Mad FinnTuners Co. - Finished 081213 - The Final Countdown, 4, 3, 2, 1, OUT!

I'll reply to the Challenger review by Kurei now and leave the GT-R review by kingmoshoeshoe2 for tomorrow - not feeling sharp enough at the moment to do both.

Nürburgring is weird in that account. I've yet to find a car that understeers horridly there, it's like the surface had more grip than most other courses, or more likely, more camber in the corners. And it's indeed fast and flowing which definitely suits the car. Your experiences on Autumn Ring sound more like my own ones and it's almost certainly the very heavy "elephant engine" on the front axle that gives the car its understeery bias. Or the more than obsolete suspension, as a matter of fact. What is certain is that as soon as it has to take a "real" corner it's in trouble unless the driver knows what to doo.

I'm still amazed at the actual racing performance people are getting out of it. You're not the only one who has taken it to the Historic Racing Car Cup (something like that, I guess) and either won or placed high on the podium. Perhaps the car simply is a lot better than I thought when making it, it just feels slow when compared to the nimble models of today.

Thanks as always, you know what to do if there's a need for something. 👍

Later today we shall release a pair of front drive vehicles. And before you sigh and turn away, I ask you to put your prejudices aside and take these two for a spin. Despite of having bigger than usual engine in the front, with enough grunt to make some smaller V8's envious, they actually handle pretty decently. One of them even looks pretty nice, despite having a color that screams "ARRR! I'm fast! Look at me!"... Yes, quite shouty buggers they are.

You won't get any bad FF response out of me. Fact is that after not having played GT4 for years, it was an FF car that helped me get a better understanding of GT5's new physics engine. That old Civic Race Car is probably the smoothest ride I've had in the game thus far.

OK, one more review while waiting for the FF cars - the '69 Camaro Z28. It was actually the second of your muscle cars I tried (the Challenger review to follow) and I probably would not go for it, had the Challenger been such a success. However convincing a transformation I found the Challenger, I still only came second in the Monaco race, the P330 simply easily pulling away once I managed to let it pass. Nothing to be done, tried once more but second was all I could manage.

As I do not have another wonder weapon to gold the historical trophy (for which I found a tune) I went for the Camaro. It shares many of the characteristics with the Challenger in my opinion but in a somewhat lither package. It will still understeer badly (terminally) if you do not brake sufficiently for a corner and the heavy V8 up front defines the experience. The brakes are, correctly for the period nothing to write home about, and if you so wish, there are black marks to be left aplenty at the entry to the tunnel in Monaco. Sounds pretty good, too, although one feels that some cubes are missing, the revs seem a bit higher to compensate.

The first corner is pretty easy, even if you miss the braking point a bit it is not hard getting through without kissing the barrier. The second one requires more care - if you brake too late or too little it will simply plow on to the outer barrier, with little to be done about it. But if you get it right, the third one works really well, giving you some metres breathing space from whatever is breathing down you neck (and at least with my driving, a follower was never more than 1.6 seconds behind). The switchbacks prior to the tunnel were another point, where (a real eye opener) the old pony car actually managed to get some space behind. I needed to briefly release the throttle at around 205kmh in the tunnel, to ensure I had a good line in the braking zone afterwards (but did manage to accelerate beyond that speed subsequently). The interesting thing is how consistent the speed was, would get the same top speed in the tunnel lap after lap (I think all ten laps I did deviated perhaps within a range of 2kmh).

One large difference to the Challenger was the chicane after the tunnel. I found the entry more confident in the Camaro and if I nailed the exit I would really gain time here. The penultimate corner of the track, on the other hand, I had some difficulties with. A bit of a hit and miss affair - earlier braking helped generally, if I combined it with a prod of the pedal, making sure the back came around nicely. Not an issue with the car, as far as I am concerned, more with me and the corner (have it in other cars there, too).

So long as you respect the fact that a 40 year old pony car will not replicate a modern Evo in behaviour, I find it a surprisingly effective, safe and fun tool. My lap times at Monaco were 1.38.xxx throughout, managed 1.37.9xx as a personal best. And to add that warm glow to it all, the second try was sufficient for that gold trophy (the car and getting to the first corner ahead of the vacuum cleaner both having a hand in this).

Finally to tyre wear, as befitting a muscle car of old, the rears will loose thread faster than the fronts but it does not seem dramatic overall (well, if you do not like clouds of smoke following you). The fronts were still of a fairly solid shade of blue after 5 laps, the rears lighter in shade but without any signs of loosing effectiveness.

Overall I was really impressed with how the oversteer I feared just wasn't there. Sure, if you wanted power oversteer you could get it easily enough, however a clean line through corners was easily accomplishable, if you rather fancied your lines neutral.

Apart from the fact that braking has to be done early because of the resulting understeer if it is not, it is a perfectly safe car to give to a less experienced player. Keeping it on the road should be feasible for a beginner, getting the most out of it probably does require intermediate skills, though. It's good fun at any level

OK, the Challenger next. Just like the Camaro, I found the Challenger a very pleasant and easy car to drive. I had it already, as I needed it in several of the races previously, so had a fairly good idea of what it was like unaltered. While one could get a good turn of speed out of it, handling was decidedly not its thing and transitions from under to oversteer were somewhat frequent. As long as you kept the rears off the grass the oversteer was not difficult to catch but the handling often cost you time. Still, apart from the historical championship (lvl 16 if memory serves), I managed to win wherever I entered it. As those two races stood between me and completing the expert level, I pounced upon trying your tune as soon as I had a couple of hours to play again.

First impression is of pretty savage acceleration, and then one of serenity - the car is very stable if you let it do its thing - do not turn in until scrubbing off enough speed for the fronts to bite and it is almost impossible to upset it. As long as your corner entry speeds are good, there are pretty good lap times to be achieved. I managed a second place in both races (Deep Forrest and Monaco), managing quite well to keep what was behind me behind but equally loosing time to the cars ahead (P330 in one and the vacuum cleaner in the other race). I finally got a gold in both with the Camaro but that is not to take away anything from the Challenger. It feels a bit heavier than the Camaro (and with ca 200kg extra, probably all above the front axle) that's natural. At the same time I also found it very reassuring to drive and can certainly see myself considering it for an endurance race (although it is massively overpowered for any of the 2-4 hour ones at the start).

Now to some more specific descriptions how I found it on both Deep Forrest and Monaco. Starting with DF, the first corner is a doddle if you do not brake too late. On exit a gradual application of the throttle is also recommended for the blast up the hill. It has a wobbly moment on the crest - not a criticism of the car, as it remains stable there - just gives you a feeling that your stomach would suffer in the real thing The corners through the tunnels really depend on you not overdoing the entry speed (in a way the defining characteristic to driving the car). I felt it took most concentration after exiting the second tunnel, up until the straight leading to the third. Putting a wheel on grass there would ruin your chances completely, the wrong line would require braking and usually a place lost (or a place in the wall). Again the car did exactly what was described on the tin, it is just not quite realistic to expect a full-sized muscle car to handle with aplomb in a tighter section. The other corner to concentrate was the one leading out of the last tunnel - missing the braking point would not get you off but would as often as not let someone slip past. The place where I did most of the overtaking, or at least setting it up was the last corner - I seem to consistently have carried more speed through there than the AI cars (whatever they were). As the speed was a bit higher and one floors it in a pretty straight line, even the right hand side wheels being on grass will not get the car off (but will slow acceleration).

I also used the car with my B spec driver, usually with success. He managed to win most of the races unsupervised but did need some goading on at Laguna Seca - he would simply drift to sleep in the middle and let the Countach repass and then not do much about it. Managed it was not a problem at all.

As for Monaco, as with the Camaro, the second corner needed timely braking, the rest of the circuit was pretty similar (even the top speed in the tunnel before momentarily releasing the throttle was the same). I tended to handle the chicane after the tunnel a bit slower but managed a better and more consistent exit out of the penultimate corner than with the Camaro.

I kept the car in white (as it comes after the RM), and with the B-spec driver occassionally getting the rear to step out a bit after the Corkscrew at Laguna Seca, the engine sound and all, one could easily get the impression that Kowalski was looking for his Vanishing Point right there I can certainly see why he would choose the car.

I really want to compliment you for the car, not only for making it handle very predictably (very controllable as a result) but also for ensuring it keeps the character of the vehicle it was originally based on so well (same as with the R32).

Ouch. The FF releases just got postponed to tomorrow - something has to be done about these reviews first!

Beginning with the GT-R. It's very interesting that you found the car to handle like you did - it's in line with what Kurei experienced and pretty much the total opposite of what thechosenwonton thought of it. It's indeed not a monster but it shouldn't, it's an example of not fixing what isn't broken. Before I made that tune I actually had a 600+ bhp fully lightened example which handled like a tow truck stuck in reverse gear compared to what you see now. At that point I realized that it might be a good idea to emphasize the strong points of the R32 instead of trying to turn it into something it isn't and what happened, out came a car that takes some trying to crash it. Having said that I succeeded - that's why it has the Intermediate badge, the final three seconds cause a lot of interesting behaviour. The tyre wear note is especially interesting, I haven't driven it in any even that involves actually wearing tyres but I'd expect it to do worse. Another odd side effect, it seems.

And the Challenger. There's one little thing that skews the game a bit in the Camaro's favour, the Challenger isn't fully tuned if you built it as shown - another 100 horses are available with a supercharger. Not that they'd help a bit with it being overweight though.The heavy front just has to be dealt with as I didn't find any working cure for it. Perhaps laws of physics can't be defied after all... and yes, it's more challenging to drive fast than the Camaro. No idea if it's because of the car itself or because I tuned it (both options are certainly possible) but something causes it for sure.

Both reviews very much appreciated, the same request system you used with Leonidae apply to me too. 👍

Another point, I have used racing softs to get the times posted and the trophies in the historical challenge for both the Camaro and the Challenger. I am definitely looking forward to having the request - just let me think a bit what it should be

Thanks!

Hello! how are you?
I'm having trouble getting the setup of a ferrari 430 scuderia track to Laguna Seca Raceway!
A ferrari 595 hp with this and 1335 pounds ...
I wonder if you, with the vast experience they have, they could help me with the setup for this track?
I await an answer! Thanks!

skyline_x10

Hello! how are you?
I'm having trouble getting the setup of a ferrari 430 scuderia track to Laguna Seca Raceway!
A ferrari 595 hp with this and 1335 pounds ...
I wonder if you, with the vast experience they have, they could help me with the setup for this track?
I await an answer! Thanks!

Click to expand...

Considering this is your first ever post, it's safe to say you have not met their requirements of a quality review of their product before a request will be accepted.

Parts to fit:
Oil Change
New Wheels, Prodrive GC-010G, finished in Electric Orange from Ford
Front Splitter & Skirts Type A
Rear Wing Type B
Chassis Weight Reduction Stage 3
Window Weight Reduction
Carbon Bonnet (Body Colour)
Engine Tuning Stage 3
Sports ECU
Sports Intake Manifold
Racing Air Filter
Titanium Racing Exhaust
Sports Exhaust Manifold
Catalytic Converter: Sports
Fully Customizable Transmission
Twin Plate Clutch
Semi Racing Flywheel
Fully Customizable LSD
Fully Customizable Suspension Kit
Sports Soft Tyres

Overall cost: Somewhere between 200.000Cr and 210.000Cr

Aerodynamics
Downforce: 0 / 15

Transmission
Gear Ratios
1st: 3.148
2nd: 2.159
3rd: 1.594
4th: 1.233
5th: 0.998
6th: 0.847
Final Gear: 4.000

Top speed: 280 km/h

Fully Customizable LSD
Initial Torque: 5
Acceleration Sensitivity: 20
Braking Sensitivity: 5

Suspension
Ride Height Adjustment (mm): -10 / 0
Spring Rate (kgf/mm): 6.0 / 7.5
Dampers (Extension): 9 / 4
Dampers (Compression): 3 / 8
Anti-Roll Bars: 3 / 5
Camber Angle (-): 2.0 / 2.0
Toe Angle: 0.00 / -0.30

Brake Balance Controller
Brake Balance: 3 / 8

Driving Options
ASM: On / Off
TCS: 0
ABS: 1

About the looks... when I realized the car would never look good no matter what I took the alternate route. That's what came out.

The Focus ST, sitting below the RS in the range, is the so called sensible fast Focus. There's one word in that sentence that doesn't fit in the MFT way of thinking and you can probably guess it. So off to work the guys went again... and the result was something called an STR. Sitting closer to the ground wearing garishly painted wheels it looks like it wants to be a GT3RS when it grows up. Well, tough luck, that's a goal of an overly ambitious kind but it can always try. That's why the engine, basically the thoroughly tried Volvo T5 (you won't hear a Focus ST/RS owner saying that out loud) has been boosted to give approximately 50% over its original power. Yes, through the front wheels. And there's not half as much struggling as you'd think involved in delivering the power, admittedly the danger of wheelspin is lurking literally behind every corner but it can handle it without any drama as long as the driver keeps a cool head.

The RS500 is said to be exclusive as only 500 were made. I wonder what it makes of this one as only one has been completed this far!

Greycap

About the looks... when I realized the car would never look good no matter what I took the alternate route. That's what came out.

Click to expand...

I always thought the colour was rightfully called ASBO Orange

Looking forward to trying it out - actually got 370k km fun service out of that engine (in a Volvo, though). Plus reviewing your cars really brings fantastic dividends

Well that's some massive torque from the Volvo engine: 444+ kgfm!?

O: oh, it's now newtonmetres...

Parts to fit:
Oil Change
New Wheels, Prodrive, finished in BLACK
Front Splitter & Skirts Type B
Rear Diffuser Type A
Rear Wing Type A
Chassis Weight Reduction Stage 3
Rigidity Improvement
Window Weight Reduction
Carbon Bonnet (Body Colour)
Engine Tuning Stage 2
Sports ECU
Sports Intake Manifold
Racing Air Filter
High RPM Range Turbo Kit
Fully Customizable Transmission
Twin Plate Clutch
Semi Racing Flywheel
Fully Customizable LSD
Fully Customizable Suspension Kit
Sports Soft Tyres


Aerodynamics
Downforce: 0 / 10

Transmission

Gear Ratios
1st: 5.017
2nd: 3.401
3rd: 2.493
4th: 1.915
5th: 1.542
6th: 1.320
Final Gear: 2.269

Top speed: 300 km/h

Fully Customizable LSD
Initial Torque: 15
Acceleration Sensitivity: 35
Braking Sensitivity: 15

Suspension
Ride Height Adjustment (mm): -15 / 0
Spring Rate (kgf/mm): 7.5 / 9.0
Dampers (Extension): 10 / 5
Dampers (Compression): 5 / 6
Anti-Roll Bars: 3 / 5
Camber Angle (-): 1.5 / 2.0
Toe Angle: -0.40 / -0.40

Brake Balance Controller
Brake Balance: 5 / 4

Driving Options
ASM: Off
TCS: 0
ABS: 1

While the ordinary C30 T5 is more about being a perky prestige hatch, this one is clearly different. Meet the C30 T-5S, the steroid loving big brother of the feminine T5. Influenced by both Polestar's extreme concept and BTTC, it brings a racetrack performance to the urban roads. Having about 150bhp more than the more sedate factory version, this car demands respect and knowledge of high performance FF driving methods in order to get the best out of it. While the engine seems peaky, it is still best to shift before the redline and use the meaty torque that is available on wide rev range. Short gears mean that you can leave it on third and avoid wheelspin in tight hairpins and still have impressive amount of acceleration on the way out. Be mindful, though.. Throttle smashing in the corners will be rewarded with a reminder of your mortality and laws of physics.

Hello. Love your thread.

I can only get 550bhp out of the Camaro 69, yet you claim to have squeezed 565bhp out of it. I've done everything on the list, what am I doing wrong? Any tricks of the trade I might have missed...? It was brought from new, race modded, then upgraded to the max.

Needs breaking in, perhaps? For what I know the Camaro had run a good few hundred miles at the point of its release.

... sorry that knocked me back a bit.

I had no idea that cars on the game gained hp after you break them in a bit, but I've just googled what you said and it's true. The attention to detail sometimes has me a little stunned, to be honest.

Thanks for your help.

It will need approximately 200 miles/300km to break in. Applies to new cars only, though.. used cars don't have this advantage, which is a shame.

I am racing the tuned gt-r NOW online

For a GOOD CLEAN race come the the room!


its is calld : 360 MAX HP FUN! gtp

Please com and enjoy!

I have not yet had the opportunity for extensive testing but managed 10 rounds on the GVS with the STR (good it's not a diesel) Did four races of the tuner series, against the likes of Yellowbirds and S2000 GT1s, and while I overcooked the first corner on the final lap in the first race and came fifth, I managed to win the second race, even though I only led from the penultimate corner in that one. The subsequent two races (I did them later) I managed another 5th and 4th. Not sure how tyre wear or other opponents affected the times (for better or worse) but given that my best lap was 2.5 seconds slower than the time you have posted, I guess not too much - it is about the difference I have to your posted times with all the cars tested so far

The start is a bit of a sad affair, not for the tune - in the company of other cars the best I managed was to fall back to 10th before getting some places back at the first corner. Subsequently it is fairly standard fare - ensure you do not get overtaken by too many on the main straight, maintain distance to man in front in the first sector, gain to within inches of the back bumper in the second, and overtake in the S curves after the third tunnel.

The kerbs on GVS are not of the super severe variety but the car rides them like they weren't there, I never managed to get the back out, it was an incredibly safe car to drive. Actually strike the never managed to get the tail out, the outer rear wheel touching grass in a corner will do that for you, not that it is wholly unwelcome

The basic balance is on the understeery side - at least for helmsmen of my calibre, to whom trail braking and the like are theoretical concepts only. And while I find everyone can drive the car easily enough, it takes concentration to do fast laps consistently. As with the R32, and the two muscle cars, you need to be careful not to miss any braking points - do so and you will lose seconds - something hard to recover in a race with significantly more powerful opponents. And while I did a good job in the second race (luckily the Ruf CTR that was leading either burned up tyres or simply lost it in the first corner of lap 4 in both the first and second race I did), I could not repeat the performance in the subsequent ones. I also think my best lap was a tenth or two better than with the R32, but my overall time probably wasn't.

Two more observations. The tyre wear is almost exclusively at the front, at least the way I drove it. The rears were still the same basic dark blue after five laps that they had at the start. The fronts did not lose any thread (yet) but were the lightest shade of pale after one lap already.

The second one was that the outside front wheel spun quite a lot on corner exit, even when not giving it full throttle. Not to the extent of pulling the nose wide but I think it might be worth experimenting with the LSD settings a bit to get more drive to the inner wheel, and consequently more forward momentum. It is possible that the current setup is faster for a more experienced driver, though - as said, trail braking is not something I yet do.

I also did a quick spin on the High Speed track (the signature GT one, not sure of the exact name). The top speed was judged really well to work just right there - got the car to within 4kmh of the gearbox limit. The car was very stable and braking at the right time was less essential than at GVS. The middle sector was a bit undefined, i.e. I could not get a clean and consistent line through there but the car was generally still faster than the opposition, so I easily won the lvl 17 Turbo Challenge there. I think my times were in the 1.13.3xx range but I am sure more could be gotten out of it, had I learned how to nail the second sector.

Hope I get some more playing time soon, so as to test some of the others on the list - in the meantime job well done with the STR. As for the C30, got one in German Taxi Elfenbein colour - no T Gul but then there is no 850T-5R in the game either, from which to get the real shade Will try that out next.

Leonidae@MFT

It will need approximately 200 miles/300km to break in. Applies to new cars only, though.. used cars don't have this advantage, which is a shame.

Click to expand...

Just to clarify on this, used cars which have had an engine rebuild will also increase bhp.

Some great tunes in here btw 👍

ok so here is my review of the MFT R32 Skyline GTR V-Spec II Nur.
First time writing one so it won't be anything too amazing.

Testing was done on Tsukuba Circuit with Sports Hard tires.

First off, some testing on the stock car.

The stock car already feels pretty fast and it is easy to drive, but there are some issues with it. Weight is one of them and the way it is distributed in the car. The front of the car is really heavy and it is very noticeable during corner entry. It turns in well and is easy to control but it feels dull. With a bit of trail braking it can show a little bit of oversteer.
Mid corner it feels fairly neutral and there doesn't need to be much correction to the steering to fight understeer.
Acceleration after the apex is quite easy like most awd cars and there is a bit of understeer. As long as the throttle is applied smoothly, the car remains neutral coming out of the turns.
Another problem is that the front tires overheat easily during corner entry and long sweeping turns like the last turn in Tsukuba, but it loses grip in a slow and linear manner and won't suddenly start having massive understeer.
The engine although having about 300hp, actually feels very sluggish. It revs slow and the engine response is a bit weak

Now on to the tuned version.

In this R32 I've only installed the engine chip, exhaust manifold, catalyst converter, twin clutch, carbon driveshaft, fully customizable suspension. Total horsepower is about 350hp.
First of all, the corner entry feels much sharper over the stock version. No weight reduction has been done to the car, but it's like most of the excess weight in the front has been removed.
During mid corner both cars feel about the same.
Exiting a corner still has a bit of power understeer, but if the throttle is applied carefully and not too early the extra bit of power does cause a bit of oversteer to aid corner exit. The issue with tires overheating is also gone.
With all the above tuning mods the engine feels only a bit more powerful, but the main point of this tune isn't to have mind blowing acceleration. Instead it is to improve the engines response, and it certainly has worked very well. It no longer feels like the drivetrain is lugging down the engine, instead it's able to use the awd system in the GTR much more effectively.

I don't quite remember what were the times I got with the stock and tuned car, but the tuned version was about to lap Tsukuba circuit about 1 second faster then stock.

Overall I would give this tune a 8.5/10.

Pros: Much sharper turn in and engine response.
Cons: A bit of understeer still present at corner exits.

kingmoshoeshoe2 - Thanks once more! Judging by the sounds I guess I've underestimated another car... taking on those 500bhp tuned creatures and having a fighting chance sounds quite mind blowing to be honest. And it is too stable, that I can't even deny myself but it simply turned a blind eye to any of my attempts to do something for the rear suspension to cure it. Tried soft, no joy. Tried hard, still no joy. In the end I decided on what's posted as at least it's easy to drive. Difficult to push hard though, mainly just because it understeers heavily on corner entry. The relatively open differential was chosen as with a more locked one it would understeer under any conditions and be no faster out of corners than it is now. Now it has some hopes on actually rotating, both wheels still spin in most cases (at least with me driving) so more locking wouldn't even be of any help. And if you're looking for a good T-5R shade, Cashmere Yellow from Subaru is quite close.

Supermelon - Not bad for a first! Your version was even lacking a bit in the sharpness thanks to the lack of the close ratio gearbox but it doesn't make the handling findings any less valid. Admittedly the car is still close in spirit to the original but apparently the changes weren't for nothing. One piece of advice though, if you can, try it on the Sports Softs specified. I guarantee there to be less understeer.

Normal request rules in place. 👍

Dear Mad Finn Tuners Co. tm, well..., I was extremely impressed with the increased performance of my 1970 CHALLENGER R/T. I am currently level 26ish on a-spec and beat the classic muscle car race within the past month. however I (stupidly) purchased a Superbird (with full upgrades added). This was way before I knew anything about tuning cars. After going off and winning several seasonal events, I began to buy up all the RM model cars I could. I decided to give the Monza muscle car race another go for old times sake. So I took out my RM Challenger and failed to pass 2 cars before the first turn/chicane. So being like any other normal racer I went and purchased every upgrade. Then I went online to find a tune. I found your tuning garage through another site which is set up in a wiki format. there were 2 other tuning garage's available for the same car. I chose yours because of the quality of your tunes and the feedback you give and receive from members. This is my first post and i registered to specifically tell your team what a great job they do. I absolutely smoked the competition on this race with your car. From losing over and over to winning by a large margin, you have shown me what a good tune can mean in racing.

however, there is always room for improvement. First the Challenger has a hemi so i painted my car Hemi-Orange. Maybe it's because i'm american and we (or just I) have horrible taste in colors. second I was skeptical of how well you could achieve turns in such a heavy bucket like the R/T, but was surprised at how well I could navigate the course without having to brake often. my only complaint is (on monza) if you do not follow the driving line for braking on the first turn right after the straightaway you will end up in the grass/shortcut turn barriers. My button-mashing driving technique aside this car is nothing short of amazing and you will be my preferred tuning garage for all my cars, and i will continue to use and recommend your tunes in the future.

p.s. thanks for the Initial D Tune...I just got into this anime and have been trying to buy every car from the show...i own three Toyota Sprinter Trueno GT-APEX S.S. Versions that have been looking for a good tuner...hint hint...also what cars/tunes would you recommend for fun snow driving, I plan on not racing but just taking laps around a snow course i created myself.

THANK YOU & Keep up the good work!

Ironmanthing / Andrew

Had some time to try the C30 now as well. I have to say Leonidae's green colour must be a magical hue - getting it quite some seconds on GVS More seriously, I actually felt it was faster than the STR but the times somehow did not bear it out. Given that the two are platform mates there are some similarities but also some differences to be noted.

Fist starting with the similarities - it is a safe FF car, without any vices. It is just as oversteer proof as the STR, maybe even more so - here a wheel on the grass is no guarantee of the rear end coming around. Tried it both on the entry to the start finish straight at GVS, at the corner just after the timing post for the first section, as well as on several spots at Deep Forrest - all grassy activity was easy to catch.

The fornts are consequently the only tyres doing significant work, and suffering wear as a result. They get to the lightest shade pretty fast but not beyond (in 5 laps of abuse), while the rears stay of the dark blue kind throughout.

I started with the car in the European Champ (lvl22 if I recall correctly) at Deep Forrest, with all mods but without your setup. I got the times down to mid 1.24s and the car was OK, with the braking zones being on the long side but otherwise quite safe. Utilising your setup I got it down to 1.22.9xx, the largest difference being in braking zones shortening somewhat (colour me perplexed), as well as the left right left sequence after the second tunnel being more secure and controlled. The better time is even more remarkable given the much longer gearing compared to stock with the fully customisable gearbox. In terms of result it really was no context. The most serious opposition were the two Loti - the Evora starting from first and a GT350 from 4th I think but managed to bag both before the first tunnel on the opening lap, after which they never got close again.

As for GVS, the situation was somewhat different, just like with the STR. I used the Tuner Challenge version (lvl 15), the highest one I could find for a non-Japanese car. I did five races, every time having the misfortune of an Amuse S2000 GT-1 Turbo starting at the front (1 or 2), and no matter the tune, with my driving skills I was never going to catch it in the Volvo. The other tough opponents were a Yellowbird and a NA S2000 GT-1. Just like with the STR, the start was frustrating, seeing how one inevitably loses places to the faster machinery. I managed to more than compensate for this in the first corner, where I mostly regained 5-6 places, coming out as high as 4th twice. Depending on the three that remained ahead, I could pass another one or two by the 4th corner, or stay behind them for the rest of the race. Once the S2000GT-1 got ahead, I found it impossible to repass it - it seems to be easy on the tyres, so no excursions into the gravel, and while a mistake free drive will allow you to keep it behind, there is not enough life in the Volvo for passing it under normal circumstances.

Unlike the STR the difficult corner was not the left hander out of the second tunnel but the exit out of the third. Greycap was right - the different LSD settings do not make much difference - but it seems that it just gets around the STR problem corner better (i.e. even if you brake a bit late, you will have options on how to get around it), while at least with me driving, much more care is necessary in the third tunnel, especially not landing on the grass at the exit. Given the opposition behind every such error is punished with a place lost, often for good.

As said, it somehow felt faster than the STR at all times but I did not manage comparable times - the best was over 1.2 second slower. Not sure how to explain this but given the times I seemed to be losing time in the second sector, with a bit lost in the third sector (I always only managed a slightly slower speed in the last corner). So the best was a 2.06.145, while I managed just under 2.05 in the STR.

I subsequently had a look at the gearing, which was quite long overall for the GVS top speeds. Reducing it to 260 did seem to provide me with more consistent laps but did not improve my absolute best time, so make of it what you want.

Last but not least, the results - one 2nd place, two 3rds, a fourth and a fifth. Not bad, given the opposition (I am pretty sure the same opponents with non-AI drivers would have done a bitt better against me).
Hope this helps!

ironmanthing - Great to see new faces around and thanks for another review! And yes, judging by the colour charts for the muscle cars, it must be an American thing. About the driving line at Monza, absolutely no idea as I haven't used it since I found the option to turn it off. I actually recommend the same to you eventually, it's not the fastest way around a track as you've already found out. For snow driving, well, that's a tough one. AWD is the natural choice but other than that pick whatever you like. It's more about the driving technique than the car in the beginning anyway.

But Truenos you say? I'll have to look into it... aim a PM at me if there's specific I should take into account. 👍

kingmoshoeshoe2

~long and detailed review~
Hope this helps!

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Indeed it does. After some talk about these two cars, it seems that they're just too safe to be provoked into more sporty driving feel. Especially the C30 is more of a fashion accessory than a sportscar, and it's safe base nature cannot be "cured". Shame, since it really has been flourishing in BTCC.

I've already started working on your request and I have to say that it looks promising. I will dial down the power, at the moment it is all out monster. It handles really nicely as long as you keep your wits with you and keep some opposite lock ready in corners. This one will be a great deal of fun once I'm done.

Parts to fit:
Oil Change
Rear Wing Type B
Chassis Weight Reduction Stage 3
Window Weight Reduction
Engine Tuning Stage 3
Sports ECU
Sports Intake Manifold
Racing Air Filter
Titanium Racing Exhaust
Sports Exhaust Manifold
Catalytic Converter: Sports
Supercharger
Fully Customizable Transmission
Twin Plate Clutch
Semi Racing Flywheel
Fully Customizable LSD
Fully Customizable Suspension Kit
Racing Medium Tyres

Overall cost: ~200.000Cr for the parts plus the actual car

Aerodynamics
Downforce: 0 / 20

Transmission

Gear Ratios
1st: 3.383
2nd: 2.225
3rd: 1.602
4th: 1.211
5th: 0.962
6th: 0.803
Final Gear: 3.440

Top speed: 350 km/h

Fully Customizable LSD
Initial Torque: 15
Acceleration Sensitivity: 40
Braking Sensitivity: 35

Suspension
Ride Height Adjustment (mm): 0 / 0
Spring Rate (kgf/mm): 7.0 / 8.0
Dampers (Extension): 6 / 8
Dampers (Compression): 7 / 4
Anti-Roll Bars: 3 / 4
Camber Angle (-): 2.0 / 1.5
Toe Angle: -0.20 / 0.10

Brake Balance Controller
Brake Balance: 7 / 5

Driving Options
ASM: Off
TCS: 0
ABS: 1

The true spirit of MFT just walked in the door. The living legend is back and its best friend is rumouredly arriving a bit later.

Those who were around in the early days of our GT4 garage are very likely to remember the murderous ProtoMotors Spirra SC that soon earned a reputation as a maniac chainsaw psycho that killed unwary drivers at will. As a result I readjusted it a bit, resulting in a MkII model, but it still didn't behave in what I'd call a sophisticated way. I even made a MkIII in the latter stages and while it was better it was still a handful - frighteningly fast though.

Now it has come the time to resurrect the original SC under the name SC II (logical, don't you think) and see if it lives up to the legacy of its ancestors. It's still supercharged, has more torque than what is sensible by any means and sports a tendency to have its own way if given a chance. So don't give it that chance or you'll end up with a selection of shattered carbon fibre and twisted aluminium spread across the road from the impact point. In the hands of a seasoned driver it's a great weapon against both boredom and opposition but it still takes a lot of respect. And in my eyes that's what it makes it so special as it's not an instant winning machine for everyone. It's the same old axe murderer but the swing has slowed down some, allowing a quickly acting driver to get away with it before heads roll.

Review for the Mazda MX-5 ClubSport

Leonidae@MFT

Mazda MX-5 ClubSport'07

352 bhp, 344 Nm, 931 kg
Painted in True Red from Mazda


Clickable for full size​

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First off i have to say I'm personally a big fan of the MX-5 series. They are said to be too feminine to be considered a true sports car by some, but I'm not concerned with that. Not if you consider the performance these cars have. Lightweight, RWD Roadsters came to perfection with this car.

That being said i really like what you came up with for this car in particular. It enhances the already great feeling of having a car follow your every command. No understeer, slight oversteer, great handling in turns, which you can take however you want, this car will do whatever you ask of it.

At first i was a bit surprised when i saw no customizable gears, but after the first test drive around the nurburgring (7:44.526 on the first lap) i saw that those were already pretty good. Just about maxed out the speed on the final straight, and had enough power in the lower revs to get out of turns quickly.

Another thing i like about this car is its light weight. Its easy to control yet if you dare to take it to its limits its still quite sophisticated. Easy to correct the slightest errors in driving this is the true spirit of what a MX-5 should feel like.

Hats off to you good sir!

ChinaRestaurant

Review for the Mazda MX-5 ClubSport

Hats off to you good sir!

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Good to hear that the tune works for you as well! They indeed are perky and nimble little cars, those MX-5's.. Even more so when tweaked towards peak performance. I did my best to enhance and maintain the positive driving characteristics while keeping it easy to control. Anyway, as a reward for your excellent review, you can PM me a custom tune request.

*Not-so-ninja edit*

next, I shall unleash my counterpart for the good ole Spinna. What it lacks in HP and torque, it makes up with light weight and insane layout.. And equally illogical handling.

Just tried the Spirra online and damn that rear has a huge tendency of breaking lose. It almost feels like an RR instead of an MR. Tried my best to adjust the suspension to alleviate this problem, but no luck. I ended up taking every corner at snail's pace just to keep it civil. Guess I'm too noob for this beast