I did some searching and I haven't found this type of comparison on these forums. I owned an rx8 for 2 years and have been to a few track events with it. I have tuned rx8's in prologue and forza 2 and driven the stock versions. Here is my comparison of the 2 games based on these facts.
This is a long thread, read at your own risk.
rx8 in forza stock.
265 hp
180 tq
1406 kg/3100 lbs
rx8 type S in GT5
stock
281 hp
180 tq
1310 kg/2888 lbs
(running s2/s2. Using the same tire to be identical to GT4 setup)
03 rx8 type S in GT4 stock(before/after oil change)
281 hp / 295 hp
180 tq / 189 tq
1310 kg/2888 lbs
(running s2/s2. Definitely the stock tire in GT4)
The track is suzuka.
EDIT**** New times run with steering wheel and full screen(made GT5 times faster)
With pro physics on(s2/s2), I ran a 2:27.571 in GT5.
Standard physics (s2/s2) 2:25.45
Forza 2:26
GT4 2:26.3(s2/s2)
That car in forza is a C477
That car in GT5
is a 526pp
I am surprised how close the stock cars perform compared to each other. That is impressive as that means both games have really put in the time to make their cars as realistic as possible.
Once modding comes into play, the games really get separated.
I then used one of my Tuned rx8 in GT5
and attempted to make a forza copy. I tuned all the settings to very similar and then began performance upgrades in both games. The only items I bought were ones required to allow the car to have tunable parts.
In forza, i tuned the car for
HP 329
TQ 223
Weight 1233kg/2720lbs
First upgrade on tire compound(sport compound)
In GT5
, I tuned the car for
HP 333
TQ 207 (could not get similar to forza)
Weight 1231kg/2713lbs
s3/s3 tires
In GT4, I tuned the car for (before/after oil change)
HP 322/338
TQ 205/216
Weight 1192/2628 lbs
s3/s3 tires
I came up with some interesting results:
Forza:
1st 51
2nd 82
3rd 115
4th 137
5th 160
6th 174
GT5
1st 49
2nd 79
3rd 112
4th 133
5th 155
6th 173
GT4
1st 50
2nd 77
3rd 109
4th 135
5th 156
6th 178 (was a bit lower gear, couldn't match GT5
and forza exactly)
This was top speeds in each gear with the exact same gearing. I bought the adjustable transmission in forza to achieve this. Every ratio and the FD was as close to exactly the same as possible.
A lap around suzuka in forza was 2:17.179. To get to a 2:17 in GT5, I had to move to R compound tires in GT5 (pro physics). In GT4, I ran a 2:19.5
EDIT ****
Well results are in. I tuned both cars again trying to get them even closer then before.
This time around the forza rx8 is running 329 hp/223 tq/ 1240kg/2734 lbs.
I took a few of the mods I had used to be able to customize the car more out of the rx8 in forza as well. I also ran it with stock tires and the first compound tires again.
Forza stock tires with tune. 2:19.1
Forza sport tires with tune. 2:17.6
GT5 (standard physics) s3s/s3 with tune. 2:18.5.
GT5 (pro physics) s3/s3 with tune 2:21.
GT4 s3/s3 with tune 2:19.5
Here are some of the conclusions I have come to after testing these games.
Forza is more realistic off the line. From a dead start it requires throttle modulation to get the best acceleration. GT5
, just max redline and close your eyes(like every other GT game).
Forza is much easier to control on the limits. If you make a mistake, the game is much more forgiving. Throttle modulation can save you from almost anything. In fact, corner entry and exit angles are not as important IMO because of the ability to control the car with the throttle.
The cars in forza are just flat out easier to drive fast. It only takes me a few tries to really feel like I have put down a good lap in forza. Sometimes, it could take up to 10 laps in gran turismo. I can't describe this effect in numbers, its just a feel thing again. When you are driving a car in forza, you always feel in control even on the edge. In gran turismo, I come so close to losing control so many times a race, its just crazy. That never happens to me in forza unless I completely botch a turn.
GT5
is much less forgiving. The cars tend to slide a lot easier in this game then forza. In forza, you can let off the gas then reapply it to regain control. In GT5
, many slides can not be saved.
As far as the tracks are modeled. They don't feel the same in a lot of areas. Especially the last chicane, you have to approach the turns completely differently in each game. Not sure which one is right. The track feels bigger in GT5
IMO. The amount of space you take up vs the amount of space taken up in forza seems a little different.
Traction on the limits of grip feels different in both games. Forza, the limits come quickly and there is no feel. GT5
has much more feel associated with it. I definitely feel like I am driving in a real car in GT5
whereas I don't in forza.
On that same note, forza feels like a video game. I never believe for a second I am in a real car in a simulation game. The physics seem pretty accurate, but the feel of the game is missing.
Cars in forza are inherently faster then their GT5 counterparts.
Cars in forza are comparable to their standard physics GT5 counterpart. Changing to full screen and using a steering wheel brought my times more in line with forza. The more modding you do, the bigger the gap gets.
Some other notes from a player who has played both games for over a year exclusively.
FWD cars in forza are not realistic at all. They outperform the RWD counterparts in most situations. They get too much traction. Anyone remember making a 500 HP neon SRT or equilivent in GT4? It was pretty much useless. You can't have 19" rims and 500 HP and get around a track all that fast in a FWD without traction control. In forza, you can easily build FWD to out accelerate RWD off the line and kill them in the corners.
Comparing both games to real life, I feel like each game has some things that felt right and a lot of things that didn't.
Traction off the line. Forza is much closer to what I felt in real life.
Around the track, Forza actually feels more real to me as far as physics are concerned. Granted, I am not a professional racing driver. But, my car was very easy to control around the track stock. I was able to drive it fast with little effort. In GT5
, I feel like the game is intentionally made harder then it is in real life. Like the physics are overdone (think counterstrike and recoil at close ranges. In real life, it would be hard to miss at 5ft. In CS, its easy as pie to miss.)
An example would be corner exits. I never recall having any trouble with traction upon corner exits in my rx8 in RL. I could smash the gas in whatever gear I was in and always keep it on track with little trouble. In GT5
, unless I am perfectly straight on a straight line, I can easily lose the rear end. The rx8 is not a tail happy car in RL. It is actually real hard to lose the rear end.
But, forza doesn't feel real from a immersion perspective. There are no bumps for the most part, no real force feedback,
and the cars are faster then they should be.
Example: In GT5
, the rx8 is really slow below 6k revs, but it gets faster and faster all the way to the redline in every gear.
In forza, the car has almost a linear progression through the powerband. It seems like they don't even take those graphs into consideration when designing the way a car accelerates. GT5
wins hands down in this category. Taking off from 2k revs was an exercise in futility in the rx8. GT5
nails this, forza doesnt.
Lastly, braking.
Cars brake better in forza. They are easier to control while braking and brake in shorter distances. Not sure which game is more realistic. EDIT* On another note, if you turn ABS off, the cars feel very good. In gran turismo, its hard to lock the brakes even with abs off. Could be a wash here.
So that's really all I have to say about the games. I didn't cover collisions, damage, and all the other aspects of the game that have already been discussed a million times. I was trying to bring some fresh information to the discussion.
Anyone else agree/disagree?
On another note, I would like to point out how much of a pain in the ass it is to run any car you want on any track you want with any settings you want in both games. In forza, you don't get replays if you test it in the tuning menu. This makes it a pain to look at 2 cars on a similar track.
On GT5
, this is even harder to do.
I had to do the game in 2 player mode to test the cars with the settings I want. That is such a pain in the rear. Why is there no race testing option? Why can't I take any car I want with any settings I want and drive it on any track I want?
EDIT*** I ended up figuring out to run it in arcade mode single race with stupid CPUS. I would pass them in the first half of the lap and have full screen laps with no CPU interference.
It used to be just simulation tires (GT2 & 3) or N tires (4) for road tires on a stock car, but in GT5P it's all different. I mean, i know what PD is trying to do, they're trying to use their generic tires to replicate what a real-life car is equipped with. It's still confusing to me, tho.
