BESTuners Gallery | Updated October 28th, 2006 - DB9 by ChromeBallz

[ekmatt9]

Another mis - understood word...Notice it said, ("My Beast")

I didn't necessarily mean the beast...I'll change it then haha

 

[speedy_2]

ehh...the Beast doesn't bother me as much as the fact that I wanted more to read. I'm sure your next report will be better

 

[G-T-4-Fan]

I guess it's written right after he drove it, he said it, and well he didn't get it from nowhere I guess there is some point.

Well anyway I REALLY REALLY REAALLLLLYYYY like the Merc E55 AMG. It's my favorite car because of it's weight shifting stock wich makes it the most perfect drift car for me thats near stock:tup: That includes the looks compared to the silly S14 Japanese

And it's so beautifull in black, the M5 is in black too but aint that black as the E55, lol the E55 is REALLY totally black, like a shadow

I just love it

 

[BESTuners]

Driver - Scaff

Car - TVR Cerbera Speed 12

Deep Forest Time - 1’08.321 (no driver aids)

Report
The ‘Red Rose’ TVR Speed 12 is the only road legal version in existence, originally a works development car, it was chopped to supply parts to the British GT cars. Many of you may remember its appearance in the UK motoring magazine Evo, and we are the first people to test it since then.

However its not exactly the same car, as in the intervening time, work has not stopped on the car. The power output, which has always been more than adequate, has been left alone; the work has gone into a complete change of the suspension system and the fitting of a brake balance controller.

So with fully adjustable suspension and a track to test its mettle we head off to see if the Speed 12 is the monster that legend would have us believe.

​

Scaff’s 👍
As the car rolls off the transporter at the Deep Forest pit lane, the engineer who looks after ‘Red Rose’ wanders towards me. I stare at the car as he approaches, pretty its not, but is does look damn mean. Vivid red in colour with a plain black wing jutting across the back, it seems impossibly low even given the revised ride height for deep forest.

To late to check if my life insurance is in order, a voice brings me back to the world, the engineer is asking if I am looking forward to this, all I can do is nod. “Lets get you strapped in then”, he says guiding me towards the open door. Dropping in the Speed 12 is more race car than road car, the trim is almost none existent, the interior is all roll cage and the drivers seat mounted low and far back in the cars body, its placement more about weight distribution than driver comfort.

“OK, she’s running on very sticky rubber today, so its going to be easier than with the road legal tyres on, but you still won’t be able to use more than ¼ throttle in first and 2/3rds throttle in second and third. After that the gearing and down-force will let you use full throttle. With that he leans in and thumbs the starter, at which point I appear to acquire selective deafness, the monstrous engine ahead of me now dominating my full auditory range. The door slams shut and with a thumb up and a grin from the engineer I’m on my way.

Gently feeding in the power as I start my first lap it becomes abundantly clear that the engineer was not joking about the throttle, anything more than ¼ application just spins the rear tyres, not fast, but fun and it does smell great.

As promised second and third are much better, allowing 2/3rds throttle application before the tyres are once again sacrificed to the gods of the rubber tree. Now Deep Forest could be described as a little bit bumpy, in the same way the Speed 12 could be described as a little bit quick. But the way the new suspension handles the dips and drops of the tracks is stunning, the car rolling with the changes in direction and camber rather than jumping and skipping. You’re wits are still required to ensure that a bumps does not end in a tyre frying moment, but its more than predictable and easy to modulate.

A few laps in and I’ve started to open up the pace, the car flowing from corner to corner, the exhaust note hammering off the tunnel walls, barking back at me as I brake and blip the throttle hard on downchanges. Half needed half just to hear that sound echoing off the walls again. I’m soon at one with the throttle control the car demands, as the increase in grip the downforce provides over 70mph is massive, making the car very stable and predictable at speed.

What does take a little longer to adapt to are the brakes, aided by the downforce they offer superb initial stopping power, once the car slows and the downforce reduces you need to back of the brake pressure to stop the tyres locking. A little disconcerting at first but it soon becomes second nature.

Then it strikes me, I’ve been pounding out the laps in a TVR Cerbera Speed 12, pushing it harder and closer to the limit each time round; and it has not tried to kill me once! If anything, the harder I push the more it seems to offer. The car has almost no vices, its incredibly neutral at all speeds, now I am quite sure that with more road orientated rubber fitted that would change, but this is still a very big surprise.

With that thought still in my mind I see the wave from the pit wall and its time to tale the car back in, and I already know I’m not going to want to give it back. The time spent with it today has hardly scratched the surface of what it can do, the fastest lap recorded was a 1’08.321. Considering the car has no driver aids fitted at all, its very, very impressive; particularly as it is clear the car has much more to offer.

I walk away from the car still a little shaken, mainly because the car I had just experienced could be taken out on the public roads with nothing more than a change of tyres. Quick does not even begin to explain it, because against all my preconceptions it had also been stable, predictable and fun.

I want one, simple as that.

​

Scaff’s 👎

Ummmm, the throttle requires good control in the lower gears and the brakes suffer slightly at lower speeds without the help of downforce. That’s about it.

OK, as a road car its more than seriously compromised. Its hardly something that could be used for a quick run to the garage for a pack of smokes, but despite its road legal status the track is its real home.

​

Overall
One of the most lunatic creations ever, and the automotive world is a better and richer place for it.

Its fast, handles wonderfully and demands involvement from the driver at every level.

Get a chance to drive one and you should take it, before the killjoys of the world realise just what we have created and make the whole damn thing illegal.

Long live Trevor, just a shame they one made the one, but at least they made that many.

​

Spec
838bhp@7,250rpm
680ft/lb@5,750rpm
1020kg

0-30 1.62 secs
0-60 3.48 secs
0-100 5.8 secs
0-100-0 9.14 secs

¼ mile 10.465 secs @ 154 mph
V Max 227.80 mph


Modifications
Oil Change
Racing Exhaust
R5 Tyres
Brake Balance Controller
Racing Suspension
Fully Customisable Transmission
Stiffness
Fully Customisable LSD
Wing

​

Setting
All are shown Front then Rear

Spring Rate – 12 / 10
Ride Height – 85 / 85
Damper
Bound – 3 / 3
Rebound – 4 / 4
Camber – 2.3 / 1.0
Toe – 0 / 0
Stabilisers – 3 / 3

Downforce – 10 / 25

VCD 30 / 40 / 20

Brake Balance 4 / 3

Gearbox – Auto 13

 

[Scaff]

Hope you guys enjoy this one.

Merry Christmas

Scaff

 

[DuckRacer]

Great pics, and the review is HUGE. That's a novel right there!

I added your report to the first post. It seems like you got report #25. Lucky you.

👍

 

[Scaff]

Great pics, and the review is HUGE. That's a novel right there!

I added your report to the first post. It seems like you got report #25. Lucky you.

👍

Thanks Duck, I guess I just got a bit carried away with it once I started writing.

It is a car that needs a full write up, and now it has one.

It will be very interesting to see what people make of the set-up as well.

Regards

Scaff

 

[speedy_2]

Great report. I like to first person pov of you actually sitting in the car. But, sadly, it's only a video game . But, the way you told it seemed lifelike. I love it. I see you used R5's for your lap time. I dunno if that was a good idea, since it really takes away from the "real-life" traction and turns it into more of an arcade-ish experience. But, I guess with no aids it didn't really matter. Otherwise great report, and amazing pics!! 👍

 

[Scaff]

Great report. I like to first person pov of you actually sitting in the car. But, sadly, it's only a video game . But, the way you told it seemed lifelike. I love it. I see you used R5's for your lap time. I dunno if that was a good idea, since it really takes away from the "real-life" traction and turns it into more of an arcade-ish experience. But, I guess with no aids it didn't really matter. Otherwise great report, and amazing pics!! 👍

I normally like the car on N3's, but felt like seeing how it ranked against the other cars on R5's.

With N3's you basically get power on oversteer on tap, you just need to be very, very careful on the throttle.

But it does mean you can do this.

Regards

Scaff

 

[ekmatt9]

Nice review Scaff

 

[BESTuners]

BESTuners Toyota RSC Rally Raid Car ‘02 Report​

Driver: .Duck.

Deep Forest Laptime: 1’13.426

NOTE: Review tested with R2s, laptime tested with R4s.


Exterior/History:
Some (well, most) people think this car is as hideous as can be. They think the front is ugly, the rear uglier, and the overall look just plain sick (in a bad way). Personally, I think it looks cool. It’s probably one of my favorite cars, out of the whole game. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right? I guess I have to live with the general consensus saying that it’s unsightly. Oh well.

I really don’t know anything about this car in real life. As far as I know, it could be something Toyota paid PD to put in the game to see the general public’s reaction. If you want to know that bad, Google it.



The Good…:
Ah yes, plenty of good in this puppy. The acceleration is good for 530 HP, as it can get to it’s top speed of 170 MPH in a jiffy. For having almost no downforce, it will munch up 70° corners pretty easily, and there’s no instability on straights. Consider this: it’s nearly as fast as my fully modded Zonda on Midfield. Quite scary, actually. On some of the more technical courses, it may outmaneuver it for a faster laptime. All this for only 50,000Cr (remember, you win this car, and you only need to buy the R2s and the Stage 3 turbo).

The braking is hands down awesome. Spectacular. Remarkable. It brakes as well as the Audi R8. Take it for a spin at Midfield. Get to about 170 MPH at the bridge on the main straightaway. Brake there. With the Ford GT, you’ll plow in the wall at 80. With a Motor Sport Elise, you’ll be close enough to make the turn well. With this bad boy, you have to accelerate more so you will be in a good position to turn. It’s that good. But methinks PD rigged this. Too good to be true. You’ll probably agree with me when you try it out.

The stability is really good on bumpy roads, too. Thank God for rally suspension. You get the benefits of a stiff race suspension with the rally suspension’s will to withstand big bumps. It’s a good mixture.



…And the bad:
On hairpins, it’ll push some. You have to let off the throttle some so you won’t get in the kitty litter. Otherwise, there’s not really a lot to complain about.



Conclusion:
It’s a good rally car that’ll dominate the easy and medium races. It’ll also be a good race car, too. It’s as fast as other typical LM cars. You get the 2-for-1 factor working for you here. I think this car is a must have. If you are letting it collect dust because it’s as repulsive as heck, then give it a second chance. You may enjoy it.


The set-up:
Toyota RSC Rally Raid Set-up


Thanks for reading, and please comment!!!

 

[DuckRacer]

Hope you guys like it. My little Christmas present to other members.

I'm doing the Aston Martin Vanquish next, so I'll try to make it and post it so it'll jumpstart the New Year. 👍

 

[Scaff]

Nice review duck, and an excellent set of photos.

BTW you are not the only one to appreciate the looks of the RSC, I quite like it as well. I mean its not Pontiac Aztec ugly by any means (the ugly bench mark in my book).

Regards

Scaff

 

[DuckRacer]

Nice review duck, and an excellent set of photos.

BTW you are not the only one to appreciate the looks of the RSC, I quite like it as well. I mean its not Pontiac Aztec ugly by any means (the ugly bench mark in my book).

Regards

Scaff

Thanks.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who like the car.

 

[ekmatt9]

Nice write - up .Duck. I like the 4th picture in your thumbnails. How did you get the sky like that?

 

[DuckRacer]

I selected the whole sky, and colorized it.

 

[speedy_2]

Nice Pics. Love the Report as well. I haven't been in here in a while. Hopefully I can get my next report up soon. So look forward to it Oh yeah Duck. This pic is perfect 👍

 

[DonS1mpson]

Another great write up, but don’t you think that the last few have wondered away from the point of the BESTuners – “take stock cars and tune them”.

Some of the cars on the list that have been review are just plain “out there”, like the Speed 12, Ford GT, the RSC to name a few, and I’m almost certain a Vanquish isn’t considered by many to be “stock” either.

I suppose it’s all down to a certain person’s opinion on the word “stock”. Does it mean a non tuned car (then technically the HPA shouldn’t have been included), does it mean a street legal road car (which the RSC is not) or maybe even a car that is good value for money,

I love reading your write ups, but I’d prefer that you took slower cars and had a go at tuning – A lot of us (myself included) could go and spend huge amounts on already fast cars to make them slightly faster, but that is not as fun as taking some Junker from the early 90’s used car lot and making it ago over 250MPH (my 90 Supra ).

Just please try in the future to use more “down to earth” cars for these write ups.

Thank you for your time.

 

[DuckRacer]

You know, you do have a point.

I guess my definition of "stock" is to not modify anything yourself. So even though you may win a racecar, it's "stock" because you haven't added that turbo and messed with the settings.

I think the whole team needs to come together and agree what "stock" means. Thanks for opening my eyes on this issue. 👍

 

[DuckRacer]

Ok, here's what the members had to say about it:

Well, since we take a car and "tune" it does it really matter what's been done to it before? Most cars are stock. Production road cars are "stock." They come from the factory that way. The tuner cars are cars that have been modified. But, there is still the capability of "tuning" the cars even further. And then there's Race Cars. Still, capable of tuning. You can even buy power upgrades for them. So There really is no car in GT4 that can't be tuned beyond what has already been done. I'd love to see anything in BESTuners, from a Subaru 360 to the Formula Car.

To me a stock car is one that has not in anyway been modified away from the original manufacturers specification (not even an oil change).

In GT4 (in my opinion) it would be a car (from any manufacturer, race or road car) with no modifications at all.

I also would generally tend to run road cars with
N2 or N3 (the N equivilent of the S tyres they come with) tyres and race cars with R1 tyres.

Regards

Scaff

If you want to buy a car that is from Tuner Village (example) As long as its new, you can't do oil change or anything. If it is used, then you can. You can keep the car with out anything added on. If you got a Spoon Race Car S2000, you can drive it as long as you didn't add anything.

Note: His definition of stock means, "something that hasn't had anything changed from the manufacturer's specs,".
-------------------------------------------
Edit: Another opinion:

well duck, ill talk to ekmatt, but i would consider stock, absolutely the way it came when you bought it, same tyres, and maybe an oil change if it was used. But no matter what car, be it race, road, rally or jgtc, if it is the way it was when you bought it, its stock. By stock, i mean, untouched by you, even if the car does have $534758734834734 dollars worth of parts from hks or tom's.

DonS1mpson, I'll take the junker request. I need to give my 300ZX a track run anyway.

 

[BESTuners]

BESTuners Aston Martin Vanquish ‘04 Report​

Driver: .Duck.

Deep Forest Laptime: 1’10.503

NOTE: Review tested with S2s/R4s, laptime tested with R4s.


Exterior/History:
The Aston Martin Vanquish is a symbol for class and luxury. It’s a 1,500 kg plush cruiser for the rich and mighty. As well as for a certain famous British spy. While this Vanquish has lots of luxuries being piled on left and right, that doesn’t mean it isn’t fast. It has the stuff fit for a king and it has the engine fit for the speed demon. It’s no grocery getter. It’s a timeless masterpiece.



The Good…:
Well, well, plenty of good in this car. The stock engine pumps out an amazing 450 HP. But I’m a BESTuner. I’m supposed to tune, not be lazy and accept it as is. So I upgrade the engine to Stage 3, the highest and most elite upgrade. That makes it give out an extra 260 hp. With this amount of lung-busting power under the hood, there can’t really be any wheelspin. With S2s, the spinning is average, meaning it’ll spin for the first 3500 RPM if you go full throttle like a lead foot. But when you apply throttle control, it’ll accelerate fast, getting up to 100 MPH faster than sound.

For a big, heavy car, it handles well, too. With S2s there’s some slight understeer, but with R4s it’s perfectly neutral. You literally feel like you’re invincible.



…And the bad:
Honest to God, I can’t find anything. Of course there’s slight understeer with S2s, and using a wing makes it look horrid, but that’s really about it.



Conclusion:
It’s a great, great car. I don’t think it’s worth the extra dough to upgrade from the DB9, but when you have a lot of spare money, this is definitely worth a try. Definitely.


The set-up:
Aston Martin Vanquish Set-up


Thanks for reading, and please comment!!!

 

[DonS1mpson]

Another great write up Duck - I'm a little disapointed that it isn't in British racing green though

Just kidding

Aston's seem a little expenisve to me (I'm a real tight wad), but I'll give it a whrill anyway if you think it's really that good.

Do you have any idea on what the next write up will be on?

 

[ekmatt9]

^^Well, I'm going to add the Mercedes Benz CLK 55 AMG either tonight or tommorow...

Awesome report Duck, but what's with those rims Oh, I'm gonna try your set up soon.

 

[speedy_2]

Nice Report. I love the Vanquish Love the pics. You were right, those are some nice reflections. Freshly waxed?

 

[DuckRacer]

Do you have any idea on what the next write up will be on?

A Nissan 300ZX.

 

[DuckRacer]

Has anyone else seen my report?

 

[ekmatt9]

I read it again last night cause I was bored


I'm doing the Mercedes Benz CLK 55 AMG Report tommorow morning, I have to take new pics all over

 

[Scaff]

Nice work with the Vanquish Duck, excellent set of pictures as well.

I'm now almost back in teh swing of things following Christmas (3 kids makes it more than a little hectic) and looking for something older to work on; after suggestions here people, so what do you want me to go to work on?

Regards

Scaff

 

[Vonie]

Wow, yous guys got some great stuff in here since my last visit. I may have to jack those settings for the Vanq, Duck.

 

[DuckRacer]

I'm now almost back in teh swing of things following Christmas (3 kids makes it more than a little hectic) and looking for something older to work on; after suggestions here people, so what do you want me to go to work on?

Hmmm... how about the C1 'Vette? What about one of those Alpine cars? Or the Honda Life Step Van? ( )

Wow, yous guys got some great stuff in here since my last visit. I may have to jack those settings for the Vanq, Duck.

Hey Vonie, thanks for coming in here. We all appreciate it a lot. And thanks for going to try out my set-up.


Anyway, I'm pretty much blitzing on my 300ZX report. I only have 6 pics to edit and a report to write. I'll try to get it done and posted today. 👍