Car of the Month - September: Thunder from Down Under!

Bowtie-muscle

Bowtie-muscle

4,015
United States
New Jersey
crash27wwjd
20824081608_aaa7d241a2_c.jpg


Welcome to:

"Car of the Month - September"

Featuring:

Commodore SS '04
Monaro CV8 '04

& their cousin
GTO 5.7 Coupe '04

20390928033_69e220fbd8_z.jpg



So another month comes, and with some decision making help from @Lionheart2113 , we present to you three cars that appear to be the same. That is until you uncover their true identities. From the GM Holden Division in Australia, the Commodore and Monaro boast sports car appeal, but let's be honest, the Corvette powerplant under the hood is what gets them going. As a GM guy, and current owner of a Pontiac (not the GTO sadly :guilty:), any opportunity to have fun in a car with a Corvette engine gets me excited. They are a bit heavy and have some understeering issues, but I am sure with some fine tuning, we can improve on them. So grab one of the brothers or their American cousin and show what you got.

As usual, no limits to pp level or tire selection, "run what you brung" as they say. Just give a track choice if you have one in mind, but it would seem that one in particular should be very popular this month. 💡 ;) So Strap in, hang on, and let's have some fun. :)
​
 
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Here are my tunes for this month. I look forward to seeing how these are holding up as these were all created a year ago and have not been revisited since. Lets see if they have stood the test of time through all the various updates and changes.

Holden Monaro CV8 ‘04

(500PP SS) Link here

(550PP SS) Link here

holdenmonaroimg1-jpg.220138


holdenmonaroimg2-jpg.220139


Holden Commodore SS '04

500PP SH Link here

500PP SS Link here

550PP SS Link here

holdenssimg5-jpg.220142


holdenss04img2-jpg.220146
 
With my interest in GT6 fading (work & life has taken a lot of my time as well) I was looking to get back into it. The car of the month is perfect for me because of these reasons. The following posts are just some stat sheets for the cars listed this month to provide everyone with a base assessment for each model. I'm looking for feedback and testing these tunes to compare them to the "base" model. I suspect there will be a lot of time gained and allow others to compare how they might be helping/hurting their tune...
These are extremely basic tunes set at certain Performance Point levels. No smoke or mirrors here like flipping the transmission, reverse ride height tricks, high LSD, and 0/0 on all Camber & TOE settings. I was looking to try and get as even of a playing field as possible. But enough of that, let's get back to the reason why we are here, @Bowtie-muscle CotM maylay!


Holden Commodore SS '04
450pp
image.jpg


Holden Commodore SS '04
500pp
image.jpg


Holden Commodore SS '04
550pp
image.jpg





 
These are the lap times for these bad boys at GVS and my preliminary thoughts on the cars...


Grand Valley Speedway
Time: 11:10am
Temp: 20°
Weather: Sun

Driving Options
Driving Line: OFF
Blind Spot Indicator: OFF
Active Steering: OFF
Traction Control: 0
Active Stability Management (ASM): OFF
Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS): 1
Skid Recovery Force (SRF): OFF
Controller Sensitivity: 5

DS3 (dpads)
"X" throttle
Square brake
Automatic Transmission
Grip set to Real

Compare
Pontiac GTO 5.7 Coupe FR 2004 US Normal 468
Holden Commodore SS FR 2004 Australia Normal 462
Holden Monaro CV8 FR 2004 Australia Normal 459

450pp (Comfort:Soft / 149mph)
2:15.0 - Pontiac GTO 5.7 Coupe '04
2:15.8 - Holden Monaro CV8 '04
2:15.8 - Holden Commodore SS '04

500pp (Sports:Hard / 168mph)
2:06.2 - Holden Monaro CV8 '04
2:06.2 - Pontiac GTO 5.7 Coupe '04
2:06.3 - Holden Commodore SS '04

550pp (Sports:Med / 186mph)
2:00.4 - Holden Monaro CV8 '04
2:00.6 - Pontiac GTO 5.7 Coupe '04
2:00.7 - Holden Commodore SS '04

Putting them through the testing grounds; they are pretty even when on a medium sized track. But if they are put on a track with a straight long enough to stretch their legs, the Pontiac would be in a world of hurt. They all are a handful at 550pp (with the standard push through mid corner and throttle loose on exit) but....

Monaro - the best overall handling and in my opinion would be the easiest to tune.
Commodore - the push becomes more noticeable and difficult to get through a turn quickly.
GTO - the worst of the bunch. Handles like a pig and won't turn unless A LOT of persuasion is used ie handbrake even after mid corner.
 
@Lionheart2113 would you mind explaining to me your process for collecting 0-60mph times? I've wanted to do this, along with 1/4 mile times, for a while now...but I haven't figured out a way to do it that I think will be accurate. Thank you! :cheers:
 
ALB123
@Lionheart2113 would you mind explaining to me your process for collecting 0-60mph times? I've wanted to do this, along with 1/4 mile times, for a while now...but I haven't figured out a way to do it that I think will be accurate. Thank you! :cheers:
Click to expand...

I go to SSRX, making sure that the weather is always the same. (Sometimes that can be a real pain in the...) After going through the first turn (getting the 5,000M & 10,000M info) I slow down and maintain 100mph then slam the brakes getting it down to zero. Now comes the tricky bit....
With using an automatic transmission I keep the brake held down and give it full throttle. After a couple of hits off of the rev limiter I let go of the brake. This step is tough because if you stay still for too long rev'ing the engine, the lap will be disqualified and unusable for MoTeC.
Once in MoTeC you can use the distance and time counter to determine where and when you started.
For your 1/4 mile time you would use the distance started (Ex 48,256 ft) and the time (Ex 3:04.3xx) and go until you hit your 1/4 mile. In this case it would be 48,256 + 1,320 = 49,576 and see what the timer says once you hit this distance. You could also use MoTeC to see what speed you are going at that 1/4 mile mark.
It may not be "perfect" but it is pretty close to accurate in GT6. Why they took away the straight line test from GT5 I'll never know?!?
I hope this helps!👍
 
Lionheart2113
I go to SSRX, making sure that the weather is always the same. (Sometimes that can be a real pain in the...) After going through the first turn (getting the 5,000M & 10,000M info) I slow down and maintain 100mph then slam the brakes getting it down to zero. Now comes the tricky bit....
With using an automatic transmission I keep the brake held down and give it full throttle. After a couple of hits off of the rev limiter I let go of the brake. This step is tough because if you stay still for too long rev'ing the engine, the lap will be disqualified and unusable for MoTeC.
Once in MoTeC you can use the distance and time counter to determine where and when you started.
For your 1/4 mile time you would use the distance started (Ex 48,256 ft) and the time (Ex 3:04.3xx) and go until you hit your 1/4 mile. In this case it would be 48,256 + 1,320 = 49,576 and see what the timer says once you hit this distance. You could also use MoTeC to see what speed you are going at that 1/4 mile mark.
It may not be "perfect" but it is pretty close to accurate in GT6. Why they took away the straight line test from GT5 I'll never know?!?
I hope this helps!👍
Click to expand...
That is very helpful Lionheart2113! Thank you, very much... :cheers: I never played GT5, but I heard there used to be a test, like you mentioned, and it just seems foolish to remove that from GT6. What a bummer. I've done quite a bit of MoTeC analysis and it's not the quickest thing to do, so it stinks that there is nothing in the game to help expedite the process.

Thanks again! 👍
 
Review from @Bowtie-muscle

@shaunm80 Monaro CV8 500pp review:

The first of 5 tunes you have listed, will try and get to most if not all of them. For this review, I took a trip down memory lane and used 2 original tracks. Up first, Deep Forest Raceway (reverse).

I remember this version (reverse) from the original GT, FF event and have always enjoyed it more than forward. For the longest time, I thought this was Forward:dunce:.

Anyway, the tune has really good stability, plenty of power and brakes e orked really well. Early on, I did have minor understeer between the tunnels, not really a problem. Easily fixed by entry and line. Expected more wildness from the rear on exit, but powered out of corners rather nicely. Best lap was 1.22.228, not bad and we ith more laps would drop :yuck:

Now off to Trial Mountain, a tricky track with loads of elevation changes and bumps. Grip is always a struggle here and some rear slide is to be expected, along with some front. So how did this tune do?

Not bad at all actually. Again, stability was appreciated, with only minor and expected sliding. The power shot it through the tunnel and back straight, just be sure not to brake too late. In fact, easy in and fast out worked best, good thing that's how I tend to drive.
Best lap here was 1:34.304. In fact, I had two laps separated by .014, only the final lap was faster

Very easy and enjoyable drive, with little concern unless over pushed on entry, great job 👍

My Comments..
(I thought I would add it in here from @CowboyAce57's garage :) Great review. Thanks for the comments. I was hoping these tunes were going to be good to drive still. I have not looked at these tunes in nearly 12 months so nice to know they are pretty good still. )
 
shaunm80
Review from @Bowtie-muscle

@shaunm80 Monaro CV8 500pp review:

The first of 5 tunes you have listed, will try and get to most if not all of them. For this review, I took a trip down memory lane and used 2 original tracks. Up first, Deep Forest Raceway (reverse).

I remember this version (reverse) from the original GT, FF event and have always enjoyed it more than forward. For the longest time, I thought this was Forward:dunce:.

Anyway, the tune has really good stability, plenty of power and brakes e orked really well. Early on, I did have minor understeer between the tunnels, not really a problem. Easily fixed by entry and line. Expected more wildness from the rear on exit, but powered out of corners rather nicely. Best lap was 1.22.228, not bad and we ith more laps would drop :yuck:

Now off to Trial Mountain, a tricky track with loads of elevation changes and bumps. Grip is always a struggle here and some rear slide is to be expected, along with some front. So how did this tune do?

Not bad at all actually. Again, stability was appreciated, with only minor and expected sliding. The power shot it through the tunnel and back straight, just be sure not to brake too late. In fact, easy in and fast out worked best, good thing that's how I tend to drive.
Best lap here was 1:34.304. In fact, I had two laps separated by .014, only the final lap was faster

Very easy and enjoyable drive, with little concern unless over pushed on entry, great job 👍

My Comments..
(I thought I would add it in here from @CowboyAce57's garage :) Great review. Thanks for the comments. I was hoping these tunes were going to be good to drive still. I have not looked at these tunes in nearly 12 months so nice to know they are pretty good still. )
Click to expand...
Thanks for fixing that, in a waiting room using my phone. Not enough coffee this morning.:rolleyes:
 
@CowboyAce57 500pp Monaro CV8 Review:

So to make a short story long :rolleyes:, I was in a waiting room at a Dr's office this morning with some time on my hands. Went to post a review of @shaunm80 Monaro and saw CowboyAce had left an offering:D. So I clicked the link and checked out the settings:idea:, got distracted and forgot what thread I was in and posted shaun's review in the wrong thread.:dunce: So I am reviewing Cowboy's Monaro (which I was getting to anyway, this made me get to it quicker :guilty:).

So on with the reason we're here. I built CowboyAce's tune and took note of a few things:
1. High LSD accel setting
2. Negative rear toe?
3. Soft brake setting

So I took it to Deep Forest Raceway reverse just as I did Shaun's, and found the tune very stable and with plenty of power. Easy to get on throttle and great rotation of throttle. Fantastic entry and exit, only driver error caused minor rear step out. I did however find the trans, though set really well, to be a bit on the long side and barely ever hit 6th gear. No matter, it still climbed the hill and cut through the slow section flawlessly. Coming out of the final cover was fun, and powered down the front straight with ease.
Not that lap time really matters, but my best lap of four was a 1:22.764. Easily could be a bit lower with more laps logged. Liking this entry....... alot!

So next up, I needed a track that would help the car stretch it's legs a bit. How about the natural choice, Mt. Panorama. I liked it even more here, even if it is honestly not one of my better tracks. I have been trying to put more time in lately so let's go.

Another 4 lap race in Arcade Mode and this tune loved the pairing with this track choice. With the suspension allowing for great cornering and the gears set just wide enough, the only thing holding it back was likely the driver. Soft brake setting seemed to really work at both tracks, and the rear toe set to a negative did not make it as tail happy as expected. Me and high LSD accel numbers do not often get along, but with this tune it worked out great and caused no issues for my DS3. Very fun ride, so much so that I ran a second race to enjoy it some more. Again, best lap time means nothing but I always like to share, 2:22.789. But a better driver can improve on that, and none were really satisfying to me as I always felt like the down hill slalom gives me fits.

In all, I really liked this tune and enjoyed driving it. Hope more reviews come in as it means others have driven it also. :)

Thanks for joining in, and keep up the fun tunes. 👍
 
@shaunm80 550pp Monaro CV8 SS review:

Ok, so many of the setting were the same or slightly increased, trans only slightly longer so adding more power quickly allowed for a quick turn around from a 500pp review to a 550pp review. But was it better?

Let's just say, this tune has life to it. More of a beast and more of a handful too. Perhaps the springs were set too stiff for the tracks selected. Not too much of an unexpected issue, although it did have more rear slide and could light up the tires if throttle control was not used. Added camber helped in some corners but not sure if it hurt in others. Since I had just finished testing the 500pp tune so it was easy to build a 550pp and run another Arcade mode race at trial Mountain, I was there. And all things considered, it did not help running on a track the always seems slippery. Did run faster however with a 1:33.613, not bad once you understand how to throw it around, but I suggest a more forgiving track.

Speaking of, how about we go back to Deep Forest Rev?

Much better here, still a beast and a handful but much easier to control and enjoy. Only real issue is throttle application but who thinks that is not going to be? Still stable on most of the track, good rotation and the gearing worked really well. Have to say, this is not a typical Shaun tune, but could still be a bunch of fun. Fits nicely on this track and felt as though it could be big fun if there was a "paying" event for this pp level. Could grind away and lose track of time. :dopey:

Commodore SS reviews are scheduled as time permits, might only do two of them though, but will try and get to them all. But @fordracer and his GTO are on pit lane chomping at the bit for some track time first.
 
Bowtie-muscle
@CowboyAce57 500pp Monaro CV8 Review:

So to make a short story long :rolleyes:, I was in a waiting room at a Dr's office this morning with some time on my hands. Went to post a review of @shaunm80 Monaro and saw CowboyAce had left an offering:D. So I clicked the link and checked out the settings:idea:, got distracted and forgot what thread I was in and posted shaun's review in the wrong thread.:dunce: So I am reviewing Cowboy's Monaro (which I was getting to anyway, this made me get to it quicker :guilty:).

So on with the reason we're here. I built CowboyAce's tune and took note of a few things:
1. High LSD accel setting
2. Negative rear toe?
3. Soft brake setting

So I took it to Deep Forest Raceway reverse just as I did Shaun's, and found the tune very stable and with plenty of power. Easy to get on throttle and great rotation of throttle. Fantastic entry and exit, only driver error caused minor rear step out. I did however find the trans, though set really well, to be a bit on the long side and barely ever hit 6th gear. No matter, it still climbed the hill and cut through the slow section flawlessly. Coming out of the final cover was fun, and powered down the front straight with ease.
Not that lap time really matters, but my best lap of four was a 1:22.764. Easily could be a bit lower with more laps logged. Liking this entry....... alot!

So next up, I needed a track that would help the car stretch it's legs a bit. How about the natural choice, Mt. Panorama. I liked it even more here, even if it is honestly not one of my better tracks. I have been trying to put more time in lately so let's go.

Another 4 lap race in Arcade Mode and this tune loved the pairing with this track choice. With the suspension allowing for great cornering and the gears set just wide enough, the only thing holding it back was likely the driver. Soft brake setting seemed to really work at both tracks, and the rear toe set to a negative did not make it as tail happy as expected. Me and high LSD accel numbers do not often get along, but with this tune it worked out great and caused no issues for my DS3. Very fun ride, so much so that I ran a second race to enjoy it some more. Again, best lap time means nothing but I always like to share, 2:22.789. But a better driver can improve on that, and none were really satisfying to me as I always felt like the down hill slalom gives me fits.

In all, I really liked this tune and enjoyed driving it. Hope more reviews come in as it means others have driven it also. :)

Thanks for joining in, and keep up the fun tunes. 👍
Click to expand...
I tested this one out at Spa so that's the reason for the longer gears. Thanks for the positive review and look forward to more tunes from me hopefully soon 👍
 
CowboyAce57
I tested this one out at Spa so that's the reason for the longer gears. Thanks for the positive review and look forward to more tunes from me hopefully soon 👍
Click to expand...
It was my pleasure, and copying it in your garage can only help. Hopefully, others see it and try it or some of your other tunes.;)
 
@fordracer 500pp GTO review:

First, this is the correct thread this time right? Yup, ok so let's continue so as to not invade another garage.:dunce:

Looking forward to this, and having an idea for another project in my garage :sly:, I started by going to Silverstone National. Now don't think that this short and fast layout is without its tricky corners. The tune was good, stable and easy to get the power down. Improve rigidity stiffened a bit and may have helped, still some minor understeer but not too bad. Trans and brakes both set up nicely, all get tested here so it's actually a good track choice. First race, 3 laps in Arcade Mode, resulted with a best lap of 1:04.190, but I felt it could do better. Second race pulled a 1:03.501, now that's more like it.

So then it was off to the Midfield Seasonal and an easy win, and some useful credits too;). Only issue was more understeer, first turn, just before first tunnel, and the left hander after. But not enough to really hurt and easily adjusted. This car naturally has understeer but it's common exit oversteer was nearly gone.👍 Best lap was 1:20.175, and a few more laps could get in 1:19s.

So now for something different and more challenging, Deep Forest Rev. Tune handled it well showing great power, good stability and an eagerness to tackle the track. Elevation changes and bumps caused no issues with a proper suspension setup and made for some good fun. On SH TIRES, I ran a 1:26.561, maybe high initial LSD holding back some acceleration but wow was it easy to drop the hammer. So I tossed on some SS TIRES and had another go. Even better, borderline awesome. Extra grip with that easy to apply power mixed with a really good tune meant an over 3 second drop in lap time with a 1:23.373!

I really enjoyed this tune, the paint choice helped. Having your suspension really close to mine was ironic and could only help with that enjoyment right?:dopey:
Never going to be the best choice at 500pp, but a fun one indeed.:)
 
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Thanks for the great review Bowtie! It was ironic how close these two cars were set up. :) Judging by how well your car is doing in the WSR F3 Challenge, I will take that as a sign that I am on the right "track" with my learning! Glad the power was still easy to apply, it seems to be the corner stone of my builds. Thanks again for the time you invest in this for all of us. :gtpflag:
 
@danlimski 608pp GTO "Kitchen Sink Tune" review:

This was a very powerful, wild ride. With everything thrown at it, it requires throttle control or else the rear wheels will show off a "smoke show" and burn up. Also found it a bit stiff in the suspension which lead to rotation issues, and turn in. But get it right and then power down the straight away, just had to tip-toe on entry and wait for the car to turn. The brakes worked well and the gearing was good, but could have used just a touch more for Daytona Super Speedway. You gave your best lap times for Daytona and Big Willow, so....... Challenge Accepted.;)

First trip was to Daytona, and the power really got to the pavement. Turns 1 and 2 were no problem as it held the lower line and powered down the back stretch. Turn 3 was a bit trick however, as it is a sharper turn than you think. If you kept on the throttle, you would wash up into the wall in the center of 3 and 4. A little lift just before entry and patience back on the throttle meant you could hold the line better and power wide open to the tri-oval. In only 5 laps I managed a 46.769.:sly:

So I then headed over to Big Willow, where the handling was really tested. Once I got the handling down, and the throttle control needed, I was able to keep it on track and in 3 laps beat your best time with a lap of 1:21.987. Another 2 laps and I was down to 1:21.316.

In all, not an easy ride but a good challenge non-the-less. Thanks for submitting another tune.👍

September is almost over and I imagine the latest FITT WSR Challenge has kept most of us busy, but next month's car (:dopey:) is all set to go. I am really looking forward to seeing what kind of tunes show up.💡

And still want to get to @shaunm80 's Commodores, hopefully over the next 2 or 3 days.
 
Bowtie-muscle
@danlimski 608pp GTO "Kitchen Sink Tune" review:

This was a very powerful, wild ride. With everything thrown at it, it requires throttle control or else the rear wheels will show off a "smoke show" and burn up. Also found it a bit stiff in the suspension which lead to rotation issues, and turn in. But get it right and then power down the straight away, just had to tip-toe on entry and wait for the car to turn. The brakes worked well and the gearing was good, but could have used just a touch more for Daytona Super Speedway. You gave your best lap times for Daytona and Big Willow, so....... Challenge Accepted.;)

First trip was to Daytona, and the power really got to the pavement. Turns 1 and 2 were no problem as it held the lower line and powered down the back stretch. Turn 3 was a bit trick however, as it is a sharper turn than you think. If you kept on the throttle, you would wash up into the wall in the center of 3 and 4. A little lift just before entry and patience back on the throttle meant you could hold the line better and power wide open to the tri-oval. In only 5 laps I managed a 46.769.:sly:

So I then headed over to Big Willow, where the handling was really tested. Once I got the handling down, and the throttle control needed, I was able to keep it on track and in 3 laps beat your best time with a lap of 1:21.987. Another 2 laps and I was down to 1:21.316.

In all, not an easy ride but a good challenge non-the-less. Thanks for submitting another tune.👍

September is almost over and I imagine the latest FITT WSR Challenge has kept most of us busy, but next month's car (:dopey:) is all set to go. I am really looking forward to seeing what kind of tunes show up.💡

And still want to get to @shaunm80 's Commodores, hopefully over the next 2 or 3 days.
Click to expand...

Thank you for such a wonderful review. I will use all the insight that you have provided on the next tune. Thanks for hosting the "Car of the Month" thread.

Dan.
 

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