- 377
- Enzo_Guy
- GTP EnzoGuy
What are the cars you guys have driven before that you felt really disappointed with and now are finding them far better to drive with 2.06? Quite ironically, as part of a project that had the plug pulled at the last minute, I still have lengthy reviews I wrote on the driving characteristics for every one of these cars saved on my computer. This gold mine also included my personal lap times (even down to the tires I used for each one) on Eiger Nordwand Short Track; interestingly, lap times set today were nearly identical. I guess I got used to the desperate counter-steering for no reason. I use a G27, no aids, no ABS, clutch/shifter, etc.
Besides the obvious FFB (I use 10 without power assist), I can tell something changed that wasn't publicly announced. I saw lateral grip suggested, my issue is several cars (like my '64 GTO) bust the tires loose on the uphill of Eiger at the end of the tunnel; they did it at the exact same time, amount of throttle, to the letter that they did before so I'm hesitant to think tire grip. I've also noticed that without ABS, my former 3/1 or 3/2 brake settings do not stop my cars as quickly and I've been able to hold the brake pedal steady on the floor through 3 downshifts with cars I know to have previously touchy brakes. I'm leaning towards a brake pressure adjustment and some cars seem to have a lower steering ratio, in particular many of the shorter wheelbase cars known for quickly throwing up smoke.
Mercedes 300SL
” At the limit this car is tricky: the brakes are weak and lockup is prevalent, the engine easily busts the inside tire loose mid-corner and can sling the rear sideways on the exit, its length and weight make the hairpins a chore, and at high speeds it’s just plain dangerous. It’s not like modern cars with high-tech everything that drive fast for you, you drive it right or you crash.”
This opinion hasn’t changed much, although the reasoning behind it is different. In comparison, the slightest hint of throttle no longer causes ridiculous problems. Now it just feels like an aircraft carrier! After driving it on a more open track, it’s undoubtedly closer to how I’d imagine this car to drive: you work your tail off just getting the front end through a corner and it remains tricky at higher velocity.
Triumph Spitfire
“I remain completely disinterested in this car. I want to like the Spitfire because it’s such a classic piece of history. Its horribly unstable rear wouldn’t be so bad if it didn’t also accelerate at the same speed grass grows. These roads were throwing it around like a rag doll and it could barely get up the hill.”
I think the Spitfire is another infamous example of horribly excessive oversteer ruining a classic car. The slightest change of direction resulted in middle school girl levels of drama! I’m proud to announce that I have happily eaten my own words and I can now truthfully say I like this car, but it still barely accelerates up that hill.
Lotus Europa
“I don’t like this car, I’ve never liked this car, and I doubt I ever will like this car. It’s a white-knuckled terror even around at mundane speeds. You’re in a constant fight with the front being very responsive and the rear constantly trying to go the opposite direction.”
Once again, I will admit I’m going back on my previous statement and publicly announce I now like this car! It’s famously difficult to drive, so don’t get the idea that you’re no longer in for a fight even at low speeds, however I never once thought “this is just ridiculous, if this were real everyone who ever drove this car would be dead” while I was driving it!
Lancia Stratos
This is an old school rally car for the road and the tight winding nature of Eiger means the will lend itself to its tail-out rally cornering style with a reputation as one the most dramatic cars in GT5. It requires fancy footwork and lightning quick counter-steering reflexes to control it at the limit; driving this car on Eiger feels like using an axe to perform brain surgery. Every little input is quickly felt and there is a razor thin margin for error.”
This car still pushes your driving skill and hasn’t moved from my top 10 favorite cars to drive in this game. It’s less overly dramatic and more realistic if that makes any sense. The Stratos is still just as difficult (and fun) to handle at the limit, as the real one notoriously was, just now it makes more sense to me when I drive it. It’s not easy describing this one; if you understand these classic rally cars and drive it now you’ll see my point that it communicates better without eliminating any of its constant attempts to kill you!👍
’66 Honda S800 Convertible
”The rear is a good bit more loose than the Toyota S8, but you still get the typical high degree of agility you find in cars this small and light. Despite an notable lack of stability on corner exits, the early Honda S-series remains the most efficient way to turn gasoline into high-revving noise without actually accelerating.”
It used to dart into corners and you’d find your tail coming out quickly. Now it’s much easier to control in all aspects of the corner and you almost have to consciously try to get it to oversteer on Eiger now. This might come as a shock, but I actually spend more time than you’d want to know about in this car and after noticing a difference in 2.06, it was one of the first I jumped in! I like its handling now, though I do kind of miss its messy and dramatic nature that always kept me on my toes. That white-knuckle 8000rpm ride always had me smiling, then remembering it had 71hp put an even bigger grin on my face for some reason. Some friends and I have had many a hilarious race doing a 98hp limit on Eiger Nordwand K Trail Reverse; he who makes it up the hill shall receive the prize (S800 is good, just watch out for that Z Act)!
Nissan Skyline 2000GT-B S54
”At 1095kg/2414lbs this car is rather heavy and yet the handling is just so good! With its 60/40 distribution, not to mention 8 inches of frame added ahead of the firewall, this car manages to divide by zero and handle like an F1 car on COMFORT SOFT TIRES! Consider the 300SL also has a 60/40 and rides on comfort soft tires, do you see my point? Its handling is off the charts with stability far beyond what its European contemporaries offer. Try driving the S54 alongside an Alpine A110, Lotus Elan, or Giulia GTA; these were considered exotic European sports cars in their day and they seem like inferior junk in the corners! Just to illustrate the extremity of its grip, after I got done with the hot lap I honestly had to check and make sure I didn’t equip racing tires by accident, only to see comfort soft tires were the only compound I even owned for the car!”
As you can probably already tell from above, this car was at the opposite end of the spectrum in that it was too good to be true. In the 1964 Japanese Grand Prix, five of these cars took 2nd-6th places after chasing a Porsche 904 around the track the entire race; no doubt it handled well! I outfitted one of mine with the stage 3 engine and racing exhaust to net the same 165hp (only 100rpm lower than the original Powerband, same torque as well) and set the weight to 990kg. How good was it? Does half a second quicker than a Shelby GT350 qualify as ridiculous? What if I said the GT350 had sports soft tires and tuned up Skyline was on comfort soft tires? I’m THRILLED that it now has pretty noticeable understeer and my laps became slower by a believable margin (more than half a second). The thing actually feels like it has a big, heavy all-iron inline-6 stuffed into a frame that was stretched quite a bit at only the front. I race in a tuning prohibited league sometimes and in a certain historic class setup (pre-’79 production cars, below 2000cc, no kits ruled out Ginetta and Marcos) the Alfa Romeos dominated until I was able to trade a guy for an untouched 2000GT-B. I guess my reign of total domination (undefeated since I got the S54) of that particular racing class is over haha!
Still Ridiculous To Drive
Some of (in my opinion) the worst offenders that saw no noticeable improvements were the Mazda 110/Cosmo, Toyota 2000GT, BMW 2002 Turbo, Shelby GT350, and RUF CTR. The Cosmo’s rear still floats as if it’s a zero gravity environment, take a turn and it just slowly rotates around while you’re not looking. The 2000GT had no changes in the way it will understeer until it suddenly doesn’t want to anymore then goes instantly sideways, and it still does it randomly with no warning so you never know when it’s going to do it. The BMW 2002 still wants to go everything direction except the one you want it to go when you press the pedal. The GT350 still gets its tail out like a broke stripper; I’m happy about this one because I love the near-death-experience thrill ride of keeping it on the road that really gives this car its personality! The Yellowbird will always be itself: it has the handling characteristics on the older Porsche chassis and the enormous burst of torque when the turbos spool up is no help, you can’t fix what was insanity by design and it will always remain one of those untamed legends (as it should stay)!
Besides the obvious FFB (I use 10 without power assist), I can tell something changed that wasn't publicly announced. I saw lateral grip suggested, my issue is several cars (like my '64 GTO) bust the tires loose on the uphill of Eiger at the end of the tunnel; they did it at the exact same time, amount of throttle, to the letter that they did before so I'm hesitant to think tire grip. I've also noticed that without ABS, my former 3/1 or 3/2 brake settings do not stop my cars as quickly and I've been able to hold the brake pedal steady on the floor through 3 downshifts with cars I know to have previously touchy brakes. I'm leaning towards a brake pressure adjustment and some cars seem to have a lower steering ratio, in particular many of the shorter wheelbase cars known for quickly throwing up smoke.
Mercedes 300SL
” At the limit this car is tricky: the brakes are weak and lockup is prevalent, the engine easily busts the inside tire loose mid-corner and can sling the rear sideways on the exit, its length and weight make the hairpins a chore, and at high speeds it’s just plain dangerous. It’s not like modern cars with high-tech everything that drive fast for you, you drive it right or you crash.”
This opinion hasn’t changed much, although the reasoning behind it is different. In comparison, the slightest hint of throttle no longer causes ridiculous problems. Now it just feels like an aircraft carrier! After driving it on a more open track, it’s undoubtedly closer to how I’d imagine this car to drive: you work your tail off just getting the front end through a corner and it remains tricky at higher velocity.
Triumph Spitfire
“I remain completely disinterested in this car. I want to like the Spitfire because it’s such a classic piece of history. Its horribly unstable rear wouldn’t be so bad if it didn’t also accelerate at the same speed grass grows. These roads were throwing it around like a rag doll and it could barely get up the hill.”
I think the Spitfire is another infamous example of horribly excessive oversteer ruining a classic car. The slightest change of direction resulted in middle school girl levels of drama! I’m proud to announce that I have happily eaten my own words and I can now truthfully say I like this car, but it still barely accelerates up that hill.
Lotus Europa
“I don’t like this car, I’ve never liked this car, and I doubt I ever will like this car. It’s a white-knuckled terror even around at mundane speeds. You’re in a constant fight with the front being very responsive and the rear constantly trying to go the opposite direction.”
Once again, I will admit I’m going back on my previous statement and publicly announce I now like this car! It’s famously difficult to drive, so don’t get the idea that you’re no longer in for a fight even at low speeds, however I never once thought “this is just ridiculous, if this were real everyone who ever drove this car would be dead” while I was driving it!
Lancia Stratos
This is an old school rally car for the road and the tight winding nature of Eiger means the will lend itself to its tail-out rally cornering style with a reputation as one the most dramatic cars in GT5. It requires fancy footwork and lightning quick counter-steering reflexes to control it at the limit; driving this car on Eiger feels like using an axe to perform brain surgery. Every little input is quickly felt and there is a razor thin margin for error.”
This car still pushes your driving skill and hasn’t moved from my top 10 favorite cars to drive in this game. It’s less overly dramatic and more realistic if that makes any sense. The Stratos is still just as difficult (and fun) to handle at the limit, as the real one notoriously was, just now it makes more sense to me when I drive it. It’s not easy describing this one; if you understand these classic rally cars and drive it now you’ll see my point that it communicates better without eliminating any of its constant attempts to kill you!👍
’66 Honda S800 Convertible
”The rear is a good bit more loose than the Toyota S8, but you still get the typical high degree of agility you find in cars this small and light. Despite an notable lack of stability on corner exits, the early Honda S-series remains the most efficient way to turn gasoline into high-revving noise without actually accelerating.”
It used to dart into corners and you’d find your tail coming out quickly. Now it’s much easier to control in all aspects of the corner and you almost have to consciously try to get it to oversteer on Eiger now. This might come as a shock, but I actually spend more time than you’d want to know about in this car and after noticing a difference in 2.06, it was one of the first I jumped in! I like its handling now, though I do kind of miss its messy and dramatic nature that always kept me on my toes. That white-knuckle 8000rpm ride always had me smiling, then remembering it had 71hp put an even bigger grin on my face for some reason. Some friends and I have had many a hilarious race doing a 98hp limit on Eiger Nordwand K Trail Reverse; he who makes it up the hill shall receive the prize (S800 is good, just watch out for that Z Act)!
Nissan Skyline 2000GT-B S54
”At 1095kg/2414lbs this car is rather heavy and yet the handling is just so good! With its 60/40 distribution, not to mention 8 inches of frame added ahead of the firewall, this car manages to divide by zero and handle like an F1 car on COMFORT SOFT TIRES! Consider the 300SL also has a 60/40 and rides on comfort soft tires, do you see my point? Its handling is off the charts with stability far beyond what its European contemporaries offer. Try driving the S54 alongside an Alpine A110, Lotus Elan, or Giulia GTA; these were considered exotic European sports cars in their day and they seem like inferior junk in the corners! Just to illustrate the extremity of its grip, after I got done with the hot lap I honestly had to check and make sure I didn’t equip racing tires by accident, only to see comfort soft tires were the only compound I even owned for the car!”
As you can probably already tell from above, this car was at the opposite end of the spectrum in that it was too good to be true. In the 1964 Japanese Grand Prix, five of these cars took 2nd-6th places after chasing a Porsche 904 around the track the entire race; no doubt it handled well! I outfitted one of mine with the stage 3 engine and racing exhaust to net the same 165hp (only 100rpm lower than the original Powerband, same torque as well) and set the weight to 990kg. How good was it? Does half a second quicker than a Shelby GT350 qualify as ridiculous? What if I said the GT350 had sports soft tires and tuned up Skyline was on comfort soft tires? I’m THRILLED that it now has pretty noticeable understeer and my laps became slower by a believable margin (more than half a second). The thing actually feels like it has a big, heavy all-iron inline-6 stuffed into a frame that was stretched quite a bit at only the front. I race in a tuning prohibited league sometimes and in a certain historic class setup (pre-’79 production cars, below 2000cc, no kits ruled out Ginetta and Marcos) the Alfa Romeos dominated until I was able to trade a guy for an untouched 2000GT-B. I guess my reign of total domination (undefeated since I got the S54) of that particular racing class is over haha!
Still Ridiculous To Drive
Some of (in my opinion) the worst offenders that saw no noticeable improvements were the Mazda 110/Cosmo, Toyota 2000GT, BMW 2002 Turbo, Shelby GT350, and RUF CTR. The Cosmo’s rear still floats as if it’s a zero gravity environment, take a turn and it just slowly rotates around while you’re not looking. The 2000GT had no changes in the way it will understeer until it suddenly doesn’t want to anymore then goes instantly sideways, and it still does it randomly with no warning so you never know when it’s going to do it. The BMW 2002 still wants to go everything direction except the one you want it to go when you press the pedal. The GT350 still gets its tail out like a broke stripper; I’m happy about this one because I love the near-death-experience thrill ride of keeping it on the road that really gives this car its personality! The Yellowbird will always be itself: it has the handling characteristics on the older Porsche chassis and the enormous burst of torque when the turbos spool up is no help, you can’t fix what was insanity by design and it will always remain one of those untamed legends (as it should stay)!
