Ok, sounds good... thanks for the explanation. Im definately going to test out the RX7 as well.... I really do love that car... had a couple one make races here with the GTP drivers a while back... very good car! I'll let you know how it works out! 👍
here is a little spreadsheet I put together for a +13 hp rx7 with s1/s2 tires. What you can ascertain from it is that you need to shift at the maximum in every gear for this car with this power setting. What you can do is plug in your gear ratio and multiply it times the torque at any given number to get the TQ via gear ratio number.
As long as the Lowest TQ via gear ratio number in the lower gear is a higher number then the next gear, always shift at redline. Below is an example of this. Don't ask how I came up with the tq numbers at different RPMs. It is an extremely painstaking process that I will not divulge. I can assure you though, that it is quite accurate for in game values.
Any questions, just ask me. I use this method to determine my gear ratios and whether I will run with car with more HP or less weight. If you give me your gear ratios, I can build you an ideal HP/weight guide. Its not 100% every time, but its damn close. You just have to figure out what RPM you are coming out of the key turns with and go from there.
Its kind of complicated. Some others here might be doing the same stuff, I don't know. But, once you figure it out, it takes the guessing out of gear ratios for an individual engine and track. Its a process where you select variables and account for values. I know a lot of people shun the auto-tunes, but I spent a great deal of time coming up with this one. What a lot of people tend to forget is the fact when you change the Power values in GT5, it changes the overall shape of the power curve. This is something huge and is a main reason some cars work better with less weight and others with increased hp/tq on any given track. Long story short, sometimes its better to drop weight and others to add hp. This is a feel process for most; mine is a math equation.
I left out lots of RPM ranges because they weren't necessary due to my gearing setup. I will never be below 5000 rpms in this setup unless I spin off the track. These are just to show the optimal torque points compared to the next gear, not the optimal RPM range for the engine. That adds even more fun variables. To explain it in easier terms.
In some cases, many people would think to shift early to get a better range of torque in the next gear. But every time you switch to a lower gear, you lose the multiplication of torque factor of the previous gear. Look at my example below. The difference between shifting at 7k and 8k is not all that big in any one gear. But, when you look at the next gear, it makes all the difference. You would rather be making 399.966 torque at the end of 2nd gear then making the peak torque in 3rd gear (325.888).
So if you shifted early at 7k instead of 8, you would be moving from a higher torque rating (400 something) to a lower then 325.888 (max tq in 3rd). Since at 8k rpms in 2nd you make 400, it is still valuable to keep that gear until redline.
Also, you can tune the gears for the engine or the engine for the gears. That's why I like doing it this way.
On another note, this turned into a tuning guide and I know you really dont need this information. There is already one on this website. But, once I got started, I couldn't help but explain
(RPM) (TQ/RPM) (TQ via Gear ratio) (Gear and ratio)
6080 256 478.464 2nd (1.869)
7200 234 437.346
7520 219 409.311
8000 214 399.966
6080 256 325.888 3rd (1.273)
7200 234 297.882
7520 219 278.787
8000 214 272.422
6080 256 264.96 4th (1.035)
7200 234 242.19
7520 219 226.665
8000 214 221.49
6080 256 204.8 5th (.8)
7200 234 187.2
7520 219 175.2
8000 214 171.2
FD 4.305
