Mad FinnTuners Co.™ - Finished 301010 with GT-Rdammerung - BIG THANKS everyone!

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BMW 260d'04

260 bhp, 476 Nm, 1202 kg


Clickable for full size

Parts to fit:
Racing Exhaust
Racing Brakes
Racing Chip
FC Transmission
Triple-plate Clutch
Racing Flywheel
FC LSD
Carbon Driveshaft
Turbo Kit Stage 3
FC Suspension
N2 Tyres
Weight Reduction Stage 3
Rigidity Increase (rollcage)
Oil Change
New Wheels (optional)

Suspension
Spring Rate: 7.5 / 6.0
Ride Height: 130 / 145
Bound: 8 / 4
Rebound: 10 / 6
Camber: 2.0 / 2.0
Toe: 0 / -2
Stabilizers: 2 / 6

Transmission

Note: First, reset the gearbox to the default settings, then set the Auto setting, and only then set the gear ratios.

Gear Ratios
1st: 3.175
2nd: 2.220
3rd: 1.705
4th: 1.400
5th: 1.183
6th: 1.000
Final Gear: 2.350

Autoset 11

LSD
Initial: 5
Acceleration: 30
Deceleration: 5

Driving Aids
ASM Oversteer: 0
ASM Understeer: 0
TCS: 0



BMW had secretly kept an eye on VAG's diesel racers, such as SEAT Leon cup racers. Inspired by those, BMW took an ordinary 120d, and began to turn it into a smoke-belching diesel racer. But there was a problem: The M-division didn't have a clue how to massage and finetune diesel engines into their maximum performance. Luckily, someone remembered the M5 CSL and a small Finnish tuner house that had helped them out. A brief phone call later, a Finnish-German lend-lease program was running again, and soon, the performance of the smog machine was up to par with Seat's best, and well beyond. The legend says that there's some power left on the table, but MFT left the engine as is just for the reliability and economy reasons.
 
Pontiac Solstice Coupe T-A '02

260 bhp, 326 Nm, 1199 kg


Clickable for full size



Parts to fit:
Sports Exhaust
Racing Brakes
Brake Balance Controller
FC Transmission
Triple-plate Clutch
Racing Flywheel
FC LSD
Carbon Driveshaft
FC Suspension
N2 Tyres
Weight Reduction Stage 1
Oil Change
New Wheels (optional)

Suspension
Spring Rate: 6.5 / 6.5
Ride Height: 110 / 115
Bound: 5 / 5
Rebound: 9 / 6
Camber: 2.0 / 2.0
Toe: 0 / -1
Stabilizers: 3 / 3

Brake Controller
Brakes: 3 / 8

Transmission

Note: First, reset the gearbox to the default settings, then set the Auto setting, and only then set the gear ratios.

Gear Ratios
1st: 2.540
2nd: 1.796
3rd: 1.415
4th: 1.175
5th: 0.995
6th: 0.834
Final Gear: 4.000

Autoset 9

LSD
Initial: 5
Acceleration: 25
Deceleration: 5

Driving Aids
ASM Oversteer: 0
ASM Understeer: 0
TCS: 0


It's no secret that Mazda MX-5 is something of a handling benchmark for small sports cars and such a car didn't exist in the US of A, domestically that is, so one along the same lines was planned. Nowadays the Solstice is, or more like was, a production model but between the basic concept stage and entering production some oddball ideas saw the light of day.

One of them being the Coupe Trans-Am to revive the legendary name once immortalized by the Firebird. Adding a less restrictive exhaust to the supercharged Ecotec made the low end torque even more frightening and a discreet weight saving program brought the weight closer to the original target from the far east. The entire drivetrain was replaced by heavy duty parts as the car was meant to be driven - driven hard. Fine tuning the suspension was also in order and as a result the T-A model would have been a nimble road course ripper living up to its name. Sadly, it was destined to disappear into the drawers of the drawing board and remains only in dreams that once soared high to show that GM can build a lightweight driver's car.
 
Well, I headed back down to my favorite garage today for the first time in a while, and decided to pick up a car. After sifting through the catalogue about 5 times something finally caught my eye: the BMW M5 CSL. It seemed like it would be a great car to suit my criteria: I wanted something fast, but controllable. Having already tried the other MFT BMW's before, I knew that this was going to be a good pick. So I took it straight to the sacred Nurburgring.

The first 2 or 3 sectors were a breeze with this car, although through the rest of the course I was having some slight oversteer on exit and slight understeer on entry (the middle was perfect though). I also wish there was more stopping power, although I bet the limit was already reached knowing MFT. I got a laptime of 7'54.273, but I think a 7'45 is possible with a much better driver than me. Overall I think MFT did a great job with the car, but it could probably use a tiny bit more work. 9.5/10.

Please let me know if this review is sufficient for a request, as I have a very unique idea of what I want.
 
Yay, some proper tuners post some tunes. 👍 I don't wish to sound rude, but I really think that TOURNIQUETFAN over-hyped his garage way too much.
 
well, one has to advertise his garage somehow.. Don't be too harsh, most of the longer lived garages have had similar start as that.
 
well, one has to advertise his garage somehow.. Don't be too harsh, most of the longer lived garages have had similar start as that.
Well said leonidae. patience is the best way to help or welcome any GTP member. if a member feels stress or needs help patience dudes:grumpy:
 
RUF Blackbird review

It's brutally fast with his 700hp but the R3 tyres and the accurate suspensions setting do a really good job transmitting all the power to the road, the steering is very accurate and you can feel the general balance of the car, it feel a bit nervous at high speed and oversteering over bumps and slopes is frequent but is also a pleasure to correct with the solid steering that react very well, but the real funny come when you need to do a strong brake at high speeds... you really have to ride on the edge, first times the car seems impossible to control but in my opinion the secret is to not overbraking. In some corners like the first Grand Valley hairpin that is anticipate by a long up-down slope, only the 20% max of the brake can be pushed or you will fly out of the track immediately, the understeer is almost zero and the steering is very gradual also at high speeds if in acceleration, the gentleness is needed in braking more than everything else with this car.

I close my test at GVT with a laptime of 1.43.774, glad with it, I definetely love this car, it's a pleasure to push it to the limit.
Impressive job.

9/10
 
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Good to hear that old lady still attracts attention. Keep your eyes open, though, I'm going to re-release this tune, with far better driveability and speed.
 
Well said leonidae. patience is the best way to help or welcome any GTP member. if a member feels stress or needs help patience dudes:grumpy:

I'm sure stress doesn't cause you to forget about the caps lock or shift key.
 
Lack of caps etc can get one banned though.. I learned that too late. Funny that they let me go on like that for five years before doing something about it :indiff: Oh well..
 
The two new cars look interesting...N2 tyres?!If only I had the Solstice...

Anyway you might want to do something about the license plate of the BM.
 
It was pretty late at night when that car was released and photos edited, thus, our graphics department and I didn't see the need for excessive editing at this time.
 
It's been a while since I've visited here but recently had a little time to play my favourite game, have really enjoyed driving a few MFT cars so I thought I should repay the favour :)


Review: BMW M3 RS

Like the tuner I had also walked past the BMW M3 CSL many times and had never given it a good chance until now. The stock version is nice enough and more than capable of leading the pack, but it lacks a bang to really lift it above the crowd. Enter MFT's RS edition and the formerly tame CSL transforms into a ravenous beast greedy to devour mile after mile of winding bitumen.

The engine has been tuned with a restrained hand, as if with great reverence to the six cylinder masterpiece that powers the mighty M3. The modest increase in oomph by no means blunts this weapon, for it is the supreme balance in handling that makes this car an absolute killer. A tight gearbox keeps the RS spinning in the sweet spot at almost any given corner and the power delivery through the LSD is both smooth and solid.

The magic in the handling of this car cannot be over emphasised, the sublimely balanced weight distribution makes steering with the throttle a joy; the faster the corner the better. Long fast bends can be taken at speeds you would never dare to in many other comparable sports cars and even with sports tyres fitted, lap times are nipping at those set by faster cars with racing slicks.

If anything this car is too perfect so where are the flaws? Well depending on your point of view, there are either few or none at all. With full down force applied, it is almost expected that a car will hold itself down at high speed. It certainly does make the car faster than without a spoiler, but in doing so it makes the driving experience a little more clinical. It also limits the top speed. This in turn brings into question the modest power upgrade, as 6th gear begs for more to fight the wind resistance. One is tempted to either give it more grunt, or remove the added drag.

However leaving such qualms out of the question and appraising the car as it is presented to us by MFT, it is remarkable rocket that is capable of punching well above its weight. Not the fastest in the top speed stakes, but the M3 RS will beat almost anything around a corner.

+ Incredibly stable at high speed
+ Such a joy to drive, puts a smile on your face
+ grips like something sticky to a blanket

- Limited top speed
- High down force makes it faster, but mutes the beast within


However...

So, what happens if you give in to temptation and void the MFT warranty by increasing the power to maximum while removing the spoiler? You get an even bigger smile on your face! The full engine upgrade is not as much as you may think, adding only around 100hp to the RS as delivered by MFT. Deleting the spoiler takes the extreme point off the steering but the car is no less sharp and suffers very little in holding its line or changing direction at high speed.

If anything, these changes release the the true spirit of the car and makes for a wildly exciting ride. Not wild because you feel you are dicing with death, but wild with the thrill of having a car that you can push to the absolute limits and know it will never fail you. Sure it will bite back if you are foolish and drive it without respect, but it is so controllable on the limit that you have to be really careless to send it into a fence.

One thing that maxing the car out proves is how good the underlying MFT tune is. Despite exceeding the tuner's limits, the car still feels solid as a rock. It may not be perfect, as the gearbox ratios are now the thing that is holding the car back and one wonders if the lack of down force might call for spring rate adjustments, but regardless it is one hell of a car to drive and well worth acquiring a second CSL to tinker with.
 
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Okay you get one more before bed :)

Review: Shelby Series 1 SE '03

Like a marginally more refined muscle car from Detroit's dirty past, this supercharged Shelby ticks all the clichés that one has come to expect of American sports cars - it steers like a boat, stops like a freight train and goes through rear tyres like there's no tomorrow.

In stock form, the Shelby Series 1 seems to be doing its best to feel unexciting to drive. The engine feels very mild and restricted, while the sluggish transmission makes it reluctant to rev even to its relatively meek red-line. But just as it gets there and things begin to feel exciting, it all stops as there are no more revs to give.

However, if you persist and drive the car in a manner sympathetic to its shortcomings, ie. very smoothly and with an eye to lining up corners well in advance, flashes of brilliance begin to show and a picture emerges of a car that deep down wants to have fun but for the lack of a good tune is denied it. Can MFT put things right?

As one would expect from such an experienced tuning house, the car that rolls out of their workshop is far superior to the one that rolled in. The engine has been awoken from its slumber and is more than willing to pile the revs on as fast as you can depress the accelerator. The supercharged V8 provides bucket-loads of instant torque, however while it is still a tyre shredder, the chassis has been tuned to accept the mighty surge of grunt and it is quite capable of putting the added power to the ground, resulting in rapid velocities in minimal time.

Unfortunately on the deceleration side of things the Shelby still fails to impress. Braking distances are still lengthy and it is easy to overshoot your mark if you aren't paying attention. The improvements in handling of the car are obvious as soon as you turn the wheel, however they are not enough to make up for ingrained shortcomings. If you get out of line it can cost a lot of time to correct mistakes. Despite the improved sharpness in the steering, the Shelby still has no real 'feel' and if you don't have the corner lined up well in advance the car can be reluctant to go where you want it to.

That said, when you do get things right it feels great and the tractable performance lets you have fun smoking it through the bends. In the hands of a smooth driver this is still a quick car, but those who try to force it will pay heavily if they ask too much of it. The MFT tune has taken what was essentially a modern day brontosaurs, slimmed it down and given it the teeth of a raptor. But when the ice age cometh, this is still a dinosaur that will be left behind far more nimble beasts.

+ Tyre smokin' fun!
+ Vast improvement on stock performance and handling

- Scratch the surface and the flaws of the original are still evident
- Good fun, but not a serious racer
 
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You know, I'm starting to suspect that most US cars have their brakes mushied out. No matter what I did to them, the braking distance didn't improve. Instead, the car became heroically unstable or understeery when you got on the brakes. And if I recall right, I mentioned that it will feel slow, occasionally even ponderous when cornering, but as you said, it allows some sideways fun when provoked. I have to admit that this is probably the most easily accessible supercharged V8 available in the game. The rest are.. More intimidating.
 
Let's see if you're right Leo about the brakes being mushied out, do a back to back test using the Monaro & Pontiac GTO....it's the same car, just a different nose and a little hp difference but maybe the country difference could mean something....just an idea.
 
I have to admit that this is probably the most easily accessible supercharged V8 available in the game. The rest are.. More intimidating.

Except this car is mislabeled in the game. The Series 1 in the game is not the supercharged version, it's the N/A version.
 
Except this car is mislabeled in the game. The Series 1 in the game is not the supercharged version, it's the N/A version.

The Series 1 of GT2 (which is NA) has about 20 horses less than the S1 of GT4, so at first I was gonna dispute Adam's claim, till I read the supercharged version is actually supposed to have about 450 horsepower at www.caranddriver.com and a couple other sites. 450 is way more than GT4's car, which has about 336 if I remember correct.
 
Brock5000 - The first really proper review for the RS, great to see one! The biggest strength of the car was indeed fast cornering but it was let down by its slightly wheezy engine. It's interesting to see the verdict with more power and less downforce as the car was never developed as such but seemingly a balanced setup works at least reasonably well no matter what you throw at it. It was to be further developed into a M3 RS-R based on the GTR but finding the RX-7 made short work of that plan for TGC2.0.

Oh, and remember this after you tested the FPV GTHO a long time back?

Speaking of the turbo brother of the GTHO... it's coming. Hurricane warning, I might say. I don't know how fast it is yet but I have a feeling that I'll invite you for a test drive when it's done, it just might have the small touch of sharpness that the GTHO is lacking.

It was coming for almost two years but I finally got it out last summer. Interested? ;)
 
Hello and salutations Greycap!

Yes indeed I have an outstanding review due. Wheels turn and cycles advance, I have returned to the game yet again :)
I hope to have a write up on your hot F6 Turbo for you soon, but I thought I would warm up with a few quickies first.
I did have a blast of the Hurricane and initial impressions were good, but I will refresh myself with the GTHO before giving it a full appraisal.

Further to the M3 RS, your version, when de-tuned with no power upgrades, no down-force and N3 tyres, is just as enjoyable as either the standard MFT edition or with full upgrades. This is another confirmation that the suspension is so perfectly tuned and at one with the chassis, the only thing holding it back is your commitment to the corner at hand. I really like this car, it is my current favourite ride around the 'ring by far 👍

I'll try to have that review for you in the next week or so, cheers,
Brock
 
Absolutely no hurry, I seriously didn't even think you'd catch the hook but the more the merrier and I'm certain you'll like the car if you liked the GTHO. Basically it does everything the GTHO did but it does it better.

And the M3 reveals new things of itself, it seems. If anything this goes to show that one doesn't have to tune on N tyres first, then add power, adjust a bit, add downforce, adjust a bit, add S tyres, adjust a bit, add more power... to get the good results. That car was built with the parts listed from the ground up and look how it ended up. :D
 
Dang. Nobody's got a Ginetta tune. :( Just shopped all the other garages currently on the first page before I stopped by MFT. Finally, a car that's not tuned by you guys yet (unless it's under a different name or I'm just blind!) :cool:
 
Dang. Nobody's got a Ginetta tune. :( Just shopped all the other garages currently on the first page before I stopped by MFT. Finally, a car that's not tuned by you guys yet (unless it's under a different name or I'm just blind!) :cool:

Okay Parnelli, I knew I'd seen the Finns do a Ginetta:
Read this post, but it was apparently a private request.
 
Yep, I made one which has been passed to quite a few people now but never released as finding a suitable counterpart is easier said than done.
 
My review of my MFT Tuned Ginetta G4

Sorry its taken me a while to write this, been too busy driving the pants off it.

In February, I sent my Ginetta G4 to Greycap of MFT to be tuned.

Why a Ginetta, you ask? I had only recently discovered the car, and had quite frankly fallen in love with it. However, my attempts to tune it quite frankly failed dismally.

After some 'hands on' testing of another MFT product, I was very impressed, and quite frankly, had high hopes from the beginning. I asked for it to be tuned as a grip racer because quite frankly, I spend too much time hanging the arse out in cars I drive which can be, but is not always, beneficial to my cause. Good fun though.

But anyway, I digress. I received the car, and took it straight to the Ring. Big mistake. With a car that weighed less than some humans but had the power of a cavalry charge, I was in for a lesson I wouldn't easily forget.

The car shot off like a rocket. First gear was basically useless. Power shifting into second, the back end could squirm a little, but only under hard acceleration. The exhaust note is pure bliss as I shift to third, the resounding crackle reverberating off the walls. Down shift back into second, turn in. Boy does it turn! The little yellow British lightweight sticks like s**t to a blanket as I clip the apex perfectly...at which point I'm promptly hurtled into the outside wall with a bewildered look on my face. I start the car moving again, and as I reach speeds of 100 KM/H or above, the car really becomes rather unstable on the patchwork roads that make the Nurburgring. In my excitement, I had forgotten that the car only had 400 odd kilos under its belt....ahh.

I resumed testing at another, smoother track to get a feel of the Ginetta. And what a car it is! The under braked, overpowered vehicle that I had tuned had disappeared. In its place was the new king of my garage. With top gear whining loudly, the exhaust making the floor warm under my feet, the G4 is capable of speeds over 300 KM/H, yet is nimble as a housefly and accelerates remarkably well.

After becoming used to the car, I entered it in the 99 lap race in Monte Carlo, at the Côte d'Azur. I was limited to S3 tyres in this race. I spent the first few laps familiarizing myself with the track, the let the Ginetta have it. With a beautiful induction roar and screeching of the tyres, it was off.

As I started knocking my laps times down and down, I took a step back and looked at my driving style. I was going through far too many sets of rear hoops, with, on average, one set of fronts outlasting two rears. On a smooth surface, the Ginetta had really come into its own and I had been having great fun driving it. With the lower grip tyres on it, the G4 made a perfectly capable track car, and was also the most predictable car I have ever driven when taken past the limit. Drifting, and linking two or 3 corners was laughably easy, and as such I was putting on a smoke show for the crowd.

However my lap times were beginning to suffer. So I bunkered down, and concentrated on improving the regulation of my right foot. Believe it or not, it worked. I was making tyres last longer, and my lap times had improved remarkably by race end.

And my thoughts turned back to the Nurburgring. With an evil cackle, I entered a 25 lap race. Let me tell you, it was interesting. Within the first 5 laps, which were taken very cautiously, I learned the vices of the car on a rough track. Rumble strips, although posing a danger, could be easily overcome by anticipating the movements of the car.

One problem I did encounter though, was the extreme instability of the G4 on the straight at high speeds. As long as one left the steering wheel up to its own devices, the car is controllable. However, when steering input was required at high speed, the car would enter an uncontrollable fishtail. I countered this by using the brakes to put more pressure on the tyres during even the slightest of steering movements.

This is a problem that I feel could be easily countered with a wing, an option not available for the G4. However, it is a problem I have only encountered on the Nurburgring (as yet untested on Circuit de la Sarthe), and is avoidable with adaptable driving techniques, and as such, is not a trait I am concerned with.

But overall, I have nothing but praise for this car. Nothing. The MFT tuned Ginetta is a wonderful piece of machinery. Its really a shame GT4 is the closest I will ever get to it, because I can think of a few roads near my house that would be incredibly fun.....


👍👍👍👍👍

I took the Ginetta to Citta d'Aria last nite to compete at the Special Condition Normal level. :nervous: Did a quick tune, added 45 kg (100 pounds) of ballast, and kept tweaking it, but couldn't get it to do what I wanted. I think if I spent an entire afternoon messing with it, I could get it handling marginally to my liking, but I haven't got that kind of time unfortunately. Gotta work and all that. :(

But yea, I would love to have the above tune if it's around. I'm also gonna check out a different Ginetta tune that was PM'd to me.
 
Volvo S60 T-5R '03

330 bhp, 430 Nm, 1286 kg


Clickable for full size



Parts to fit:
Racing Brakes
Brake Balance Controller
Turbo Kit Stage 1
Port Polishing
Engine Balancing
Racing Chip
FC Transmission
Triple-plate Clutch
Racing Flywheel
FC Suspension
S3 Tyres
Weight Reduction Stage 3
Oil Change
New Wheels (optional)

Suspension
Spring Rate: 7.5 / 7.0
Ride Height: 125 / 130
Bound: 5 / 8
Rebound: 9 / 6
Camber: 2.0 / 2.0
Toe: 0 / -2
Stabilizers: 3 / 4

Brake Controller
Brakes: 3 / 3

Transmission

Note: First, reset the gearbox to the default settings, then set the Auto setting, and only then set the gear ratios.

Gear Ratios
1st: 3.623
2nd: 2.412
3rd: 1.830
4th: 1.450
5th: 1.200
6th: 1.000
Final Gear: 2.750

Autoset 20

Driving Aids
ASM Oversteer: 0
ASM Understeer: 0
TCS: 0


While a sedan Volvo with front wheel drive is firmly seated in the top five of the most boring car concepts ever it doesn't mean things can't be changed. Volvo got on the right track with the 850 T-5R and while the designation was dropped after that one single model both the T-5 and the R lived on.

So here we have an S60 T-5R that tries to correct most of the shortcomings of the factory versions. It succeeds, up to a point in which it was spun out during testing - and yes, this is a FWD car. More power from a bigger turbocharger, better handling from a new suspension aimed at fast cornering instead of comfortable cruising, less time spent off the powerband (not that it's too likely with torque like this) thanks to a rebuilt drivetrain. This car will eat average hot hatches for breakfast and proceed to advanced ones when it comes to having lunch. Actually, it's the fastest FWD we've ever built on sports tyres and it clears the competition with a good margin.
 
It's been awhile since I drove the Volvo, and I didn't drive it for long, but I do remember it had some admirable traits. Lots of traction for an FWD, for instance.
 
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