AI customization from games like Automobilista 2, but more options would be awesome.

 

[N-VEE]

Another Sophy race in Deep Forest Raceway. 700PP, Boost set to Weak and so on. Fighting and defending (or at least trying to) my position from cars with way more power and torque than I do is kinda scary, but holy crap, it's amazing.

 

[Voodoovaj]

Now that the Pantera is in the USD again, I grabbed three more to fill out my roster

Note, it's the most stable of the four cars (512, 3.0 CSL, 930) making it a little OP at 700pp. That said, the engine swapped version can hit 700pp, but the stock engine version maxes out at just over 695pp. I recommend sticking to 695pp.

At 695pp, it's right in the middle of the pack on lap time around Dragon Tail. Sophy seems to make up a lot of positions with it.

One thing I forgot to point out was the brake balance controller. This and the Ferrari benefit from setting the BB to +3. 0 BB causes them to run a bit wide in the braking zone or brake early. Driving the cars, I concur that at 0, the BB feels like it over powers the front. Moving the BB to the rear helps on corner entry.

EDIT - I updated the setup (I forgot about the Eau Rouge test).

Here is the laptime chart for Dragon Tail so you can see the balance on times.

Three laps around Spa so you can see the balance and behaviour of all the cars. Not my finest race, but it's just a test

 

[05XR8]

This is live. I’ve shared it in the Production car thread, but to replicate this race it lasts 45 minutes.

Edit:

• The Mustang® Dark Horse™ R race car features a naturally aspirated 5.0L V8 engine, borrowed from the 2024 Mustang Dark Horse coupe.
• Borla® Racing Exhaust System
• RECARO® FIA racing seat
• Brembo™ Front and Rear Brake Package - come standard on GT350R, but must buy Brembos to change color of calipers
• Apex VS-5RE Forged Enduro Wheels (18x11) - 19” on the GT350R
• Bespoke 18" slick race tires
• Final drive 3.73 (standard ratio on GT350R; racing transmission shortens gear ratios)
• Weight approx. Searching race wight is bringing up nothing. I’m leaving the Shelby GT350R weight as stock.

 

[XSquareStickIt]

When setting up cars for Sophy AI to use, do you guys set up the suspension and diff for each car individually, or just leave them at their default values?

I tried letting Sophy drive some of the rear drive cars I've set up to my liking, but she seems to struggle a bit with them. I like my cars loose with nearly minimum differential values, and it seems to me like Sophy gets a bit twitchy on corner exits with my tunes. It seems to me as though Sophy is simply expecting the cars to drive like the default Full Custom Suspension and Full Custom Diff settings.

I'm not a very good tuner and haven't spent much time with Sophy, so I'd like to know if others have experienced the same, or if they set up their cars individually for Sophy. If so, what kinds of driving behaviour do you set a car up for so that Sophy is most comfortable with them?

 

[Voodoovaj]

When setting up cars for Sophy AI to use, do you guys set up the suspension and diff for each car individually, or just leave them at their default values?

I tried letting Sophy drive some of the rear drive cars I've set up to my liking, but she seems to struggle a bit with them. I like my cars loose with nearly minimum differential values, and it seems to me like Sophy gets a bit twitchy on corner exits with my tunes. It seems to me as though Sophy is simply expecting the cars to drive like the default Full Custom Suspension and Full Custom Diff settings.

I'm not a very good tuner and haven't spent much time with Sophy, so I'd like to know if others have experienced the same, or if they set up their cars individually for Sophy. If so, what kinds of driving behaviour do you set a car up for so that Sophy is most comfortable with them?

It depends on the car. The best test is Eau Rouge at Spa. If Sophy can get through that without crashing, then you are good to go. If you can drive through Eau Rouge, but Sophy cannot, you need to fix the tune. The tunes I posted are for Sophy. They might not be the fastest for people, but they work with Sophy.

UNFORTUNATELY, the suspension and diff settings are still as they were at launch, but the physics and (especially) tires have changed. Which means you might need to upgrade the suspension and the diff.

There's tunes for diffs in the tuning threads, and if you can't find one that works for you, post here and someone will help you out.

 

[05XR8]

When setting up cars for Sophy AI to use, do you guys set up the suspension and diff for each car individually, or just leave them at their default values?

I tried letting Sophy drive some of the rear drive cars I've set up to my liking, but she seems to struggle a bit with them. I like my cars loose with nearly minimum differential values, and it seems to me like Sophy gets a bit twitchy on corner exits with my tunes. It seems to me as though Sophy is simply expecting the cars to drive like the default Full Custom Suspension and Full Custom Diff settings.

I'm not a very good tuner and haven't spent much time with Sophy, so I'd like to know if others have experienced the same, or if they set up their cars individually for Sophy. If so, what kinds of driving behaviour do you set a car up for so that Sophy is most comfortable with them?

Keep in mind SOPHY only uses ABS, while Reggie(Regular AI) uses all aids. I’ve had to adjust settings for certain cars like Group A Sierra and R31 due to real world characteristics I’ve tuned those cars to. Detuning power and/or adjusting diffs and/or roll stiffness.

 

[05XR8]

Well, when recreating the WTC700 races at their respective locations. Racing against SOPHY, the Rewards are higher(around 12,400-19,600 Cr. Higher) at all WTC700 locations except Brands Hatch GT Cup Gr.4 5 lap(64,800 Cr., down from 81,000 Cr.), Deep Forest 10 laps( 88,700 Cr., down from 110,000 Cr.) and La Sarthe 30 minutes(216,000 Cr., down from 550,000 Cr.).

I guess that’s a good thing.

 

[ThruxtonGT]

Boost off or boost on weak and there’s rubber banding. It’s actually game breaking.

A few laps in to a GR3 bop race and I’m battling at the back of the field and then Sophy slows down. Tried with pit stops and without.

I won Le Mans by lapping the field.
Happens at Le Mans, Spa and Atlanta. So annoying.

Rubber banding kills this game.

 

[Theufcveteran]

Boost off or boost on weak and there’s rubber banding. It’s actually game breaking.

A few laps in to a GR3 bop race and I’m battling at the back of the field and then Sophy slows down. Tried with pit stops and without.

I won Le Mans by lapping the field.
Happens at Le Mans, Spa and Atlanta. So annoying.

Rubber banding kills this game.

There is, it's just minimised on Boost Weak in so far as it won't slow down near as much when far ahead. Boost Off has hardcoded rubberbanding which works the same for regular AI and Sophy.

Boost Weak takes that away quite a lot and gives them a little speed boost as well (to the regular AI at least, which particularly helps them).

Not ideal, but it works for better racing, if you don't mind that it's closer (in the case of regular AI), because the AI has been given boost when behind to keep the race close.

 

[ThruxtonGT]

Boost weak still has rubber banding though. The AI doesn’t keep a consistent pace. They slow down considerably 1/3 through a race and I went last to 1st. They sped up at the end. Rubber banding is the worst decision Kaz ever made.

It’s game breaking.

 

[Theufcveteran]

Boost weak still has rubber banding though. The AI doesn’t keep a consistent pace. They slow down considerably 1/3 through a race and I went last to 1st. They sped up at the end. Rubber banding is the worst decision Kaz ever made.

It’s game breaking.

Yes they do slow down near the end unfortunately. My apologies, I forgot about that. I don't think Sophy has this but that's PS5 only. I wish they'd just allow the boost of speed to regular AI without slowing them down near the end of the race.

 

[ThruxtonGT]

Yes they do slow down near the end unfortunately. My apologies, I forgot about that. I don't think Sophy has this but that's PS5 only. I wish they'd just allow the boost of speed to regular AI without slowing them down near the end of the race.

It is Sophy as I already said . The rubber banding is game breaking and present no matter what the boost settings.

 

[Marty_KAR]

Rubber banding is the worst decision Kaz ever made.

It’s game breaking.

I totally agree.

I shelved GT7 for a number of months because of the rubber-banding nonsense. It ruined my endurance racing experience.

However, I recently read here, and as you've discussed with others, that Boost set to "weak" mitigates the rubber-banding somewhat.

I don't want rubber-banding at all, ...but the Boost set to weak has rejuvenated my endurance racing experience. It's not perfect, but it is far better than when I had the Boost set to Off.

So, I recently completed 2 x 2-hour races against SOPHY AI; ...one at Spa in a Honda Civic Type R, and the other in a V8 Camaro at Bathurst (Mount Panorama), ...with other SOPHY Drivers in similar machines. I finished 4th and 3rd respectively, and the racing felt more legitimate compared to my previous (Boost set to Off) races.

It was better racing, ...but I still long for the day when we can just deselect Boost and get rid of the rubber-banding bull**** altogether.

 

[Theufcveteran]

It is Sophy as I already said . The rubber banding is game breaking and present no matter what the boost settings.

Sorry, I missed that. Strange, maybe I’m just not fast enough to notice the slow down. I did some 10 lap BoP races when Sophy came out for custom races and didn’t seem to run into it.

Out of curiosity do you have fuel consumption on?

 

[Theufcveteran]

Sorry for the double post, but I did some experimenting with AI and tyres, not sure how well known this is.

In the Porsche 911 GT3 RS (992) '22, if you start on Intermediate or Wet tyres, the AI will switch to Racing: Soft when moving from a wet tyre to a dry tyre, much like how they do in race cars. I haven't tested dry -> wet -> dry but I would imagine the same thing would occur.

Not sure if it's specific to the GT3 RS, or just because I have racing tyres already purchased, but it is classed as a road car, albeit it has a lot of motorsport offshoots in real life.

 

[05XR8]

Sorry for the double post, but I did some experimenting with AI and tyres, not sure how well known this is.

In the Porsche 911 GT3 RS (992) '22, if you start on Intermediate or Wet tyres, the AI will switch to Racing: Soft when moving from a wet tyre to a dry tyre, much like how they do in race cars. I haven't tested dry -> wet -> dry but I would imagine the same thing would occur.

Not sure if it's specific to the GT3 RS, or just because I have racing tyres already purchased, but it is classed as a road car, albeit it has a lot of motorsport offshoots in real life.

Nearly exactly three years ago.

Hold the phone. I just spent a few hours building and setting up my 964 Cup cars. Only purchased RH and IW tyres. Set up a 4 Lap at the Nurb GP. Tyre&Fuel at 1x, weather random and time 30x. Boost Weak. Grid Start. I’m starting P20.

Track was damp at the start. AI pit end of Lap 1. I follow AI into the pit. Since I forgot to select Display All before entering, I had to guess switching tyre options. I didn’t change tyres or add fuel. Paused the game at pit exit and continued racing.
Couldn’t catch the AI ahead and AI behind we’re right behind me the rest of the race.

Watched the replay to see why I couldn’t catch them.
View attachment 1172081
View attachment 1172082
View attachment 1172083

Now, I’ve only known AI to switch to RS after wet conditions, when I’ve purchased RS for certain cars. This is something different.

If I’ve set RS to AI cars before I select them for a race, the AI will revert to the hardest Racing compound on the grid. I stopped purchasing RS tyres for that reason.
What the hell are PD doing?

 

[Theufcveteran]

Nearly exactly three years ago.

Aha, very much tree'd then I should have searched first, my apologies!

Also no way lol we were on the same track!

 

[GTP_reddevil]

Thinking of making a “Trans Am” style championship using the following USA cars:

• x3 Ford Mustang Boss 429 ‘69
• x3 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 ‘69
• x2 Chevrolet Chevelle SS 454 ‘70
• x2 Pontiac GTO ‘The Judge’ ‘69
• x2 Pontiac Firebird Trans Am ‘78
• x2 Dodge Coronet Super Bee ‘70
• x2 Dodge Charger R/T 426 Hemi ‘68
• x2 Dodge Challenger R/T ‘70
• x2 Shelby GT350 ‘65

I have the Boss 429 and GTO cars liveried up but gotta wait for the rest to arrive (I’m not using the Superbird as that thing is plain awful for obvious reasons) - I will carry the Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint one when some more of the tracks/variants have GT Sophy available with them as there are some existing ones I don’t want to use. Reckon around the 650PP-700PP for these cars should be about right for them??