My Zonda steers like a cow - suggestions?

  • Thread starter kotafey
  • 15 comments
  • 4,627 views
K

kotafey

7
Hi, I've been playing just under a week and loving it. I've been getting more and more thirsty for BHP so after winning a few series I decided to spend my hard earned cash on a Zonda C12S.

I've put on all the performance mods (NA tuning, exhaust & filters, chip, weight reduction, triple clutch, custom gears & suspension etc etc) and a 1.5 LSD.

Now, I've been reading around various sites and I have a pretty good idea of how all of the components work and why they do what they do, but I'm having trouble making them all work in harmony for this car in particular.

This might be because it's now at 1106 BHP, or maybe I'm just not used to driving MR cars, but basically at the moment the only reason I win amateur races is because of its insane acceleration down the straights. Taking a corner on its own is just about manageable (largely thanks to the TCS) but when it comes to 2 or 3 in quick succession it really struggles and I have to either slow down to a crawl or risk spinning out / ending up in a wall.

Here are the settings I'm using:

Suspension:

Spring rate - 15.5 front and 15.5 rear

Ride height - 61mm

Dampers - Level 8 all around

Camber - Front: 2.0, Rear: 1.0 (Default)

Toe - 0 Front and Rear

Stabiliser - Level 3

LSD:

Initial - Front: 0, Rear: 15

Acceleration -Front: 0, Rear: 46

Decrease - Front: 0, Rear: 10

Gears:

Ratio = Auto set 29

Other:

Down force - Front: 0.29, Rear: 0.49

ACM - Level 4

TCS - Level 6
----------------------------------------

Any advice from someone who has tuned this car in the past would be appreciated. Cheers,


K
 
This Thread might help. It's almost 5 years old, but still valuable today.

In all seriousness, the brakes on the Zonda aren't up to snuff, and you'll have to start braking before you think you should. What triggers this, is the insane acceleration bring you far faster than you expect.

A quick search of this forum, will result in many setting adjustments.

Good luck.
 
Lower the rear downforce, that causes more understeer. ALWAYS remove ASM, it makes your car drive slower and funny on corners. Also set the TCS at a maximum of 1. The spring rate is too stiff also. You sould put like 7.0 front and 9.0 rear. Get rid of the LSD, period. It's not helping you steer more in an exotic car like this.

It's not the HP most of the time. It's the SETUP. Heard of throttle control? Just lightly press the X button when in tight corners. After 3rd gear or so, you can floor it through turns, depending on tires.
 
Here's a set you can try:

Springs: 10.2/9.6
Ride: 55/70
Damper B: 5/5
Damper R: 8/7
Camber: 3.0/1.5
Toe: -0.5/+1.0
Stabs: 2/4
Brakes: 20/20
LSD I: 10
LSD A: 35
LSD D: 10
Gears: Auto: 30 Final: 3.680
Downforce:0.29/0.48
ASM:0
TCS:0

The main thing about what makes the Zonda seem to handle terribly is that you are simply just overdriving the tires in most cases, particularly if you've got the thing belting out over a thousand horsepower. You're going a lot faster than you think, so you've got to brake much earlier than you're expecting. Don't drive the car so hard and you'll find yourself going faster.
 
I'm assuming since you're in the Amateurs that you're attempting the Gran Turismo All Stars and GT World Champion races...and that's why you're using so much power?

Well first off, your Zonda hasnt' got enough downforce. You're up against some real race cars and the Zonda is more of a sports car. Is .29 and .48 the best you can add? (i'm not familiar). The sim cars (JGTC NSX's, Corvette C5R, Mazda 787 B etc) always have more downforce than .29 and .48. If you can add more, see how much is possible. I'm not saying it's impossible to win in a Zonda with this low downforce, but to travel thru corners at the same speeds as those race-cars means you'll need some mad skills. Also how much does a Zonda weigh? (again i'm not familiar). I believe they're near 3,000 pounds which is pretty heavy, but i could be wrong.

Secondly, remove most of the stability and traction controls. I would bet money this is where most of your "steering like a cow" problems lie. I would perhaps leave TCS on 1 with all that power, but otherwise--remove all ASM. All this does is create understeer in an effort to help you from spinning, but ASM also will slow you down massively and make the Zonda difficult to steer. It's better to remove ASM and most of the TCS and learn steering, countersteering, and throttle control to keep you aimed in the right direction. You'll notice your car will now have a completely different feel.

Also, you've got your springs real stiff and the ride height is extremely low. This will only work at certain tracks; at others (Rome, Grand Valley, Trail MOuntain, Deep Forest, Seattle, and Cote come to mind) your car will be a bit nervous and react too quickly to any bumps or commands. Your dampers are also very stiff (all 8). Any grids you happen to drive over will cause you to ride harshly.

Finally, i would lower that LSD accel from 46 to the mid twenties to mid-30s (depending on the track). So that when you step on the gas, you're not just understeering...you'll have a bit more flexibility.

As Duke said, you're gonna need to brake early and mostly in a straight line in this car since it hasn't got adequate downforce (and therefore can't carry as much speed thru corners as the super race-cars you're competing against.

HTH 👍
 
I agree with Parnelli that ASM should always be zero in EVERY car. Minimal or no TCS; in this beefed-up Zonda, you'll probably want TCS of 1.

If you're trying to run the street Zonda against the GTWC (also as Parnelli says), you are going to have a very difficult time of it. The Am GTWC I ran in a CLK touring car, though I don't have a record of my margins of victory. The Am GTAS I used my Astra touring car; both were stock. So with downforce and sticky tires (T5s), you can beat both these series with under 500hp.
 
Yeah i used the Oreca Viper and Camaro LM...i also did these races in the Mercedes CLK tc.

Now i also did the Beginner's World Cup in a bunch of different cars...a Viper GTS and a Ford Focus Rally Car being just a couple examples. The Viper was the street version, not the OReca. I noticed in some races i would need extreme amounts of power (+450 hp) to win at certain tracks like Trail Mountain because the Viper hasn't got adequate downforce, can't get thru corners as fast as the SuperBacs MR2, and therefore i'd have to make up for it down the straights.

In comparison, the Ford Focus RC i raced hardly needed any extra power, which means i was probly running it stock. I beefed the downforce all the way and this helped me corner more efficiently.

And this concludes today's lesson class. Any questions? :embarrassed:
 
Spring Rate 7.0|11.0
Ride Height for front is 10 clicks lower than the rear
Bound 3|4
Rebound 6|8
Camber 3.0|1.5
Stabilizers 4|5

I did not use driving aids or LSD's, and reduced the rear downforce all the way. That is my setup for the Pagani Zonda C12. Works for the C12S also.
 
I am finding the reverse race as a problem, I am very much a B grade driver & the Zonda race cars are killing me on the corners & if I use T5 tyres I am competitive but most of the AI cars don't pit & they cream me when I put T2 Super hard tyres on . Can I mix say T3/T4 tyres & will they last ?:nervous:
Ozi
 
Parnelli Bone
You can certainly try it. I'm not sure if it would work cuz i haven't driven a Zonda yet.
Click to expand...

Are you in for a shock when you get to Pro League Italian Avant Garde race & see if you can get this monster of a car to beat the Zonda race cars in the reverse race.. See if you can get away without using ASM & TOC's .:scared:
Cheers Ozi
 
ozirules
Are you in for a shock when you get to Pro League Italian Avant Garde race & see if you can get this monster of a car to beat the Zonda race cars in the reverse race.. See if you can get away without using ASM & TOC's .:scared:
Cheers Ozi
Click to expand...

That's definitely one of the more competitive events of the game for sure. I really dislike the last turn going onto the main straight at Rome Reverse. It's got such a blind entry and it's void of good reference points. Braking points are all earlier than you'd use for most any car in the game. Don't be a hero, it's OK to use a little TOC in a high-tech beast like the Zonda:tup:
 
ozirules
Are you in for a shock when you get to Pro League Italian Avant Garde race & see if you can get this monster of a car to beat the Zonda race cars in the reverse race.. See if you can get away without using ASM & TOC's .:scared:
Cheers Ozi
Click to expand...

I'm actually done with GT3. The Avant Garde was one of 4 series i never completed. :guilty: It's okay to use TCS but i would stay away from ASm, personally. But if it works for you then ignore me.
 
ozirules
Are you in for a shock when you get to Pro League Italian Avant Garde race & see if you can get this monster of a car to beat the Zonda race cars in the reverse race.. See if you can get away without using ASM & TOC's .:scared:
Cheers Ozi
Click to expand...
I did the Italian AG races in a modified C12S: T4 tires at both ends, Sport brakes with balancer, NA 1 tuning, engine balancing, chip, full race transmission and LSD, triple clutch and race flywheel, and Lightweight 1. Driver's aids at zero.

My margin was 3 to 7 seconds over the race cars, from a 2nd place start. Fast lap was 1':20.493".
 
Duke
I did the Italian AG races in a modified C12S: T4 tires at both ends, Sport brakes with balancer, NA 1 tuning, engine balancing, chip, full race transmission and LSD, triple clutch and race flywheel, and Lightweight 1. Driver's aids at zero.

My margin was 3 to 7 seconds over the race cars, from a 2nd place start. Fast lap was 1':20.493".
Click to expand...

I am surprised T4's will last 10 laps , I used the T4's in the first race but pitted on lap 7 & my MOV was 3 secs . Thanks man I will try the T4's.
Ozi

Thanks again Duke AG race done & dusted thanks to you.. I used NA2 & 877bhp Asm2 & Tcs 3 just because I am very much a B grade driver.. MOV 1.07 secs fastest lap 1.22.053..
Settings used are my own , Diff & Gears from GTvault
Spring Rate 7.5 6.0
Ride Hight 58 60

Shock Bound 4.0 4.0
Shock Rebound 6.0 6.0
Camber 2.0 1.0
Toe 0.0 0.0
Stabillzer 2.0 2.0
Brake balance 21 18
Downforce 0.29 0.66
Lsd Init 5
Lsd Acc 5
Lsd Dec 15
Final 3.500
Auto Set 32
VCD
Asm 2
Tcs 3
Cheers Ozi
 

Latest Posts

Back