Beater or Sleeper? GT6 Car of the Week Thread

[Nismonath5]

I'm called Nismonath by some because in real life, I specialise in Nissans, particularly the SR engines. I do enjoy the GT-R GT3, the S15 Silvia and the Primera, but it was this GT original race car that really caught my attention, and I'm certain it will make for some great racing! 👍

Besides, most Nissans I would have chosen have already been picked, such as the Stagea 260RS Autech, Bluebird 910, and Primera.

 

[Obelisk]

Dang it, Captain Snarker. I worked my butt off to get that Private rank.

 

[Cowboy]

It's a sleeper by far. 50:50 weight distribution makes for a pretty easy car to tune, the only downside for me being the looks . It's a real shame that it's underused as this is a competitive racecar.

 

[McClarenDesign]

Dang it, Captain Snarker. I worked my butt off to get that Private rank.

Obelisk is under investigation for twerking without consent.

1:32.144​

 

[Obelisk]

Obelisk is under investigation for twerking without consent.

1:32.144​

1. I don't twerk.
2. Consent? Is that something you eat?

 

[todally_lit]

wow, there's such a thing as practice for cotw? That's quite the change from my normal "open room, figure out car, exit and buy it, oil chg, couple of mins of practice, race" - I do like the immediacy of online racing!

Great car! I'm looking forward to tonight's race!

This being said, how do you make "suggestions" for cotw?

 

[Cowboy]

This being said, how do you make "suggestions" for cotw?

@McClarenDesign picks someone each week to choose the next car.

 

[Nismonath5]

@todally_lit The car gets announced on Monday/Sunday (depending on where you are in the world) then Brad sets up a TT event featuring the car called "Playing with TTs" (childish giggle). That event's up all week.

It's not essential that you have to participate in this event, but it will help you in determining whether it's a beater or sleeper. Next up is the live races. These are Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Finally, everyone usually puts up their review of the car. Beater or Sleeper? Basically, seller or keeper?

 

[McClarenDesign]

@McClarenDesign picks someone each week to choose the next car.

That's a viscious lie.

@todally_lit The car gets announced on Monday/Sunday (depending on where you are in the world) then Brad sets up a TT event featuring the car called "Playing with TTs" (childish giggle).

Thank @Baron Blitz Red for that.

The OP has all the answers. At least 10x more than the bible.

 

[Racer283]

wow, there's such a thing as practice for cotw? That's quite the change from my normal "open room, figure out car, exit and buy it, oil chg, couple of mins of practice, race" - I do like the immediacy of online racing!

Great car! I'm looking forward to tonight's race!

This being said, how do you make "suggestions" for cotw?

MC has a secret way of picking people for COTW.

 

[girabyt3]

MC has a secret way of picking people for COTW.

He has all our names lol. And yeah, I love this one! ♥. Yeah, it looks like crap, but if you see the shape instead of how it looks, oh boy...

 

[Nismonath5]

The Mazda RX-8 Concept LM Race Car...

You know guys, I picked this car because on paper it looked like it would be a lot of fun. The power's not excessive, the weight is reasonable and it was a real weapon back in GT4. So I figured it would make for some EPIC racing.
In short, I was right.

I spent the first few races dialing in my car, getting used to its characteristics. Once I had the TCS and ASM settings sorted, I was away!

The climatic race of this meet up was, without a doubt, the 20 lapper at Tsukuba. I started on pole, and right off the bat was put under huge pressure by Rob. I was chased for about four laps before he got by me, and after that, I switched into "Look after the tyres" mode. Fuel and tyre wear was set to super high, so pit stop tactics were definately going to play a role in this race.

Rob gets a bit sideways while chasing me

McClaren's turn to go on the attack

Thinking about tactics, I decided I'd try an early pit stop, in the hope that everyone else would stay out there, wear their tyres down, then I'd be able to catch up on better tyres and swoop by when they all pit. Well, my plan didn't work. I pitted too early, (lap 6) meaning by the time everyone else pitted in, (which was about lap 16 onwards) my tyres had taken a beating, and I had to pit in twice. If I'd come in at around lap 10, perhaps my tactics would have worked, but ah well, that's motorsport!

First corner antics, jostling for position!

Fuji was another great race, though really it was more like two races. There was the front runners, Vic, Baron, etc. But there was also a four-way battle at the rear, featuring me, McClaren, Jack, and one of the visitors. That battle lasted pretty much the entire latter half of the race, and really kept me on my toes!

Now, for the inital impressions...
Right off the bat, it's very quick off the mark. It has plenty of power, but lacks torque, though if that was really an issue for you, you wouldn't be using a rotary in the first place! According to GT wiki, it's powered by a 2 litre triple rotor engine. The same engine found in the RX-7 LM Race Car, which is surprising cos I just assumed it was running the standard twin rotor 1.3 litre. It's handling is remarkably on point once you get used to it, with just a tinge of understeer which is easily dealt with. It's price tag is a tad steep, $1 Million, and it is standard, which may be a huge turn off for some. Jack even showed us that the RX-7 TC is just as competitive, it's about a quarter the price and it's detailed! But if you were lucky enough to win the RX-8 in the seasonal events, or already own it, I wouldn't get rid of it. It's brilliant for what it is!

In short, buy the RX-8 Concept LM Race car if you...
-Are a rotary enthusiast
-Liked it in Gran Turismo 4
-Want to slay V8s in a 2 litre
-Can't afford the 787b but like that livery!
-Want an "extreme" version of the RX-8
-Are collecting GT original race cars

 

[girabyt3]

I remember to see it in GT concept 2002 (where almost all the GT original race cars debuted) and man, it was a beast! (with a bit of understeer)

 

[McClarenDesign]

1. I don't twerk.
2. Consent? Is that something you eat?

I have a gift for you.

MC has a secret way of picking people for COTW.

It's not a secret, per se, much in the same way that the NSA goes to a FISA court before carrying out a warrant. Same track record, too. Just put the money in the envelope and walk away, that's all ya gotta do.

Nothing more.

Almost forgot to post highlights from previous weeks. Oops!

​

 

[todally_lit]

OK boyz, here's a first attempt at a review, starring the "Mazda RX-8 Concept LM Race Car".

The Mazda RX-8 Concept LM Race Car - which I will name Mazdie McMazface for purpose of this review. Hmmm - Is it a beater or a sleeper?

The answer is simple: NEITHER!

Beater: as defined, a beater is an every day car you might drive to work, use for beer runs, autoparts store sorties, and general shopping commando missions. I question whether the Mazdie would make it past the driveway given the clearance on the front lip. I think it would be the epitome of AA recommended cars. Imagine if you will... you're out of beer/scotch and declare an alcohol emergency, so you hop in Mazdie, rip it in reverse out of the driveway only to leave the entire front bumper, splitter an all on your driveway! Now, your craving for alcohol is replaced by the realization of what has happened to your $1M incompetent machine. Oivey!

Sleeper: Anything with a diffuser that outrageous screams performance! And hell, have you ever heard a turbo'd tripple rotor with no muffler? freaking loud! Far from a sleeper, Mazdie will wake up the neighborhood every time to rip out of the driveway! (even before Mazdie's ear splitting bumper/splitter deface-eation)

OK, so neither sleeper nor beater - then what? Mazdie, while not a research vessel, is a pure and simple racer and who doesn't like that!

Key first driving impressions:
Understeer - ah mah gah, there was nothing but understeer upon entering corners, stepping on the gas, etc.

What the .... happened to power on oversteer? - every one knows that when you pack that much power into a teeny rear wheel drive race car, and do everything you can to lighten the chasis, you should get power on oversteer. Well Mazdie? Where'd it go? What did you do with it? You step on Mazdie's gas pedal coming out of a corner and the front slides, the rear sticks like glue, and you're like: that was the worst corner exit in the history of motorsports!

That being said, once you adjust to getting off the gas when you want Mazdie to avoid an iceberg, and you figure out that you can get on the gas early IF you make the turn early, it becomes a fairly fast machine on open waters

OK, so I wasted a perfectly good lunch hour for this review, hope it comes in handy for Saturday racers. I sadly will not be there - my son and I will be practicing/preparing for a kart race on Sun.

Happy motoring, and good luck to all!

 

[Nismonath5]

...you're out of beer/scotch and declare an alcohol emergency, so you hop in Mazdie, rip it in reverse out of the driveway only to leave the entire front bumper, splitter an all on your driveway!

I laughed way harder than I should have at this bit

 

[Nismonath5]

Something that does bug me about the LM Race car, though... the diffuser looks waayyyy too big, compared to the spoiler which looks wayyyy too small. Refer to the first picture in my earlier review to see what I mean.

I'm not complaining, it drives and handles VERY well, and every part of the car's been perfectly moulded to provide this experience. It's just that as far as visuals go, I reckon the spoiler should be a little wider and thicker, and the diffuser a bit smaller... Imagine if you purchased a Flat floor in the custom parts menu for your Impreza or Maserati or whatever and it was as big as THAT.

 

[Draggon]

Something that does bug me about the LM Race car, though... the diffuser looks waayyyy too big, compared to the spoiler which looks wayyyy too small. Refer to the first picture in my earlier review to see what I mean.

I'm not complaining, it drives and handles VERY well, and every part of the car's been perfectly moulded to provide this experience. It's just that as far as visuals go, I reckon the spoiler should be a little wider and thicker, and the diffuser a bit smaller... Imagine if you purchased a Flat floor in the custom parts menu for your Impreza or Maserati or whatever and it was as big as THAT.

My my, aren't "we" being fussy

 

[Nismonath5]

My my, aren't "we" being fussy

Yeah, it's really just nitpicking an otherwise flawless racecar. The handling's perfect, the acceleration is stunning, it is a standard car but that doesn't entirely matter. It's one of the best racecars in GT6, without tuning.

 

[McClarenDesign]

My bandwidth is being overrun with the upload for the Monaco GP, so I won't be able to host today's races, let alone a twitch stream.

Any volunteers to host the racing?

 

[Vic Reign93]

My bandwidth is being overrun with the upload for the Monaco GP, so I won't be able to host today's races, let alone a twitch stream.

Any volunteers to host the racing?

I'll do it.

 

[Draggon]

Vic to the rescue!

 

[McClarenDesign]

I'll do it.

Vic to the rescue!

Thank you, sir!

 

[Niku Driver HC]

Vic to the rescue!

As expected from COTW's Grandfather of Speed...

...of if you prefer (and if you are a wrestling nut), COTW's William Regal of Car Racing.

 

[McClarenDesign]

As expected from COTW's Grandfather of Speed...

...of if you prefer (and if you are a wrestling nut), COTW's William Regal of Car Racing.

The only man I trust with my car's setup.

But not behind me on the track...

 

[Nismonath5]

A very wide range of nationalities racing in the lobby today..

 

[Niku Driver HC]

The only man I trust with my car's setup.

But not behind me on the track...

You know how they say; to be a track d:censored:k, hire Vic.

........!

Wait a second, that's not it goes, excuse my language...
...ok, I got it; to avoid defeat, hire a Brit. There. Doesn't it look better now?

 

[JackRyanWMU]

"Baa Baa Black Sheep"
​

So there I was, in the thick of mini-enduro at Tsukuba Circuit in the only car that wasn't an RX-8 LM in the field. The RX-7 Touring Car was however practically identical performance-wise; while it gives up power to the RX-8, it weighs about 200 kilograms less. The lower weight did make the RX-7 feel like the better handler of the two cars and seemed to be an optimal choice for the short and twisty circuit.

Early returns weren't all that great, though. (Likely because I don't often pilot race cars with such high performance levels.) An off on the first corner and a couple other mistakes in the first five laps saw me as a backmarker. As the race progressed and it became obvious fuel was going to be an issue, I initially went into conservation mode. Then it occurred to me, "I'm a ways back in the field anyway, why not take a chance and pit early?"



So at the halfway point, in I came for a splash of gas and four fresh tires which allowed me to go back to maximum attack, all the while being able to do it with no race traffic to slow me down. Slowly the race started to break my way as more people came to pit (with some having trouble getting to pit entry without overshooting) and I eventually beat everyone on the strategy.....almost.



I was first trumped by Draggon, who had chosen a strategy of going full tilt, building as big a lead as possible and then pitting. While trying to hold him off for two laps with a full eight laps on my tires would have been a tall order, him getting out ahead with fresh rubber meant the best I could hope for was second. And as a couple of my competitors' gas tanks hit empty, it seemed like that might be where I'd finish.



Except that Mc had played the fuel mileage card just right and made it without a pit stop for the win, meaning everyone on the podium had gotten there with a different method. With as poor as my race was early, salvaging a third place finish out of it was as satisfying as some of the wins I've managed in COTW racing.

For those of you asking, "So when's he going to finally give us a review of the RX-8?", I'll do that now. The RX-8 LM is a good car by itself, plenty fast and handles capably. But even if you can overlook the fact that the RX-7 TC performs about equally, has the premium treatment, and lets you customize both color and number; can you really justify paying four times as much for a GT4 port-over whose visual model shows every wrinkle of its age? I almost hate to do it, but I have to call the RX-8 LM a Beater.

 

[Nismonath5]

So guys, I've already given plenty of praise to the RX-8 Concept LM Race car, and most of you guys have backed up what I've said, so I'm going to summarise what a week's worth of driving has led me to believe about the car.

Yes, it's simplified. I know this will be a major turn off for some, but for me personally, though I prefer detailed cars, a few good simplified cars are fine with me. It is rather expensive, I reckon $500,000 would be a better price for it. But those are the only real downsides to it. The handling it on point. The power isn't too much or not enough, it's enough to get the job done and have fun doing it. Apart from being polygon-impaired, it's quite visually appealing. The widebody looks amazing, and even though I still find the diffuser somewhat exaggerated, in the wise words of Lit,

Anything with a diffuser that outrageous screams performance!

We found out on Saturday that the RX-8 Concept RC and RX-7 LM RC are actually pretty similar in performance. The RX-8 is slightly heavier, but with more power. Wheras the RX-7 is lighter, but at the cost of power. Which makes sense, since both of them were made around the same time, and they're pretty much brothers. More similarities between the two cars...
-Both $1,000,000 each
-Both simplified
-Both were much loved in GT4
-Both have 20b turbocharged triple rotors, in the 500bhp range
-Both are built for endurance racing

My final desicion on the Mazda RX-8 Concept LM Race Car, is Sleeper. 👍
Look beyond its disadvantages and you're left with a strong competition car, that's fun to drive and sure to please!

...just don't park it in your driveway, aye @todally_lit

 

[Draggon]

That's a great race report and review Jack. 👍

At Tsukuba Rob blasted off the starting line and I decided to follow his strategy. When he ran out of rubber, I passed and just kept on pushing it. My downfall came on my first pit, when I missed the entrance and had to endure a "drive-through". While I was in the pits the second time I put my cheeseburger down, stopped gawking at the pit girls, and saw jack coming but didn't figure there was any way I could get out before him. As the pics show, I exited with less than a car length lead. I was running down MC and got within 6 seconds of him, but his slow and steady strategy paid off. One of the best races I've had during the COTW.

As for a review...I like this car, and am particularly fond of the argyle polygons. My only complaint would be that it gets a bit loose if you apply power too soon out of the slow speed corners. But the issue is that it does everything "well" but not great. In GT4 I found this car to be perfect, so perfect and so dominant that I rarely drove it.

I like it, a lot, but I dont love it. Verdict: neutral. The RX7 LM feels better, more raw and on the edge.