FITT Race Car Tuner Challenge

[ugabugaz]

Good day everyone.Ive been following these neat FITT challenges.I thought I would test myself as a tester,see if I have what it takes and maybe get in on the fun.With MCHs permission Ive been testing the cars in the 625 PP class quietly on the side,making sure I get it right before actually posting up the results.A big thanks to you,kind sir,as well as Xdesperado for his special help and encouraging words.To all the tuners,thanks for enduring my unorthodox methodology and letting me give their cars a thorough thrashing.What a blast! Testing was done with a DS3,sensitivity set to 7,auto transmission.Grip set to real,ABS set to 1,driving line on.( I cant drive without a driving line ) Everything else turned off.Done in practice mode A spec free run with ten laps minimum.A picture was taken of each test session,and the fastest lap was saved to my replay theatre.I treated each session like a time trial ( minus the re-tuning,of course ) and hopefully I got every tenth of a second possible out of each car.Heres what I got:

Ridox Lexus IS F RM 07.This car gave me a good workout.Im unfamiliar with the trail braking method involved with this tune,but I gave it everything I had in trying to master it.Unfortunately I failed miserably!I tried braking late,I tried braking early.I tried driving real slow so I wouldnt have to brake,all to no avail.There was a fatal cowl shake while braking under duress ( Holy cow I cant see the track! ) and turning at any speed was a scary endeavor.Looking past that,the car shows good grip and straight line speed,making me wonder how much better my times could have been if I was better schooled in the trail braking method.Please sign me up for some lessons as soon as possible.FASTEST LAP:1:45.950 DC:HOLY CRAP



Next up is krenkme BMW M3 GTR Race Car 01 Straight out the box,this car is dialed in to give honest straightforward results from driver input.Predictable response providing an easy comfortable ride,everything you would expect out of a Clueless Tunes effort.I had a bit of trouble trying to exit first chicane,the back end always trying to break loose in spite of or because of my throttle mashing.This may have had an adverse affect on lap times,but it wont change my opinion of the tune.The session was the fastest to complete,simply because the car was such a fun easy rides.Kudos Mr. krenkme,a fun time for sure.FASTEST LAP:1:44.479 DCRIVEABLE



Next up is CSL ACR Corvette C5-R ( C5 ) 00 I have this car and was very disappointed with it.But in the hands of this tuner I have a new found appreciation for this 4 wheeled bumble bee.The handling is excellent,well balanced and instills confidence to attack the track.It is also very forgiving if you push it a bit too far,as I noticed my confidence made me bolder in my approach each lap.It seemed a bit slow in overall lap times,but the trade off in handling makes it worth the while.FASTEST LAP:1:42.544 DCRIVEABLE



Next up is C Zeta GT by Citroen Race Car.It was hard work getting 10 laps together for this tune.The car felt unstable at high speeds,and was hard to keep on the track.I felt handcuffed by its lack of braking,but that may be due to a lack of skill on my part.I think I may have left some much better times out on the track due to my hanging on for dear life.Apologies to the tuner regarding lap times.FASTEST LAP:1:42.304 DC:HOLY CRAP.



Next up is onboy Camaro LM Race Car I had the most fun with this car,by far.The tune seems to fit my style like a glove and allowed me to attack the track at every opportunity.Im fairly certain I wrung out the maximum results possible,but if anyone wants me to do this over again,it would be my pleasure.I MUST HAVE THIS CAR!The overall lap times may be slightly lacking but they are not a reflection of the tune.Bravo onboy.Excellent job. FASTEST LAP 1:42.173 DC OUTSTANDING.



Next up is Ealirendur Mazda RX-7 LM Race Car.Nicely put together,a well balanced car that doesnt sacrifice speed for handling.Braking is spot on,while cornering at both low and high speeds was predictable.I had a bit of trouble getting on the throttle after the first chicane,but once I learned to feather it just a bit,it quickly became a non factor.Good job ren! FASTEST LAP 1:41.808 DC Driveable



Next up Xdesperado BMW M3 GTR Race Car 01 When I first saw this challenge coming together I immediately noticed something that stuck out.Xdesperado in a full on race car!This,I said to myself,is going to be very interesting indeed....Shocking would have been a better choice of words,in retrospect.In a 1 off race of this car,this tune would be my go-to set up.Its untapped potential has been brought out in the hands of the tuner,and the results are stunning.Stability in cornering,enter and exit with ease and agility,along with a faster lap time than a 4 wheel brick deserves.Of all the cars I tested,only 1 car could handle the final chicane without braking,and this 1 is it.When I did it the first time I almost didnt believe it.After the 2nd time,well,what can I say....subliminal.But as it says in the tuners notes beware:the devil will get his due.There is no room for error,and if you stray just a bit YOU WILL PAY!Outstanding job.2 thumbs up ( please note that no walls were banged during the running of this session ) FASTEST LAP: 1:41.718 DC OUTSTANDING.



Next up is ugabugaz Pagani Zonda LM Race Car.What a fast set up on this car.The braking on this car is so well balanced,allowing for much shorter distances and quicker retake on the throttle.Handling is precise and pinpoint accurate,response from driver input is immediate,making for a very sharp car.But if you should over estimate your abilities with this car,it is very forgiving.Another must-have for my garage.Excellent job. FASTEST LAP:1:41.459 DCUTSTANDING.



Next up is ASCR Ford GT LM SPEC II TEST CAR A very quick car,speed on demand,and very responsive.But I must say this car was a handful.The perfect line is the only way for this car,and the slightest deviation will cost you.I managed to get the best out of the car in each sector,but at different times during the session.The ultimate fast lap for me was unattainable,but this is a reflection of the driver and not the car.Definately not for the beginner,but in more skilled hands,a winner for sure. FASTEST LAP:1:40.958 DC DRIVEABLE



Next up is johnnypenso Viper GTS-R Team Oreca Race Car 91 '01. By far the best handling car of the bunch.with all the elements needed to win come race day.Speed on demand with an excellent gearbox setup,braking in a calm straight manner which allows for sharp well mannered turns and back on the throttle with remarkably good manners for such a beastly machine.You will win with this setup,and its a must-have for me!Excellent job. FASTEST LAP:1:40.945 DCUTSTANDING



Last but not least,Motor City Hami Ford GT LM SPEC II TEST Car.What a ride! Exhilarating.I got the most red laps with this car just for the pure joy of pushing the envelope at every turn.When a car suits me this well,all I want to do is just ATTACK ATTACK ATTACK,and this setup seems to be of the same mind.Its a fast car on its own,but in the hands of the tuner,its been made to go morfast.Another car I must have!Outstanding job. FASTEST LAP:1:39.080 DC OUTSTANDING

Thats it for me.Hope I did this right.Thanks everyone.CHEERS.

Quote for readability. Holy wall of text

 

[XDesperado67]

@Morefastmadboy great job testing and very good reviews.👍👍

Might suggest you put a paragraph break in between each tuners review and list their lap times and DC on a seperate line from the review to make MCHs job a bit easier, but well done and glad to have you involved with F.I.T.T.

Oh and welcome to the Planet.

 

[CSLACR]

Oh my.

 

[Johnnypenso]

Thanks for testing Morfast, glad you liked it with the DS3 which usually isn't the case for me. An excellent lap time as well:tup: A few little tweaks here and there to modify it for DS3 and I bet you'd shave a second off at least.

Edit: Just noticed this...

JohnnyPenso: 2:25.010
Comments: Just fabulous. Nominated for tune of the week. Best shootout car/drive/tune I've ever come across, ever. I'd question the ballast, but the speed and handling told me to shut my 🤬 mouth, then called me names and laughed.
DC 1.0

Thanks...high praise indeed

 

[Ridox2JZGTE]

Another holy crap moment from my car

 

[XDesperado67]

@ugabugaz can you please clear a little inbox space I'd like to PM you.

 

[ugabugaz]

@ugabugaz can you please clear a little inbox space I'd like to PM you.

Yep, Just a second. Done

Added review/time for C-Zeta <--- My fav for 625PP Group, It's divine.
Added time for my Zonda.

Will update post again later tonight.

 

[Motor City Hami]

500PP Testing Group A
DS3, ABS1, grip reduction real, all other aids off

Johnnypenso - Honda S2000 LM Race Car &#8211; 228.773 &#8211; outstanding
Bit of outside front red tire in places indicating a bit of understeer. Very drivable car.

ACSR421 - Honda S2000 LM Race Car &#8211; 228.812 outstanding
One of my favorite cars among this group. Another ACSR tune that fit me pretty well.

CSLACR (PSN: GTP_CSL) - Spoon S2000 Race Car '00 &#8211; 229.382 &#8211; drivable
It&#8217;s just weird that this car is always above the rev limiter. Very fast in the high speed sections of the track.

CyKosis1973 - Opera Performance S2000 &#8211; 2:29.408 - drivable

XDesperado67 - Toyota Altezza Touring Car &#8211; 229.439 - drivable
Good tune, but a bit of push at the limit. I would prefer a bit more aggressive tune mid-corner to exit. This car does not feel fast, but it is lap time competitive. It must be due to the tame exhaust note that tricks the brain into thinking that it is slower than the other cars.

ugabugaz - Honda S2000 LM Race Car &#8211; 230.430 - drivable
Gearbox doesn&#8217;t match the track leaving some awkward shift points that threw off my rhythm in Les Combes/Malmedy and the entry to Stavelot. Car feels a little darty yet I couldn&#8217;t get it down to the apex like the other cars in the competition.

C-ZETA (PSN: V16T91) - Opera Performance S2000 &#8211; 230.087 - drivable

 

[XDesperado67]

Oh an the T300 over brakes going into the bus stop destroying the dreams of a miracle win!

Great job MCH.👍👍 Thanks for the test and wonderful event.

 

[ugabugaz]

Times/Scores updated. Two cars managed faster times. Changed some Driver's ratings around.

 

[Johnnypenso]

Taking off in the morning for a few days. Want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas

A big thank you to everyone that made the effort to drive either or both of my two entries. Without the testers there would be no Tuning Contests so thank you very much!!!👍👍

 

[CSLACR]

Taking off in the morning for a few days. Want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas

A big thank you to everyone that made the effort to drive either or both of my two entries. Without the testers there would be no Tuning Contests so thank you very much!!!

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night! Ho ho ho!

Times/Scores updated. Two cars managed faster times. Changed some Driver's ratings around.

2) CSL's Vette - 1:41.334

My first impression of this car wasn't good. Exiting parabolica immediately revealed slow turn in. Coming into the first chicane the car felt even worse. Why doesn't this thing turn I thought to myself. The rest of the lap was much of the same. Lazy front, truck like turn in, and decent exit grip. No other car has frustrated me quite like this one on this track. I had to come up with some creative ways to take certain corners cause my usual style just proved impossible. I was expecting so much from this car yet it's let me down in a spectacular fashion. I've had plenty of experience with the C5-R and I've never had it feel this bad. On a whim I decided to see how the car felt with a completely stock suspension. Unfortunately, even stock the car didn't have enough front push for my liking but keeping that in mind within two laps I was in the 40's. I'm sorry if I sound harsh, this car just didn't gel with me. Perhaps because I'm using a DS3, I don't know. Sorry

Holy Crap

Figured you'd have figured mine out by now.

Seems like everyone else thought it was the easiest car to drive in the shootout, I guess if I have to choose between you and everyone else, I did good?

Not sure about the build, I could have gained some from a different build,(I know, everyone said that) but I don't think the Vette has the beans in this particular stack. I wasn't overly concerned with the Vette's exact lap time, I'm actually quite pleased with the speed and consistency it showed here. I think the high aero proved a solid and usable method for a longer race, despite the speed of lower aero.

 

[C-ZETA]

Nice to see those lovely comments from Ugabugaz...shame the lack of driver choice points seemed to hurt me elsewhere.

I used the same brake setup from my original GT by Citroen Race Car tune on the tune for this, as I had heard good things about not even the brakes being able to hinder it, so I thought I'd be able to go with the same brake setup...little bit disappointing for me overall in both classes, but still. Till next time!

Think I might need to take the approach I went with in the Laguna/Toscana FF shootout instance since that got me some good results. But who knows. Depends on what the next shootout is really...

 

[Motor City Hami]

I think we can call it a finish to the 625PP class. Final results updated in post #4. Congrats to the winners.

For 500PP did praiano test? Ok if he didn't. I just don't want to miss the times.

Also, I still need to drive Cykosis 500PP entry. He needs to put it back on share.

 

[Onboy123]

I think we can call it a finish to the 625PP class. Final results updated in post #4. Congrats to the winners.

For 500PP did praiano test? Ok if he didn't. I just don't want to miss the times.

Prai pulled out due to time constraints. And…touch wood…does this mean…I've actually won something…?

 

[XDesperado67]

Prai pulled out due to time constraints. And…touch wood…does this mean…I've actually won something…?

Nope by my admittedly rough calculations you wound up around 5th or 6th overall in the 500PP class. You did take 1st overall amongst the FWD though so it does give you something to chat about with Roj I guess!

 

[Onboy123]

Nope by my admittedly rough calculations you wound up around 5th or 6th overall in the 500PP class. You did take 1st overall amongst the FWD though so it does give you something to chat about with Roj I guess!

500PP Group B, go read the OP with your glasses on old man.

 

[VTiRoj]

I did tell you the TC is better than the RM, Onboy.

 

[ugabugaz]

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night! Ho ho ho!



Figured you'd have figured mine out by now.

Seems like everyone else thought it was the easiest car to drive in the shootout, I guess if I have to choose between you and everyone else, I did good?

Not sure about the build, I could have gained some from a different build,(I know, everyone said that) but I don't think the Vette has the beans in this particular stack. I wasn't overly concerned with the Vette's exact lap time, I'm actually quite pleased with the speed and consistency it showed here. I think the high aero proved a solid and usable method for a longer race, despite the speed of lower aero.

If you're happy and satisfied with the car, that's all that matters. My comments, you can choose to ignore or keep them in mind, doesn't really matter to me. I can't say it was a hard car to drive, but it was a hard car to drive fast - I'm rephrasing my review here so I'll stop .

If you want to see what I find a really good tune to be like, Give C-Zeta's Citroen a go. It also uses full aero (I think?) but the car is very different in the way it's setup.

Nice to see those lovely comments from Ugabugaz...shame the lack of driver choice points seemed to hurt me elsewhere.

I used the same brake setup from my original GT by Citroen Race Car tune on the tune for this, as I had heard good things about not even the brakes being able to hinder it, so I thought I'd be able to go with the same brake setup...little bit disappointing for me overall in both classes, but still. Till next time!

Think I might need to take the approach I went with in the Laguna/Toscana FF shootout instance since that got me some good results. But who knows. Depends on what the next shootout is really...

Had a lot of fun driving the car. I could keep lapping Monza forever in your Citroen. Are your tunes generally built in the style of the Citroen? If yes, I think I'll be back for more...

 

[Onboy123]

I did tell you the TC is better than the RM, Onboy.

And we did have this convo before, no?

 

[XDesperado67]

500PP Group B, go read the OP with your glasses on old man.

Maybe you should read the OP with some glasses...the 500PP group was split up simply to make it easier for test drivers. It happened well after the start of the shootout and was completely arbitrary. So bah humbug and have another lump o coal boy!

 

[praiano63]

Happy to see my car in the middle of the results. Like i've said first, i let it a bit too sharp for the event. with a few more rear downforce you don't loose a lot but it's like on rail.

I'm sorry but i will not be able to test the 500PP like i was supposed to do. I have too much things to do at the moment and the update of my garage after 2.09 take all my GT5 time.

There is also a good surprise for the end of the year.👍

><(((((°>°°°°°°°°

Sorry, i've posted this a few days ago, really busy with updates and my cat eating my HDMI wires
Sorry again, not this time.

 

[NEWDRIVER2]

I lost this round but I won a lot of learning and tuning those cars .👍

but I win FIRST DC in my group B and maybe FIFTH DC over all 500PP

well done to all the TUNERS 👍
BIG thank you for the TESTERS 👍
Thank you MCM for this wonderful Shootout 👍

 

[praiano63]

I'm happy with my 2 place in lap time group B, the car was fast and very challenging, can't sleep behind the wheel. Perhaps too sharp ,that's the reason of my bad position in driver choice. Just a few rear aero let it so smooth... My fault.
Thanks to everybody. Great job.

><(((((°>°°°°°°

 

[Onboy123]

Maybe you should read the OP with some glasses...the 500PP group was split up simply to make it easier for test drivers. It happened well after the start of the shootout and was completely arbitrary. So bah humbug and have another lump o coal boy!

So then, why are there two score sheets if the groups are only split for ease of testing but results are still to be combined?

It's two groups, 500PP Group A has 5 entries, 500PP Group B has all the rest, but are separate. MCH said it himself, I was leading Group B, which I take as Groups A and B being scored separately.

 

[CSLACR]

Congrats to JohhnyP for triple crown in 500PP and triple 3's for 625PP
MCH for the the triple crown in 625PP
ACSR for 2 solid almosts 👍
Desperado for making anything keep up with the S2K's. 👍

A lot of good cars and entries in 500PP, I very much enjoyed driving/testing them.

If you're happy and satisfied with the car, that's all that matters. My comments, you can choose to ignore or keep them in mind, doesn't really matter to me. I can't say it was a hard car to drive, but it was a hard car to drive fast - I'm rephrasing my review here so I'll stop .

2nd in 625PP Ddrivers choice minus your 0.0. Still tied for 3rd with it.

I'll be aiming to set my cars up just like that in the future.

So then, why are there two score sheets if the groups are only split for ease of testing but results are still to be combined?

It's two groups, 500PP Group A has 5 entries, 500PP Group B has all the rest, but are separate. MCH said it himself, I was leading Group B, which I take as Groups A and B being scored separately.

I entered and tested a 500PP shootout pitting all the eligible 500PP cars against one another. "shrug"

I didn't check very many tunes or builds, but I know for certain JackThalad's Integra is a 2:26 car, he just put way too much aero on it. Krenkme's 320I runs low 27's (instantly) with a different build too. The S2K's were all built for speed, the rest of the field was more mixed.

 

[Motor City Hami]

Edit - built CyKosis' tune with car from my garage. Run and final results posted.

 

[Motor City Hami]

FITT Race Car Tuner Challenge Final Thoughts

All test scores are in, final points have been calculated and the results are now official in post #4. https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?p=7859252#post7859252

I would like to begin with a few observations about the cars in the competition. First, I wish that I would have spent more time vetting the car list. For my Rally vs. Street Challenge, I built every available vehicle and took most of them for a quick drive, which kept things very close. This Race Car Challenge came together very quickly; over just a few days. I think car selection was more important than I wanted it to be. I was happy to see someone like CSLACR take a chance on the Pratt & Miller C5 Race Car. It wasn&#8217;t going to win on lap times, but most everyone gave it a high DC rating.

Second, I thought that the point system worked very well. I like how close the scores are. I would like to have some discussion and debate over in the FITT forum on the system and talk about potential tweaks. This system has now been used in three FITT competitions. Each one had a little variation in the driver&#8217;s choice scoring. I would love to discuss whether people thought DC was just right, had too little effect or was too much of the final score.

Third, I learned one thing from this competition relative to tuning under the 2.09 game update. I was surprised at how well the cars worked with very low aero settings. Setting max aero or somewhere close to that was always more lap time friendly before the latest game updates. It seems that for PP racing on tracks with straights this long, low aero in exchange for power is a must.

Thank you to all of the tuners and the testers. We had some new faces test with FITT this time and I hope they had enough fun to make a return trip for future challenges. We also had a very cooperative group all around. There were only a few issues to work through and everyone was respectful and patient. I really appreciated that.

We end this competition with many great tunes. I was happy to see how close the average lap times were across all groups. With each FITT challenge the talent level seems to be rising and equaling out. We had a fun competition, but we leave the GTPlanet community with an awesome collection of tuned race cars. Congratulations to all of us for providing such a service to GTP. Special congratulations to the podium finishers. I purposely listed the results in post #4 showing not only the final point&#8217;s winners, but also fast lap and drivers choice leaders. If your name is listed there, I think you have earned some well-deserved bragging rights for your race car building awesomeness.

Thanks again to everyone who participated. Let me know if anyone would like prizes for their podium finishes. This also goes for our test drivers; biffa3, GTP_Ronald, Theo777 and morefastmadboy. Choose any car up to $1MM and it is yours (premium immediately and standard if I can find one in the UCD soon).

With that, who&#8217;s next&#8230; &#8216;cause I need something to tune.

Keith

 

[CyKosis1973]

CyKosis: 2:25.710
Comments: Fast car, a little too much over/under for entry/exit for me to fully sort out, but quick and nimble. Merge this with C-Zeta's please.
DC 0.5

2:25..?? How..?? Nevermind, thank you very, very much, truly epic.

I'm going to have a proper look at C-Zeta's car, I actually thought his drove a little better than mine. I don't know why his lacks the top end speed though, it can't be just the 3 extra points of downforce. Weight and power most likely.

Edit - built CyKosis' tune with car from my garage. Run and final results posted.

Sorry, ignore my message about putting the car back on share, you've obviously taken care of business, sorry again.

Thanks for all of your efforts, once again. A very enjoyable event. I'll be taking away quite a few new cars from this. Thank you to everyone else too, the rest of the builders and the testers. I hope to see all of you again at the next event.

In the meantime, eat, drink and make merry, good people...

{Cy}

 

[biffa3]

FITT Race Car Tuner Challenge Final Thoughts

All test scores are in, final points have been calculated and the results are now official in post #4. https://www.gtplanet.net/forum/showthread.php?p=7859252#post7859252

I would like to begin with a few observations about the cars in the competition. First, I wish that I would have spent more time vetting the car list. For my Rally vs. Street Challenge, I built every available vehicle and took most of them for a quick drive, which kept things very close. This Race Car Challenge came together very quickly; over just a few days. I think car selection was more important than I wanted it to be. I was happy to see someone like CSLACR take a chance on the Pratt & Miller C5 Race Car. It wasn&rsquo;t going to win on lap times, but most everyone gave it a high DC rating.

Second, I thought that the point system worked very well. I like how close the scores are. I would like to have some discussion and debate over in the FITT forum on the system and talk about potential tweaks. This system has now been used in three FITT competitions. Each one had a little variation in the driver&rsquo;s choice scoring. I would love to discuss whether people thought DC was just right, had too little effect or was too much of the final score.

Third, I learned one thing from this competition relative to tuning under the 2.09 game update. I was surprised at how well the cars worked with very low aero settings. Setting max aero or somewhere close to that was always more lap time friendly before the latest game updates. It seems that for PP racing on tracks with straights this long, low aero in exchange for power is a must.

Thank you to all of the tuners and the testers. We had some new faces test with FITT this time and I hope they had enough fun to make a return trip for future challenges. We also had a very cooperative group all around. There were only a few issues to work through and everyone was respectful and patient. I really appreciated that.

We end this competition with many great tunes. I was happy to see how close the average lap times were across all groups. With each FITT challenge the talent level seems to be rising and equaling out. We had a fun competition, but we leave the GTPlanet community with an awesome collection of tuned race cars. Congratulations to all of us for providing such a service to GTP. Special congratulations to the podium finishers. I purposely listed the results in post #4 showing not only the final point&rsquo;s winners, but also fast lap and drivers choice leaders. If your name is listed there, I think you have earned some well-deserved bragging rights for your race car building awesomeness.

Thanks again to everyone who participated. Let me know if anyone would like prizes for their podium finishes. This also goes for our test drivers; biffa3, GTP_Ronald, Theo777 and morefastmadboy. Choose any car up to $1MM and it is yours (premium immediately and standard if I can find one in the UCD soon).

With that, who&rsquo;s next&hellip; &lsquo;cause I need something to tune.

Keith

Congrats on a well hosted event MCH. Thoroughly enjoyed testing and it was good to see my times not too far off the rest of the testers. I'll definately be returning to test in future events. Thanks and congrats to all tuners who provided excellent cars that I'll be using in the future. Congrats to winners and podium finishers. Don't worry about the car, not a lot of room in the garage! Merry christmas to all.