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Hi,
Tsukuba is one of my favorite tracks. It's small, so I can do a handful of laps in an instant, and has some challenging corners. The Dunlop corner and the last corner are of special interest to me.
I've been running quite a few cars around this track to understand the handling differences between different layouts (FF, FR, MR, etc). In summary, from my testing, FFs usually have too much understeer, FRs are quite nice and MRs have unbelievable traction and the best steering but somewhat worse braking.
Unless otherwise noted all cars are either new or 10 Km examples, equipped with Sports Medium tires and fresh oil. Driving aids were turned off and no performance modifications were performed.
This is a summary of my lap times so far, ordered from fastest to slowest:
Handling comments:
Lotus Elise Type 72
Great traction, beautiful handling. Brakes are weak, specially for such a new and light car.
Honda Civic Type R (EP)
A bit of a handful. Some wheelspin on corner exit. Great brakes.
Peugeot 106 S16
Good handling with good amount of lift-off oversteer. Still some understeer accelerating out of corners.
Honda Civic SiR-II
Pretty reasonable handling but understeers on corner exit. Needs an LSD.
Mazda MX-5 '89
My favorite handler. No understeer at all and only a hint of oversteer, perfect for pointing the car in the right direction. Flat out through Dunlop. Brakes are worse than the 106 (comparing the data logs).
Alpine A310 1660 VE
Crazy oversteer through most corners. Great drifts through the last corner. Needs a steady hand to be driven fast as it doesn't tolerate mistakes. Surreal traction out of corners, very fast for its power (noticeable gains over the 89 MX-5 looking at the data logs). Count me impressed. Brakes not too bad for a 37 year old car.
Toyota Corolla Trueno GT Apex 83
More understeer than the 89 MX-5 but still quite nice. Soft suspension allows a lot of body roll and nose dive. Slightly better acceleration than 89 MX-5 (data log).
Toyota MR2 G-Limited Super Charger
Great traction as customary for an MR layout. Neat handling but not as inspiring as other MR cars I've tried. When compared to the MX-5 we get better acceleration and worse brakes.
Honda CR-X 1.5i
The biggest disappointment of the lot. Even with 116hp, there is a lot of understeer and wheelspin going on. Possible cause are the small tires the car comes with. Better acceleration than 106 S16 but corner exit wheelspin and nasty understeer at the last corner limit its performance. Brakes are good for an 1983 car though.
Peugeot 106 Rallye
Awesome handling for an FF car, but clearly not able to match the feel-good factor of the best FRs (MX-5 89) or the sheer speed of the MR cars. There is still some understeer but not too much really. Better brakes and grip than the CRX 1.5i, worse acceleration.
Renault Clio 172
Too much understeer, didn't like the car much. Traction was not too shabby however. Better brakes than the Civic SiR, better through Dunlop as well.
Honda Accord Euro R
Good handling for an FF car. The factory-equipped LSD definitely helps putting the power to the ground here. No wheelspin at all. Good adjustability on the last corner, where the car actually tightens the line when full throttle is applied.
Mazda MX-5 1800 RS
Great handling but not as inspired/fluid as the 89 version. Too much oversteer on the last corner. Flat out through Dunlop. Better acceleration and brakes than MR2 G-Limited but the MR2 wins in the turns.
Tsukuba is one of my favorite tracks. It's small, so I can do a handful of laps in an instant, and has some challenging corners. The Dunlop corner and the last corner are of special interest to me.
I've been running quite a few cars around this track to understand the handling differences between different layouts (FF, FR, MR, etc). In summary, from my testing, FFs usually have too much understeer, FRs are quite nice and MRs have unbelievable traction and the best steering but somewhat worse braking.
Unless otherwise noted all cars are either new or 10 Km examples, equipped with Sports Medium tires and fresh oil. Driving aids were turned off and no performance modifications were performed.
This is a summary of my lap times so far, ordered from fastest to slowest:
Code:
Car | Year | Type | Power | Weight | Power/weight | Time | Time/Power/Weight
Lotus Elise Type 72 | 2001 | MR | 128 | 756 | 5.91 | 1:06.176 | 11.20
Honda Civic Type R (EP) | 2001 | FF | 211 | 1190 | 5.64 | 1:07.008 | 11.88
Toyota MR-2 G Limited Super Charger | 1986 | MR | 149 | 1070 | 7.18 | 1:07.030 | 9.33
Mazda MX-5 1800 RS | 2000 | FR | 171 | 1070 | 6.26 | 1:07.254 | 10.75
Renault Clio 172 | 2002 | FF | 181 | 1035 | 5.72 | 1:07.702 | 11.84
Honda Accord Euro R | 2000 | FF | 231 | 1330 | 5.78 | 1:07.843 | 11.78
Honda Civic SiR-II | 1995 | FF | 177 | 1040 | 5.88 | 1:08.592 | 11.67
Alpine A310 1600 VE | 1973 | RR | 132 | 930 | 7.05 | 1:08.862 | 9.77
Mazda MX-5 | 1989 | FR | 126 | 940 | 7.46 | 1:09.869 | 9.37
Toyota Corolla Trueno GT Apex | 1983 | FR | 136 | 940 | 6.91 | 1:10.674 | 10.23
Peugeot 106 S16 | 2003 | FF | 124 | 960 | 7.74 | 1:10.936 | 9.16
Honda BALLADE SPORTS CR-X 1.5i | 1983 | FF | 116 | 815 | 7.03 | 1:12.293 | 10.29
Peugeot 106 Rallye | 2003 | FF | 109 | 890 | 8.16 | 1:12.295 | 8.85Handling comments:
Lotus Elise Type 72
Great traction, beautiful handling. Brakes are weak, specially for such a new and light car.
Honda Civic Type R (EP)
A bit of a handful. Some wheelspin on corner exit. Great brakes.
Peugeot 106 S16
Good handling with good amount of lift-off oversteer. Still some understeer accelerating out of corners.
Honda Civic SiR-II
Pretty reasonable handling but understeers on corner exit. Needs an LSD.
Mazda MX-5 '89
My favorite handler. No understeer at all and only a hint of oversteer, perfect for pointing the car in the right direction. Flat out through Dunlop. Brakes are worse than the 106 (comparing the data logs).
Alpine A310 1660 VE
Crazy oversteer through most corners. Great drifts through the last corner. Needs a steady hand to be driven fast as it doesn't tolerate mistakes. Surreal traction out of corners, very fast for its power (noticeable gains over the 89 MX-5 looking at the data logs). Count me impressed. Brakes not too bad for a 37 year old car.
Toyota Corolla Trueno GT Apex 83
More understeer than the 89 MX-5 but still quite nice. Soft suspension allows a lot of body roll and nose dive. Slightly better acceleration than 89 MX-5 (data log).
Toyota MR2 G-Limited Super Charger
Great traction as customary for an MR layout. Neat handling but not as inspiring as other MR cars I've tried. When compared to the MX-5 we get better acceleration and worse brakes.
Honda CR-X 1.5i
The biggest disappointment of the lot. Even with 116hp, there is a lot of understeer and wheelspin going on. Possible cause are the small tires the car comes with. Better acceleration than 106 S16 but corner exit wheelspin and nasty understeer at the last corner limit its performance. Brakes are good for an 1983 car though.
Peugeot 106 Rallye
Awesome handling for an FF car, but clearly not able to match the feel-good factor of the best FRs (MX-5 89) or the sheer speed of the MR cars. There is still some understeer but not too much really. Better brakes and grip than the CRX 1.5i, worse acceleration.
Renault Clio 172
Too much understeer, didn't like the car much. Traction was not too shabby however. Better brakes than the Civic SiR, better through Dunlop as well.
Honda Accord Euro R
Good handling for an FF car. The factory-equipped LSD definitely helps putting the power to the ground here. No wheelspin at all. Good adjustability on the last corner, where the car actually tightens the line when full throttle is applied.
Mazda MX-5 1800 RS
Great handling but not as inspired/fluid as the 89 version. Too much oversteer on the last corner. Flat out through Dunlop. Better acceleration and brakes than MR2 G-Limited but the MR2 wins in the turns.
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