FITT Race Car Tuner Challenge 500pp: Circuit De Spa-Francorchamps, Racing Hard Tires
Testing Details: Tests were conducted by driving five laps around the track using the offline A-Spec Free Run mode. The quickest green lap time was recorded. Game settings include TCS off, ABS 1, Fuel/Damage off, Grip Real, and Controller Sensitivity 4. These tests were conducted using the Dualshock 3 controller.
ACSR421 - Honda S2000 LM Race Car Lap: 02:27.535
It took me two laps to properly shift the transmission while driving around the course. Eau Rouge was approached using 6th gear and the S2000 LM went on to 154mph before braking. The car held the lines I’ve aspired to drive quite well, brakes were spot on, and I could even get the tail out a bit under throttle. This tune has a balanced chassis and could take the higher speed sections without drama.
Driver Choice Bonus: Outstanding
CSLACR (PSN: GTP_CSL) - Spoon S2000 Race Car '00 Lap: 02:27.360
This car was quick from the first lap. Eau Rouge was easily taken in 6th gear onto a top speed of 153mph. You can tackle most sections of the track with ease without worry about the threat of wheel spin. The brakes gave me a bit trouble when slowing down for the chicane before the start/finish line. This is exactly how a racecar should be at driving at Spa.
Driver Choice Bonus: Outstanding
CyKosis1973 - Opera Performance S2000 Lap: 02:27.852
This car feels great when driving at about 80-90%. Eau Rouge was easy enough in 5th gear climbing to a top speed of 157mph. Late braking and earlier throttle caused the car to oversteer and lose rear traction. How I downshifted from 2-3th and 6-5th made a huge difference in my laptime and I know there is still a bit of time left with a perfect lap. Overall, very impressive tune considering that when I looked at the settings this car only has 7 rear downforce!
Driver Choice Bonus: Outstanding
C-ZETA (PSN: V16T91) - Opera Performance S2000 Lap: 02:29.290
This tune is very good at letting the driver regain the driving line when missing the entry on a turn. It shot through Eau Rouge in 6th gear and cruised on to 152mph. The 10 downforce provided enough stability for mid-high speed sections. The top speed seems a bit low compared to the other entries and the brakes were sensitive (19 by a 7/3 balance). Luckily, the ability to regain a line allowed me to worry less about the grass and more about improving my lap. When I was not braking for a corner this car did wonders for driver confidence around the track.
Driver Choice Bonus: Driveable
Jackthalad(Hosted by XDesperado67) - Honda Integra RM Lap: 02:29.802
The Integra had good ability on corner exits and can take both high speed sections flat out. Eau Rouge required a pause in throttle application, loses a bit of speed, but was relatively easy to take on the limit. The Integra managed a speed of 148mph on the main straight. Wheel spin was easily obtained under low speed acceleration but this is the case with most high powered FWD (front wheel drive) cars. The brakes were good enough to get the chassis slowed and settled for corner entry. Good tune for a high powered FWD race car.
Driver Choice Bonus: Drivable
Johnnypenso - Honda S2000 LM Race Car Lap: 02:26.954
This tune had full ballast but didn’t even act like it was carrying all that extra weight. This car really wants the driver to use a gear higher than expected. The extra grunt from the engine made it easy to maintain speed through Eau Rouge and onto a speed of 155mph. The brakes work well and allowed for great accuracy and turn-in on the critical sections of Spa. Great job, mark this tune off as a success.
Driver Choice Bonus: Outstanding
krenkme - BMW 320i Touring Car '03 Lap: 02:30.768
The lone BMW didn’t disappoint in being a nice driving car. This car was easy through Eau Rouge though, a bit slow on the straight reaching a peak speed of 149mph. This car felt balanced and the brakes worked well I was close to my fastest lap on the second lap. The transmission was nicely spaced to accommodate acceleration and speed considering it lacks a sixth gear. It would be interesting to try this tune with more ballast and more power after the shootout.
Driver Choice Bonus: Drivable
MotorCtyHamilton - Acura NSX RM '91 Lap: 02:29.580
The first lap on cold tire was very good. This car had speed, acceleration, and balance of a mid-engine racer. After lap one it was clear that this car was both technical and difficult around the limit of grip. Eau Rouge required a cautious approach when entering the hill else a red lap would be ensured but still obtained a top speed of 153mph. The brakes for the most part were excellent as was the turn-in around the sharper corners. A bit of ballast up front might help reduce the loss of traction and make it safer to drive.
Driver Choice Bonus: Drivable
OTS_NEWDRIVER2 - Mitsubishi FTO Super Touring Car Lap: 02:30.364
The car loses some speed going up the hill at Eau Rouge and achieves the lowest top speed of 147mph. In terms of turn-in, braking, and exit this car is great. The driver makes full use of the all wheel drive and never had any trouble regaining a line. This was an easy to drive race car with a large amount of grip. If only the aero kit could be reduced lower than the minimum values of 15/30. This is another good tune for learning the ins and outs of Spa.
Driver Choice Bonus: Drivable
Onboy123 - Honda Integra Type R Touring Lap: 02:28.677
If the front wheels didn’t flash red occasionally, this car could just as easily be assumed to be rear-wheel drive. The front wheels grip relentlessly and many sections allow for cornering speeds similar to the S2000LM tuned racecars in this competition. The Eau Rouge was taken flat out and this Integra reached a speed of 154mph. A simple up shift would allow for grip and throttle out of the corner. The brakes were strong but difficult to get accurate slowing from high speed. This car is easily my favorite FWD car this competition. Nicely done!
Driver Choice: Outstanding
praiano63 - Clio Renault Sport Trophy Race Car Lap: 02:28.195
This Clio MR has a very controllable chassis. Eau Rouge allowed for a bit of driver error up in 6th gear and would lead to a top speed of 155mph on the straight. The front outside tire would smoke under hard braking while turning but it did not have a large impact on front grip. Using the mid-range torque lead to a quicker lap then just slogging through the gears. Overall, this is a good tune for improving driving technique at Spa. The car has a noticeable limit and is relatively safe as long care is taken with the throttle input at low speed.
Driver Choice Bonus: Outstanding
Ridox2JZGTE (PSN: GTP_Orido) - Honda Civic EK '97 RM Lap: 02:32.959
First impressions driving this tune were that it required extremely careful planning when using the gearing and throttle. The chassis is not suited to Eau Rouge as it want to push wide if the driver is slightly off on entry. The straight line speed was very good topping off at 156mph before the attempting to brake. The brakes were rather difficult to gauge and seemed to stop at varying distances throughout testing. There is a massive amount of wheel spin and understeering present in this car. Keeping it on the track for a clean lap was very much a chore. Less camber, reduced power, and a bit more front aero could help to control wheel spin. This would also give additional grip around the higher speed sections of Spa.
Driver Choice Bonus: Drivable… but just
robrabbitman(PSN: bloodsugarrush) - Acura NSX RM '91 Lap: 02:29.113
The first thing I needed to do was add some ballast to reduce the performance to 500pp. 15kg (the tune needed 9kg to maintain 500pp after five laps) was added to ensure no performance gains during testing. This didn’t affect the tunes weight distribution of 45/55. Eau Rouge was moderately difficult and the NSX went on to a top speed of 154mph. The brakes were strong but the car would understeer on a few of the turns. Like the other NSX RM caution must be made on the higher speed sections but the lower speed sections had great turn-in.
Driver Choice Bonus: Drivable
ugabugaz - Honda S2000 LM Race Car Lap: 02:27.987
The third S2000 LM I tested and falls just off pace from the fastest in the class. The Eau Rouge was taken in 6th gear and this car went on to a top speed of 153mph. This car is a bit tail happy out of the corners. Just a slight delay of throttle this car will mostly obey its drivers inputs. The off throttle turn-in is great for the mid-high speed sections. This allowed a great exit to gain as much speed as I could before the next brake point.
Driver Choice Bonus: Drivable
VTiRoj (PSN: RoJJieE) - Honda Integra RM Lap: 02:28.592
This is another great front wheel drive racecar with just a hint of wheel spin. The turn-in grip and balance through the exit allow for this car to quickly collect speed. Eau Rouge is taken with a very quick lift and actually was one of the faster tunes up the hill. The Integra goes on to hit a top speed of 155mph on the straight. Brakes were good but did need a bit of caution when slowing from very high speed. The chassis always stayed planted through the many sweeping sections of Spa. Nicely done!
Driver Choice Bonus: Outstanding
XDesperado67 - Toyota Altezza Touring Car Lap: 02:27.300
This is the second sedan in this competition and it was a fun surprise of a tune. Eau Rouge was a bit more challenging than other tested cars as this car has to be in just the right spot to make it up the hill without a red lap. With only five gears to work with, the Altezza managed a respectable 153mph top speed. Brakes were strong and I never once missed the tricky chicane before the start finish line. The ability for a driver to push at just under the limit of grip on both entry and exit is what really set this car apart. Well done!
Driver Choice Bonus: Outstanding
This was quite a large group of cars but I managed to survive driving all of them. I enjoyed quite a few tunes and I was able to learn a bit about the track and how to go about tuning a racecar for speed and grip. This was a great event and very good practice for a fairly technical racing course. Again, thank you tuners and thank you Motor City Hami for sponsoring the event.
Keep Driving!
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