BESTuners Gallery | Updated October 28th, 2006 - DB9 by ChromeBallz

  • Thread starter BESTuners
  • 585 comments
  • 67,672 views
ekmatt9
I'm doing the Holden Monaro Coupe thing...
Scaff's already doing it.

Scaff, I tuned the Alpine, and it's actually really fast for only 230 HP. The end of the car loves to come around, though. :crazy: My lifetime premium membership was supposed to kick in after my normal one ended, but it didn't. So I'm sort of incapable to post my set-up on it. :(

Anyway, my next car is the M3 GTR Race Car. I already have a crapload of pics taken of it, as well as a set-up made, so I may be able to make it and post it tonight. :)
 
Scaff's already doing it.

Scaff, I tuned the Alpine, and it's actually really fast for only 230 HP. The end of the car loves to come around, though. :crazy: My lifetime premium membership was supposed to kick in after my normal one ended, but it didn't. So I'm sort of incapable to post my set-up on it. :(

Anyway, my next car is the M3 GTR Race Car. I already have a crapload of pics taken of it, as well as a set-up made, so I may be able to make it and post it tonight. :)

@ekmatt9, the Monaro's all yours if you still want it.

I tried the Ginetta G4 out for size and got a bit carried away, so that's my next one.


Duck, glad you liked the Alpine, it does have a fair bit of go for its power, but it is quite light. You're right about the back end, and thats been tamed some from its original state. Great fun around the corners, even if it not fast.

Can't wait for the M3 GTR Race Car, should be good as I'm a big fan of it already, and its our first race car I think.

Regards

Scaff
 
BESTuners BMW M3 GTR RaceCar Report

Driver: Duċk

Deep Forest Laptime: 1’06.554

NOTE: Review tested with R2s, laptime tested with R4s.


Exterior/History:
This race car is based on the road version of an elusive M3 package. It has upgraded parts, some of the most quality ones on Earth. You have BMW’s legendary suspension manufacturing on your side, as well as a professional fully adjustable spoiler for those extra pounds of downforce. You have a tried-and-true engine, that helps power out of corners. Long story short, you have a professional race car that makes other pro cars out there look in jealousy. May I present to you, the BMW M3 GTR Race Car.



The Good…:
You can gloat on about how many horses it has under the sheet of metal we call a hood, but this car really isn’t about getting to 230 MPH in 20 seconds. It’s about the handling. And this car handles good. No, great. Well, “great” isn’t a suitable word to describe it. The best word (or phrase) for it is “legendarily perfect”. And rest assured, it is.

Sitting in my Hyperdrive cockpit, behind my DFP, I press the “Start” button, to get the car in a rolling, accelerating start to the hairpin on Midfield. Then I’m in control. I brake at where the average spot for decelerating is, and then I come to 40 MPH, the proper speed top hit the apex. And I come to find out that I’m not at the apex. I still have at least 10 meters to go ‘till I can start powering through the corner.

When I’m jumping out of the corner, I note the steering. It was crisp, not loose like other cars. It has good resistance to automatically go to the center (so it goes straight), but not too much to be a struggle to turn. The handling is neutral. No understeer is imminent. The tires grip the tarmac like if a hand was pushing it out and turning it like a Hot Wheel. The BMW goes over the big hill without a lack of torque. It goes down the straight with speed, so you comfortably brake at 175 MPH to hit the next two consecutive corners. Then you start to turn the wheel to the right. With most cars, you have to turn the wheel 90° to make the corner first corner so you won’t be playing in the beach. With this bad boy, it’s 60°. Making the next corner that appears milliseconds later, you turn the wheel 80°, and you don’t even need to hit the rumble strips to stay on the road.

It is like this for all corners out there, whether on Midfield, Nurburgring, or Tsukuba. Definitely impressive.



…And the bad:
There’s a minor thing: it’s power. It doesn’t have enough power to scorch the straights. Sure 690 HP is a lot, but it’s good enough to get you to 170 MPH quickly. But not to the point of the road being torn up. It’s top speed is 202 MPH, but when you get to 170, it’s gusto drops. It goes from 190 to 200 in 15 seconds. Definitely not optimal. But everything has cons, and thankfully it is a minor, miniscule one.



Conclusion:
It’s a must have. When you go to use it in some races, you’ll want to kiss the car. Hug it. It’s near perfect. My rating? 9.7/10. You will not be disappointed. I guarantee it.


The set-up:
M3 GTR Racecar Set-up


Thanks for reading, and please comment!!!


 
Awesome! I love that car. And if the handling is that great, I must try it with your settings!! Great Job. 👍

Don't expect a report from me soon. I'm getting ready to move to Florida on the 30th. I doubt I will have access to my PS2 till Feb. 14th. I may be able to pull another one off before the 30th. Until then I'll try to check this thread out as much as possible.
 
speedy_2
Awesome! I love that car. And if the handling is that great, I must try it with your settings!! Great Job. 👍

Don't expect a report from me soon. I'm getting ready to move to Florida on the 30th. I doubt I will have access to my PS2 till Feb. 14th. I may be able to pull another one off before the 30th. Until then I'll try to check this thread out as much as possible.
FLORIDA!?! Are ya nuts? That's hurricane central! :crazy:

Anyway, good luck on the move. 👍
 
@Duck, nice work on the BMW M3 GTR Race Car, excellent write up and great set of pictures. 👍

@Speedy2 - good luck with the move,


Guys, I've got slammed at work this week, so its going to be Wednesday before I get my Ginetta report up, the settings are done, I just need more pics and to write the piece.

Regards

Scaff
 
Jeeeez dudes. I keep changing my mind about a car because some are too easy, and some are too hard. So now I made up my mind because I have a good update planned for it :) The:

Honda Accord Euro - R from the Honda Factory...
 
ekmatt9
Jeeeez dudes. I keep changing my mind about a car because some are too easy, and some are too hard. So now I made up my mind because I have a good update planned for it :) The:

Honda Accord Euro - R from the Honda Factory...
That's 6 times you've changed your mind. :crazy:
 
viperpilot
well done Duck with the Race-Car.........

good luck with the move Speedy_2

what about a subaru?? WRX STi, 22B, Sport Wagon STi,...
I'm doing the '67 VW next, but I think if ekmatt changes his mind again, he can do that.
 
banner5un.jpg

Driver - Scaff

Car – Ginetta G4

Deep Forest Time - 1’20.613 (no driver aids)

Report
The Ginetta G4 started life as a rival to the immensely popular Lotus Seven range, but like the ‘7’, the Ginetta grew up all by itself.

In various guises and developments across the years the G4’s heritage can be traced to the present day Ginetta race series, that is so popular in the UK at a club level. Just like the seven, which became a Caterham Seven, the Ginetta G4 is still in production today. Manufactured in the UK by Dare, the G4 and other Ginetta models are still produced in modest quantities to satisfy the modern enthusiast.

Today however is not about the current car, I’ve got a bit of a treat in store, an original race specification G4 is waiting for me at the Deep Forest race track. Built and modified for competition in the mid-sixties, the car is older than I am, but just for today its owner has let me loose with it.

Not that I am worried it will let me down, as the car is still regularly used in historic racing series across the UK.

As I climb out of my own car at the Deep Forest paddock the G4 is being rolled out of the garage, its been stripped of its racing decal as a fresh coat of pain has been applied in the last few weeks. Looks like the car is being preped ready for the upcoming season.

The car’s owner firmly shakes my hand as we stroll around the tiny G4, it really does look a bit like a toy, a beautifully crafted and styled toy. The (for its size) long bonnet and cab back design clearly give away the era it belongs too, but quite simply its not lost any of its charm or character.

I squeeze my frame into the seat, bloody hell its small in here, at six foot I don’t consider myself freakishly tall, but I can only just get in here. Buckling up the four point harness the owner continues to pour out facts about the car, apparently its been set-up specifically for Deep Forest as the first race of the season will be held here in a few months time. That and the G4 is a car very sensitive to set-up, apparently needing to be dialled in for almost every track its visits, also the gearing will let it hit a top speed of just over 180mph.

A speed which quite frankly sounds like a death wish in a car this small and old, “it’s just the gearing lets you get there”, the owner continues. “We did it once at a test facility and the nose gets very, very light above 100 – 120mph; after that if you breath to hard its will spin”. Very reassuring, and fortunately we shouldn’t be getting much past those speeds today.



Scaff’s 👍
So I’m off around the track and after a few laps to get acclimatised to the car its time to see what it will do.

Given its very light weight (further reduced in competition trim) and turbo charged engine (added only recently) it has tremendous go, with the dash to sixty dismissed in under five seconds, which is quick in anyone’s book.

Given that it’s a recent addition to the car, the turbo is fortunately very lag free, its still a car that loves to rev, but won’t totally cripple you if let the revs drop to much.

The gear seems well suited to the track, and its doesn’t feel to slow even on the two long straights at Deep Forest, often an issue with the lower bhp cars. But it’s not straight-line speed that the G4 specialises in.

This is a car that loves the corners, but first those used to modern cars need a quick reminder of how cars were built back in the day. I’m talking tyres here, the compound is not the topic, these are of a very stick medium racing slick type. No it’s the size, the Ginetta runs on 185/60 R13 tyres, to put that into context a Merc A-class fits wider, lower profile rubber.

If you have not driven on tyres this narrow before it’s a learning experience. First off you must get you’re corner entry speed right, too fast and the fronts will just scrub wide. Brake hard and deep into the corner, let off the brake to balance the car as you turn in and then use the throttle to steer the car around the corner.

Once you have the knack its addictive, allowing very rapid transitions from apex to apex using minimal steering input, rather you can use the throttle to control the cars direction. No wonder they still race these things.

Should the desire take you, very long slides are the order of the day. In fact its easier to be a hooligan in the G4 than it is to keep it neat and tidy, and as neat and tidy in the order of the day when racing these little cars must provide a unique and very enjoyable challenge.




Scaff’s 👎
I’m a bit reluctant to mention the cars understeer here, as its only really present if you enter a corner to hot, and that’s not really the car’s fault. You just have to understand the nature of the skinny tyres and work with them.

The scariest moment around Deep Forest is a slight cause for concern, at the end of the back straight, just as you start to brake for the left hand sweeper, a combination of factor start to come together in a very worrying way. The cars instability at speed, the track surface and the soft damper as you come out of the dip mid-tunnel cause the car to get very, very light on its feet. Not what you want as you start to brake for a fast left, more than once the car felt in the verge of a spin. When I mentioned this to the owner his only words were “I know, its fun that bit, particularly with another car each side of you.”




Overall
Proof that its not just the big horsepower cars that require skill to extract the most from them.

Anyone interested in a challenge of not just driving ability, but also the skills required to adapt a car’s set-up to each and every track they visit should join the waiting list, just behind me.



Spec
220bhp@6,000rpm
203ft/lb@4,500rpm
426kg

0-30 1.98 secs
0-60 4.65 secs
0-100 9.46 secs
0-100-0 13.50 secs

¼ mile 12.697 secs @ 117 mph
V Max 184.40 mph


Modifications & Settings

See attached .pdf document
 

Attachments

  • Ginetta G4.pdf
    14.6 KB · Views: 268
Finally got a review up, as mentioned I've done the Ginetta G4.

Hope you all enjoy it, and as always any and all feedback would be welcome.

Regards

Scaff
 
Small car sillyness, you've done it again Scaff. 👍 Good description and it really sounds like a blast to handle.

I want a red Ginetta... :drool:
 
Greycap
Small car sillyness, you've done it again Scaff. 👍 Good description and it really sounds like a blast to handle.

I want a red Ginetta... :drool:

You really have to try this one Greycap, I just know it will be you're sort of car.

If you do get a chance to pick one up, let me know what you think.

BTW - thanks for the kind words regarding the write-up.

Regards

Scaff
 
Awesome report Scaff, very detailed, very nice. :insert applaud smilie here: 👍

The Ginetta is one of the more unique cars in GT4. If I ever flew to Europe, I'd love to take a few pics of them. They're definitely a timeless beauty.
 

Latest Posts

Back