FITT Miata Tuning Challenge

Improved Touring Class
Apricot Hill

Ridox

Time: 1'35.587

DC - 8

Nothing felt right about this car - it didn't do what I wanted it to, a lot of the time it did the opposite. Usual methods of braking in a straight line, then turn-in were not working, instead the best way to get through the corners was to brake while turning-in downshift or lift the brakes at the apex and this often made me spin-out until I got used to it. Sometimes the whole tyres locked up at the chicane, sometimes just the front tyre would lock up under braking both times so the brakes were too high front and back. It just didn't sit right with my style.
Ran it again at the end and it felt fine except for some slight understeer and a bit of oversteer at the apex of the hairpin, but other than that it felt okay. It just wasn't that fast.

dolhaus

Time: 1'34.455

DC - 7

This is not a tune for racing, rather for hotlapping because it's on a knife-edge at every corner I don't know if it's going to spin out or stay straight. The only way I could control the car was through throttle control alone, the brakes did as they were supposed to, but they didn't help with cornering. The fastest way with this car was just using the throttle mostly and braking at the hairpin and then the chicane and the corner before. If I had the time to master the car it would be much faster, but I was getting frustrated more than I was getting good laps. I know how to use this tune, but it was just so unpredictable and required a lot of counter-steering in some of the corners.
Ran it again and it felt a lot different. The momentum oversteer and brake release oversteer was still present but it was much more managable this time around. But still a bit too loose for my tastes.

krenkme

Time: 1'34.183

DC - 8

Incredibly more responsive than the previous two tunes, it sometimes understeered slightly in places and occasionally I had to counter-steer to keep it from spinning out, but it did what I wanted it to do and as soon as I got used to it I was able to go faster. Best one so far.

DaBomm4

Time: 1'33.124

DC - 9

A very rewarding experience with this car - you think it's slow but it's really just a fast car that is so understated that you think because it's not trying to kill you it can't be faster than the others. I was surprised - smoothness was just so easy and the laptimes kept falling, a very pleasant car to drive with no hangups at all and is definitely one of my favourites so far, but on the understeery side, which can sometimes slow it down.

jtqmopar

Time: 1'33.709

DC - 9

A really great tune, very similar to DaBomm's tune but half a second slower, and I can't work out why because it felt a tiny bit better. A 9 DC though because sometimes the rear could step out unexpectedly and it really didn't like the grass - one tyre over and it would spin out.

Onboy123

Time: 1'32.804

DC - 10

The best tune for this car by a long shot, for me at least. It's not only faster, but it's so smooth and can be made to be a little bit loose with the brake release oversteer. This is how I like my cars - where DaBomm's and jtq's versions of this car were more about smoothness and with a touch of understeer this was about smoothness but with a touch of oversteer. I felt the most comfortable driving this car and the lap time proved that.

ACSR

Time: 1'33.764

DC - 8

A great tune, and could be even greater if it weren't for the awful oversteer when braking. A great fast tune everywhere except the braking zones, it requires braking in a straight line and this is not the fastest way round this track.

Bowtie-muscle

Time: 1'33.986

DC - 9

A very stable and well-handling tune over the whole track, but top speed was lower than ACSR's tune. Braking was much better, but it lacked exit speed out of the corners and occasionally the rear would slip as well here. A very good tune, but it just lacked that something that makes a car really quick.

Chipmonk77

Time: 1'33.975

DC - 8

Very good tune, sometimes loose through the first sector and the chicane. Suffers from a bit too much brake release oversteer at times, but not as much as ACSR's tune. Faster in places than ACSR's version, but loses out over the line so I think top speed is the issue here again.

HTR Tuning

Time: 1'34.298

DC - 7

Gearing, momentum oversteer and brake release oversteer made this car suffer. But the gearing was the biggest problem.

Lionheart

Time: 1'33.866

DC - 10

A fantastic tune, well-rounded - it was faster through the first two sectors than ACSR's but lost it out time in the last sector because of some slight understeer in the corner before the chicane and through the chicane.

NEWDRIVER2

Time: 1'34.219

DC - 9

A really nice tune, but it just had a bit too much momentum oversteer for me to get comfortable with it.

shaunm80

Time: 1'35.889

DC - 6

A good tune minus some understeer ruined by your transmission setup.

ugabugaz

Time: 1'34.307

DC - 9

A great tune, but it has some pretty bad brake release oversteer that ruins it most laps on the corner before the chicane.
 
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DaBomm4

Time: 1'33.124

DC - 9

A very rewarding experience with this car - you think it's slow but it's really just a fast car that is so understated that you think because it's not trying to kill you it can't be faster than the others. I was surprised - smoothness was just so easy and the laptimes kept falling, a very pleasant car to drive with no hangups at all and is definitely one of my favourites so far, but on the understeery side, which can sometimes slow it down.
Once I tuned this car, I realized that I really enjoy driving it because of that. And I felt the Matte Pink really helps the concept of weak and slow. Thanks for the review. :)
 
Once I tuned this car, I realized that I really enjoy driving it because of that. And I felt the Matte Pink really helps the concept of weak and slow. Thanks for the review. :)

Not as fast as Lionheart's lap with your tune - I wish I could have gotten a 1'32 because I know it was possible, I just didn't have enough laps to do it in - but it just goes to show that a tune doesn't have to be unstable to be fast. 👍
 
Well, like jules283 said:
DaBomm4
Time-1.34.527
DC-7
This car feels to have a somewhat slow, lazy front end and a heavy feeling rear-if I had more time to learn the car then I think a really fast lap would come-using too much steering to help the lazy front can be lethal as that heavy rear pitches toward oversteer-superb traction.
 
Once I tuned this car, I realized that I really enjoy driving it because of that. And I felt the Matte Pink really helps the concept of weak and slow. Thanks for the review. :)

I ran your tune in a gray car and it was faster:sly:...change it from pink and add some stripes, this car would be a blur! Might be a little premature because I still have to drive the "artists'" cars, but there are a few setups that are worthy of TotW, atleast in my opinion...

And thank you for the review iainoflo, I'm pleasantly surprised (more in shock really) :cheers:
 
Well I went back and checked my touring car, and I feel like an idiot, I typoed my ballast amount, I doubled it....that's what I get for not double checking everything.

Note I submitted the tune a 40kg and it will stay that way for the testing phase. Any tester that runs the car after you have lapped in it for the official results knock it to 20kg and see what that does for it.
 
@iainoflo85 Thank you for testing (and retesting), good review, sounds just like how I remember the car. Next time I will set the car up for someone else's style rather than to my aggressive personal tastes. I think this will be a reoccurring theme, I took both cars way too far, I can get a decent lap out of them after however many hundreds of km's of driving and learning the car but they are mostly unsuitable for other people
 
Well I went back and checked my touring car, and I feel like an idiot, I typoed my ballast amount, I doubled it....that's what I get for not double checking everything.

Note I submitted the tune a 40kg and it will stay that way for the testing phase. Any tester that runs the car after you have lapped in it for the official results knock it to 20kg and see what that does for it.

I have a confession to make - I knew that as soon as I looked at your tune and I tested with 20kg Ballast and not 40.
If that's against the rules then sorry - it just didn't look right and I changed it for the test.
 
Improved Touring Class
Apricot Hill

Ridox

Time: 1'35.587

DC - 8

Nothing felt right about this car - it didn't do what I wanted it to, a lot of the time it did the opposite. Usual methods of braking in a straight line, then turn-in were not working, instead the best way to get through the corners was to brake while turning-in downshift or lift the brakes at the apex and this often made me spin-out until I got used to it. Sometimes the whole tyres locked up at the chicane, sometimes just the front tyre would lock up under braking both times so the brakes were too high front and back. It just didn't sit right with my style.
Ran it again at the end and it felt fine except for some slight understeer and a bit of oversteer at the apex of the hairpin, but other than that it felt okay. It just wasn't that fast.

dolhaus

Time: 1'34.455

DC - 7

This is not a tune for racing, rather for hotlapping because it's on a knife-edge at every corner I don't know if it's going to spin out or stay straight. The only way I could control the car was through throttle control alone, the brakes did as they were supposed to, but they didn't help with cornering. The fastest way with this car was just using the throttle mostly and braking at the hairpin and then the chicane and the corner before. If I had the time to master the car it would be much faster, but I was getting frustrated more than I was getting good laps. I know how to use this tune, but it was just so unpredictable and required a lot of counter-steering in some of the corners.
Ran it again and it felt a lot different. The momentum oversteer and brake release oversteer was still present but it was much more managable this time around. But still a bit too loose for my tastes.

krenkme

Time: 1'34.183

DC - 8

Incredibly more responsive than the previous two tunes, it sometimes understeered slightly in places and occasionally I had to counter-steer to keep it from spinning out, but it did what I wanted it to do and as soon as I got used to it I was able to go faster. Best one so far.

DaBomm4

Time: 1'33.124

DC - 9

A very rewarding experience with this car - you think it's slow but it's really just a fast car that is so understated that you think because it's not trying to kill you it can't be faster than the others. I was surprised - smoothness was just so easy and the laptimes kept falling, a very pleasant car to drive with no hangups at all and is definitely one of my favourites so far, but on the understeery side, which can sometimes slow it down.

jtqmopar

Time: 1'33.709

DC - 9

A really great tune, very similar to DaBomm's tune but half a second slower, and I can't work out why because it felt a tiny bit better. A 9 DC though because sometimes the rear could step out unexpectedly and it really didn't like the grass - one tyre over and it would spin out.

Onboy123

Time: 1'32.804

DC - 10

The best tune for this car by a long shot, for me at least. It's not only faster, but it's so smooth and can be made to be a little bit loose with the brake release oversteer. This is how I like my cars - where DaBomm's and jtq's versions of this car were more about smoothness and with a touch of understeer this was about smoothness but with a touch of oversteer. I felt the most comfortable driving this car and the lap time proved that.

ACSR

Time: 1'33.764

DC - 8

A great tune, and could be even greater if it weren't for the awful oversteer when braking. A great fast tune everywhere except the braking zones, it requires braking in a straight line and this is not the fastest way round this track.

Bowtie-muscle

Time: 1'33.986

DC - 9

A very stable and well-handling tune over the whole track, but top speed was lower than ACSR's tune. Braking was much better, but it lacked exit speed out of the corners and occasionally the rear would slip as well here. A very good tune, but it just lacked that something that makes a car really quick.

Chipmonk77

Time: 1'33.975

DC - 8

Very good tune, sometimes loose through the first sector and the chicane. Suffers from a bit too much brake release oversteer at times, but not as much as ACSR's tune. Faster in places than ACSR's version, but loses out over the line so I think top speed is the issue here again.

HTR Tuning

Time: 1'34.298

DC - 7

Gearing, momentum oversteer and brake release oversteer made this car suffer. But the gearing was the biggest problem.

Lionheart

Time: 1'33.866

DC - 10

A fantastic tune, well-rounded - it was faster through the first two sectors than ACSR's but lost it out time in the last sector because of some slight understeer in the corner before the chicane and through the chicane.

NEWDRIVER2

Time: 1'34.219

DC - 9

A really nice tune, but it just had a bit too much momentum oversteer for me to get comfortable with it.

shaunm80

Time: 1'35.889

DC - 6

A good tune minus some understeer ruined by your transmission setup.

ugabugaz

Time: 1'34.307

DC - 9

A great tune, but it has some pretty bad brake release oversteer that ruins it most laps on the corner before the chicane.

Thanks for testing it. I knew you would mention the transmission problem. It is the common issue that all other testers have commented on. Schoolboy error on my part for the transmission. I set it up with the intention of changing the final gear before publishing but I forgot the do the latter. Never mind, Ill know for the next time! live and learn eh.
 
http://farm4.static
A DC helps with people reading your results - what you can't say in words a number will suffice.

For example, I cannot tell if you found my car fast or slow from your comment alone - but a DC would help me figure out if you liked the car or if it was just faster than the others.

And on another note I shall not be testing the Roadster RS (NC) '07's at Rotenboden. I'm sorry everyone but I'd rather run over hot coals with no shoes on than do that.

Hi iainoflo,
yes I understand that our view of our testers is very useful to help you progress in your adjustment
I assure you, your Touring Car 500PP is very good, nice work, you are more talented than me for that 👍

So here is my result of Driver's Choice for Touring Car Silverstone 500PP:

-Donpost => DC 7
-Iainoflo => DC 8
-KapnK006 => DC 7
-KrenKme => DC 6
-Otaliema => DC 6
-Praiano63 => DC 10
-Xande1959 => DC 7
-MCHami => DC 9
Shaunm80 => DC 8

Driver's Choice for Street Roadster NC'07 Matterhorn 450 PP:

-Dolhaus => DC 6
-Donpost => DC6
-JTQMopar => DC 6
-MCHami => DC 10
-NewDriver => DC 8
-Otaliema => DC 9
-Onboy123 => DC 8
-PKS80 => DC 7
-Praiano63 => DC 8
-Ronald6 => DC 9
-Xande1959 => DC 9
-ASCR421 => DC 8
-JackWilson => DC 8
-Ugabugaz => DC 8

again sorry for the forgotten
I personally do not like to vote, the result speaks them even
good day :)
 
http://farm4.static


Hi iainoflo,
yes I understand that our view of our testers is very useful to help you progress in your adjustment
I assure you, your Touring Car 500PP is very good, nice work, you are more talented than me for that 👍

So here is my result of Driver's Choice for Touring Car Silverstone 500PP:

-Donpost => DC 7
-Iainoflo => DC 8
-KapnK006 => DC 7
-KrenKme => DC 6
-Otaliema => DC 6
-Praiano63 => DC 10
-Xande1959 => DC 7
-MCHami => DC 9
Shaunm80 => DC 8

Wow, an 8? Awesome, I was happier with the Touring Car tune than I was the SCCA Improved tune from the start.
 
Wow, an 8? Awesome, I was happier with the Touring Car tune than I was the SCCA Improved tune from the start.

yes Shaunm,
Although ... the result is worse than others, lacks a bit aggressive but you have adjustable grip fast and pleasant to drive, just to limit the time attak, !!!
continued as it is very well 👍
 
@iainoflo85 Thank you for testing (and retesting), good review, sounds just like how I remember the car. Next time I will set the car up for someone else's style rather than to my aggressive personal tastes. I think this will be a reoccurring theme, I took both cars way too far, I can get a decent lap out of them after however many hundreds of km's of driving and learning the car but they are mostly unsuitable for other people

There isn't anything wrong with setting your cars up how you like it, and I don't think you should have to change your driving setup to suit others. If you like driving on the razors edge, then I'd say do it. At the end of the day, it comes down to driving preferences, and believe me as anyone on this thread will tell you, you aren't going to satisfy everyone....so might as well make yourself happy first and let the rest fall into place. There will be tracks and/or cars in future FITT challenges that require a car that is borderline insane, then guess who will come up smelling of roses?!? Keep up the good work!👍
 
There isn't anything wrong with setting your cars up how you like it, and I don't think you should have to change your driving setup to suit others. If you like driving on the razors edge, then I'd say do it. At the end of the day, it comes down to driving preferences, and believe me as anyone on this thread will tell you, you aren't going to satisfy everyone....so might as well make yourself happy first and let the rest fall into place. There will be tracks and/or cars in future FITT challenges that require a car that is borderline insane, then guess who will come up smelling of roses?!? Keep up the good work!👍
Very well put, thank you.
Its the challenge of the contest really, making it fast enough and easy enough to drive for the majority. I got too focussed on bringing my own lap times down and threw driveability out the window. In this case I gambled and lost, but as the saying goes - If you don't buy a ticket you won't win a prize. Either way, great contest and great people, thoroughly enjoying the experience and the forum in general. A lot of great minds to learn from and a good element of friendly competition across all levels of experience.
 
@iainoflo85 Thank you for testing (and retesting), good review, sounds just like how I remember the car. Next time I will set the car up for someone else's style rather than to my aggressive personal tastes. I think this will be a reoccurring theme, I took both cars way too far, I can get a decent lap out of them after however many hundreds of km's of driving and learning the car but they are mostly unsuitable for other people
Like @Lionheart2113 said, everyone drives differently. Take my Improved Touring tune for example, @jules283 didn't like the slow front, heavy rear but lionheart2113 loved it.
 
Very well put, thank you.
Its the challenge of the contest really, making it fast enough and easy enough to drive for the majority. I got too focussed on bringing my own lap times down and threw driveability out the window. In this case I gambled and lost, but as the saying goes - If you don't buy a ticket you won't win a prize. Either way, great contest and great people, thoroughly enjoying the experience and the forum in general. A lot of great minds to learn from and a good element of friendly competition across all levels of experience.

When I stopped trying to predict what controllers everyone used and what driving style the signed up tuners had, I started to place higher in FITT events. Now I build the car for me... what is fastest for me... and hope for the best with the testers.
 
I tuned my both entries ( Spec Miata and Improved Touring ) with realistic setup in mind ( spec miata spring ), then tuned the damper, arb with focus on exit speed and stability all around. It seems my friend who helped me with testing using ABS 1 is not really useful to provide less understeer car :( When I tested them, they drive quite well with no understeer at all ( ABS 0 ).

I often have different feedback on my replicas that are posted on my garage, some loved them, some are not suitable for their preferences. I do find that realistic suspension and LSD tuned on more realistic level grip ( comfort tires ) are not well taken by most drivers as they are more difficult to drive and requires more realistic approach when driving them on the limit ( trail brake, smooth throttle and steering )

Now I want to enter a replica on the next FITT event, see how it goes :D
 
Here is the exact default tabs on the touring car. Speed is in km/h

screenshot_2014-03-07-11-10-20-png.124621


@iainoflo85 no worrie, unless @Motor City Hami wants the tests as posted I don't think one test with the correct is going to skew the results of my tune
 

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It isn't the cars fault, honestly.

That track is just torture - physical and mental.
I gave it a good 5 minutes before I decided it was too much, so I'm glad I did that rather than rule it out entirely.

As a wheel user it's a much more physical process. I'm not just pressing buttons (no offence to you DS3'ers) so I don't plan on pulling a muscle.
It is a real test on a wheel.
I am fairly certain that this in combination with the shoveling I did beforehand is why I've been walking around like an old man for the last week. :banghead:

How many turns of lock do you have to use to get it into the tightest bends? I've never used a wheel in GT so I don't know what they're like.
Rotenboden was difficult at first but I began to enjoy it after about 300km of testing, a tricky one to learn and even harder to master. So many parts of that track require absolute precision and don't take any prisoners, you're never more than a wheel over the curb away from a costly crash.
The testing will throw up some funny results due to the unforgiving nature of the track, there will always be an element of lap time progression the longer a tester spends there. The effect will be quite pronounced when dealing with such similar cars and therefore tuners shouldn't be too disheartened if their car isn't lapping as well as they think it should, just luck of the draw really.
Massive thanks to the testers for their continuing work and the effort everyone is putting in
For most turns on a good tune I don't think I'm going too much past about 45 degrees in either direction with a 900 degree wheel. Of I've never really paid attention but I'm certainly not going hand over hand anywhere.
:lol::lol::lol:
 
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