Fuji 80s in under 1 minute?

[Andy GT]

I want to do Fuji 80s in under 1 minute. After thinking about which car to use, I decided on the MINOLTA Toyota 88C-V Race Car '89. I got on my Minolta and went out on the track.

Practiced with the default setup, got a feel for the track, and ended up with a time of 1:02.020.

I then turned ASM off, since I'm used to driving with ASM off. The time improved to 1:00.963.

Seeing as Fuji 80s is a fast track, I lowered the downforce, but the time didn't improve. I only got a 1:01.540.

Lowering the LSD settings to the minimum, and reverting downforce back to the default, I got a slight improvement, but still not enough to break the 1 minute mark. 1:00.435 was the best I could get.

I seriously don't know what else to do to get the Minolta to go faster around this course. I want to break the 1 minute mark, but I want to do it with a power-wise stock Minolta. I won't put on the Stage 4 turbo, or use NOS. I just need to perfect the setup. I can see that less than 1 minute is definitely possible.

I need suggestions.

Greetings,

Andy.

 

[BH-21]

Suspension tweaking, and likely your final gear setting in your transmission. Also you can shave some time with the proper brake balance.

 

[Bopop4]

How many laps did you do?
It will take at least 20 laps to get a feel for the car and track.

 

[Ignignoc N Err]

You didn't mention any change in tires, so are we to assume that you're still shod with R3s all around? If so, you should be able to break into the 58s range. I'll try to help as much as possible, of course, but suspension settings are more "season to flavor" than they are a strict recipe.

I noticed you mentioned lowering the LSD settings to minimum. That's a step in the right direction, IMHO, since the LSD is usually set far too high. I tend to set mine with a low Initial Torque setting, fairly high (20-ish) Accel and a minimal decel. I tend to trail-brake a lot, and dive into the apex with most all of the weight forward (Decel), so I like to be able to turn as much as possible while cornering. When it comes time to accelerate out of the corner, directional control becomes a secondary focus and grip takes the spotlight, so I favor a higher Accel setting. It allows me to claw for all available traction making ever second of WOT count.

You also mentioned very little about suspension, so if you like, I'll give you some general suspension tweaks that tend to help me on this course. Group C prototypes are usually set WAY too low and tight for the real-world courses, and have the tendency to bounce around a lot on the uneven surfaces. Raise the suspension about 10-20mm above the minimum, then lower the spring rates. This is something you'll have to "trial/failure" your way through, as the course, exact height/weight dynamic, YOUR particular driving style, etc. will all contribute to what is the optimum setting. I would suggest lower your spring rates by 1.0 kgt/mm per 10mm of ride height increase as a general rule of thumb, then experiment until you really dial in the control. You want the nose to fall under deceleration, and the tail to squat under acceleration, but only just enough to make the weight shift toward the wheels that need the most bite. You don't want the nose to pitch all the way down every time you blip the brakes, as that will make the car too squishy.

Much the same can be said about stabilizer and shock rates. I tend to lean toward the "less is more" mantra. Lower shock values tend to make the car more controllable over uneven surfaces, so when you dive over the curbing trying to straighten your turn out as much as possible, you won't be tossed into the sky. This is especially prevalent in the stadium parking lot at Seattle (the tight zig-zags just preceding the last turn before pit road). You don't want the anti-roll stabilizers or the shocks to overpower your car, but you do want them to stabilize the car's attitude. I'd suggest starting in the 3-range for your stabilizers, and maybe a 2/4 or 3/4 (bound/rebound) setting for your shocks.

Sometimes I think that the 88C-V actually suffers from having an extra gear and having too much power for its weight. Perhaps you should try again using the 787B. That car seems to handle better, IMHO. Or maybe the R89C?

EDIT: almost forgot to add, Scaff (moderator) wrote a tuning guide that has been a major eye-opener for me. I'd suggest that you find it, download it, and read it. It is well worth your time.

 

[naxoh]

I took my 88C-V, select a default stup, turn off all aids (i don't like drive with) and go race at fuji 80's.
First lap: 0'59.387 (with dualshock 2)

http://youtu.be/cKujGhOJfl0

I know; bad quality, my cellphone camera is...