Help me figure this out - long and drawn out :)

[DaveS]

Ok gang,

I'm a little confused about this mod (I know, I know, it don't take much does it ). Mugello is a fast track with a lot of high speed corners. Shouldn't it have fared better for the P1's than the P2's? I realize that the P2 have better cornering ability but with this being a fairly high speed track with a long straight I thought the P1's would outperform the P2's.

I started out using a setup with what I thought was close to the amount of front/rear wing needed for this type of track. Boy was I wrong! I started with about 3 front, 8 rear and was running laps in the 1:36's thinking that wasn't a bad time..... Until I got online only to see guys turning laps in the low 32's It wasn't until I upped my wings to full settings front and rear that I was able to get even close to these times. I tried running with soft springs, then hard, but I was unable to get even close to Brent or Sandy's times (not that I was expecting to match their times but close would have been nice ). And with the wings being maxed out my top end down the staight wasn't any faster than the P2's. So what am I missing here? I'm not the fastest guy around but I'm able to keep up most of the time but seeing guys run 1 1/2 to 2 seconds a lap faster than me has me scratching my head in wonderment

Don't get me wrong here, I really like this mod, I think it's the best Prototype mod out, I'm just not sure why they would have so much adjustability into the wings when your using them adjusted to the max all the time.

I ran some laps at Bugatti last night and found that you needed to max out the wings for it as well before you can get a decent time. Any info or help on setting these things up would greatly be appreciated.

DaveS ;D

[JABowders]

Dave you do have the right idea...with this version of the MOD less wing does not mean fast. It is a ballance that you have to find, I have raced both the P1 and 2s with it and I found that if you follow the standards setup rules you are OK, I normally start with the default and first figure out the Tire Pressure, Ride Height, Power and Coast, and Brake Preasure ( I normally set to my perfered 92%). then I look at DF and Gearing. Because the DF will effect the gearing response of the engine output. I run a handfull of laps with each change to see how the car is ballanced, and then I make the trade off between speed and DF grip.

IF you start with the Default DF, drop your front Tire preasure a couple of pounds make your Power about 45% and your Coast 20% and Drop your front springs to about 800. Another trick to remember is keep the Rear Ride Height higher than the front, that allows for lower rear wing settings because of the angle of attack. Then make the minor Gear adjustments and Rev Limit adjustments to get your Top End back up you will be right on the money. And I am still several FULL seconds slower than Sandy and Brent.

James

[blackcat77]

In modern race cars, downforce trumps good aero. You gain much more in the corners with big wings than you lose on the straights. It would probably take a Le Mans for that to be reversed. The same thing is true for F1 cars -- they're probably SLOWER on the straights today than they were 20 or 30 years ago but the gains in cornering have been exponential and that's why lap times are quicker than ever.

[greds04]

That and the immediate factor of P1 cars having a bigger engine and some extra HP but paying for it by gaining weight and being heavier than the P2's. So on a track with a whole bunch of turns and not many chances of opening the taps, it's an even field pretty much, Surfer's you will see a difference on the straights as you can put your foot down around there.

Thanks again James for those tips on the diff, power and coast, and the rear being set higher than the front settings, I always thought less was better (now after almost 4 years of online racing I find that's the wrong approach, things were so much more simple in GTP ) maybe this should become a sticky for setup tips?

[DaveS]

I guess the point I was trying to make after all that stuff I wrote was this:

This is the first mod I've ever run that I had to max out my front and rear wing settings to get a fast lap. At a high speed track like Mugillo I don't think I should have had to max out my wing settings. The builder of the mod didn't leave any adjustability in the wings for more DF. What if we were going to run at Lime Rock this season, we wouldn't be able to adjust the wings any higher for more DF because they are maxed out already and at Lime Rock you would want a lot more DF than at Mugillo I would think.

I'm still probably not making any sense am I?

DaveS

[blackcat77]

It makes perfect sense.

And this is why you hear so often that some sanctioning body or another is taking away downforce in an effort to slow down the cars. That seems self-contradictory, but as you can see from this mod, it's not.

[JABowders]

Well...after last nights GTS race where a few of the GT2 drivers were running with the GT1 top dogs and I was ...well lets just say the Weasel Camp was side by side....on the back row.

Some of these guys can take the extremes of the setups and do things with these cars that is unreal, GAME like. I get their setups and look at them to compare and I try to drive them and I'm faster off the track and in through the kitty litter and into a wall than I have ever been before, but at what price? If I can't be there at the end of the race running “Ludicrous Speed” I’ll settle for just fast enough…how fast it that…that is when Ced is in my mirror. Just let the Weasel finish in front of the Squirrel.

James

[Ced Collins]

Oh yes, those good ole Weasel / Squirrel battles. No matter what league. But I do have to mention one thing that may be a little off topic here and it was something Oldnslo said the other day. "You don't have to win to have fun". That is so true. As long as I can have some good battles along the way "A La Weasel" I'm good. While I sucked arse Sunday and was trying hard in the early part of the race. I had to do a Stewey (Family Guy), when Susan came blowing by my doors (What the Duece), you go girl. ;D