then adjusted all the gears in between. Added some air pressure all around
215 alone. A couple places though she's a bit loose. Worst is coming over
that right handed up hill just before the last esses between the houses. I
well below that with some laps under my belt. Great track!
> I tried a bunch of final drive ratios with a Cup car and discovered the
> highest Vmax w/o a tow (ca. 212 mph) was achieved with a slightly long
> (numerically low) ratio, i.e., the yellow light just begins to flash
before
> the kink. For a race setup, you might want to go even longer, so that you
> a) don't blow the engine if you catch a draft (I've seen 218 mph w. a
tow),
> and b) theoretically get slightly better fuel economy (which would work
like
> gangbusters in the RW; I think fuel flow in the game is more like fixed).
> To further enhance Vmax, there are also useful tricks like less camber and
> higher TPs to reduce drag (modeled in the game), zero toe (ditto), a lot
of
> tape and absurdly low spoiler angles, then adjust spring, shock, weight,
and
> wedge values for max mechanical grip. Running less ground clearance would
> minimize weight transfer (a Good Thing) and reduce drag (ditto) altho the
> latter isn't modeled, AFAIK.
> I use 55% tape in a race.
> > I softened the springs in the <fast> setup and increased the steering
> > ratio a couple of clicks. That cured most of the looseness, and I'm
> > turning 3.11 laps. I could probably go a bit faster if I actually
> > worked on the setup more. There are people turning 3.05's (and
> > probably even faster).
> > Twelve laps (30% race length) is a full fuel run and if you're
> > careful with the tires (and careful not to hit anything), you should
> > be able to run a 30% race without stopping (if you believe the F3
> > display).
> > Also, you can't abuse the motor AT ALL because the sim isn't very
> > forgiving. I know I'll loose some speed down the Mulsanne, but I
> > trhink I'm gonna gear it a little taller in 6th to keep the revs down
> > a bit more, and to maybe conserve a bit of fuel.
> > I made a mistake in a race last night (downshifted too soon) and lost
> > a cylinder as I was crossing the s/f line after completing lap 1.
> > That reuslted in a top speed of about 196 down the Mulsanne, and it
> > gave up completely after finishing lap 7.
> > Also, 65% tape may be a bit much in races longer than 12 laps.
> > > Le Mans was obviously meant as an endurance venue, not a sprint-racing
> > > track. I mean in real life. The 3.7-mile Mulsanne straight taxes the
> > > engine, and the following hairpin taxes the brakes. Even the sandy
> berms
> > > were put there to catch the incautious; real enduro drivers don't
> powerslide
> > > around every corner...or, indeed, *any* corners. Not only to avoid
> getting
> > > high-sided on a sand bank but also to avoid abusing the tires. Some
of
> this
> > > carries over to the sim, altho sadly not brake temps/wear.
> > > Since N2003 allows pit stops, probably the best use of the track would
> be
> > > races of a dozen laps or more (I can squeeze no more than 10-1/2 laps
> out of
> > > 22 gallons), preferably a couple dozen, to encourage saving ***.
> That
> > > would be consistent with its historic use and provide something more
> > > interesting than the usual 20-minute mad dash online.
> > > As to setups, Jacques Villeneuve taught us years ago, when CART was
> alive
> > > and well, that grip is more important than raw speed when it comes to
> lap
> > > times (i.e., in Q), but if you want to win races, gear for Vmax. That
> way,
> > > you can stay ahead of the pack on the straights, and drive to make
your
> car
> > > as wide as possible elsewhere to keep the pack at bay...until the next
> > > straight.
> > > And yes, a great addition to the N2003 portfolio of roadies.
> > > > Saw the Magny Cours thread, no mention of Le Mans being
> > > > available at last! [pretty much a straight GPL conversion]
> > > > About as fun to drive as it was/is in GPL, with a lotsa drafting
> > > > action on the long Mulsanne straight.
> > > > You have a lot of setup options here: the default fast setup
> > > > is quick down Mulsanne, but is horribly loose elsewhere, so
> > > > that is basically your dilemma (I decided in favor of stability
> > > > for a slight loss of speed).
> > > > I can get through Dunlop without lifting if I time it just right
> > > > and kick her into a pretty serious powerslide.
> > > > One key corner is the last one before the front straight, a
> > > > quick series of esses-maximize your exit speed and its off
> > > > to the races.
> > > > Some problems tho, most seriously an Armco bug where
> > > > even the slightest brush will pork your engine, often blowing
> > > > it completely. And the AI has its problems (pits are too
> > > > narrow for one thing, and frankly they always have trouble
> > > > with narrow courses like this one-trying to pass where you
> > > > shouldn't, riding in the dirt, etc.).
> > > > All in all a worthy effort that just needs a >wee< bit more
> > > > polishing.
> > > > John DiFool
