GPL: problems braking straight

Am I alone or is anyone else having problems braking in a straight line? This seems to be more of a problem for me when using D. Arnao's setups, but it still occurs with the defaults. I'm fine under power so I don't think it's my wheel. However, more often than not, the car pulls to one side or the other under heavy braking. Lower values on the "power-off" ramp angle? Fewer clutches? Help! BTW - My hands are NOT moving the wheel. I've seriously tested it, it's the car. -- Bill Mette | "A person is smart. People are dumb." MCSNet, Chicago | - K MiB

Lower power off ramp angle. More clutches. More front bias. Also try the tinest smidgen of non-linear steering. I set mine between the a and r in linear.... MM

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> Am I alone or is anyone else having problems braking in a straight line? > This seems to be more of a problem for me when using D. Arnao's setups, > but it still occurs with the defaults. > I'm fine under power so I don't think it's my wheel. However, more > often than not, the car pulls to one side or the other under heavy > braking. Lower values on the "power-off" ramp angle? Fewer clutches? > Help! > BTW - My hands are NOT moving the wheel. I've seriously tested it, it's > the car. > -- > Bill Mette | "A person is smart. People are dumb." > MCSNet, Chicago | - K MiB

Yes, I've noticed the same thing, Doug seems to have much more steering precision than I do, which translates into the same braking looseness you're experiencing. The way I've kind of "tightened" the braking on his setups so far is to increase the rear rollbar slightly until the back end no longer has such a tendency to come around, but the tradeoff is that the back end breaks loose easier under power such as during fast power-on curves, not a bad trade-off since I can use the throttle to control that. Note that I am not an expert at setups, this is my experience as I learn to tweak GPL setups and Doug's in particular. Maybe that is not the right "textbook" answer but seems to work ok. Hope that helps. Overall, big thanks to Doug Arnao and Alison Hine for making these setups available for us, I'm learning a lot by comparing them to default setups. --John

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> Am I alone or is anyone else having problems braking in a straight line? >This seems to be more of a problem for me when using D. Arnao's setups, >but it still occurs with the defaults. > I'm fine under power so I don't think it's my wheel. However, more >often than not, the car pulls to one side or the other under heavy >braking. Lower values on the "power-off" ramp angle? Fewer clutches? >Help! > BTW - My hands are NOT moving the wheel. I've seriously tested it, it's >the car. >-- >Bill Mette | "A person is smart. People are dumb." >MCSNet, Chicago | - K MiB

I have the same problem with his setups. Not saying that they are bad setups, just I can't drive them (yet). Even his soft Glen setup seems somehow stiff or nervous. Once I learn to drive, this might be a good thing. Rick Miller Arrowhed12 on TEN "Nascar head trying to learn to drive again with GPL (and loving it, even on my P166 w/monster 1)"

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> Am I alone or is anyone else having problems braking in a straight line? >This seems to be more of a problem for me when using D. Arnao's setups, >but it still occurs with the defaults. > I'm fine under power so I don't think it's my wheel. However, more >often than not, the car pulls to one side or the other under heavy >braking. Lower values on the "power-off" ramp angle? Fewer clutches? >Help! > BTW - My hands are NOT moving the wheel. I've seriously tested it, it's >the car. >-- >Bill Mette | "A person is smart. People are dumb." >MCSNet, Chicago | - K MiB

I kind soul emailed me (I'd give you credit, but I accidently hosed your message) a suggestion. Engine braking may be throwing the car sideways. Try downshifting only after the engine RPM has dropped siginificantly. After reading the words on the screen, I remembered that all of the drivers in the included replays do this. Get *** the binders, let the revs drop way down, then quickly bang down to the desired gear. I'll have to give this a shot when I get home tonight. I haven't had this much fun being frustrated since I was learning to skate for hockey. Of course, I still can't do that too well either! :-0 Thanks all for the suggestions. -Bill

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> I have the same problem with his setups. Not saying that they are bad >setups, just I can't drive them (yet). Even his soft Glen setup seems >somehow stiff or nervous. Once I learn to drive, this might be a good >thing. >> Am I alone or is anyone else having problems braking in a straight line? >>This seems to be more of a problem for me when using D. Arnao's setups, >>but it still occurs with the defaults.

-- Bill Mette | "A person is smart. People are dumb." MCSNet, Chicago | - K MiB

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> I kind soul emailed me (I'd give you credit, but I accidently hosed your > message) a suggestion. Engine braking may be throwing the car sideways. > Try downshifting only after the engine RPM has dropped siginificantly. > After reading the words on the screen, I remembered that all of the > drivers in the included replays do this. Get *** the binders, let the > revs drop way down, then quickly bang down to the desired gear. I'll have > to give this a shot when I get home tonight. > I haven't had this much fun being frustrated since I was learning to > skate for hockey. Of course, I still can't do that too well either! :-0 > Thanks all for the suggestions.

I would say this is a good bet Bill as not being able to stop straight is almost always a problem with the rear wheels doing more braking than than intended. My brake bias settings are a tad more towards the rear than most and pretty balanced if you don't induce any other drive-train related rear wheel braking. As I brake, I am usually slightly blipping the throttle to match the rev's up to avoid this drive train lag and let the brakes do their job as intended. Alison moves the brake bias more towards the front with every setup of mine she tries. She trail brakes which I don't (carrying the brakes slighty on at the entrace to a corner). She also considers them "loose" for her because of her style of throttle application........ That being said, try down shifting less aggresively, run 30 ramp angle on the decell side of the diff, and as a last resort, move the brake balance to 60% front. And lets thank Papyrus for even modelling this stuff :) --Doug

Are your setups symmetrical Doug?

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> > I kind soul emailed me (I'd give you credit, but I accidently hosed your > > message) a suggestion. Engine braking may be throwing the car sideways. > > Try downshifting only after the engine RPM has dropped siginificantly. > > After reading the words on the screen, I remembered that all of the > > drivers in the included replays do this. Get *** the binders, let the > > revs drop way down, then quickly bang down to the desired gear. I'll have > > to give this a shot when I get home tonight. > > I haven't had this much fun being frustrated since I was learning to > > skate for hockey. Of course, I still can't do that too well either! :-0 > > Thanks all for the suggestions. > I would say this is a good bet Bill as not being able to stop straight is almost > always a problem with the rear wheels doing more braking than than intended. My > brake bias settings are a tad more towards the rear than most and pretty > balanced if you don't induce any other drive-train related rear wheel braking. > As I brake, I am usually slightly blipping the throttle to match the rev's up to > avoid this drive train lag and let the brakes do their job as intended. Alison > moves the brake bias more towards the front with every setup of mine she tries. > She trail brakes which I don't (carrying the brakes slighty on at the entrace to > a corner). She also considers them "loose" for her because of her style of > throttle application........ > That being said, try down shifting less aggresively, run 30 ramp angle on the > decell side of the diff, and as a last resort, move the brake balance to 60% > front. > And lets thank Papyrus for even modelling this stuff :) > --Doug

-- Byron Forbes Captain of Team Lightning Bolt http://members.tripod.com/~HOSHUMUNGUS and [link lost in import: /~godsoe/bolt/home.htm]

> Are your setups symmetrical Doug? Except for Monza, Yes. --Doug