rec.autos.simulators

First off, I find the car oversteering badly for the Fast and Jasper setups.
With the AI set at 90%, I can barely keep up with the opponents in the
corners.  I'm faster than them in the straights, but not in the corners.
Coming into the corners, the back end wants to snap around, and I find it
hard to complete even just a few laps without spinning out coming into one
of the corners.  What would be the first thing to try changing in the setup
so the car isn't so tight?

As far as driving technique, is it proper to shift into 3rd for all turns,
and only go into 4th on the two long straights?

-Bill J.

If your car is tight, in general, there are two things to adjust. For
simple "major" changes, you'll want to go down on the track bar. Once
you get it in the general area, you should use wedge to fine tune it.

Since you said that you're loose going in, you might wanna try to move
some weight to the front. Maybe tighten up the right front spring and go
up on the spoiler.

Just be sure to change one thing at a time so you don't go overboard.

What usually causes the car to get loose is a lack of downforce and/or
weight on the rear tires.

When I'm going around the track, I'll be in fourth as I go into one.
When I'm in the middle I'll down shift to third and come off. Before I
hit the second turn, I'm in fourth. Through the second turn, it's back
down to third. Coming up to turn three, I usually don't have to shift up
to fourth if I'm running by myself, as the tach barely redlines. But if
you're in the draft, you might have to shift. Then again, it might be
best to make third gear a little taller. I don't see much point in
wasting time shifting to fourth right before you enter, then have to
shift back down to third.

I don't know if that's the "proper" way to do it, but it's how I'm
comfortable driving it. I think the proper way to drive a track is the
one that you're most comfortable with, and the quickest, within reason. :)

-Will

If your car is wanting to swap ends on you in the corners (probably at the
entry), then the car is "loose" not "tight."  If you make set up adjustments
for a "tight" race car when it's "loose"....well, you are going to get even
looser!

Both the "Fast" and "Jasper" setups at Pocono are somewhat "loose" at the
beginning of a run.  That is how most real-world teams set up their cars at
Pocono (or, that is their plan) because it is "faster" over the course of an
entire fuel run.  A "loose" race car is more difficult to drive, and
therefore requires better driver skills.  But, in general terms, a loose
race car is almost always faster than a tight one......but you have to drive
it correctly for that to be true.

Then you have the unique corners of Pocono....they require even more skill
than many other tracks.  If you set up your car to be "loose" at the start
of a run, then you have to be very careful at Pocono when you transition off
the throttle and on to the brakes at the entrance to the turns.  You are
probably braking too late and too hard, therefore the loose car becomes
unmanageable and you are quickly finding your ass end leading the way to the
wall!

There's a unique combination of brake and throttle that's necessary at each
of the three turns at Pocono.  I won't go into all of them, but you must
ease on the brake while you ease out of the throttle in all three of
them.....always trying to not upset the car's front-to-rear balance....yet
still slowing the car to the appropriate speed at the turn entry point.

As an example of this (and there are many very good sim racers who do things
different at each of the three turns....no one way is the "right way" in
this case), at Long Pond (second turn) I actually start applying the brakes
before I start lifting out of the throttle.

Perhaps some others will share their techniques at Pocono in this string?
But if I were you, Bill....I would learn to drive the "Fast" setup without
even a hint of spinning.....before I would start looking for what other
setups....or what changes to make to the "Fast" setup....you should make.
You haven't gotten to the point where your driving skills are out-performing
the race car's setup.  Until you do, making setup changes is just chasing
your tail!  IMHO.

Regards,

Tom

Here's an easy way to remember the difference between loose and tight:

"Tight" is when you see the wall before you hit it, "loose" is when you
don't.

:)

G Patricks

I think the "road racers" have it right.....they tend to use the terms
"understeer and oversteer" which are much more intuitive terms in my
opinion.  On the other hand, who is really confused about these terms much
past their initial rookie licensing school (SCCA or other)?  I guess the
fact that you can plomp down a few bucks at your local EB store, carry home
some software and all of sudden you are driving an F1 car or a Cup
car.....is the reason we see this confusion?  Sim racers just don't seem to
realize the amount of money, effort and time it takes just to get an amateur
rookie racing license and drive in your first race.

TP

Not at all.  I realize the costs and effort involved - that's why I can't race.
 Granted, the *dream* would be to run in a top-level series.  But, I'd be happy
just to be able to run Barber Dodge, or Indy Lights, or anything like that.
Unfortunately, finances prohibit that...dammit.

Eldred
--
http://www.umich.edu/~epickett
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