Hi Leo and Greycap,
Here's a
...review.
(EDIT: not Alpine A110RS!!)
Tested on update 2.07 offline, sixaxis controller, grip reduction real, aids off (except ABS 1).
MAD FINN'S TUNE AT GRAND VALLEY EAST
Lap time 1:03.9
Damn, this thing is fast and...ahem lets be polite and say "suffers no fools". Which meant with me at the wheel, it was pretty much an unguided missile. The laptime is well short of the car's potential since I regarded just staying on the black stuff as an achievement. The power is phenomenal, the noise is spine-tingling and the grip is minimal.
Stability under brakes was a major issue heading into GVE's first corner. The loooong braking distance means you need to start braking before the chassis has settled after the kink, which means the rear has a mind of its own as you desperately try to wash off speed. On the way out, outside wheelspin limits the amount of V10 you can use (or produces terrifying tank-slappers!). During the times when the brakes and engine are not trying to spin you around, the chassis balance is moderate understeer, especially at high speeds and if you don't use the lowest gear possible in tight corners. There is a lot of dive under brakes, which I found to reduce agility.
Sorry for the grim story...on the bright side, the gearing is wonderful.
PARTS ONLY (default settings, except LSD 5/5/5) AT GRAND VALLEY EAST
Lap time 1:04.2
The rear is even more slidey under brakes than the MFT tune. However, there is less mid-corner understeer so I found it easier to drive due to the more consistent balance through a corner (although it ends up looking less like a hot lap and more like a driftu session!). The car was less keen to power-oversteer, which also means the ability to steer using the throttle was gone. A very noticeable difference was traction- the MFT tune has oodles more of it than default settings.
PARTS ONLY AT FUJI F
Lap time 1:43.7
Traction is a real problem here. Spinning up the inside rear is fun, and helpful the recover from understeer, but it does hurt lap time. While turn-in is excellent, it is clearly too much for the rear tyres because using full turn-in results in mid-corner oversteer, often even 4 wheel drifts (not the good type, but the "there's simply no grip" type!). And there was a bit too much lateral body roll for my liking, as the body movement seemed to upset the chassis balance.
MFT TUNE AT FUJI F
Lap time 1:43.1
This is the most confusing test ever! Where the mid-corner understeer held the MFT tune back at GVE, here at Fuji it elevated it to greatness. Unlike Parts Only, I could use full turn-in and the car would nicely flow through the entry and mid-corner. Also, the extra understeer gave me more confidence to throw the car around to its limit. The extra traction was a blessing, however you can't get too greedy because there is always the thread of outside wheelspin turning you around. Aside from this, I actually enjoyed driving the car here (unlike the other 3 tests).
FINAL THOUGHTS
This much power with so little grip makes for a challenging drive. While the basic characteristics of Parts Only and the MFT tune can be recognised at both tracks, I have never experienced so much variation in driving experience between tracks before. The pick of the bunch is the MFT tune at Fuji, so congratulations to the Finns of Madness.