Damper question.

[Gupster74]

I searched but pretty sure this hasn't been covered, so if you regard yourself an expert tuner, i'd be interested in your theories/evidence.
The question i was pondering was this. Do you think the damper settings for the front and rear are calibrated to that ends relevant spring setting? I.e, if your springs were set, for arguements sake, at 10.0 front - 5.0 rear and your dampers were set at 5/5 both ends , would you have stronger damping at the front, softer damping at the rear?
I thought that the dampers may have a fixed set of values from 1(softest) to 10 (hardest), regardess of car, weight, engine placement, etc,
I'd like to think the former was the case but im not sure how you could be sure for certain. Ideas??

 

[oppositelock]

That's an excellent question, and I had to ask myself the same thing when devising damper formulas for my tuning spreadsheet. The first way you mentioned would be more logical as it mirrors the way real world adjustable shock absorbers work. However, after much thought I went with the assumption that in GT5 they're fixed values, for no other reason than it's a simpler explanation. Occam's razor and all that. I tried to invent an experiment that would prove it one way or another but came up empty.

 

[shmogt]

its' the stiffer the springs are the stiffer the dampers are

 

[CSLACR]

I think the damper value is 100% independent of the spring value. I have tried to test it and prove something to myself, but didn't come up with much.
The one thing I can say for certain, is the game's idea of how to set the extension higher than compression is not a good way to go, and can lead to the car bouncing much harder.

Other than that, they're somewhat of a mystery, because their effect is minor compared to other suspension setting IMO.
I'm currently still in damper testing, but it's looking like a stronger compression is the way to go, rather than the games advice to set the extension harder, but nothing conclusive for me yet.

 

[Gupster74]

its' the stiffer the springs are the stiffer the dampers are

Are you sure? Do you have some kind of evidence to back this up? Can say for sure that a car weighing 2000kg, with springs 17.0 front - 16.00 back with dampers set at 5/5 both ends would be much stronger than a car weighing 500kg, with springs set at 3,0 front - 2.0 back with the same 5/5 damper setting? Or do you get a car which is under-damped and one which is over?? Which would be the case if the value of 5/5 was identical for all cars regardless of spring stiffness, weight, etc.
THIS is what im trying to discern.

 

[Gupster74]

By the way, i am a 'junior' member solely because of being relatively new to this site, not because im new to GT. I've been playing since GT1, i wouldn't regard myself tunning guru, but i am experienced in all things GT.

 

[CSLACR]

For what it's worth, I usually set light cars very low in spring rates and damper/anti roll strength compared to heavier cars. I think 5.0/5.0 spring rate is the same no matter the car, and likewise for other settings. (this is backed up by default settings for lighter cars always being lower, minus race models.)

I don't think damper strength is affected by spring rate though.

 

[shmogt]

Drive one of my cars and see how it is. The gt5 thing in the menu says stiffer if springs are stiffer and that's what I do and seems to work. The compression is usually one or so less. How stiff depends and what track depends etc on how stiff they should be. With everything it pretty much comes down to the car itself. There really isn't any rules

 

[CSLACR]

Drive one of my cars and see how it is. The gt5 thing in the menu says stiffer if springs are stiffer and that's what I do and seems to work. The compression is usually one or so less. How stiff depends and what track depends etc on how stiff they should be. With everything it pretty much comes down to the car itself. There really isn't any rules

That menu is a guideline for how you "should" set them, it doesn't say stiffer springs automatically make the same damper number stronger.

It is my understanding that's what the OP was asking, if 5/5 becomes stronger with higher springs, and I really don't think so, but anything's possible in GT.

Example:
20.0 / 20.0
5/5

Vs.

10.0 / 10.0
5/5

His question is if the dampers are stronger on the first setting.

 

[Gupster74]

That menu is a guideline for how you "should" set them, it doesn't say stiffer springs automatically make the same damper number stronger.

It is my understanding that's what the OP was asking, if 5/5 becomes stronger with higher springs, and I really don't think so, but anything's possible in GT.

Example:
20.0 / 20.0
5/5

Vs.

10.0 / 10.0
5/5

His question is if the dampers are stronger on the first setting.

👍

 

[praiano63]

I see the dampers settings numbers like a proportion not a force .

Like a syringe, if you want to fill with water or make it empty.

With a little hole it will offer resistance to your finger need to make more force than if it was a bigger hole that will let pass a bigger volume of water.
So number 1 is a big hole ,low resistance and 10 is a little hole ,big resistance.

If you add a spring under the piston of a syringe ,the forces are no more equals.
You need more force to compress and make the cylinder empty, but the spring would help to refill it pushing up the same piston.

That's why i think this numbers represent a proportion independently of the strenght of the spring .

 

[shmogt]

And I'm saying yes

 

[daveyules]

I also tune my shocks using a specific ratio to the spring rate. So I guess I would say that the shock rates (1-10) are static values no matter what vehicle you're using.