Can somebody explain meaning of *all* the car settings (Stagger, Cross weight,
..etc..) and how each of them affects car's behaviour? That would be really
nice...
Please!
:)
Best regards,
Ervins Reinverts
[Team OS/2]
--- GoldED/2 2.50.A0715+
> Can somebody explain meaning of *all* the car settings (Stagger, Cross weight,
> ..etc..) and how each of them affects car's behaviour? That would be really
> nice...
> Please!
> :)
THE WEATHER WAS UNSETTLED AND SO WAS MY STOMACH AS I HEADED OUT THAT
SUNDAY MORNING--TOO MUCH PRE-RACE CELEBRATION HAD SEEN TO THAT. My
name's Johnny Speed, and my game is driving, driving fast.
I didn't give a crap about the lousy weather, because today I was
goin' indoor racing--Papyrus' NASCAR RACING to be exact. I had heard
of a guy who could set up cars like nobody's business, and if I could
put up with his guff, he'd make my job a hell of a lot easier. His
name was Rick, and they said he was pretty good with a wrench, and
with the dames too...my kinda guy. I met him and we didn't kill each
other right away, so I figured he'd be okay.
We wanted to set up two kinds of cars--one that'd get us a screaming
fast lap, and one that'd keep us near the front through a full race
without burnin' up the rubber. The first part would be tough, the
second tougher since we were gonna run against 100% competition, and
there were no wankers in that group.
To prove our worth, we'd have to show some variety, a little scope, a
little range. Since NASCAR RACING is a bunch of short ovals, a bunch
of long ovals, and one road course, we knew that making our mark at
one track wouldn't be enough. We'd have to go for two.
Rick was hemming and hawing, but after I slapped him around a bit, he
agreed to my track choices. I'd been workin' on my own full race
set-up at the big 1.5 mile Atlanta oval, so it was in as our long
track, and we picked the almost flat Martinsville half-miler, too,
just 'cause it's short and hellish--kinda like my sister.
Before we hit the garage, Rick babbled on for a while about car
set-ups in general, and damned if he didn't make some sense. My
relief driver (we'll call him Andy) and I knew a little, too, so we
started scratchin' notes--me on the back of cigarette packs, Rick and
Andy on old betting slips. Here's what we wrote and here's what we
did, with assistance from Rick's latest dollface, an English teacher
fer cryin' out loud. So the words get a little fancier from here on
in.
The Physics Of Road, Rubber And 700 Horses
If you want to travel with the NASCAR front-runners, you've got to
understand how and where the rubber meets the road, why a car can
feel great one minute then drive like a dumptruck just a few laps
later, and how modifying one setting may well have an undesirable
side effect on another. In short, computer drivers must now become
mechanics and physicists too.
Fortunately, Papyrus has helped make the whole procedure a little
easier. NASCAR RACING comes with an in-depth manual that provides a
decent tutorial on this very subject, and furthermore, each NASCAR
track comes with several "default" cars, of which the "Qualifying and
"Ace" machines are generally a good, relatively fast yet neutral
beginning. And neutrality is what you'll want to start off with as
you begin to explore the limits of adhesion and horsepower, and come
up with a solid driving style.
This brings us to a very important point, one that must be taken to
heart. Without doubt, the most effective set-up weapon you'll ever
have is your driving style. Squealing rubber, early tire wear, and
slow straightaway speed may well be attributed to the driver, not his
set-up. The one constant in NASCAR is "the need for good exit speed,"
and it'll take a smooth approach to get it right.
Fly into a turn as hot as you want, but if your entrance, turn-in,
and cresting points adversely affect your exit speed, that lap will
hardly be worth the effort. It's a difficult thing to judge in a
computer simulation, as moving pixels simply can't duplicate the G's
one would feel if behind the wheel of the real thing. But a smooth,
constant drive will win out in the end. At Martinsville, for example,
watching the speedo fall below 70 mph in mid-turn is not a pleasant
sight, but that's where it should be in order to get the car cranked
up again for a fast shot down the straight. Please remember, then,
that this advice and these set-ups are presented under the assumption
that one's driving adheres to these principles, and is, by all means,
consistent.
Begin by choosing a chassis. They say Ford has more downforce in the
front, Chevy more in the rear, while the Pontiac is balanced fore and
aft, and extensive testing seems to bear that out. However, the
aerodynamic difference is minimal. Spending all day on chassis
changes is not recommended. Suffice it to say that the Ford is
marginally less "twitchy," and therefore may be the preferred choice
for short ovals. As for the tires? Well, we stuck with Goodyear from
start to finish, as Hoosier just isn't in the real life NASCAR race
anymore. But if you want a little more stick and a little less life,
go with Hoosiers.
When first on the track with your Papyrus-supplied "Qual" car, start
by finding a smooth, consistent groove and driving rhythm, one that
lets you lay low in the turns, swing out to the outside wall, and
keeps tire squeal to a minimum. Watch the tach and speedometer, but
keep abreast of what's happening outside the car as well. Watch for
markers--signposts, trees, anything--that'll help you determine the
ideal braking or acceleration point. Monitor what the computer guys
are doing, and always remember to allow a few laps for the tires to
come up to temperature. (Don't forget to opt for a pace lap during
any racing efforts--this will help raise the tire temps so the
computer cars don't have an even greater advantage off the start).
Tinker Time
Whether you're out to beat the clock on that one glorious orbit, or
in search of a durable long-term performer, there are many
similarities in setting up cars between the two. Generally, creating
a screamin' demon for that record-setting lap is a good start and
that's what we did. Later, it was "de-tuned" into a decent full-race
car--one that didn't reach tire burn-out halfway to a pit stop.
There is no magic answer to the set-up riddle, and undoubtedly some
backtracking will occur as settings change, but generally you'll want
to check out the gear ratios first. If you're red-lining near the end
of the straights, you're wasting time. Rick calls NASCAR cars
"torquey," and it's certainly true that there's a lot more speed
happening at 8,000 rpm than at 9,000. You should also assume that
with additional modifications the car is only going to get faster, so
don't be afraid to give yourself some room by lengthening the top
gear.
When you've made your initial gear selection, note the facts and
figures on a piece of paper or save it to disk. This is a procedure
that should be followed after each alteration, as car prep can get
pretty darn complicated in a short period of time. Even more
importantly, never ever make more than one change at a time without
testing first, or soon you'll be wondering just which adjustment did
what.
You'll undoubtedly be re-gearing later as the car improves, but if
you're happy with your top-end speed, it's probably a good time to
take a gander at your tire temperatures. Later, as you're gunning for
a long-distance machine, tire temperatures will play an even more
critical role, but it's a good idea to run a few laps now and see
what they're doing. Hitting the F4 key will bring the temperatures
into view as you're running, and that's good because cold
temperatures are of no use.
Temperatures are shown across the width of each tire, and ideally,
the inside, middle and outer temperatures of each tire should be
equal. That doesn't mean each tire should be the same temperature,
just the readings across each slab of rubber. If one portion of the
tire is considerably warmer, that tire is not contacting the ground
as it should. Increasing tire pressure will bulge the tire's center
(and cause you to travel much faster down the really long straights
of Talladega or Michigan), while deflating will cause the center to
sag. A modicum of pressure adjustments can be made now, but save the
drastic stuff for later, when working on a full-race distance car.
Now try overdriving the car through the turns. What does it do? Is
there a "pendulum effect" as it swings out of turns, or does it want
to drive straight up and into the outside wall. A "loose" car will
kick its back end around, and although this may indicate a need for
more weight in the rear, making the back end heavier may just add to
the kick-out momentum. This is where things start to get real tricky,
and time-consuming.
Stagger (adding larger diameter tires to the outside wheels to
compensate for the extra distance they must travel around a turn) is
a good place to start some serious "dialing in" of your car. Ideally,
the right amount of stagger will have your car "rolling" through
turns, without pushing up when coming out or skidding when turning
into a corner. A good rule of thumb is to stagger the short tracks.
Now it's time to check out the spoilers, fore and aft. These
components add downforce by directing wind either over the car (thus
pinning it to the track), or, in the case of the front air dam, over
the hood or through the engine compartment and under the chassis. In
real life, they tape over the front grille while the air dam remains
fixed, but NASCAR RACING doesn't go quite that far. You may want less
downforce at superspeedways to keep speed up along their long
straights, but both Atlanta and Martinsville have their fair share of
turns. Usually the default Ace car is pretty close to spoiler
perfection as is.
Shocks should be considered next. NASCAR RACING combines both shocks
and springs into this one setting, and although in real life springs
would be set before the car even gets to the track, we'll pretend
that Papyrus has given us a good spring setting to start with.
Stiffening or softening an individual shock will help decide how much
weight is transferred at that wheel. Again, this is very important in
...
read more »
>> Can somebody explain meaning of *all* the car settings (Stagger, Cross weight,
>> ..etc..) and how each of them affects car's behaviour? That would be really
>Haaaaay PIRATE! Go buy the game. It comes with a book.
Stuart.
Stuart Booth
jj
