I'm braking early enough [for Big Bend] but I'm over-estimating how much speed I can carry and coming in too hot. When I do get it right I'm too busy congratulating myself to remember to brake for the Ninety!
--Art McEwen, mcewena@mohyf-mx1.mohdev.gov.on.ca
Infuriating, isn't it? After a while, it will come to you just from having done it a hundred times. Or, more precisely, from not doing it a hundred times: "If I hate going off there so much, how come I do it every lap?" And of course it comes near the end of the lap, so if you think you're on a hot one, the tendency is to push it...just a little too hard. This is one mighty incentive to develop setups that work for you...and to learn driving techniques, like trail-braking (which demands some chassis-tuning savvy), which will see you through BB. Like many turns in GPL (the first Lesmo is another example), I've abandoned the old racers'-school approach of using all the road to straighten out the turn, instead using all the road to "buy" some extra space for braking: come in low on the inside (not on the other side of the crown on the left), and if you're carrying too much speed, you can use the width of the track, diagonally, to brake in a straight line. You wind up on the left side of the track just past the apex pointing kind of the wrong way...but still on the pavement. Your lap is ruined, but at least you don't have to suffer the ignominy of yet another Shift-R.
Another SCCA Regional-level "rule of thumb" you can ignore in GPL is using the brakes once per corner entry. I've watched Matt Sentell dance on the pedals all the way to the apex, pumping the brakes in short, asynchronous strokes; alternating with a fairly aggressive throttle, frequently using both at once (which only works if you have the throttle and brakes on separate axes--impossible with some controllers like the TSW2). He kind of_urges_the car around BB, relentlessly. As you gather experience, you can segue smoothly from the first approach ("against the rail" in horse-racing parlance) to something both more conventional (approaching the turn from the outside) and more radical (real-world race-instructor Doug Arnao was appalled--he watched Matt's fancy footwork for a couple of very hairy laps before leaning over to me and whispering "Overdriving").
Actually, the part of the Glen I have the most trouble with is the nameless lefthand kink between BB and the Ninety. If you do it right, you use the energy stored in the springs like a pendulum to whip-saw you back from exiting BB to your entry into the kink (staying close to the lefthand verge). Then, exiting the kink, stay to the right, and brake in a straight line on the inside, against the rail, for the Ninety. Gearing here can be tricky, too. Basically, you want to avoid having to shift up again after the left kink, but this usually means you either lug the engine well below its power peak through the kink (making it near-impossible to steer with the throttle), or risk blowing the engine overrevving in a lower gear. Frustrating.
Watkins Glen is one wierd little track in GPL. The right setup can make a huge difference in your comfort level. When, as, and if I ever find the time, I'll try and come up with something special (the Brabham worked well for me here) and post it.
You might also want to check out a new article about Jim Clark's driving technique, entitled "Why Jim Clark had the Edge". - Alison
"I'm a bit confused about your discussion of brake bias. It seems to me that adding rear bias would make the car more stable under braking, and adding front bias would increase the overall braking performance because of forward weight transfer (the fronts are less likely to lock up under neutral brake bias). In your [Advanced Setup Guide], you convey the opposite idea, and suggest front brake bias for stability. Could you please elucidate this for me?"
--George Mohr
This goes to the old truism, "A sliding tire has no directional integrity." If you lock up the fronts, the still-rolling rears simply follow along behind. If you lock up the rears, they will try to pass the fronts. But you can skip the theory, and go straight to the field test: move the balance rearward, switch to the Nintendo view (F10), and watch smoke pour off the rears as the car spins. Move it forward and you can stop the car in a straight line as smoke billows from the fronts, only not as fast as you can if you adjust the balance to get smoke to appear simultaneously at all four corners. If you want to trail-brake or just want a little extra stability, you move the balance a percent or two ahead of the theoretical optimum. BTW, I got one helluva argument going by suggesting the fastest way to stop a car is to lock up all four tires. Burning rubber will give you maximum traction (ask any drag racer), but with seriously reduced directional stability (which is why dragsters have their rear wheels much closer together than the fronts). Let the flames begin!
"I'm focusing on brakes because I'm being out-braked by the AI (particularly going into Parabolica). They appear to be trail braking, but I can't get that technique nailed. I was hoping for a setup fix (read, I too lame to drive better!). They come into that corner about 5 MPH faster than me, get a bit loose, and hook up just right to nail the apex."
--George Mohr
It ain't you, it's the "A" in AI. They are all (to a man, even the backmarkers) Sierra Hotel going into the 'bolica. OTOH, they are slow as mud hens going through the Curva Grande, and not much better going into the first Lesmo...even though their lap times (when the GHS is working) are the same as yours. The solution--to avoid being passed--that presents itself is simple: block them going into the final turn. You can sometimes fake them out on the Rettifilio Centrale by weaving, but it's better to sit astride the center of the track going in, then trail-brake to an early apex (a pretty good idea in any case, but it does take some adjustments to your setup and driving technique), and force them to try to take you on the outside coming out. Just keep "spilling" wide (unwinding steering lock) and try to "scrape them off your shoe" against the guardrail. This makes them mad as hell, as you'll be able to hear from the sound of the hornet-swarm behind you.
That's to avoid losing position. For passing, try to keep on their tail(s) traversing the length of the front straight. If you can stick within maybe two car-lengths, you will get enough of a tow to "slingshot" past them just as you hit the (premature) braking marks on the "groove." Don't forget a) you're going to be going into the C.G. 5 mph faster than usual, so you're going to need a lot more than "threshold" braking, and b) you should be prepped for this with a longer-than-normal 5th gear.
If you can't get close enough to catch a draft, you can still pull a car length or two on them going through the C.G., which may put you close enough to outbrake them going into Lesmo # 1 (they're much slower here than going into the Parabolica), or, if not, take a late apex and try to get inside them between the two Lesmos. I wish I could say this works for me, but I usually lose my cool and spin it.
"I'm focusing on brakes because I'm being out-braked by the AI (particularly going into Parabolica). They appear to be trail braking, but I can't get that technique nailed. I was hoping for a setup fix (read, I too lame to drive better!). They come into that corner about 5 MPH faster than me, get a bit loose, and hook up just right to nail the apex. Whew."
--George Mohr
It ain't you, it's the "A" in AI. They are all (to a man, even the backmarkers) Sierra Hotel going into the 'bolica. OTOH, they are slow as mud hens going through the Curva Grande, and not much better going into the first Lesmo...even though their lap times (when the GHS is working) are the same as yours. The solution--to avoid being passed--that presents itself is simple: block them going into the final turn. You can sometimes fake them out on the Rettifilio Centrale by weaving, but it's better to sit astride the center of the track going in, then trail-brake to an early apex (a pretty good idea in any case, but it does take some adjustments to your setup and driving technique), and force them to try to take you on the outside coming out. Just keep "spilling" wide (unwinding steering lock) and try to "scrape them off your shoe" against the guardrail. This makes them mad as hell, as you'll be able to hear from the sound of the hornet-swarm behind you.
That's to avoid losing position. For passing, try to keep on their tail(s) traversing the length of the straight. If you can stick within maybe two car-lengths, you will get enough of a tow to "slingshot" past them just as you hit the (premature) braking marks on the "groove." Don't forget a) you're going to be going into the C.G. 5 mph faster than usual, so you're going to need a lot more than "threshold" braking, and b) you should have prepped for this with a longer-than-normal 5th gear.
If you can't get close enough to catch a draft, you can still pull a car length or two on them going through the C.G., which may put you close enough to outbrake them going into Lesmo # 1 (they're much slower here than going into the Parabolica), or, if not, take a late apex and try to get inside them between the two Lesmos. I wish I could say this works for me, but I usually lose my cool and spin it.
I have been running the Eagle, and am starting to put together very consistant laps (I even ran a race that for over six laps in a row my times were within .25 sec of each other), but I need more speed to compete with the Lotus.
Racing at Rouen in an Eagle is difficult too; the lightweight Lotus just flys up the long uphill section, passing my Eagle like it's standing still. I feel like I am topped out in the Eagle. Any suggestions? (Switching to Lotus is not an option, except to compare.)
--Brain Heiland
Hmmmmn, the Eagle is usually the fastest car in the game...at least in the players' hands (I can't remember being blown off in a straight line by any AI cars except the Murasama). I've seen 195 mph in the Eagle at Monza, and 200 at Spa (on the slightly downhill Masta straight). If you're not getting this, the obvious place to look is at the gearing, but before you do, check your controller's calibration: there's no way you can tell if you're not getting full throttle or not, so re-calibrating might fix your problem.
If it turns out it is the gearing, there are two schools of thought. One says gear tight, so you reach peak rpm sooner, and carry that speed all the way down the straight (albeit at a lower Vmax), although you will have to "ride" the rev limiter to avoid overrevving the engine. The other says simply go for the highest observed Vmax. I'm a member of the latter school, if for no other reason than I don't have the discipline: if I see a car whiz past me and I'm feathering the throttle, I'll put it to the wood and blow the engine...every time.
The Lotus, BTW, may be lightweight, but its top speed is nothing special--normally at least a couple of mph slower than the Eagle. It gets its superior lap times from tremendous mid-range acceleration.
<<[My] main problem is that the car keeps on wandering over to the right under braking. I've tinkered with camber, rollbar stiffness, etc., but I can't seem to stop it happening. Is it possible to cure or at least tame this?>>
--Paul Thorp <Paul@intactns.force9.co.uk>
If it's_consistently_to the right, you can rule out driver error...unless there's something you're not telling. And if your suspension settings are symmetrical, then it's probably a miscalibrated controller. If your setups are asymmetrical (not recommended except for the few lopsided tracks like Monza and the Glen), then coaxing them back towards some semblance of symmetry ought to help.
The only other condition I know of under which the car pulls to one side or the other is after you've hit something with the car hard enough to bend a suspension arm. If this happens, don't bother trying to soldier on; it only gets worse (like Clark's wheel getting more and more adrift the last 3 laps of the U.S. GP that year). If you're in a Novice race, hit Shift-R. Otherwise, park it.
I was wondering if you have any Ferrari setup tips for Spa-Francorchamps. I can't seem to get as much straightline speed as the computer Ferraris, no matter what changes I make. The chassis feels good and the car drives real sweet, but I'm at least 4-5 MPH slower down the Masta straight than the computer Ferraris. In the corners I can hold my own, but the lack of top end is killing me. I can accept not having the same top speed as the Eagle or the Lotus, but I ought to be able to get the same top speed as the AI Ferraris. If you can help me wring more top speed out of my Ferrari at Spa, I would be very happy. Right now my highest speed is 196 (right before I brake for the kink). That just isn't good enough.
--Steve Cook
"Ought to"? Sorry. The AI cars don't play by the same rules as our cars. Their physics model is greatly simplified (or else the game would require massively parallel Katmai CPUs), and sometimes we get spanked in ways that seem unfair. Among other things, they seem to be able to continually pull peak revs that would reduce our motors to smoking slag heaps within a couple of laps. Have you noticed that they also require tiny, delicate steering inputs, as opposed to the wild, lock-to-lock oscillations necessary to keep our bolides greasy-side down?
Nonetheless, you might be able to eke a few more mph out of your Ferrari (although I haven't seen more than 196 mph myself). The most promising avenue to explore is your speed coming off Malmedy at the head of the Masta straight. Anything you can gain here will not only carry extra speed all the way down the straight, it may also add a few mph at the far end. And, obviously, the later you can delay your braking--and the less you have to brake--will also squeeze out a few more rpm. (Achim Trensz is currently the record holder of my informal Vmin contest through the kink: he's seen 176 mph...about 20 mph better than my best!)
Beyond that, there's not much more that your setup can add. You can fiddle with the gearing; trying incremental changes in both directions (the Ferrari--uncharacteristically--seems to develop more torque than horsepower, so I'm inclined to go taller). If you can't find the perfect ratio with, say, a 9/31 ring & pinion, you can swap in an 8/31 or a 10/31 and adjust G5. You can reduce the rolling resistance with higher tire pressures (which may reduce overall grip) and set the toe to zero, front and rear (which will almost certainly give you more oversteer). I don't think Papy modeled the aerodynamic resistance of wind passing under the car or I'd suggest a Lo-Rider setup...but you never know. OTOH, I'm pretty sure they modeled the drivetrain's internal friction, so you might see some minuscule improvement by reducing the slippage in the differential (say, ramp angles of 30/30 with 5 clutches), but, no, I won't take that puppy out for a test drive.
Maybe nitrous? Hydrazine?
Jeffrey Hunsberger writes:
"When I read in the back of Four Wheel Drift that "The Technique of Motor Racing" was out of print, a red flag went up for me. I had purchased the book recently from a Border's Book Store. It is published by Robert Bentley, Inc. Automotive Publishers.
"You can even order the book online!"
A reader wrote: "As you (or was it Nietsche?) noted, however, whatever makes you faster is also harder."
That would be "Fast Freddie" Nietzsche.
--Zarathustra
I'm sorry I didn't address this sooner: In "Four-Wheel Drift" (the strategy guide), I said that the proper operating range of the tires was "very roughly," 110 to 180 degrees. This guesstimate was based on early builds, before the correct physics models were in place...and it was flat-out wrong. As is now embarrassingly apparent, the appropriate range is more like 160 to 230 degrees. That is, until you get the tires warmed up to the lower figure, the tires will feel slippery. Basically, you do this by driving like hell for a lap or so, deliberately spinning the wheels, locking the brakes, and sliding the car around. (Spa's long downhill sweeper at Burnenville, early in the lap, will put plenty of heat in the tires, as will the first dozen or two turns at the Ring...if you survive!) On TV, you see drivers zig-zagging their cars on the "formation" (nee pace) lap, but I have it on good(year) authority that this accomplishes very little. (In the game, it will likely whip-saw you into a terminal spin.)
If you continue to drive like a maniac, however, you may overheat the tires, whereupon they revert to feeling greasy. This happens about the time you start to see "flash" readings of 240 deg. or more. You can take a "snapshot" of your tires' temps at any point on the track by hitting the Esc key, and returning to the pits for a look-see at the setup page (exiting the Curvas Grande or Ascari at Monza, for example), but the most common reference point is at the S/F (start/finish) line. Even at a track like Kyalami or Zandvoort, where the S/F line is a long ways from the last corner, the tires will retain enough heat to give you a valid reading.
Although how hard you're driving is the most influential factor affecting the temps, other things do have an effect. Stiffer suspension settings, lower tire pressures, more toe (-out or -in at the front; -in at the rear), a heavier fuel load, less power-side lock in the differential, a greater number or severity of turns, even taller ride heights will all tend to increase the temps. Banked turns (like those at Mexico and the Glen) will tend to reduce the temps (less "hysteresis," or squirm). But basically, if you're not getting at least 160 deg. at the front end (which almost invariably runs cooler) and 180 deg. at the rear, you're not driving hard enough. On average, my setups give me about 165-175 at the front, and 205-215 at the rear. The Novice and Advanced Trainers are the exception: they run much cooler. (I suspect Papy didn't model smaller tires; only less weight and horsepower.)