GPL: more thoughts on different chassis

I've got a week to kill just now, so having got bored with working on my GPLRank I'm going for a Monsters of GPL (until now I've only really used the Eagle, Cooper and Ferrari - Eagle most). First comment: don't dismiss the under-powered but chuckable Brabham. I've just beaten my old best times at Silverstone and Spa (of all places) as well as the Glen - all since lunch! Secondly, a followup to earlier discussions about using the same setup for all cars. Since then I've discovered Nunnini's wonderful datasheet, as well as installing GRE [1], and my setups do differ between cars, although the numbers are in the same ballpark. What I am doing is keeping 'deltas' (differences) the same: for example, if the Cooper, with 60% of its weight on the rear axle, has a spring setup which is 56% rear then the Brabham, with 58 rear, will get 54 on the springs. Similarly, if my Honda setup for, say, Monza has two clicks less front 'bar and one click less rear spring than the BRM, then the same modifications will give a good starting point at, for example, Spa. Thirdly, one thing I continue to find (and I don't know whether it's just a reflection on my driving style) is that it can sometimes take very careful adjustment before a particular car 'hooks up' at a particular track, but when it does the improvement (at least in ability to string together laps without falling off!) is sudden and spectacular. (According to Christian Silk, an F1 race engineer, Alesi was like this: he'd pit in complaining that "Zees car 'as zero trakshon!"; they'd make some tiny adjustment and he'd describe the car as perfect...) Anyway, I'm off to rebuild some 1/10th scale shock absorbers! Happy hotlapping! Jonny [1) Just one request on this otherwise excellent program: could it please leave the track setting alone when I import chassis parameters? It's really annoying to find I've just overwritten my Kyalami setup when I was in the middle of creating one for Mosport...

I'm starting to suscribe to the 1 setup per chassis for all tracks idea (well except for gearing). It all started when I took my Honda out to Keimola and got a well balance setup (1:21 laptimes). I used it for a Road Atlanta online race and found it to work very well too. I used it for Mosport and was within 1/2 second of my best time with the Honda. Nothing replaces familiarity with your setup. If you're comfortable with a setup, the driving is much easier :) It saves time in the garage, so you can get more time on the track too! Jason. Jonny Hodgson wrote:

Quoted text (10 lines)

> > I've got a week to kill just now, so having got bored with working on > my GPLRank I'm going for a Monsters of GPL (until now I've only really > used the Eagle, Cooper and Ferrari - Eagle most). > > Secondly, a followup to earlier discussions about using the same setup > for all cars. Since then I've discovered Nunnini's wonderful > datasheet, as well as installing GRE [1], and my setups do differ > between cars, although the numbers are in the same ballpark. >

-- Jason Monds http://www.proracingclub.com - Pro Racing Club! (N4, GPL, Fun Run Sims) http://www.racersdomain.com - Race hosting. (Please remove 'no extra spork' when replying)

Oh yeah, try running a few laps with that setup on the Monza banking of Milano and view your replay from the suspension cam ;) "Jason Monds" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]... > I'm starting to suscribe to the 1 setup per chassis for all tracks idea > (well except for gearing). It all started when I took my Honda out to > Keimola and got a well balance setup (1:21 laptimes). I used it for a > Road Atlanta online race and found it to work very well too. I used it > for Mosport and was within 1/2 second of my best time with the Honda. >

Did someone say "Monza banking"?! Where can I find this track? :-D Jason. Art McEwen wrote: > > Oh yeah, try running a few laps with that setup on the Monza banking of > Milano and view your replay from the suspension cam ;) > > "Jason Monds" <[email hidden]> wrote in message > > I'm starting to suscribe to the 1 setup per chassis for all tracks idea-- Jason Monds http://www.proracingclub.com - Pro Racing Club! (N4, GPL, Fun Run Sims) http://www.racersdomain.com - Race hosting. (Please remove 'no extra spork' when replying)

Correct.. I've whittled it down even further. One chassis setup for "normal" cars (Ferrari, Lotus, Eagle, Brabham, Cooper) and one for "heavy" cars (Honda/BRM). Real time is found on the track and is all about how well you can anticipate the reactions from your car. Having a setup you know inside out, like you pointed out, helps a lot. Example, last night I participated in a server test for the MARA-E league. The track was Watkins Glen, one which I hadn't driven in the Eagle (the car I intend to use next season) since the early days of owning GPL. I more or less kept the gearing of the setup I already had (adjusted progression a little using GRE) and adjusted all other parameters to my base setup. I went out and ended up making just the one adjustment: lowering the number clutches from 3 to 2, finishing 3rd in the race at some 18secs (despite a spin under accelleration trying to wrestle 2nd away from Dave Hawnt in the Ferrari... too eager with the loud pedal <g>) and getting to within a couple hundredths of my PB for the track (in Int Long race trim). Perhaps with a little more tweaking, I could have gone a little faster, but with the vaguaries of online racing being as they are, I don't consider it worth the effort or time it takes. I don't know I many hours I have "on GPL", but I want to use that experience, not start over each time I face a new car/track combination. Jan. =--- "Jason Monds" wrote...

Quoted text (16 lines)

> I'm starting to suscribe to the 1 setup per chassis > for all tracks idea (well except for gearing). It > all started when I took my Honda out to Keimola and > got a well balance setup (1:21 laptimes). I used it > for a Road Atlanta online race and found it to work > very well too. I used it for Mosport and was within > 1/2 second of my best time with the Honda. > > Nothing replaces familiarity with your setup. If > you're comfortable with a setup, the driving is much > easier :) > > It saves time in the garage, so you can get more time > on the track too! > > Jason.

Jan Verschueren <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]... > Correct.. I've whittled it down even further. One chassis setup for"normal" > cars (Ferrari, Lotus, Eagle, Brabham, Cooper) and one for "heavy"cars > (Honda/BRM). Real time is found on the track and is all about howwell you > can anticipate the reactions from your car. Having a setup you knowinside > out, like you pointed out, helps a lot. My setups are getting pretty close: although there are slight differences, I've been starting each new car/track combination by copying a previous setup for that car. To create the base setups, I revisited a technique I tried with GP years ago: list *all* the setups and take mean values. I worked on the basis that my individual attempts at setup development would, on the whole, have been about right - in GP2 at least, I was delighted at how driveable the "mean setup" was! Obviously wings and gears differed between tracks; on GPL it's gears and some slight variations in damping (more front bump if I keep losing it on corner entry), anti roll bars (depending on the long corners / tricky braking zones compromise) and occasionally springs, though not by much. But then, to me, setup development is half the fun (and I'm starting to suspect that I have more natural talent there than in driving ;-) and perhaps I find it easier to make the car suit my driving than vice-versa. My model race car behaves similarly, in that I'll go to a track with a basic setup and maybe change the springs at one end, or add/remove the rear 'bar, or change the ride height to account for the surface - but on the whole it doesn't vary much. Jonny

LOL@Jason!! Have U been under a rock Jason?? Sorry I couldnt resist.. Dave H made me do it!! :o)~ "Jason Monds"wrote: | Did someone say "Monza banking"?! Where can I find this track? :-D | | Jason. | --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.265 / Virus Database: 137 - Release Date: 7/18/2001

Yeah, must have been working to much that month to read ALL the messages here :) My friends usually ask me if I tried out the new track, but guess they stopped because I just tried LeMans - Sarthe about 2 weeks ago. At least it's better late than never :P Jason. "Thom j." wrote:

Quoted text (10 lines)

> > LOL@Jason!! Have U been under a rock Jason?? > Sorry I couldnt resist.. Dave H made me do it!! :o)~ > > "Jason Monds"wrote: > | Did someone say "Monza banking"?! Where can I find this track? :-D > | > | Jason. > | >

-- Jason Monds http://www.proracingclub.com - Pro Racing Club! (N4, GPL, Fun Run Sims) http://www.racersdomain.com - Race hosting. (Please remove 'no extra spork' when replying)

Well anyway it is a super track but I forgot the Url site. Sorry!! If you can't get the Url just email me & maybe I can send it via ICQ or something.. Cheers -Thom_j. "Jason Monds" wrote: | Yeah, must have been working to much that month to read ALL the messages | here :) My friends usually ask me if I tried out the new track, but | guess they stopped because I just tried LeMans - Sarthe about 2 weeks | ago. At least it's better late than never :P | | Jason. --- Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free. Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com). Version: 6.0.265 / Virus Database: 137 - Release Date: 7/18/2001