tachometer gauge

[SirWaWa]

anyone know why the tachometer changes its scale when u do the engine balance upgrade on certain cars?
for example the civic type r, integra type r and accord euro r (there's probably others but i never tried or noticed or it just doesn't happen) the tach goes from increments of 1 to increments of 2
i personally think it looks better when its at increments of 1
its not like the redline is increased so dramatically that it needs increments of 2

 

[ferrari_chris]

anyone know why the tachometer changes its scale when u do the engine balance upgrade on certain cars?
for example the civic type r, integra type r and accord euro r (there's probably others but i never tried or noticed or it just doesn't happen) the tach goes from increments of 1 to increments of 2
i personally think it looks better when its at increments of 1
its not like the redline is increased so dramatically that it needs increments of 2

It's because a perfectly balanced engine can rev higher with less risk of damage. This is reflected by increasing the rev limit. If it's balanced there'll be less vibration and harmonics, so it can go faster before it flys apart.

 

[Appie]

I dont get it

 

[Emohawk]

What, specifically, don't you get?

There's probably a limited number of tachometer templates in the game. When a stock car starts at the top end of one increment scale, it jumps to the next when you balance the engine.

 

[ferrari_chris]

I dont get it

When a production engine is built, it has large margins for error to keep costs down. Because of this there can be variations in the parts. Specifically the crankshaft. When first made it may not be balanced perfectly ie: it may be lop sided or heavier on one side than the other. When this spins at 1000rpm it will create a vibration. When it spins at 6000rpm it creates a bigger vibration. If it spins too fast, the vibrations will destroy the crankshaft and the engine. To stop this from happening the manufacturer limits the top rpm that can be had.

After the engine has been balanced, parts (such as the crankshaft) are no longer lop sided. This means the vibration at 1000rpm is now less. The engine can now spin at a greater rpm before destoying itself from the vibrations or the harmonics that are created. (You know what harmonics are, right?) Because the engine can spin faster, the rev limit can be reset, thus giving you a higher limit (the bit where the needle bounces on the gauge). In GT4 it would be no good having the needle wind off the gauge and giving a stupid reading, so they replace the gauge with a higher reading one so that the rpm of the engine can still be measured.

This balancing process can be applied to other parts as well, not just the crankshaft. The pistons and rods can be balanced as well so one set is not pulling on the crank harder than another, thus causing vibration. For more information do a Google search and follow your nose.

Balancing the engine means parts are nearly perfectly weighted so can have more force applied to them without breaking - by force I mean centrifugal from the rotation.

 

[amp88]

Balancing the engine means parts are nearly perfectly weighted so can have more force applied to them without breaking - by force I mean centrifugal from the rotation.

You just know someone's gonna come along and say "There's no such thing as centrifugal force"

They'll also mentioned centripetal force, but they're just seeking to be the centre of attention

 

[Hot4]

I was wondering the same thing the other night. I also think that it looks better when the tachometer is in increments of 1.

 

[Alfaholic]

When a production engine is built................by force I mean centrifugal from the rotation.

All very technical and probably even accurate but the original post showed that the SirWaWa was already aware that the redline went up when an engine is balanced, and doesn't go up by much.

Emohawk's answer seems likely... GT4 proably just picks the tach template that can manage the redline... anyone know what the increments are on the Formula car? That revs to 15k or something and may give us a clue.