Karelian MotorWorks - End of an Era

[nomis3613]

Ford GTHC '10
Based on Ford GT '05 (quicksilver metallic)

Specs
Power: 679 bhp / 6500rpm
Torque: 809 nm / 3750rpm
Weight: 1320 kg
​

Parts to buy
Oil Change
Racing Exhaust
Racing Brakes
Brake Balance Controller
NA Stage 2
Port Polish
Engine Balancing
Racing Chip
FC Transmission
Triple-plate Clutch
Racing Flywheel
Variable LSD
FC Suspension
S1 Tyres
Weight Reduction Stage 2
Rear Wing (3D TYPE CB)
New Wheels (SPEEDLINE 007)


SETUP

Suspension
Spring Rate: 9.6 / 9.3
Ride Height: 90 / 100
Bound: 6 / 6
Rebound: 5 / 6
Camber: 2.0 / 2.0
Toe: -2 / -2
Stabilizers: 5 / 4

Brakes
Brake Balance: 6 / 4

Transmission
First auto, then all the rest

1st: 3.744
2nd: 2.146
3rd: 1.546
4th: 1.230
5th: 0.905
6th: 0.693
Final Gear: 3.760
Auto: 13


LSD
Initial Torque: 60
LSD Acceleration: 5
LSD Deceleration: 5

Aerodynamics
Downforce: 10 / 20

Driving Aids
All off

Some laptimes
No NOS used

Infeon Sports Car Course: 1'32.388​

The first in a pair of KMW Trans-Atlantic Reborn Sportscars (the GTHC's sparring partner is just receiving the final touches and will be released soon), the Ford GT also happens to be GT4's cover car. The GT could be considered a "cheat car" due to the unrealistic high grip and downforce, however KMW likes to play fair so we threw on some very used tyres and tried to minimise the downforce.

During its troubled development, this car had KMW's technician scratching their heads for many a late night, until finally the cars magic setting was found and the setup began to take shape. But it is far from "tamed", especially at the tricky Infeon course this car is ranked "expert". The GT has excellent power-down even on S1 tyres, so the challenge was to improve it's abilities when the road gets twisty. In the end, KMW is proud of the GTHC, which rewards patience and precision with balanced, adjustable handling.

 

[sukerkin]

Always interesting to see how other people approach the same problem 👍.

Kudos to you for attempting to dial in the Ford without using Racing rubber (far too many tunes in far too many garages slap R grade tyres on for my tastes ).

For comparison, here is ETZ's foray into similar territory as we attempted to tune her in without using Downforce to do two laps of the 'Ring at high pace:

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showpost.php?p=3064129&postcount=143

 

[DK]

Uh...I don't think that a Ford GT with Stage 2 Weight Reduction would weigh 3,120kg.

 

[nomis3613]

Owwww...some replies in the GT4 section?! Exciting!!!

Kudos to you for attempting to dial in the Ford without using Racing rubber (far too many tunes in far too many garages slap R grade tyres on for my tastes ).

Thanks!! Yeah, I find it a fun challenge to get the most out of low grip tyres. I'd actually prepared an alternate tune on R3 tyres (just so I could compare to another car) but damn it was awful around Infeon. Sure the tune wasn't fully optimised for the tyres but the Ford became a twitchy, inconsistent beast looking for every opportunity to play tricks on the driver!

For comparison, here is ETZ's foray into similar territory as we attempted to tune her in without using Downforce to do two laps of the 'Ring at high pace:

https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showpost.php?p=3064129&postcount=143

Hmmm...an interesting comparison. Aside from the brakes and stabilisers our tunes are worlds apart! (yeah I realise that they are for different tracks, slightly different tyres and you're using the default downforce but still it's a huge difference I reckon)

Uh...I don't think that a Ford GT with Stage 2 Weight Reduction would weigh 3,120kg.

Sure it does. These American lumps of iron aren't known for their lightness...

Thanks for pointing out the typo!

 

[sukerkin]

Aye Nomis, I have noted that psycho tendency with R grade tyres on several MR models originally dialed in on S grade boots.

My personal theory is that it is caused by the simple fact that you dial a car in to 'drift' (the old fashioned meaning of the word, not the Ricer affectation) in a predictable and handleable fashion on S tyres. If you put R tyres on the same set-up then the unnatural stickyness means that the grip does not 'hand off' from front to rear with the same smoothness and you, more often than not, get snap oversteer.

 

[nomis3613]

My personal theory is that it is caused by the simple fact that you dial a car in to 'drift' (the old fashioned meaning of the word, not the Ricer affectation) in a predictable and handleable fashion on S tyres. If you put R tyres on the same set-up then the unnatural stickyness means that the grip does not 'hand off' from front to rear with the same smoothness and you, more often than not, get snap oversteer.

Yeah, I could believe that. Another possibility is that the extra grip puts the suspension in a different working range during cornering, perhaps even on the bump stops.

 

[Temetias.]

SLR McLaren Evolution '10
Based on Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren '03 (crystal galaxit black)

Specs
Power: 820 bhp / 6500rpm
Torque: 1005 nm / 3250-5000rpm
Weight: 1517 kg
​

Parts to buy
Oil Change
Racing Exhaust
Racing Brakes
Brake Balance Controller
NA Tuning Stage 2
Port Polish
Engine Balancing
Racing Chip
FC Transmission
Triple-plate Clutch
Racing Flywheel
Variable LSD
Carbon Driveshaft
FC Suspension
S1 Tyres
Weight Reduction Stage 3
New Wheels (OZ 013)


SETUP

Suspension
Spring Rate: 8.7 / 11.0
Ride Height: 101 / 101
Bound: 2 / 9
Rebound: 1 / 9
Camber: 2.5 / 5.5
Toe: -2 / -1
Stabilizers: 2 / 7

Brakes
Brake Balance: 5 / 8

Transmission
First auto, then all the rest

1st: 4.189
2nd: 2.929
3rd: 2.278
4th: 1.814
5th: 1.459
Final Gear: 2.000
Auto: 1


LSD
Initial Torque: 10
LSD Acceleration: 30
LSD Deceleration: 5

Driving Aids
All off

Weight Control
Ballast Weight: 50
Front/Rear Balance: 50

Some laptimes
No NOS used

Infenion Sports Car Course: 1'31.961​

The pair for the GTHC. 1000nm torque, S1's and FR drivetrain? And tuned for a compact track? You might think that this car makes no sense at all, but test it on the track and you'll be happily surprised how fast and yet easy to drive it is.

 

[nomis3613]

Introducing... the 2nd last car to be released by KMW for GT4. Here's some clues as to which car it is based on:
It's an all wheel drive road car... (but it's not a Skyline)
It's a highly successful touring car from the 1990s...(but it's not a Skyline)
It has a glorious 6 cylinder engine...(but it's not a Skyline)



Enough teasing, it's the

KMW 155 GT-R '11
Based on Alfa Romeo 155 2.5 V6 Ti

Specs
Power: 602 bhp / 11 500rpm
Torque: 375 nm / 8 000rpm
Weight: 1010 kg
​

Parts to buy
Oil Change
Brake Balance Controller
FC Transmission
Turbo Kit Stage 4
R1 Tyres
Increase rigidity



SETUP

Suspension
Spring Rate: 11.0 / 11.0
Ride Height: 65 / 65
Bound: 5 / 5
Rebound: 5 / 5
Camber: 1.5 / 1.0
Toe: -1 / 1
Stabilizers: 3 / 3

Brakes
Brake Balance: 5 / 7

Transmission
First auto, then all the rest

1st: 5.632
2nd: 4.086
3rd: 3.275
4th: 2.801
5th: 2.353
6th: 1.908
Final Gear: 3.270
Auto: 1


LSD
Initial Torque: 5 / 17
LSD Acceleration: 5 / 40
LSD Deceleration: 5 / 5

Aerodynamics
Downforce: 32 / 32

Driving Aids
All off

Some laptimes
No NOS used

Cote d'Azur: 1'34.700*
* Tementias' PlayStation 2 has bitten the dust, so only my (slower) time is available.​

Just in case anyone is still actually reading the GT4 section, KMW is proud to announce it's final release for GT4. Much delayed (just like GT5 itself...), but these 2 touring cars from the 1990's are a cracking finale.

With all four wheels being powered by a stunning V6 that revs sweetly to almost 12 000 rpm, this Alfa is a wonderfully stable yet rewarding car to drive. KMW's main objective for this tune was to retain the wonderful balance and stability, but at higher speeds so the Alfa can deliver a shock or two to more modern cars. Despite the power increase using only Racing Hard tyres, this stability has not been compromised. Nor has any power-understeer been allowed to creep in with the upgrades.

At the time of writing this post, GT4 remains a better game for tuning than GT5 in many ways *putting on my flame suit*, so if anyone is actually still reading this forum, dust off your GT4 disc and take the Alfa GT-R for a spin!

 

[nomis3613]

KMW RX-7 SP
Based on Mazda RX-7 Spirit R Type A

Specs
Power: 544 bhp / 6 500rpm
Torque: 584 nm / 5 000rpm
Weight: 1117 kg
​

Parts to buy
Oil Change
Racing Exhaust
Racing Brakes
Brake Balance Controller
Port Polish
Engine Balancing
Racing Chip
FC Transmission
Triple-plate Clutch
Racing Flywheel
Variable LSD
Carbon Driveshaft
FC Suspension
Large Intercooler
Turbo Kit Stage 3
R1 Tyres
Weight Reduction Stage 2



SETUP

Suspension
Spring Rate: 8.8 / 8.8
Ride Height: 107 / 110
Bound: 3 / 3
Rebound: 3 / 3
Camber: 1.5 / 2.5
Toe: 0 / 0
Stabilizers: 1 / 1

Brakes
Brake Balance: 5 / 18

Transmission
First auto, then all the rest

1st: 3.290
2nd: 2.405
3rd: 1.993
4th: 1.685
5th: 1.395
6th: 1.187
Final Gear: 3.200
Auto: 3


LSD
Initial Torque: 5
LSD Acceleration: 20
LSD Deceleration: 5

Driving Aids
All off

Some laptimes
No NOS used

Cote d'Azur: 1'32.300*
* Tementias' PlayStation 2 has bitten the dust, so only my (slower) time is available.​

KMW are keeping Felix Wankell's dream alive! With RX-7s as the KMW's first tuned car for GT4, first tuned car for GT5 and now the last tuned car for GT4, anyone would think we have shares in Mazda! So what's the deal with this "SP" one? And how is it different to the other one?

The difference is based around the tyres, to pair with the Alfa GT-R (previous post), the RX-7 SP also runs R1 tyres. This fundamental change has caused a "clean sheet setup", also this tune has been developed as the wild child to drive, compared with the stable Alfa. Where the Alfa is playful yet composed, the RX-7 must be kept on a tight leash. For maximum speed you've gotta dance with the oversteer devil, but there's a fine line between "fastest lap" and "backwards into the wall".

And why was the RX-7 chosen to go with the Alfa? Well, it was a long search to find the Alfa's partner. The inital preference was a Merc 190E, but in the end it didn't have enough engine to push the chassis to its limits (or keep pace with the Alfa). A Skyline was considered, but there are already a billion Skyline tunes out there. The BMW 2002 sure fits the bill of "wild child companion", but in reality it would be sliding around watching the Alfa disappear into the distance. A "normal" 155? Too slow (cos of FWD). Aussie V8 supercar? Too expensive, too heavy, too slow. In the end, the RX-7 was chosen and named in homage to Allan Horsley's Bathurst beast.

Driving this RX-7 is all about keeping the rear wheels in control. You'll need the precision of a surgeon and the patience of a saint on the throttle to carefully balance wheelspin out of the slower corners. Sharp steel and keen turn-in also put the challenge out to the rear tyres not to drop the ball. While the suspension hasn't been mindlessly dumped and stiffened, mid-corner bumps do need to be treated with caution. Especially at Cote d'Azur, there is a bump on the back straight (just after you exit the tunnel). Just a warning, if the car is not perfectly straight when you hit this bump, your world will suddenly start spinning around. Definitely not a car for the faint-hearted.


End of an Era
If reviewers request GT4 tunes, we will be happy to provide them. Otherwise this will be our last car for GT4, since we have moved to GT5. Adios, amigos!