How to tune a car for tire wear?

[TheYaShoe]

It' the title, how does one tune a car for max tire wear efficiency and fuel economy for endurance races?

 

[Dotini]

It' the title, how does one tune a car for max tire wear efficiency and fuel economy for endurance races?

For two weeks, I've been experimenting with that very question at the 20 Miles of Willow. I've used cars in the 450-550PP range. There's lots of things you can do to affect tire wear and fuel mileage. The first thing to consider is weight and power, but drivetrain and suspension setup also play a role.

 

[Motor City Hami]

A well balanced car will have the longest tire life. You need to build the tune so that both front and rear wear at the same rate. This means no tunes that turn the outside front yellow. Or one that spins the inside or outside drive wheels on corner exit.

There are lots of things that can be changed to accomplish this. Check out my tuning guide and let me know if you have questions.

 

[TheYaShoe]

Thank you guys for the help, I have read some tuning books, your tuning guides and many others. I have gotten that far, appreciate the simple tips. Does anyone know the small things that add up in the area of suspension and differential tuning on this game. I know how it works in real life as both my dad and grandfather were rally drivers and they helped, but what they said doesn't exactly translate into this game. Any more in depth tips help. I am not new to this so feel free to go into great detail if you would like. (It's a 4wd car with around 450 hp and weighs 1200)

 

[Dotini]

Thank you guys for the help, I have read some tuning books, your tuning guides and many others. I have gotten that far, appreciate the simple tips. Does anyone know the small things that add up in the area of suspension and differential tuning on this game. I know how it works in real life as both my dad and grandfather were rally drivers and they helped, but what they said doesn't exactly translate into this game. Any more in depth tips help. I am not new to this so feel free to go into great detail if you would like. (It's a 4wd car with around 450 hp and weighs 1200)

Why not enter your car in the 20 miles of Willow, and get some testing data? What is the tire wear? What is the setup?

 

[TheYaShoe]

Why not enter your car in the 20 miles of Willow, and get some testing data? What is the tire wear? What is the setup?

Ya I was doing my own testing for the course and distance of the upcoming race, I just wasn't sure if I was missing some tips that could make it even better.

 

[Dotini]

Ya I was doing my own testing for the course and distance of the upcoming race, I just wasn't sure if I was missing some tips that could make it even better.

Stiffer roll bars could help move some of the wear to the inside tires - maybe.
A flat floor could help - but at the cost of 29 PP?
Adjusting stuff like torque distribution, ballast and all the rest to get the balanced handling Hami was talking about will get front wear to match rear. But the nut behind the wheel has to adjust his foot feed with great attention.

 

[TheYaShoe]

Stiffer roll bars could help move some of the wear to the inside tires - maybe.
A flat floor could help - but at the cost of 29 PP?
Adjusting stuff like torque distribution, ballast and all the rest to get the balanced handling Hami was talking about will get front wear to match rear. But the nut behind the wheel has to adjust his foot feed with great attention.

Ya I do drive too aggressively, probably this biggest problem. I have a hard time not constatnly going for time trial laps during races. In shortish races I usually win because of this, but long distances with pit stops is another story.

 

[praiano63]

Motor City Hami is right about the overall balance , LSD tuning ... but in my opinion the driving style is 80% of a good tire wear. Just listen and check the color of your tires. Less noise = better tire wear.
Lap time X tire wear need to be adjusted to fit the endurance race you want to do. A pre-test before the race will help you to choose the best tires and driving style options.

 

[TheYaShoe]

Ok thanks guys. So other than driving style there isn't much I can do in the way of tuning suspension and LSD? Again if anyone wants to be detailed go for it. Thanks, didn't expect the biggest GT tuners to answer

 

[F1Racer68]

As @praiano63 stated, it's mostly down to driving style. Get the car balanced and responding the way you like and then work on your driving style. There are several keys to this:

• Be smooth with all of your inputs. Don't wait until the last second and then slam on the brakes and snap the wheel.
• Brake a bit earlier and with less pressure. Roll your foot onto the pedal rather than stomping on it.
• Roll onto the accelerator.
• The best advice I ever read was a quote from a famous driving instructor.... "Drive as though you have a raw egg between your foot and the pedals. DON'T BREAK THAT EGG!"

It definitely takes practice, and a different mindset. Endurance racers are a very different breed from sprint racers.

Good luck!

 

[YZFrules]

I agree with the fact that driving style has a lot to do with tire wear. It also effects lap times. I've been running the Suzuka seasonal event with several different cars and can win with ease. The current car is the Supra GT500 Base Model 05 and it just wears out the front tires. Rears are fine. I pit after lap 5 and the fronts are down to 0. Same at the end of the race. All of my other cars are between 3-4 on the fronts using the same strategy. I tried praiano63's YellowHat Supra tune with the same results. Since my driving style hasn't changed, I'm guessing it's just this car. Any ideas?