Is there any DISADVANTAGE in using all the UPGRADES?

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Lisa_Bonami

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folks, Im sorry if this may sound like a stupid question but please bear with me, I am new to the Gran Turismo series and I obviously dont know much about car mechanics other than the very basics


My question is:

I see many upgrades you can make to a car broken down in different sections such as ENGINE, EXHAUST, DRIVETRAIN, ect......Since, I dont know much about cars, I seem to just keep upgrading to the more expensive part each time I accumulate enough money until I have almost completely purchased every upgrade for that car. Is this the wrong strategy?......Does actually spending less money or mixing and matching different, cheaper parts together give better results in your car's performance?

I really dont have much to go on in regards to information other than the little scrolling information strip that runs along the bottom of the item.....that and the simple HP INCREASE INFO that it displays if your in the purchase screen.

Can someone touch a little on this?



Also my 2nd question is this:

I cant handle GEAR SHIFTING and driving at the same time.....can AUTO TRANSMISSION give me performance results equivalent to Manual?......and are there any tips or tricks I should know about for shifting when using AUTO TRANSMISSION?

thanks a bunch guys!
 
Lisa_Bonami
folks, Im sorry if this may sound like a stupid question but please bear with me, I am new to the Gran Turismo series and I obviously dont know much about car mechanics other than the very basics


My question is:

I see many upgrades you can make to a car broken down in different sections such as ENGINE, EXHAUST, DRIVETRAIN, ect......Since, I dont know much about cars, I seem to just keep upgrading to the more expensive part each time I accumulate enough money until I have almost completely purchased every upgrade for that car. Is this the wrong strategy?......Does actually spending less money or mixing and matching different, cheaper parts together give better results in your car's performance?

I really dont have much to go on in regards to information other than the little scrolling information strip that runs along the bottom of the item.....that and the simple HP INCREASE INFO that it displays if your in the purchase screen.

Can someone touch a little on this?



Also my 2nd question is this:

I cant handle GEAR SHIFTING and driving at the same time.....can AUTO TRANSMISSION give me performance results equivalent to Manual?......and are there any tips or tricks I should know about for shifting when using AUTO TRANSMISSION?

thanks a bunch guys!
Click to expand...

I use auto and there is way to get past the redline, which is the shift point on the auto, if the max HP level of the engine is in the redline. The ideal shift point for any car is 500 to 1,000 RPM past the RPM level of where the maximum HP is at. For example, a car with a shift point of 6,000 RPM, and max HP at 6,500 means you're shifting the car too soon if you let the auto shift normally. So, the ideal shift point for this car would be around 7,000 RPM. Press an hold the R2 to prevent the car from shifting into the next gear. Simply let go of the button to shift gears, then press and hold it down again. It works for downshifting as well.

But, cars with max HP at lower RPM rattings means you should let the auto shift at the redline, or normally.
 
Lisa_Bonami
folks, Im sorry if this may sound like a stupid question but please bear with me, I am new to the Gran Turismo series and I obviously dont know much about car mechanics other than the very basics


My question is:

I see many upgrades you can make to a car broken down in different sections such as ENGINE, EXHAUST, DRIVETRAIN, ect......Since, I dont know much about cars, I seem to just keep upgrading to the more expensive part each time I accumulate enough money until I have almost completely purchased every upgrade for that car. Is this the wrong strategy?......Does actually spending less money or mixing and matching different, cheaper parts together give better results in your car's performance?

I really dont have much to go on in regards to information other than the little scrolling information strip that runs along the bottom of the item.....that and the simple HP INCREASE INFO that it displays if your in the purchase screen.

Can someone touch a little on this?



Also my 2nd question is this:

I cant handle GEAR SHIFTING and driving at the same time.....can AUTO TRANSMISSION give me performance results equivalent to Manual?......and are there any tips or tricks I should know about for shifting when using AUTO TRANSMISSION?

thanks a bunch guys!
Click to expand...

It is best to save your credits and only purchase the best upgrades available. The only ones that I tend to purchase the lesser of are N/A and Turbo depending on the drivetrain and how much power you need. Front wheel drive cars cannot handle extreme HP. When they get over 275 HP the wheelspin is unmanageable. Stage 2 or 3 Turbo has an initial lag before the power kicks in and can be managed with good throttle control on FF cars.
I usually try to race with a comparably powered car with minimal upgrades. And only upgrade to compete with a lesser car against more powerful cars. As you progress through the game you will win more powerful cars that have some of the better parts for tweaking.
I also find it difficult to use the manual and only play with an automatic transmission. The only drawback I have found is on some of the more powerful GT cars they don't downshift as fast as they need to and are difficult to slow down for turns. As far as acceleration they shift EXACTLY when they should (automatically) LOL.
Hope this helps
 
yeah, I think its harder to use manual in this game than the previous ones, and I'm surprised jparker mentioned the automatic shifting at the right time - as i agree, something a lot of other member on the forum disagree with...
 
The automatic shifting thing (holding down R2 to keep in that gear) is a very good technique that alot of people using automatics need to know about if they already don't. Saved me alot of ass pain on a few driving missions and races!
 
1. Don't tune bit by bit, that is a waste of money... if you want a exhaust buy a racing exhaust, if you want a turbo buy the biggest ( if you need and want to have it) or buy a stage 2 and leave it that way... Chip tuning and Nos is a cheap but effectiive deal... also think about stage one weight reduction... First get the power, if the car's control is difficult after tuning, try sports/ racing suspension... parts like clutch and lighter flywheels etc are often a better choice than buying the most expensive turbo... automatic transmission is a good alternative for beginners....
 
Yeah, most of the tie I wait until I have enough money to do everything to the car all at once. Well, with all the credits I have now, it's no longer a problem.
 
There is a point here that many have missed. The big disadvantage to upgrading your car with all the options everytime is that it masks driving skill (i.e. lack of). Adding all that power and tuning covers up alot of problems with your driving and race line.

I would suggest learning to drive the car stock first then slowly add in parts as you need them. Like the car understeers for you, ad a suspension upgrade so you can tune it out with camber and springs. Go slow and ad one part at a time (if needed) and learn how to drive and tune.

Auto Transmission....you will never match the speed of a even mid level driver with a manual transmission. If you can't drive and shift at the same time...practice. It will come. If you don't care about speed use AT...
 
Or get the Logitech Driving Force Pro Wheel and learn how to drive it manual on that. I hated manual the few days I was using it. But I stuck with it and I was amazed at what a HUGE difference it makes. Especially slowing down into turns, you can actually brake later and use the engine/transmission while downshifting to help slow you down as well.
 
Lisa_Bonami
folks, Im sorry if this may sound like a stupid question but please bear with me, I am new to the Gran Turismo series and I obviously dont know much about car mechanics other than the very basics


My question is:

I see many upgrades you can make to a car broken down in different sections such as ENGINE, EXHAUST, DRIVETRAIN, ect......Since, I dont know much about cars, I seem to just keep upgrading to the more expensive part each time I accumulate enough money until I have almost completely purchased every upgrade for that car. Is this the wrong strategy?......Does actually spending less money or mixing and matching different, cheaper parts together give better results in your car's performance?

I really dont have much to go on in regards to information other than the little scrolling information strip that runs along the bottom of the item.....that and the simple HP INCREASE INFO that it displays if your in the purchase screen.

Can someone touch a little on this?



Also my 2nd question is this:

I cant handle GEAR SHIFTING and driving at the same time.....can AUTO TRANSMISSION give me performance results equivalent to Manual?......and are there any tips or tricks I should know about for shifting when using AUTO TRANSMISSION?

thanks a bunch guys!
Click to expand...

I usually don't buy anything untill i have enough money to buy the top stage of the upgrade, however it depends what i have in mind for the car. I also upgrade the suspension and transmission first, and then the exhaust etc.
Secondly, i use the Auto transmission too, but i think that with enough practice it becomes easy, i think the trick is to use your ears alot. I read in a review that a racer that drives using his ears will benefit greatly, i guess this is what they were talking about.
I hope this has helped you
 
A good tip for modifications is not to forget the upgrades that do not increase horsepower. In GT1 and 2 I would always purchase all the horsepower-increasing upgrades such as turbos, intercoolers etc and not bother to buy any of the drivetrain upgrades e.g. transmission, clutch and flywheel. In GT3 I started to buy these components and found that they made a big difference.

Also I use auto transmission and have since GT1 and as fas as I can tell it's perfectly good for completing the game with.
 
Group C Fanatic
A good tip for modifications is not to forget the upgrades that do not increase horsepower. In GT1 and 2 I would always purchase all the horsepower-increasing upgrades such as turbos, intercoolers etc and not bother to buy any of the drivetrain upgrades e.g. transmission, clutch and flywheel. In GT3 I started to buy these components and found that they made a big difference.

Also I use auto transmission and have since GT1 and as fas as I can tell it's perfectly good for completing the game with.
Click to expand...


yea i agre, for good acceleration or better you cant go wrong with a better flywheel and clutch and they are quite cheap
 
Like group C said, get the other mods besides hp. (i think they help your acceleration(?)) However I think the down side to too much hp is if you want to use the car in a course with alot of turns or a rally race, sometimes underpowered cars would be the better choice.
 
gt4_n00b
Like group C said, get the other mods besides hp. (i think they help your acceleration(?)) However I think the down side to too much hp is if you want to use the car in a course with alot of turns or a rally race, sometimes underpowered cars would be the better choice.
Click to expand...

The main detriment besides what the others have stated is that as you build a car up against other cars in a given race, it lowers the A-Spec points you earn, if that's important to you. For example, if you enter a race that awards 10 A-Spec points then you have the other cars covered pretty well as far as hardware is concerned, and on the opposite end, the special missions where you can't upgrade the car, and against very similar cars, well they award you 250 A-Spec points. You can see for yourself by entering a given race with a stock car, then after that go upgrade it, then go back to the same race and you'll note the A-Spec points are reduced.
Thank you "G"
 
Thanks for your feedback, this may also sound like another silly question but, I notice there are an aweful lot of SIMILAR cars in the used showrooms, such as Skylines, Mits 3000, Honda Civics ER, ect......Is there an actual difference in the handling and feel between 2 of the same models?......Does this game actually add subtle differences to similar model cars?


Also is there is a limit with upgradeability between cars?....meaning, will I be able to only tweak lets say a Grand National GNX only so much but it will still handle like a Buik GNX in comparison to let's say a Toyota Celica? With all the upgrading done, will these 2 cars still feel distinctly different and unique?
 
yes the subtle differences between the different models are there.

this is a simulation game, so for example, no matter how hard you try i dont think you will be able to get the GNX to handle and feel like a celica. GNX is RWD, and celica is either AWD or FF. completely different feel no matter what you do.
 
Lisa_Bonami
Thanks for your feedback, this may also sound like another silly question but, I notice there are an aweful lot of SIMILAR cars in the used showrooms, such as Skylines, Mits 3000, Honda Civics ER, ect......Is there an actual difference in the handling and feel between 2 of the same models?......Does this game actually add subtle differences to similar model cars?


Also is there is a limit with upgradeability between cars?....meaning, will I be able to only tweak lets say a Grand National GNX only so much but it will still handle like a Buik GNX in comparison to let's say a Toyota Celica? With all the upgrading done, will these 2 cars still feel distinctly different and unique?
Click to expand...

The only real drawback to the used cars is that the frame has to be "refreshed", which is found in "other" upgrades. This is a very costly item. I drove a used version of a car I also purchased new and could tell a significant handling difference. When refreshed "50,000" credits, it handled as well as the new one. But in the used lots there are a lot of models that are only available used. Primarily the coveted Black LMP's. These are real jewels. They have more HP than their store bought counterparts, and are really awesome to look at in the garage. Also when you purchase a used car remember to first change the oil.
 
with a lot of cars, you are able to put so much horsepower in them that they become much much much harder to drive correctly through turns and whatnot than with maybe 50-150hp less.
End game, you will become better at driving the car if you can drive it stock and then build on it, rather than just plonk tons of money into it and claim it's a horrible car with tremendous understeer and no brake power.

On the subject of Automatic Transmissions, the biggest loss is the ability to downshift on demand, into the optimal power range to either slow into a turn or power out of one.
 
Sort of taking this thread in a differnt angle.....What is the best way for a beginner (like me) to get credits, I find that with the small winnings I get It takes forever to get enough to buy any kind of effective upgrade...Any Help?

jtb
 
Just my 2 cents... I have used both manual and automatic and find that, with my driving style, they are very very close in time on almost any track. I am now using only auto as I learn the new tracks and the new physics. Later, in a new game I might try manual again just because it is a diferent challenge. But tes, you can get to 100% using only auto. But some of the licenses are easier with manual.
 
Owen Meany
Sort of taking this thread in a differnt angle.....What is the best way for a beginner (like me) to get credits, I find that with the small winnings I get It takes forever to get enough to buy any kind of effective upgrade...Any Help?

jtb
Click to expand...

I would suggest spending the extra time at the licensing center and push for golds or at least silvers. You are rewarded for the effort with some really good cars that can be used in many different races, allowing you to amass enough credits to either drop a bundle on upgrading what ever car your wanting to work on or purchase a better one. I personally only upgrade as needed. Drive stock against stock, and this will improve your driving skill and teach you the best lines at given tracks.
The only upgrades I consistantly purchase are custom diffs, racing flywheel, triple clutch and sport brakes. These alone will make a considerable difference in acceleration, deceleration, and corner entry/exit.
 
(Edited) Replies inline
Lisa_Bonami
folks, Im sorry if this may sound like a stupid question but please bear with me, I am new to the Gran Turismo series and I obviously dont know much about car mechanics other than the very basics
Click to expand...
Glad to see you giving auto racing a try. Stick with it, it's a very fun hobby to get into.
Lisa_Bonami
My question is:
I see many upgrades you can make to a car broken down in different sections such as ENGINE, EXHAUST, DRIVETRAIN, ect......Since, I dont know much about cars, I seem to just keep upgrading to the more expensive part each time I accumulate enough money until I have almost completely purchased every upgrade for that car. Is this the wrong strategy?......Does actually spending less money or mixing and matching different, cheaper parts together give better results in your car's performance?
Click to expand...
Mixing and matching can be beneficial. For example- some cars make more horsepower with a semi-racing muffler than they do with a racing muffler when they have a supercharger equipped.
Full power is not always the answer. A great driver in a NASA prepared Spec Miata can beat a good driver in a NASA prepared Camaro-Mustang Challenge car. The same great driver in a Camaro-Mustang Challenge car can beat that same good driver driving a NASA Vette-Viper Challenge car. Just remember; it's not how much power the car has, it's how useful the driver and chassis of the car can apply the power to the pavement.
Car and driver go hand in hand. At my track day, I was passing cars in my 100 horsepower Rabbit GTi that you would think, just by looking, would beat my car. I haven't done much to the engine; it was a used engine with a simple cam upgrade. All of my modifications are in my suspension and I know how to drive well.
Spend time practicing at the tracks, or aim to get better awards in the license tests. This could help too; go to a track to practice at and do the B-Spec driving. Set your driver to a level of 2 or 3 and turn the camera view to the forward looking "bumper cam" so you too may see what the line is.
Lisa_Bonami
I really dont have much to go on in regards to information other than the little scrolling information strip that runs along the bottom of the item.....that and the simple HP INCREASE INFO that it displays if your in the purchase screen.
Can someone touch a little on this?
Click to expand...
Would you like to know more about what each part does? I, and I'm sure many of the people here, could break each part down and explain it to you better. Another site to check out is: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/ Let us know what you want to know specifically; like- "how do sway bars and shocks work?"
Lisa_Bonami
Also my 2nd question is this:
I cant handle GEAR SHIFTING and driving at the same time.....can AUTO TRANSMISSION give me performance results equivalent to Manual?......and are there any tips or tricks I should know about for shifting when using AUTO TRANSMISSION?
thanks a bunch guys!
Click to expand...
In the game the automatic transmission is just fine. The button trick where you keep the transmission in the same gear has been mentioned, learn that. It will help immensely. At your track practices, start to try the manual transmission though. Knowing both will help you out.
In real life, people who drag race use automatic transmissions for their consistency. An electronically controlled transmission can make the same shift over, and over, and over, and over again in the same amount of time at the same exact RPM. That's where we humans are no good. Road racing drivers prefer the manual for the ability to put the car in whatever gear they want for certain circumstances; circumstances that constantly change.
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Lisa_Bonami
Thanks for your feedback, this may also sound like another silly question but, I notice there are an aweful lot of SIMILAR cars in the used showrooms, such as Skylines, Mits 3000, Honda Civics ER, ect......Is there an actual difference in the handling and feel between 2 of the same models?......Does this game actually add subtle differences to similar model cars?
Click to expand...
No, not if everything else is equal. The more cars get used, as mentioned before, the more their structure starts to deteriorate. Buy the 50,000 credit refreshing plan when it comes available. Otherwise, no there wouldn't be a noticable difference between a 1991 Civic and a 1992 Civic. However, there could be a difference in each cars dynamics if the 1991 Civic has 96 horsepower and the 1992 Civic has 122 for example. They would seem to drive differently, but that's more due to the different power levels.
Lisa_Bonami
Also is there is a limit with upgradeability between cars?....meaning, will I be able to only tweak lets say a Grand National GNX only so much but it will still handle like a Buik GNX in comparison to let's say a Toyota Celica? With all the upgrading done, will these 2 cars still feel distinctly different and unique?
Click to expand...
Your example Buick and Celica will always feel different. The game does take drivetrain and weight bias as differentiating factors between cars. The closest you can do is start to set the ASM and TCS computers to better emulate another car. To make the Buick "emulate" a front wheel drive Celica, turn the ASM (Oversteer) setting of the Buick to the 8-10 range and the ASM (Understeer) in the 0-2 range. This will tell the car's active handling computer that you do not want much oversteer but you want the car to understeer.
 
Lisa_Bonami
Thanks for your feedback, this may also sound like another silly question but, I notice there are an aweful lot of SIMILAR cars in the used showrooms, such as Skylines, Mits 3000, Honda Civics ER, ect......Is there an actual difference in the handling and feel between 2 of the same models?......Does this game actually add subtle differences to similar model cars?
Click to expand...
It is interesting that you mentioned the Mitsubishi 3000GT.
I was recently playing around with various versions of this car and found that the MR and VR4 Turbo versions do handle slightly differently, even if they are made in the same year. Differences in horsepower and weight will add up to a slightly different car.

If you take a more extreme example, early 90's RX-7s look pretty much the same as the '01 Bathrust at first glance, but if you get inside and look at the default suspension settings, they are pretty different, and custom settings are not interchangable.

I bought a '92 NSX Type R. In this case, it handled almost identically to me as my '02 (with the same suspension settings), but it kinda lost out since the '92 has only five gears while the '02 has six.

So, differences are there if you want to look for them. If I happen to like a car, I think it is fun to buy some of its alternate versions to see if there is one hidden in there that I might like even better.
 
Max_DC
1. Don't tune bit by bit, that is a waste of money... if you want a exhaust buy a racing exhaust, if you want a turbo buy the biggest ( if you need and want to have it) or buy a stage 2 and leave it that way... Chip tuning and Nos is a cheap but effectiive deal... also think about stage one weight reduction... First get the power, if the car's control is difficult after tuning, try sports/ racing suspension... parts like clutch and lighter flywheels etc are often a better choice than buying the most expensive turbo... automatic transmission is a good alternative for beginners....
Click to expand...


That depends on whatever you want to do with the car. With the Exhaust I agree you should just get the best one, but with Turbo if you get a Stage 4 turbo you will probably hit every single wall when racing in Opera Paris. On tracks with many corners you'll probably be better off not using a turbo at all, a high # of Hp won't make your faster then, of what use is a high maximum speed when you won't get there? Would be better off just getting the upgrades that help accellerating your car out of the corner.
 
smellysocks12
That depends on whatever you want to do with the car. With the Exhaust I agree you should just get the best one, but with Turbo if you get a Stage 4 turbo you will probably hit every single wall when racing in Opera Paris. On tracks with many corners you'll probably be better off not using a turbo at all, a high # of Hp won't make your faster then, of what use is a high maximum speed when you won't get there? Would be better off just getting the upgrades that help accellerating your car out of the corner.
Click to expand...

I just packed to much information into a short post... What I wanted to say is, that it doesn't make sense to buy stage 1 turbo, 2 cups later a stage 2 , 4 cups later a stage 3 and so on : I wanted to say : Focus on what you want and need and buy only that (wait until you can afford a stage 3 turbo if you need one...) In fact a stage 4 turbo is way to expensive most of the time...

Well turbos in general.... I think they are always effective, but of course that depends on the skills of the driver... a turbo really helps you getting very fast out of the corner... driving a Sti myself, I'm a huge turbo fan... so you just need to know the reactions of your car... I wouldn't say a turbo is especially for high speed only... it is for power and power is needed for a fast corner exit... I don't think that
adding a turbo ( for example stage 2 ) will ever be a bad way to make your car faster....Ok... wouldn't put one into a Honda of course :sly:
 
magneticman
yeah, I think its harder to use manual in this game than the previous ones, and I'm surprised jparker mentioned the automatic shifting at the right time - as i agree, something a lot of other member on the forum disagree with...
Click to expand...
Why though? Also, prelonging shifts in Auto is jsut as hard as using manual
 

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