NuRac '10 Review
Since I don't have the patience/skills to run consistent laps of the Nurburgring, I've taken the KMW C8 away from its home ground for a test at Deep Forest (which I think is a similar style of track).
Tests were done using a DS2 controller on the PAL version.
Parts Only
(all the KMW parts except LSD and gearbox, default settings)
Not a car for transporting spinal surgery patients, this sure is a stiff setup! The car was often violently thrown off line by kerbs/bumps/etc. Very heavy entry understeer, I was having to brake very early because there was no turning action happening until well after the brakes had been released. I even found myself deliberately bouncing the engine off the limiter while engine braking, just to destabilise the rear.
Corner exit is nice- very well balanced and adjustable.
Over high-speed bumps, the rear loses traction causing wheelspin even in 4th/5th gears. And the last 2 corners (fast lefts) resulted in terrible understeer.
My best lap was 1:13.5, in theory I could probably run a 1:12.8 if everything went to plan, but running consistent laps in this car is a nightmare!
KMW Tune
Ahhhh compliance!! This is a perfect example of how lower and stiffer is not always better. Still a bit jittery over some bumps, but for the bits that matter (kerbs, mid-corner bumps) the car is excellently composed.
Corner entry is very well balanced, allowing me to brake much later. And the last 2 corners can be drifted through with perfect balance, causing an increase in speed at the start/finish line of 20km/h!!
The car is still quite twitchy, so putting a wheel on the grass or getting high-speed wheelspin will still result in you facing backwards before you know what happened. But this is probably due to the short wheelbase an not any fault of the KMW tune. Speaking of high-speed wheelspin, the rear wheels are now much better planted when taking big bumps at high speed, so wheelspin is far less common.
My best lap was 1:09.2 and, more importantly, this is a time I could reel off lap after lap with this tune. Great work.