Twitch's Tunes: (NEW)Boss 302R1, (NEW) Sierra Cosworth, (UPDATE) SLS GT3

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Hi all

After playing Gran Turismo for the last decade :lol:, I just started playing PCARS about a month ago. I started with the career, but after getting a basic feel for the game, I was itching to get back to racing real people online. I quickly discovered that GT3 was the most common category, so I dove in.

After trying all of them, I've settled on the Merc. A lot of my time in GT5 and 6 was spent drifting, so I feel most comfortable in FR cars. On top of that, I've found the most success while driving powerful, heavy cars.

I'm in no way an expert, although I spent a lot of time tuning in GT, and follow a lot of motorsport. That said, all of my experience is in gaming :( This tune is a result of trial and error as I've learned how the tuning in PCARS works. The tune is also not meant to necessarily be the outright fastest, as I like a stable, consistent platform to make up for my 🤬 driving. If I raced in a clean room all the time, the tune could probably be sharper...however because I usually do public lobbies, the car is set up to be able to take a hit. I also have come to prefer passing people on corner exit and on straights, as going into a turn side by side with the average orange McLaren is basically suicide.

Lastly, maybe I should have started with this, is I use a controller. I'm working on getting a wheel one day, but don't have the space right now. Needless to say, the tune is designed around the controller. I've spent quite a few years chasing guys with wheels, so I've developed a few techniques. Also had the privilege of learning from some of the best controller drifters in Gran Turismo.



A couple notes about my driving style:

- I like to use the throttle to rotate the car mid corner through exit. I use a combo of both "stabbing" the throttle and going full throttle to get the car to follow the correct path through the exit, while making minimal steering inputs. I absolutely hate getting understeering during corner exit, so I try to minimize it as much as possible.

-I havent perfected my braking in pCARS yet, but I tend to use a lot of trail braking. I'll also use small, feather-weight dabs of the brakes to help correct understeer from entry through apex.

-I am not precise, and I abuse the hell of every curb I possibly can. I avoid the biggest ones, but curb hopping and abusing track limits (within reason :P) are both part of my style. For this reason, I tend to like my cars a little taller and softer so I can soak up all the bumps. I know there is time to be found with a tighter setup, and staying off the curbs, but for now, this is what I work with.

-the biggest "trick" that I use is to abuse changing gears to help fine tune the rotation of the car mid corner. Shift down to turn in tighter, shift up to understeer and increase the radius. In old cars with clutches, all you can really do is delay your downshifts during entry to help control the turn in, as excessive shifting will upset the balance. However, with a sequential semi-auto, you can go up and down through the gears very quickly and not upset the balance. The best way I can describe the effect of this is it acts like rear steering. It's taken years of practice to learn, but now I do it almost without thinking. In cars without TCS, I like to short shift through corner exit to help limit wheelspin....although in the case of the SLS, care needs to be given when up shifting during cornering due to the massive amount of torque. That said, I usually run GT3 cars with TCS, as they have it in real life.

I started this with just one tune, then decided to add a few more, so my bad if the formatting is a little screwy. Lots of edits, and I'm working off my phone :lol:
 
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You should set Traction Control Slip as high as you can handle. 4% seems a bit too low. That's pretty much all I know :P
 
You should set Traction Control Slip as high as you can handle. 4% seems a bit too low. That's pretty much all I know :P
I have it low for now while Im still getting used to the game.

I also adjust it race to race now most of the time. If it's raining, it tire wear is high, or if it's a long race, I put it at 3 or 4. Short races in the dry is more like 6 or 7
 
Mercedes SLS AMG GT3



This is a result of racing on the most common public lobby tracks (Imola, Spa, Hockenhiem, Nurburgring GP, Leguna Seca, Watkins Glen, Zolder). The tune is not optimized for any of these tracks, rather rounded fit them all. At this point, the only thing I really change from track to track is the downforce. I'll also admit I haven't fully figured out tire pressures completely, I'm working on it :lol:

Tires: majority of racing done on Slick Soft tires.
Front - 1.93 1.79
Rear - 1.90 1.81

Brakes:
Pressure - 95%
Balance - 59%
Duct - 35% 25%

Traction Control Slip - 4% 7%

Long. Weight Bias - 52.5%

Alignment:
Ratio - 27.0:1
Caster - NA
Front Camber - 2.6
Rear Camber - 0.1
Front Toe - -0.0'
Rear Toe - 0.4'

Suspension:
Ride Hight - (F) 83mm / (R) 88mm
Spring Rate - (F) 260N/m / (R) 240N/m
Front Sway Bar - 60N/m
Rear Sway Bar - 27N/m

Dampers:
Front Bump - 8mm 7mm
Rear Bump - 12mm 9mm
Front Slow Bump - 17000 18200
Rear Slow Bump - 14000 12800
Front Fast Bump - 8560 7120
Rear Fast Bump - 8920 8680
Front Slow Rebound - 16750 13150
Rear Slow Rebound - 9600 11250
Front Fast Rebound - 8300
Rear Fast Rebound - 7300

Differential:
Accel - 50% 20%
Decel - 49% 40%
Preload - 60
Radiator - 0% (no mech failures. If mech failures on, open 5-10% for 5ish lap races...maybe a little more for longer races. I've only had one mech failure so far, and it was my fault)

Gearing: one of the beauties of the SLS, no need to monkey around with custom gears for each track (something I used to sink a rediculous amount of time into :lol:). Who needs fine tuned gears when you have boat loads of torque :D

Brake Maping: still figuring this one out, but I feel like I prefer a higher setting. I like the way it stablizes the car at low speeds. Right now, mine is set at 6.

Downforce. Like I said, I switch the DF from track to track. I don't have a setup for every track, but here is a general guide:

0.0 / 1.0 - Monza

2.0 / 6.0 - Zhuhai

3.0 / 9.0 - Road America

3.0 / 10.0 - Spa, Silverstone, Dubai, Brno, Ruapuna Park, Sakitto, Watkins Glen, Catalunya, Imola

3.0 / 11.0 - Zolder, Bathurst, Donnington GP, Hockenheim, Nurburgring GP , Le Mans Bugatti, Oschersleben GP

3.0 / 12.0 - Leguna Seca, Sonoma, Brands Hatch GP, Oulton Park.

I have yet to turn any laps at the Nordeschlief, Cadwell Park, and only have a dozen or so laps of Le Mans in an LMP, so I can't confirm how this setup works on those tracks.
 
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Ford Mustang Boss 302R1 (GT4)

Tires
: majority of racing done on Slick Soft tires.
Front - 1.60
Rear - 1.50

Brakes:
Pressure - 87%
Balance - 57%
Duct - 30% (careful with this one. Other than Formula and LMP cars, this is the only car that I've cooked the brakes on)

Weight Jacker - 0.0cm (still not sure what this does...oval racing in guessing?)

Traction Control Slip - 7%

Long. Weight Bias - 54.0%

Alignment:
Ratio - 26.5:1
Caster - 6.9'
Front Camber - -2.0
Rear Camber - 0.0
Front Toe - 0.5
Rear Toe - NA

Suspension:
Front Ride Hight - 102mm
Rear Ride Hight - 95mm
Front Spring Rate - 87N/m
Rear Spring Rate - 52N/m
Front Sway Bar - 65N/m
Rear Sway Bar - 14N/m

Dampers:
Front Bump - 10
Rear Bump - 8
Front Slow Bump - 5400
Rear Slow Bump - 3000
Front Fast Bump - 3000
Rear Fast Bump - 2425
Front Slow Rebound - 14400
Rear Slow Rebound - 4675
Front Fast Rebound - 4900
Rear Fast Rebound - 1735

Differential:
Accel - 30%
Decel - 55%
Preload - 120N-m
Radiator - 0% Adjust based on lobby settings

Gearing: havent touched the gearing in this car, as I haven't felt a need to. Very similar to the SLS in that you don't need to shift much. An adjustment of 1 click to the right might be necessary for tracks like Le Mans.

Brake Maping: 6


This car was a real challenge. I was having a nightmare getting the front end to calm down. It felt extemely nervous and twitchy, which when combined with the torque this motor makes, was a recipe for disaster.

I think I've finally got it to a point where I'm happy with the consistency the car gives me. You still have to tiptoe through the tulips with this beast though. Throttle control is key. Quickly going full throttle while the car is anything but 100% straight will cause the rear to step out. The key is to gently squeeze the throttle as its being applied.

As long as you are careful with the throttle, you can go HAM going over the curbs. I did quite a few laps at Imola while tuning this, and I can absolutely pound the curbs with this setup.

The brakes are the weekest aspect of the car. Brake early and you should be ok though. With ABS turned ON, you can use trail braking to point the nose through corner entry quite nicely. Without ABS, it's a little trickier as the front tends to want to wash out.
 
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Ford Sierra Cosworth Group A

Tires:
Front - 1.36
Rear - 1.31

Brakes:
Pressure - 80%
Balance - 57%
Duct - 15%

Traction Control Slip - 7%

Long. Weight Bias - 52.0%

Alignment:
Ratio - 21.0:1
Caster - 6.0'
Front Camber - -2.0
Rear Camber - 1.9
Front Toe - -0.0
Rear Toe - 0.3

Suspension:
Front Ride Hight - 105mm
Rear Ride Hight - 106mm
Front Spring Rate - 100N/m
Rear Spring Rate - 50N/m
Front Sway Bar - 98N/m
Rear Sway Bar - 32N/m

Dampers:
Front Bump - 10
Rear Bump - 10
Front Slow Bump - 5750
Rear Slow Bump - 4500
Front Fast Bump - 4700
Rear Fast Bump - 2150
Front Slow Rebound - 9800
Rear Slow Rebound - 5800
Front Fast Rebound - 4800
Rear Fast Rebound - 1600

Differential:
Viscous Lock - 55.01%
Radiator - 0% Adjust based on lobby settings

Gearing: set Final Drive at 3.77 to start, and then adjust from track to track. I tune this in parallel with the turbo boost. I try to make it so I just hit the limiter in 5th on the longest straight. However, I will sacrifice top speed on the long straight in favor of better gearing and shift points throughout the rest of the track if necessary.

Start by setting the gearing to hit the limiter in 5th, it seems to work well on most tracks. If you find that there are certain corners where you are at an awkward RPM - either too low and bogging, or too high and bouncing off the limit; or if you find that the gearing is forcing you to shift too much, or at awkward locations on the track, use the Final Drive to fine tune.

It's not a huge loss if you have to bounce off the rev limiter at the end of a straight just before the braking zone. V8 Supercars used to do it all the time :)

Wastegate Pressure: again, this is adjusted track to track.

The obvious choice is to go for Max pressure, as its the most power. However, the more pressure you add, the less "drivable" the car becomes. Turbo lag increases, and the car can become unbalanced / unstable when the boost kicks in if you aren't ready for it.

Also, more boost usually means you have to wait longer before going full throttle whole exiting a corner. So while the boost may increase your top speed, it may very well be lowering your initial acceleration during corner exit. 9/10 times, corner exit acceleration will trump top speed, especially when racing wheel to wheel.

Set this to a level where you can feel comfortable and confident with the throttle. This is a prime case of start low, slowly increase over time.

I typically start at around 2.90 or 3.00Bar when tuning for a new track, and make 1 click adjustments from there.

For reference, my Oulton Park setup uses 2.50Bar, Zolder 2.90Bar, Imola 3.0Bar, and Monza uses the full 3.50Bar.

Brake Maping: 3

**A Note about Fuel**
This car is extemely thirsty. To save yourself grieve, I would always carry a little extra fuel in races. Typically about 2 laps extra. I've been caught out more than a few times with this car where it's drained the tank with 1 to 1.5 laps to go. The weight savings by skimping on the fuel load is negligible, and if anything, the little extra weight helps to keep the rear planted.


Note: this tune is done with no drive aids, including no ABS.

My favourite car in the game :). I love the struggle this car presents, and it's made me appreciate crazy turbo cars from the 70s and 80s even more.

Like the SLS and 302R1, the Sierra Cosworth is a little weak on the brakes compared to its rivals. Brake early (and straight when possible), and trail brake to help guide the front end through entry.

Throttle control is key again, but due to the turbo lag, it's a completely different feel than the torquey V8s. In my opinion, only practice will help. The turbo lag will catch you out when you first start driving this car. It just takes time to learn the timing and characteristics of the car.

Soon, you'll be laughing your ass off as you pass Bimmers and Benzs like they're sitting still :D
 
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I like your dedication, and you have some nice tunes. Don´t forget the Scion FR-S, BMW M1, Audi A2 and the Mercedes SL GT3 Vintage, more coming ;)
 
I like your dedication, and you have some nice tunes. Don´t forget the Scion FR-S, BMW M1, Audi A2 and the Mercedes SL GT3 Vintage, more coming ;)
Thanks :). I'm slowly working my way through more cars. The three I've done so far are the ones I use online the most. I think the next cars I'll work on will probably be the BMW 3 Series TC2, and one of the Group 5 cars. I've been telling myself to get into the Group 4 BMW, but I have yet to actually drive it :lol: I like your Vintage GT3 recommendation, I'll have to give the SL a go.
 
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