rec.autos.simulators

GPL + ICR2 Laguna = Mayhem!

Greg Campbel

GPL + ICR2 Laguna = Mayhem!

by Greg Campbel » Tue, 28 Mar 2000 04:00:00

To David, Allison, and all the other guilty parties <VBG> responsible
for the Track Converter...
Would someone please tell me how to drive a Ferrari on this roller
coaster track you've mistakenly named "Laguna Seca?"

When driving ICR2, I always wondered why they bothered labeling "turn
one" as a real corner.  Pick any semi-reasonable
line through, and you barely notice it.  Stay on the gas, and roar down
to the T2 braking zone.  No big deal.
After my first few GPL laps, I had seen the light!  I still don't think
of T1 as a corner;  it's more of a launch pad!  I've found
that it's very hard to turn and slow down when your car is attempting to
enter low earth orbit.  Dozens of laps later, I think I've
done it right (hammer down, _without_ crashing) _once_.  Even when I
wimp out and lift as I crest the hill, I still get the sensation
that I might wind up landing in Salinas.

While T1 causes me no small degree of dificulty, the solution is fairly
simple. (Slow down a bit, dummy!)  Finding a quick way up
the hill and 'round T7 is proving far more difficult.  This area between
T6 and the Corkscrew has got to be the trickiest length of track
in the sim universe.  On a smoother track, cresting the rise at T7,
turning and then getting stopped in time for the 'screw would be hard.
Adding a large speed bump to the approach has made it damn near
impossible.  With the default car setting, the car would slam the
pavement
and skip like a rock (often spinning wildly) through the air into and
through turn 7.  Even if I managed to stay pointed in the right
direction, the car
would be so upset that some form of disaster was inevitable.  Looking at
the chase replay: "Hmm,  I see sparks and hear grinding noises.  The car

must be bottoming out."  Brilliant, Holmes.  Now, what to do about it?

Here's a very rough attempt.

                  Front
    Left                        Right                  Steering Ratio:
15:1
     20    Tyre Pressure (psi)    19           Fuel: 8 gallons
    110    Wheel Rate (lbs/in)   110
      3           Bump             3               Transmission Ratios
      5          Rebound           5                  1st Gear: 9.411:1
   -0.75      Camber (deg)      -0.50          2nd Gear: 7.266:1
    1.00    Bump *** (in)     1.00         3rd Gear: 6.028:1
                                                               4th Gear:
5.270:1
    Toe-in:             -0.050 in                      5th Gear: 4.769:1

    Roll Bar Stiffness:  140 lbs/in
    Static Ride Height:  4.50 in
    Front Brake Bias:    58%                   Diff Ratio:  3.875:1
    Toe-in:              0.100 in                    Ramp Angles: 60/30
    Roll Bar Stiffness:   70 lb/in                 Clutches:    3
    Static Ride Height:  4.50 in

     19    Tyre Pressure (psi)    20
    120    Wheel Rate (lbs/in)   120
      3           Bump             3
      5          Rebound           5
   -0.50      Camber (deg)      -0.50
    1.00    Bump *** (in)     1.00

I've dialled in big spring rates and ride heights in an attempt to stay
off the bump stops.  Since you spend so much time
turning and/or braking and/or accelerating in low gears, bottoming out
usually causes Bad Things.  Apart from the whoop-de-whoops
nightmare near turn 7, I was having "what the hell?" experiences
entering turns 5 and 10.  This problem is fixed.

The low coast angles and higher clutch count help (I think) to reduce
the neutral-throttle oversteer I was getting at T1 and T7

The gearing is all messed up. It works fairly well at slower speeds, but
now, during a reasonably fast lap, there are several awkward gear
shifts that occur _just_ before you start to brake for a corner  (T6 and
T3 are the worst)  I'm not quite sure which way to jump.

Camber tweaks and spring/shock crossweighting (alien technology to me)
will have to wait.

To date I've managed a few low-mid 30's (1:3x.xx) but can't do so
reliably.

Any ideas, comments, suggestions, etc. are more than welcome.

-Greg

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