GT2 Weekly Challenge: Special Events

  • Thread starter gt3kid89
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Well, looking at fastest FF's, if we're going to be using the same car for all 3 events... in order of best weight to power first: (not considering hp over 394)

323 4Door Sedan '89, 370 hp at 2028 lbs
206 S16, 372 hp at 2189 lbs
Integra Type R 98 Spec, 370 hp at 2189 lbs
Focus Ghia 2.0i Zetec, 388 hp at 2352 lbs
Integra Type R Spoon, 312 hp at 1825 lbs
Integra Type R Mugen, 358 hp at 2189 lbs
156 2.5 V6 24V turbo tuned, 463 hp at 2587 lbs
Coupe 2.0 200 Turbo, 391 hp at 2568 lbs
Golf IV GTI 1.8T, 384 hp at 2506 lbs
Eclipse GS-T, 400 hp at 2607 lbs
Civic Type R Mugen, 339 hp at 2149 lbs
Civic Type R '98, 336 hp at 2129 lbs
156 2.5 V6 24V NA tuned, 387 hp at 2587 lbs
Integra Type R '95, 362 hp at 2385 lbs
New Beetle GLS 2.0L, 370 hp at 2462 lbs
Demio A-Spec '97, 270 hp at 1662 lbs
GTV 3.0 V6 24V, 410 hp at 2775 lbs
A3 1.8T 20V '96, 343 hp at 2321 lbs
Civic Vti '93, 293 hp at 1926 lbs
156 2.0 TS 16V, 351 hp at 2451 lbs
Civic Vti '98, 326 hp at 2230 lbs
Stratus ES, 371 hp at 2673 lbs
166 3.0 V6 24V, 410 hp at 2960 lbs
Golf IV 2.3 I5, 349 hp at 2517 lbs
Golf IV V6, 349 hp at 2517 lbs
Civic Type R '97, 306 hp at 2129 lbs
166 2.5 V6 24V, 384 hp at 2923 lbs
Civic Vti '95, 299 hp at 2072 lbs
Laguna V6, 380 hp at 2883 lbs
Civic Type R Spoon, 250 hp at 1662 lbs
Prelude SiR-S Spec '98, 342 hp at 2491 lbs
FTO GPX '94, 328 hp at 2372 lbs
145 2.0 Cloverleaf, 335 hp at 2453 lbs
FTO GP Version R '97, 322 hp at 2332 lbs
FTO GPX '97, 322 hp at 2372 lbs

Try to pick something towards the top of the list, if you want to be competitive in all 3 events... if you want to focus on the first event or two and basically forfeit the last event, you may have some more options... or some of the cars towards the bottom of this list might work for you.
 
Well, this list is built upon power-to-weight ratios, so in actual racing some differences may occur. For instance, in my experience FTO GP ver. R was slightly quicker than ITR '98 spec, which is amazing. The reason is on one hand this ITR has chopped up powerband again, and on the other hand the small V6 in FTO is really good in GT2, both cars being great cornering machines. The Alfa 156 and Fiat Coupe are faster then both these cars, just because of pure power. Tested cars were RM'd, though.

Edit: To be fair, I think that poor performance of turbocharged B18C is kind of realistic, since you basically bolt a fairly big turbo on engine that is already heavily tuned and quite spiky from the factory, so this conversion is much more demanding than, say, turbocharging an MX-5 or something. But I'm still unhappy with not being able to rev this baby to 9000. Also other Integras like Mugen one somehow improve that needed mid-range punch with help of boost instead of throwing it away completely.
 
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I might just pick a car that has no chance and run with it. I was running competitive times with the AI at Tahiti with my current test project in its unfinished state, so I may further upgrade that car and go with it.
 
Ah crap, my Spoon Integra starts with 259hp.... with sports suspension its springs are 14/12 lb/in, and ride height 99mm. Because of this, and its light weight, even topping out at just 312hp, it would've been the fastest of the lot, guaranteed... but if I can't use it in the first event, and we have to use the same car in all three events, then it's out. Dangit.
 
Yes, for this chamiponship anyway.

jeffgoddin, I don't think this suspension would have made the Spoon Integra the fastest. Such stiff springs are great for the majority of FF cars, but Integras actually likes springs around 10-12 for factory one and 8-10 for lightweight Spoon. With 14 kg/mm (I'm pretty sure that this setting is measured in metrical units in GT2, btw) and no ability to adjust dampers for bump-rebound separately it just turns into the FF drifting monster :D. Seriously, this still can be OK at Tahiti, but you would have struggled at sweeping left corner at Midfield and through the entire Trial Mountain circuit. Even the power-oversteer is a thing with such stiff suspension on such light Integra.
 
As far as I'm aware, slicks and full custom suspensions are out, but anything else goes (RM banned from the start though.
 
no semi-race suspension either...

And @Wankel3, I've done extensive comparos with weight-to-power kept constant between cars, and one I did allowed all to use semi-race suspension with fairly high power. And the result astounded me. Yes, the Spoon Integra was uncontrollable, no perfect laps possible, but it was cornering 6-10mph faster than anything else, and blew all the expected winners out of the water, faster than all Corvettes, 300ZXs, RX-7s, and Supras around Red Rock no less, and where power rules all.

See this post for a description of that comparo. Or better yet, try it yourself! I wouldn't want to race on springs that still all the time, but for pure speed, unless you're on Trial Mtn where you're going to be spinning out the whole time due to bumpiness, stiff springs are faster. Not pleasant, but quick.

I've picked the car I'm going to use, let's see how it goes!
 
Well, I raced Spoon Integra with springs about 14-15 for quite a long time, because it was fast and fun unlike any other FF car. But then I began testing my cars at SSR5 at fully tuned state (some cars RMed) with supersoft tires, and in the process I found out that softer springs are better for me. The difference in time was negligible, but with softer springs I could put much more consistent lap times and racing was much less exhausting. It seemed like extra cornering speed advantage was diminished by increased rate of big sideways moments. Perhaps if I was more skilled in taming this setup, I could come to your results, but for now it sits somewhere among the RMed touring cars, slightly lower than Mugen Integra (turbocharged) in my leaderboard. I still love it though, great fun to drive.

By the way, great work on that comparison! Lots of stuff to think about.
Also, do you think that some cars in GT2 have really broken front-end grip, like that Integra?
To give you another example, I not so long ago built a "baby" del Sol LM via hybriding the regular RMed del Sol to MR drivetrain and swapping in the 350 hp engine from S2000. The resulting beast is faster than everything else in corners by huge 15-20 mph, lapping the SSR5 in 1.15 (RMed Skyline and Supra territory). It also handles like no other car I've ever driven, because that front end grip just overwhelms every other force acting on the car. This observation gave me an idea that this is a pretty common thing among FF cars in GT2. This may worth discussing in separate thread, though.
 
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That sounds a lot like the real del Sol LM, which is really one of the greatest cars in the game, handles like no other. Not sure about front end grip of FF being better than others, though, haven't really noticed that. I know that the game codes some cars differently (GT40 and Escudo tires are coded to grip better than they should, by a lot.) Maybe something like this also occurs for FF cars in the front, to a lesser degree.
 
The del Sol LM still handles like very solid, but still familiar MR race car. My del Sol, on the other hand, goes through corners like this: brake - gently point the car to right direction - floor it. In other words, lots of lift-off oversteer (Elise looks almost bland now), and the tank-like traction under acceleration, which even prevents it from spinning on Test Course bankings. If I try to exit in the same manner with the LM car, it begins to understeer, like a proper race car; it requires careful throttle control. So does the hybrid, but it needs the throttle not to be "overlifted" instead of not to be "overpressed", since lifting the throttle draws away the stability. These are the differences.
 
The car that I picked has no chance in the later two rounds, and I had a hell of a time beating the AI since the car is way down on power (especially the 394 HP event). I just put my eggs on the 246 hp Tahiti Road event and then just did a one and done on the other two events. I'll submit my times later.
 
Well, been bummed about the Spoon Integra still, having a hard time deciding... the Mugen Integra has the 2nd stiffest springs available and probably would've been my 2nd choice... but then if Wankel3 beat me using the same car...

So I thought about the Demio A-Spec... might be the best car for Tahiti, but springs are a little soft, and it would have no chance in the last two races, and it sounds way too funny to drive seriously. 323 gets by far the best power-to-weight ratio... but its engine is terrible, tried it out and it's way slower than anything else I tried at 246hp getting to 1000m, so no again. Thought about using the Spoon Integra anyway, just getting DQ'd from Tahiti... but I brought along another car just in case. Went to Trial Mtn first, my backup car fully tuned and ready, tried that out first, nice and smooth, still have a few corners to work on, but getting consistency pretty easily. Then I take the Spoon Integra out for a spin....

What was that you said about it being a great drift machine, Wankel3? Yeah, guess my success with it was due to trying it at Red Rock. At Trial Mountain this thing is undrivable, twitchy, bouncy, and yes, with a tendency to drift rather than grip. Maybe with patience and luck I could get it around faster than my backup car, but I'm just not up to the painful, exhausting chore that would be. So backup car it is...
 
Here's little story: once I raced at event generator with Spoon Integra against another one on Trial Mountain Reverse. The last chicane (which is first in reverse) is notorious for bumpy apexes, but this time it was absolutely hillarious. On the 2nd lap the AI's Integra tried to take the first apex aggresively, but instead bounced of it into the air, landed perpendicularly to the track, crashed into the hill on the opposite side of the road and ended up creating a small roadblock. So yeah, not the best choice for trial mountain.
Btw, the AI has no problems with Spoon Civic, which has equally stiff suspension, but much less rigid body.
 
All I need to do is PM my times and I'm set. I know for sure that I'll probably come in dead last at trial mountain and Midfield because I only ran one actual fast lap. I decided against lapping those two since the car I'm using only has about 300 hp fully upgraded. The car also has a horrible powerband which is especially noticeable at Trial Mountain.
 
Prelude. Specifically the 1994 used one. It might be faster in the hands of someone who used a manual transmission in GT2, but I play this game in Auto.
 
Sorry I've been away for awhile (blame Windows 8.1). My times should be in tomorrow since I don't have the energy to put into GT2 right now.
 
I officially now hate the car I used... tried hard at Trial Mountain, but couldn't get within a second of what my potential was by best sector times... Only making token efforts at Tahiti and Midfield. I'll have my times in tonight or tomorrow.
 
I'm going to sit out of this one. The FF car I picked is horrible and only has 301 hp completely upgraded. I will participate in the next one though.
 
You should enter anyway. My car has 302 hp fully upgraded, but I mainly focused on Tahiti Road since that's my best chance to get a win from this round's challenges. It's not about winning, but rather, it's about having fun and playing GT2 again.
 
Just submitted my times.

My car has unfortunately soft rear springs, which could be OK with 200-250 hp, but makes for lots of unnecessary understeer at 350 hp. Also, I forgot how unwieldy FF cars without adjustable stabilizers can be, even the Integra.
Midfield was an absolute hell to get a good lap on. Apparently if VTEC kicks in at certain correct point in the hairpin, the sheer exit speed will negate time lost due to wrong lines in first two sections. As a result, my hotlap has absolutely atrocious first corner, and still I couldn't ever beat it. I'm pretty sure that I could shave off another 0.3-0.4 seconds. Well, whatever. Nice thing that my car had exactly 345 hp.
Trial Mountain was, on the other hand, really nice track to drive the Integra on, although my fast lap is still not perfect. I hope I was fast enough in rocky twisty section, since the DC2 really shines there.

In general, this kind of FF cars - fairly high power, not good suspension setup - is much tougher to drive for me than even high-powered FR cars (as long as they are properly tuned).
Looking forward to see what (and how) other people drive. Also, I'm interested if anyone uses handbrake for faster cornering.

Edit: Unfortunately I have no time to do the event with Alfa, this task with Integra was already much more time consuming than I anticipated.
 
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AnthonyD1993
You should enter anyway. My car has 302 hp fully upgraded, but I mainly focused on Tahiti Road since that's my best chance to get a win from this round's challenges. It's not about winning, but rather, it's about having fun and playing GT2 again.
Click to expand...
It's not just the horsepower. I can never seem to get a hang of FF cars seeing as I never use them. Perhaps it's just my driving style. Anyway the point is that I can't run half decent times and I'm not spending 30+ laps trying to do it. I'll gladly wait until the FR competition (besides I'm pretty tired and burnt out on GT2 already).
 
I'd have to agree though that the format of this week's challenge was rather frustrating. As well as out of balance with what we're supposed to be simulating. You don't need 394hp to beat the FF's at Trial Mountain, generally, you only need half the hp max or 60% at most depending on how heavy your car is to win an event. By setting this event up as one where we're tuning all the way up to the hp limit, it means that very few cars can really compete effectively. And in fact there is clearly one best car for all 3 (Mugen Integra.) If we'd said something like 295/2 = 148hp limit for Tahiti, 345/2=173hp limit for Midfield, and 394/2=197hp limit for Trial Mountain, and then something like +10hp if your car is over 1100kg, and another +10hp if over 1300kg, then there would have been a much wider selection of cars available... and beyond that I would say in retrospect that having to use the same car for all three was an unnecessary restriction, though with lower horsepowers as I'm suggesting it would've made more sense.

Just doing a few token laps of Midfield now, Tahiti I did like 10 laps and again didn't come within a second of my potential by best sector times... Didn't even get within 2 seconds of other cars I'd previously tried at Tahiti (Focus, A3, Demio A-Spec...)

For the next round I'd recommend sports tires and sports suspension again, as AI uses, then tune to hp depending on car weight, after whatever weight reductions you do:

Clubman:
1984lb/900kg and under - 160hp
2204lb/1000kg - 173hp
2424lb/1100kg - 185hp
2645lb/1200kg - 197hp
2865lb/1300kg - 208hp
3086lb/1400kg - 219hp

SSR5
1984lb/900kg and under - 193hp
2204lb/1000kg - 208hp
2424lb/1100kg - 223hp
2645lb/1200kg - 237hp
2865lb/1300kg - 251hp
3086lb/1400kg - 264hp

Midfield
1984lb/900kg and under - 219hp
2204lb/1000kg - 237hp
2424lb/1100kg - 254hp
2645lb/1200kg - 271hp
2865lb/1300kg - 286hp
3086lb/1400kg - 301hp

But also, as DurWinning is saying, actually doing every event in GT2 is a massive undertaking for a challenge like this. The list I posted a couple pages back of just 12 events or so total that was for continuing with our starter cars sounded like fun to me, and more manageable, though just staying with our starter cars would make it more complicated for new people joining the competition, and it probably would have been a showcase for Wankel3's driving and even more his wisdom in choosing the Infini III as his starter car, as I'm sure he would've went undefeated for the rest of the events.

So maybe a compromise, just pick one event from each category, like SSR5 for the FR challenge since we haven't raced that track yet, and just do one race instead of all three.
 
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Alright, so, i was gonna wait till next week, but then i noticed that the west city, has no FR cars, which conflicts with my challenge! Great!
 
jeffgoddin, great recomendations, although there still will be some top leaderboard cars, which will be significantly faster.
The only reliable-ish way to set a car regulations in GT2 for close competition is to restrict the set of cars to those that are known for being close on the lap times. For example, I know that some GT-R's, FD RX-7 A-spec, TRD3000GT, Evo 5 are within 0.5 sec of each other on SSR5 when fully tuned - so we can do a Tuned Turbo event with only these cars allowed.
Also, if there are some spreadsheets with results from your old comparos, we could choose cars from them in similar manner to what I described.

Edit: Oh, and as far as I'm aware, several people still can use the same car, so this is also a possibility :)
And I'm not sure that keeping the sports suspension will work with all events. I think that full custom suspension should be allowed at least on some events, since it can easily make slower cars much more competitive. If we could use the custom suspension in FF cup, for example, the Fiat Coupe could win easily in all 3 races, as well as some other cars.
 
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