I see this got a lot of attention
.
Simple answer is, yes you are missing something (depending on circumstances
) and yes it is a bit more nuanced than that. I shall try to explain what I mean.
Things you need to consider.
At what point in the tuning process do you plan on adjusting the aeros?
If this is the first action that you plan to take and have the intention of going through the rest of the settings afterwards, then in theory yes you can just max it out and go from there. The problem with this though is that there is a very strong possibility that you will make the mistake of going too far with something else to compensate for having these strong aero settings. Remember that aeros don't take effect really until you are already at speed. There is little to no effect of aeros in the slower corners so if you set your car up with full aero for high speed cornering, your suspension may not be as well prepared to deal with slower tighter corners. This can lead to loosing more time in the slow corners than you can gain back in the high speed corners...remembering that your top speed and acceleration will both be hindered by the high amount of aero/downforce created.
Also this can mean that some of your other settings are being used to counteract any negative effect of high aeros and not being used for the right purposes.
If you already have a good set-up for your car and only want to increase the aeros afterwards then you run the risk of applying to much and hindering other aspects of your car's performance. At this stage you really would need to make some changes to other settings to get back the same characteristics. For example, if you have tuned every other part with the aeros set at default and then max out the aeros there is a very good chance that you will either limit the movement of your suspension at speed or even cause it to bottom out (requiring slightly stiffer springs or a higher ride height to compensate). Also there is a decent chance that you will increase any understeer present or cause understeer when there was none before (at higher speeds).
How does your car behave already?
If your car is balanced (no understeer or oversteer present) at higher speeds, maxing your aeros will most likely cause understeer or a lack of turning ability at high speed. If you already experience understeer then maxing the settings will most likely make it worse. If you experience oversteer already then this may help rectify the problem, or it may not, depending on how the aeros are set already.
Like every other setting there is going to be a window where it is effective for your purpose and any amount higher or lower will have detrimental effects.
So, how would I go about it? Start by finding out how the car is behaving already. If you experience oversteer at high speed then increase the rear only at first. This will allow you to find a point where the rear wing is doing its job and forcing your rear tyres onto the track. At this point, providing you haven't already maxed out the Aero, you can start to increase both front and rear by the same amounts (roughly) until it becomes obvious that you are losing performance.
If you experience understeer at high speeds then take the opposite steps.
If you already have a nice balance but want to increase aeros. Then I would recommend a balanced approach. By this I don't mean add the same amount of aeros at both ends, but use a similar ratio to that of your car's weight distribution. For example for a 60:40 split, if you add 60 to the front then add 40 to the rear. 120/80, 180/120 etc. For a 45:55 split then 45/55, 90/110, 135/165 etc (variables used only as examples).
If you add a lot though to may need to stiffen the springs slightly to take the extra force being applied. This can negatively effect lower speed grip.
So in summary, a balanced approach is the best bet. Use trial and error based on the steps mentioned and use reasonable incremental changes, instead of just maxing out the settings. Especially if you only plan on changing the aero and transmission. It is too easy to over do it and cause more problems than you solve that way.
Please do not take this as gospel, I'm just an amateur at this stuff and only speak from my limited experience. Hope it helps
👍.
