rec.autos.simulators

What is the easiest setting for most of you experts? I just leave it in the
middle.Not really sure what it changes .

Doug.........Lifelong die hard Boston Bruins fan....Driving Sim racer....avid
Sam Adams drinker....3 Stooges fan....Proud American !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think you're gonna get amillion replies, but this is the way that I see it
working:

I race radio control off-road cars. (This all has a point, so bear with me.)
One of the problems that people find when they start racing is that the the
car steers fairly well into the corner and out of it, but making small
corrections going down the straight is nearly impossible. The car twitches
left and right in PIOs (pilot-induced oscillations <thanks, Ali>) as they
try and try to get it straight. As a result, they lose time because the car
is not putting full power to forward acceleration (traction circle stuff -
don't ask).

The symptoms: The car has enough steering in the corners, but too much
steering for the fine corrections on the straights.

The solution? Non-linear steering. Also known as Exponential steering, for
the way it is calculated by the controller. Always negative expo in GPL, but
some use positive with r/c kit.

What it does: In the center of the steering wheel's throw, a certain amount
of steering wheel deflection will cause the car's wheels to deflect a small
amount, giving fine control. The further you deflect the steering wheel, the
greater the effect on the road wheels. For example: Twisting the steering
wheel five degrees off of center causes the road wheels to turn 2 degrees,
so you can make the fine adjusments to the car on the straights. Once you
are away from the center of the steering wheel's travel, that same 5 degrees
of deflection is going to cause the road wheels to turn 7 degrees or more,
so you can navigate the corners. With the limited throw of a joystick, if
you put in enough steering to make the corners, getting the darn car to go
straight after the corners will be difficult.

What it means: I know this is getting long-winded, but here's the upshot.

1) If you use a joystick, try a lot of non-linear steering. You have about
80 degrees of stick throw (travel left to right) to make all your
adjustments.

2) If you use a wheel, you will need almost no non-linear response from the
road wheels. Your wheel should have about 270 degrees of travel.

Hope this helps.
Mikey
Avetikus Racing

|What is the easiest setting for most of you experts? I just leave it in the
|middle.Not really sure what it changes .
|
|
|Doug.........Lifelong die hard Boston Bruins fan....Driving Sim
racer....avid
|Sam Adams drinker....3 Stooges fan....Proud American !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What he says is all very true, couldnt explain it better, but just to add,
if you want quick response when you turn, go more towards linear (left side)
if you want to have a little bit of a zone in the middle where you can make
tiny corrections without upsetting the car or throwing it wildly down the
straight, go towards the right.  Starting in the middle is good but when you
get better and get a more sensitive touch, you will move it more and more to
the left, I run mine at about 10% from the left.  It is a lot of personal
preference but to have good reactions you will need it to the left because
it will react quicker.  For all the new guys out there, I would recommend
going to the right, it keeps you from making PIO as Mike said. If when going
down the straight, it keeps fishtailing and you cant stop it because when
you go to correct, it goes the other way, you need to move it to the right
until you get better with the wheel/joystick.  Well sorry for continueing to
talk, just applying what mike said to GPL a little more.

Jesse