- 75
i just cant catch the buick no matter what. got pass'd all the others on lap1
best was 3sec behind on lap2 last right hander then i hit the wall.
best was 3sec behind on lap2 last right hander then i hit the wall.
Mission 14 - Seattle Superbird
- Thread starter Swift
- 118 comments
- 28,748 views
- 124
- Sabarocca
streetsmelli just cant catch the buick no matter what. got pass'd all the others on lap1
best was 3sec behind on lap2 last right hander then i hit the wall.
I was best only at around +4 at the start of the second lap. You having a +3 at the start of the second lap means you're well on your way. You just now need to memorise the brake points, exit speed, etc for the 2nd and 3rd lap, and be consistent.
Forget that green speck of Buick in front of you, and fully concentrate on the corners.
- 5,014
- Panama City, FL
streetsmelli just cant catch the buick no matter what. got pass'd all the others on lap1
best was 3sec behind on lap2 last right hander then i hit the wall.
I would think the "no matter what" would include not hitting the wall. Just a guess.
You're close enough. On my run, I thought I was going to pass him going into that last right-hander, Then he was GONE down the straight. Passed him on the left coming out from under the freeway before the uphill jumps straight on lap three, because his brakes and handling totally suck, worse than the Superbird's! He's got horsepower, but that's his ONLY advantage. Once you're by, you've got it made.
- 75
Last night i was -1.4 lap 3 with half the track to cover, i spun. I drive pretty much the same way everytime, same braking points, but when you drive a clean race and miss it by a few seconds u have to re-adjust your brake points. At the top of the hill, lap 1 im down to -5.4secs. just ill crack it sooner or later (not just the handset...)
thanks guys
edit:
Finally at the last right got 5sec Pen, which i then used to ran him into the over-run dent he bump'd me on the line +0.124
last split i was -1.7 behind was ready to hit restart when i slam'd into him hense the 5 sec pen
thanks guys
edit:
Finally at the last right got 5sec Pen, which i then used to ran him into the over-run dent he bump'd me on the line +0.124
last split i was -1.7 behind was ready to hit restart when i slam'd into him hense the 5 sec pen
- 287
- Leicestershire,
- bellybox
Just completed it with a wicked run that saw me overtake the Buick on lap 2 & hold the lead till the finish. The key is early braking & finding out which sections the Superbird has an advantage (floor it between the Stadia for example). Upshift to 4th before the redline as this car has a torquey motor and it will pull nicely.
dylansan
Premium
- 4,870
- Massachusetts
- GTP_dylansan
- MINICOOPER120
My biggest pet peeve is when people dislike a car because it has imperfect handling or power, or things like that. The car doesn't handle that bad, it just handles differently than other cars. 
I personally liked doing all the driving missions (except 34, not done yet) all you have to do is learn the car. Sure it has understeer, but just turn in early, brake earlier, and just figure out the fastest way around the corner. You do it all the time but don't reallize it because it is usually similar to many other car's handling. The Superbird is now one of my favarite cars, as is the honda beat, Toyota 2000GT, Lancia stratos, 206 Rally, and even Fiat 500. Find each cars strong point and use it to your advantage. Find bad points and find ways to eliminate them. Also, as I discovered after completing most of the missions, you get much better. Trust me on this one. I passed Mission 11 after several tries, but neveer thought it was that hard. After that, I tried 12, and it was OK, but not quite simple. I had several problems with Mission 13 though, and took a break. When I finally got it, I tried 14, and again failed. After a break I gave it another go and failed again. I finished several other missions and came back to it and beat it. Later I started a new gamesave and started over, but this time i did it a fair amount easier. When I finished the 3 lap battles, I could go back and finish Mission 11 2 times as easy as before. After finishing all of them, You can even improve on ones you did before. Not to brag, but I have passed the Buick on the end of the second lap. Pass as many missions as you can then do the rest. Don't worry about skipping around, as long as you do Mission 1 first! 
So if you have trouble with a mission, follow this advice and you will surely get better. [/rant]
I personally liked doing all the driving missions (except 34, not done yet) all you have to do is learn the car. Sure it has understeer, but just turn in early, brake earlier, and just figure out the fastest way around the corner. You do it all the time but don't reallize it because it is usually similar to many other car's handling. The Superbird is now one of my favarite cars, as is the honda beat, Toyota 2000GT, Lancia stratos, 206 Rally, and even Fiat 500. Find each cars strong point and use it to your advantage. Find bad points and find ways to eliminate them. Also, as I discovered after completing most of the missions, you get much better. Trust me on this one. I passed Mission 11 after several tries, but neveer thought it was that hard. After that, I tried 12, and it was OK, but not quite simple. I had several problems with Mission 13 though, and took a break. When I finally got it, I tried 14, and again failed. After a break I gave it another go and failed again. I finished several other missions and came back to it and beat it. Later I started a new gamesave and started over, but this time i did it a fair amount easier. When I finished the 3 lap battles, I could go back and finish Mission 11 2 times as easy as before. After finishing all of them, You can even improve on ones you did before. Not to brag, but I have passed the Buick on the end of the second lap. Pass as many missions as you can then do the rest. Don't worry about skipping around, as long as you do Mission 1 first! So if you have trouble with a mission, follow this advice and you will surely get better. [/rant]
- 341
Thats a great mission) I 've done it 6 times and best result is 4 secs ahead of that stupid buick (with one penalty on my last lap) As for me, the mission in New York with toyota 2000 was the hardest one
I passed this one too last night, for me Seattle Superbird nightmare is finally over! 
I was just a bit more careful applying trottle when coming out corners. PD has managed to make with mandatory driving aids that boat act a bit like a FWD car that goes easily straight to wall if you apply full trottle immediately when exting corners.
I was just a bit more careful applying trottle when coming out corners. PD has managed to make with mandatory driving aids that boat act a bit like a FWD car that goes easily straight to wall if you apply full trottle immediately when exting corners.
- 392
- Queens, New York City
When I first ran this Mission over a year ago, I hated it. Not because it was hard, but because it seemed so slow. I wanted to race much faster cars with tires of glue. Now that I've done the Mission again, I discovered that this is probably one of the finer Missions in GT4. It's really a lot of fun. The 'Bird had a throaty rumble to it. Sure, the Super Bird wallows like a stuffed pig, but that's not the point. You have to be precise and gentle with the 'Bird. When you hear the tires squeal, you've pushed the 'Bird beyond it's optimum handling capacity.
Maybe there should have been more Missions with cars using N1 or N2 tires (I think the 'Bird is using S2s or S1s). It's the closeness of the racing that counts and not how fast you go. It's harder to recover from mistakes in this race. Anyway it felt like a real street race to me.
So early braking and precise lines are the order of the day to win this race. The Buick Special is extremely slow in turns and fast on straights. You make up all your time in precise handling in the chicanes which is more than enough. Watch the sample video for some clues (NTSC, DS2, MT):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sige7UNDZYc
Maybe there should have been more Missions with cars using N1 or N2 tires (I think the 'Bird is using S2s or S1s). It's the closeness of the racing that counts and not how fast you go. It's harder to recover from mistakes in this race. Anyway it felt like a real street race to me.
So early braking and precise lines are the order of the day to win this race. The Buick Special is extremely slow in turns and fast on straights. You make up all your time in precise handling in the chicanes which is more than enough. Watch the sample video for some clues (NTSC, DS2, MT):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sige7UNDZYc
- 1,795
No kidding. I spent an hour on this mission, and on my last attempt that slippery little 🤬 squeezes past me feet from the finish. I tried to block, but drifted to far over, and by the time I swung back, it was too late.
It's races like these that make me wish the physics allowed for effective P.I.T. maneuvers.
![[empty space]](/forum/data/avatars/m/47/47550.jpg?1277426423){kind=avatar}
- 3,863
- forever_n00b
- random1self
wow ... 11 seconds behind on my first try
[edit - once i get past the first 5, the lead ai just pulls away]
[edit - once i get past the first 5, the lead ai just pulls away]
- 3,863
- forever_n00b
- random1self
double post -
yay ... won by .191 though i guess i kinda cheated in a way because while braking, id keep a bit of throttle open. maybe a quater or so and used a bit of engine braking.
yay ... won by .191
though i guess i kinda cheated in a way because while braking, id keep a bit of throttle open. maybe a quater or so and used a bit of engine braking.
- 3,401
- Pennsylvania
- Darkdeeds427
After a year and a half of this thread being open, I am shocked in awe that no one has really discoved why this car has "sucked" so much. It's on Economy tires. So, driving it accordingly is the main secret. All I can really do is just rehash what everyone else has said.
Brake Early
Apply Throttle Gradually
Most Importantly: Shift early
The "powerband" of these older V8 Powered machines rely in the 2000-4500 RPM range before going quickly out of breath at the top of the rev range. Shifting early actually will pull you along at a quicker accelleration rate and lower your time considerably. 👍
But, as aorementioned, it's true. Economy Tires. Watch the replay and look for the tire code once.
Now, as of late before my PS2 blew up, I was redoing the missions to see how well I have improved. First time out, finished with a 5'58 time, won by 5 seconds, and didn't slap the wall once. I would say I've improved rather well. Or have a knack for driving cars with prehistoric underpinnings.
Cheers,
Jetboy
Brake Early
Apply Throttle Gradually
Most Importantly: Shift early
The "powerband" of these older V8 Powered machines rely in the 2000-4500 RPM range before going quickly out of breath at the top of the rev range. Shifting early actually will pull you along at a quicker accelleration rate and lower your time considerably. 👍
But, as aorementioned, it's true. Economy Tires. Watch the replay and look for the tire code once.
Now, as of late before my PS2 blew up, I was redoing the missions to see how well I have improved. First time out, finished with a 5'58 time, won by 5 seconds, and didn't slap the wall once. I would say I've improved rather well. Or have a knack for driving cars with prehistoric underpinnings.
Cheers,
Jetboy
I dont get it. I have tried at least 70 times and no matter what i finish at least 5 seconds behind that stupid buick. I am selling my superbird out of spite.**** that pos. I tried reading the advice and slowing down more and being gentle with the gas. The slower i hit the turns the further i am behind the buick at the end. Maby i got a glitch. If i hit the turns fast obviously i hit the walls, if i slow down i might as well come to a complete stop because i just get further behind. I gave up and beat cote d azur on the second try. Wtf!! Cote is a much more difficult track.
- 708
Why do you guys find it that hard? It is possible to get first place within the first two laps, so you can drive a whole lap (the 3rd one) in first place. If a can give you a you hint it is this one; do not brake too early, but keep going when other cars have already braked, and brake while on the apex. This will make you overtake all the cars that where close to the corner. Then accelerate fully. (exactly the opposite from what jetboys said 
- 23,444
- It/It
- GTP_TheCracker
BobK
Premium
- 7,020
- Massachusetts, USA
I use a DFP, auto. I'm about to try this one yet again (started another new game) as soon as I do Mission 13, Peugeot at Opera Paris.
I think part of what makes this one difficult is you need a different driving style, particularly if you've just done 12 (Ford GT at Laguna Seca) and 13. The Pug and especially the Ford GT like to be pushed hard, but if you try that with the Superbird you just end up going into the wall.
I think part of what makes this one difficult is you need a different driving style, particularly if you've just done 12 (Ford GT at Laguna Seca) and 13. The Pug and especially the Ford GT like to be pushed hard, but if you try that with the Superbird you just end up going into the wall.
I have had it. Something is wrong with my copy of the game. All i want is the leno car. I kill everyone i have ever played in this game so i know i have decent skill. Anyone have a memory card with this beat so i can trade for the car? Best i have gotten is still down almost 4 seconds. Ya can not make up 4 seconds on a perfect run. God i wish i could meet a designer of this level so i could punch him in the face. All i have left to beat is this and sarthe II. That one is going to suck. Sorry for the rant. Frustrated
BobK
Premium
- 7,020
- Massachusetts, USA
If it's any consolation it just took me close to two hours to do Mission 14 again, even though I'd done this one a couple times before. For me this is the second hardest mission, after Mission 34. The mistake I kept making was trying to accelerate too soon coming out of a corner (plus getting tangled up with the GTO a couple times).
But I just nailed Mission 18, Sarthe in the R92CP, on my second try.
You might be disappointed with the Jay Leno Tank Car btw. Gobs of horsepower but, well, "tank" describes the weight as well as the engine. Its handling makes the Superbird feel pretty nimble.
But I just nailed Mission 18, Sarthe in the R92CP, on my second try.
You might be disappointed with the Jay Leno Tank Car btw. Gobs of horsepower but, well, "tank" describes the weight as well as the engine. Its handling makes the Superbird feel pretty nimble.
- 616
- djphantasm
Finally passed this!! 
The tips helped... biggest thing is finding the right break points, acceleration points and what gear to be in to maximize time. I found that being in third gear and braking a little early then floring it through the double left hander after the first corner is done made up a lot of ground.
The tips helped... biggest thing is finding the right break points, acceleration points and what gear to be in to maximize time. I found that being in third gear and braking a little early then floring it through the double left hander after the first corner is done made up a lot of ground.
- 134
Oh man, I hated this mission. I'm glad I just beat it. The best I could do was get 3 seconds away from the lead car. I watched the video that's on the first page once, and I won by 6 seconds, with a time of 5'59. Now just two more missions left.
- 5,916
- Finland
