- 715
I thought about where to put this and ultimately decided on here in the write-ups section of GT4 mostly because it is not the normal thread you might find elsewhere. Besides, it really is more of a write-up/diary of sorts than anything else. For those of you who are looking for setups and actual times, I can tell you right up front you will likely be disappointed. This is more of a sharing of general information of what I now know to be true about this particular series in the GT4 game.
I had read a thread and in the fabric of that thread I found a statement-more an observation by the person writing it that I found interesting. He/she said basically, "Don't you find it odd that often the prize car you win from a series wouldn't even be able to compete in the series you won it from?" The writer went on to point out the example of the Ford GT you win from the Pro GT World Championship. That is what got me thinking about this initially. I decided I would go back and test this postulation when I finished my first time through GT4.
At multiple other junctures I have read on this forum where a lot of folks were asking the question to the effect of, "What is the best car to use for the Pro GT World Championship?" I read answers where some thought "this" car and others thought "that" car and still others thought "some" other car. I have repeatedly seen questions that included essentially, "Well I tried this car and couldn't beat it so now what car should I try?" I saw where folks had won a particular race and gotten beaten in the ensuing race at another track with the same setup... etc. These lines of thought got me thinking even more and I decided to add proving to myself what cars I could use to win the Pro GT World Championship to the above question of could you beat this series in the car you win from the series.
I say prove it to myself because I don't really think you can or need to prove it to anyone else. I share what I have done here only to let folks know what I discovered. I am what I would consider an average driver. That is to say, I read times submitted all over this forum that I don't honestly think I could get around some tracks. I believe them and their times, I just don't think I could do it. I also read times that I would literally have to stop and wait several seconds to be that slow. We all seem to be enjoying ourselves at all different speeds here at the planet and I am somewhere in the middle of that fray.
My first time through the game, I had the Minolta when I came to this series so I modded it up with the turbo and tires and took on the series. I won 10x10 my first time through. Couple of little challenges that were strictly driver error along the way but, overall, not much of a serious challenge.
When I finished the game, I came back to this championship to answer my questions. When I came back, I came armed with the Ford GT II I had won here the first time to answer my first question. That being, "Could I win the series with what I won from the series?" Needless for some to have me say but I will say it anyway; I got a dinner plate full of phattboy butt handed back to me.
Was my question answered? Not yet. Not definitively albeit, I certainly had a better idea of what I was not capable of just yet. I needed some practice and then maybe I could.
Knowing practice includes knowledge of the tracks as well as of how to best setup and drive a particular car, I decided I could garner the needed knowledge of the tracks by answering my second question. "What cars can I win this with?"
I went back to the Minolta and took it back to how I won it. No turbo, just tires, tuning and timing. I raced the series three times in the Minolta, once with R2/R1 and in which I did not win 10X10 but in which I won the series. I raced once with R3/R2 and taking pit stops and also in which I did not win 10X10 although I won the series. Finally for that go round, I won the series 10X10 running a combo strategy on tires and pit stops. Then I went back and ran the series starting from the back of the pack and won 10X10 with the combo strategy again. I won the last time with absolute ease.
Turns out that apparently practice really was what I needed. I went and got the Ford GT II again. Again, I dined on humble pie. Two races in, I knew the end result and since I was growing weary of the taste of phattboy butt, I quit with the GT II again.
I returned with the Bad Boy Nissan R92CP (Red/White/Blue). I brought a trailer of tires and no turbos. Another handy win starting from the back using combo tire strategy and no turbo. I returned with the Black version for a couple of races to determine if there would be any difference in the result. A couple races in and I knew the difference would be minor so I ended the process on that one.
Curious now, I came back with a R89 on the trailer and discovered a very interesting thing. Under the same racing conditions as before of no turbos, just combo strategy, sometimes pitting in the race, and sometimes not, I found the win even easier with that car.
Practice making perfect? I returned with the Ford again and still got kicked. I guess the R89 and I just get along really well. I find it stable and predictable in nearly every situation for my style of driving.
I returned with the Jag. Had to work it but I won 10X10.
I returned with the 787B and like the R89, me and the 787B get along famously and I don't care what color it is cause I can't see it from where I'm sitting.
I returned with the GT-One... no real problem.
Tried the Ford GT again... nope... not yet
Then came the Bentley, the BMW (not the McJokehype F1), both Pesky's and the R8. All, no turbos... no real problem and no, I did not run every race completely through. Only far enough to know I had the win baring mistakes. The point is to answer, "could I win".
Ford GT? Nope! Not up to the task yet but I must say, fairing better than previously.
When I came back with the R390 Nissan, I found a hitch in the getalong. I couldn't win 10X10 with no turbo. In fact, I soon reached a point in the series when I decided I wouldn't win the series... period. I quit, came back with a stage 3 turbo and "poof", I'm back in the running although I still had to work a couple of races pretty hard.
At this point, I'm really thinking I am starting to accomplish something and then I ran across this thread:
Old Geezer's thread on the GT World Championship with a Nissan Motul Pitworks
My hat is off to this accomplishment
I am impressed and I'm thinking my efforts with the R390 kinda pale in comparison. But I noticed Old Geezer was only getting 54 points per race and some of mine were showing up with much more points... In fact, as much as twice in some test races, so I finished the series out in the R390 anyway.
As a side note: I went and tried Old Geezer's Motul because I was confused about the points thing. Although I didn't race the entire series but rather raced enough as individual spot races to determine this: I found it much harder to win in the Motul than the R390. So, here I sit, still confused about the point thing I mentioned earlier.
Just for grins, my most recent try was with the Ford GT II and it was still to no avail.
I intend to at some point to see about the BMW McJokehype F1 but for now I am a little bored with this series and have gone on to answering some questions in the Ice Arena.
Here are some random things I gleaned in this process.
1- I found that nearly all the cars that are C-Class (ie: does not include the LMP or LMR or whatever they are called), my setup seems to always revert back to about the same. I start with this as a base:
Change the ride height to about 15 or 20 over the lowest setting.
Set the dampers to 5/7 or 6/8
Add -1 to the rear toe.
Change the brakes to around 6/6 or 6/7
Set the tranny a couple of clicks up from stock on the autoset.
Make sure of full downforce. (PD pulls a quickie there
)
set the ASM/TCS to 0/0/x (depending on car)
Leave the rest alone and race.
Soften the springs up, raise the ride and set the tranny autoset a couple clicks down in the bumpy cities like the Kong or the Opera.
2- The R390 is a patience barge in most races. Just hang in there with no pits whenever possible. In fact, drive a little slower to assure no pits if that is what it takes.
3- The Bentley is a bugger in the city
4- The Pesky's are almost too easy to setup and drive and win
5- The Audi R8 and the BMW are temperamental to set up but once you get it, you own the competition with almost no effort.
6- The Minolta, the R92CP, the 787B and, at least for me, the R89C shouldn't even be used if you are looking for any kind of competition in this series.
7- After reading this, you should have some idea what choice to make.
8- Hong Kong is still my favorite track with Opera running a close second along with Suzuka and El Capitan.
9- Seol and NY are filler and a waste of time.
10- You need a chassis refresh long before you get to le Sarthe if you run the race as a series and I think it is even worse in the Black Cars. Learn the toe thing for help.
11- I am getting good enough with the Ford GT II that I believe this series just might be winnable in it... just not by me... yet.
If I think of more, I will edit this.
phattboy
I had read a thread and in the fabric of that thread I found a statement-more an observation by the person writing it that I found interesting. He/she said basically, "Don't you find it odd that often the prize car you win from a series wouldn't even be able to compete in the series you won it from?" The writer went on to point out the example of the Ford GT you win from the Pro GT World Championship. That is what got me thinking about this initially. I decided I would go back and test this postulation when I finished my first time through GT4.
At multiple other junctures I have read on this forum where a lot of folks were asking the question to the effect of, "What is the best car to use for the Pro GT World Championship?" I read answers where some thought "this" car and others thought "that" car and still others thought "some" other car. I have repeatedly seen questions that included essentially, "Well I tried this car and couldn't beat it so now what car should I try?" I saw where folks had won a particular race and gotten beaten in the ensuing race at another track with the same setup... etc. These lines of thought got me thinking even more and I decided to add proving to myself what cars I could use to win the Pro GT World Championship to the above question of could you beat this series in the car you win from the series.
I say prove it to myself because I don't really think you can or need to prove it to anyone else. I share what I have done here only to let folks know what I discovered. I am what I would consider an average driver. That is to say, I read times submitted all over this forum that I don't honestly think I could get around some tracks. I believe them and their times, I just don't think I could do it. I also read times that I would literally have to stop and wait several seconds to be that slow. We all seem to be enjoying ourselves at all different speeds here at the planet and I am somewhere in the middle of that fray.
My first time through the game, I had the Minolta when I came to this series so I modded it up with the turbo and tires and took on the series. I won 10x10 my first time through. Couple of little challenges that were strictly driver error along the way but, overall, not much of a serious challenge.
When I finished the game, I came back to this championship to answer my questions. When I came back, I came armed with the Ford GT II I had won here the first time to answer my first question. That being, "Could I win the series with what I won from the series?" Needless for some to have me say but I will say it anyway; I got a dinner plate full of phattboy butt handed back to me.
Was my question answered? Not yet. Not definitively albeit, I certainly had a better idea of what I was not capable of just yet. I needed some practice and then maybe I could.
Knowing practice includes knowledge of the tracks as well as of how to best setup and drive a particular car, I decided I could garner the needed knowledge of the tracks by answering my second question. "What cars can I win this with?"
I went back to the Minolta and took it back to how I won it. No turbo, just tires, tuning and timing. I raced the series three times in the Minolta, once with R2/R1 and in which I did not win 10X10 but in which I won the series. I raced once with R3/R2 and taking pit stops and also in which I did not win 10X10 although I won the series. Finally for that go round, I won the series 10X10 running a combo strategy on tires and pit stops. Then I went back and ran the series starting from the back of the pack and won 10X10 with the combo strategy again. I won the last time with absolute ease.
Turns out that apparently practice really was what I needed. I went and got the Ford GT II again. Again, I dined on humble pie. Two races in, I knew the end result and since I was growing weary of the taste of phattboy butt, I quit with the GT II again.
I returned with the Bad Boy Nissan R92CP (Red/White/Blue). I brought a trailer of tires and no turbos. Another handy win starting from the back using combo tire strategy and no turbo. I returned with the Black version for a couple of races to determine if there would be any difference in the result. A couple races in and I knew the difference would be minor so I ended the process on that one.
Curious now, I came back with a R89 on the trailer and discovered a very interesting thing. Under the same racing conditions as before of no turbos, just combo strategy, sometimes pitting in the race, and sometimes not, I found the win even easier with that car.
Practice making perfect? I returned with the Ford again and still got kicked. I guess the R89 and I just get along really well. I find it stable and predictable in nearly every situation for my style of driving.
I returned with the Jag. Had to work it but I won 10X10.
I returned with the 787B and like the R89, me and the 787B get along famously and I don't care what color it is cause I can't see it from where I'm sitting.
I returned with the GT-One... no real problem.
Tried the Ford GT again... nope... not yet
Then came the Bentley, the BMW (not the McJokehype F1), both Pesky's and the R8. All, no turbos... no real problem and no, I did not run every race completely through. Only far enough to know I had the win baring mistakes. The point is to answer, "could I win".
Ford GT? Nope! Not up to the task yet but I must say, fairing better than previously.
When I came back with the R390 Nissan, I found a hitch in the getalong. I couldn't win 10X10 with no turbo. In fact, I soon reached a point in the series when I decided I wouldn't win the series... period. I quit, came back with a stage 3 turbo and "poof", I'm back in the running although I still had to work a couple of races pretty hard.
At this point, I'm really thinking I am starting to accomplish something and then I ran across this thread:
Old Geezer's thread on the GT World Championship with a Nissan Motul Pitworks
My hat is off to this accomplishment
I am impressed and I'm thinking my efforts with the R390 kinda pale in comparison. But I noticed Old Geezer was only getting 54 points per race and some of mine were showing up with much more points... In fact, as much as twice in some test races, so I finished the series out in the R390 anyway.As a side note: I went and tried Old Geezer's Motul because I was confused about the points thing. Although I didn't race the entire series but rather raced enough as individual spot races to determine this: I found it much harder to win in the Motul than the R390. So, here I sit, still confused about the point thing I mentioned earlier.
Just for grins, my most recent try was with the Ford GT II and it was still to no avail.
I intend to at some point to see about the BMW McJokehype F1 but for now I am a little bored with this series and have gone on to answering some questions in the Ice Arena.
Here are some random things I gleaned in this process.
1- I found that nearly all the cars that are C-Class (ie: does not include the LMP or LMR or whatever they are called), my setup seems to always revert back to about the same. I start with this as a base:
Change the ride height to about 15 or 20 over the lowest setting.
Set the dampers to 5/7 or 6/8
Add -1 to the rear toe.
Change the brakes to around 6/6 or 6/7
Set the tranny a couple of clicks up from stock on the autoset.
Make sure of full downforce. (PD pulls a quickie there
)set the ASM/TCS to 0/0/x (depending on car)
Leave the rest alone and race.
Soften the springs up, raise the ride and set the tranny autoset a couple clicks down in the bumpy cities like the Kong or the Opera.
2- The R390 is a patience barge in most races. Just hang in there with no pits whenever possible. In fact, drive a little slower to assure no pits if that is what it takes.
3- The Bentley is a bugger in the city
4- The Pesky's are almost too easy to setup and drive and win
5- The Audi R8 and the BMW are temperamental to set up but once you get it, you own the competition with almost no effort.
6- The Minolta, the R92CP, the 787B and, at least for me, the R89C shouldn't even be used if you are looking for any kind of competition in this series.
7- After reading this, you should have some idea what choice to make.
8- Hong Kong is still my favorite track with Opera running a close second along with Suzuka and El Capitan.
9- Seol and NY are filler and a waste of time.
10- You need a chassis refresh long before you get to le Sarthe if you run the race as a series and I think it is even worse in the Black Cars. Learn the toe thing for help.
11- I am getting good enough with the Ford GT II that I believe this series just might be winnable in it... just not by me... yet.
If I think of more, I will edit this.
phattboy
VERY Interesting observations there "Partner!" I'd never thought of going back after a Series with the Prize Car. 
I mean we're all used to "Buy a Vitz - Win ANOTHER Vitz" races but what about the Suzuka 1000km where the "Prize" is the LISTER Storm V12 Race Car '99? Or worse yet the European Hot Hatch Car Championship where you win a VOLVO 240 GLT Estate '88! (Look Ma, it's a BRICK with Wheels!) Whopee, I'll sure be running that one over & over! Plus the "Patent Mobiles" et all should have been in a "Museum" where you pay a fee if you actually CARE about driving them...NOT awarded for a Major Accomplishment! 
Must be Japanese Logic that I just can't wrap my mind around. Anyhow, I digress.
...O.G. 
with fast racing cars... It actually manages to crash the 905 on the Motegi oval track, and to be 4 seconds slower than me on DeepForest on "5-Push Hard"...
