Neo-classical Competition Car Choice and Setup

[vonMarshall]

I found these races the hardest of all the menu books. I am a C/A driver online and play on hard level and managed to Gold most of the menu books without breaking a sweat (apart from the 600PP championship which I find impossible!).

I also hate Fuji and was not a fan of Willow Springs. Add in the fact that I am not a Gr.1 fan either and this menu nearly broke me.

I spent ages getting to know the tracks and managed to gold experience them so knew I was good enough at the track. But tire wear, fuel management and consistently not falling off the tarmac were my enemies and I was still 5 seconds a lap too slow!

But then I discovered how much difference the gearbox can make to the Gr.1 (or more specifically my 1988 Silk Cut Jag. I was losing horribly, unable to get higher than 7th, even with clean racing, no mistakes and the correct pit stop strategy. Then I realised, most of the GR.1s are set to Le Mans spec... and that got me thinking.

I did not mess around with each gear, but simply reduced the top speed down to a level where I was close to redlining at the end of the longest straight on each track, and suddenly I was finding 3-6 seconds a lap.

I still only ended up with 2 bronzes and a silver to show from over 20 attempts at WS and Fuji (I got lucky and got RBR early on). By the end of the experiment I was actually really enjoying the challenge of Gr.1s and oddly found Willow Springs to be a new favourite track of mine. I think I am going to buy the Mazda next time it is in Haggerty and see if the theoretically better fuel consumption can help me gold these infernal races (well maybe not Fuji... what an awful place to spend 30 minutes!)

Hard work but play with the gearbox of your Gr.1 before you do anything else.

 

[KAlex122]

Seems to be easier with the 962 C since the update. No stop at Willow and RedBull Ring and one stop to inters on Fuji. I didn't even touch the gearing as far as i know, as i drive AT on controller. 3 easy wins on hard difficulty. Had huge problems on my earlier accounts.

 

[vonMarshall]

Seems to be easier with the 962 C since the update. No stop at Willow and RedBull Ring and one stop to inters on Fuji. I didn't even touch the gearing as far as i know, as i drive AT on controller. 3 easy wins on hard difficulty. Had huge problems on my earlier accounts.

Interesting... I use AT on DS controller too so may head back to Willow to see the deal. I couldn't no stop at Willow in the Jag.

 

[smoothbore12]

I found these races the hardest of all the menu books. I am a C/A driver online and play on hard level and managed to Gold most of the menu books without breaking a sweat (apart from the 600PP championship which I find impossible!).

I also hate Fuji and was not a fan of Willow Springs. Add in the fact that I am not a Gr.1 fan either and this menu nearly broke me.

I spent ages getting to know the tracks and managed to gold experience them so knew I was good enough at the track. But tire wear, fuel management and consistently not falling off the tarmac were my enemies and I was still 5 seconds a lap too slow!

But then I discovered how much difference the gearbox can make to the Gr.1 (or more specifically my 1988 Silk Cut Jag. I was losing horribly, unable to get higher than 7th, even with clean racing, no mistakes and the correct pit stop strategy. Then I realised, most of the GR.1s are set to Le Mans spec... and that got me thinking.

I did not mess around with each gear, but simply reduced the top speed down to a level where I was close to redlining at the end of the longest straight on each track, and suddenly I was finding 3-6 seconds a lap.

I still only ended up with 2 bronzes and a silver to show from over 20 attempts at WS and Fuji (I got lucky and got RBR early on). By the end of the experiment I was actually really enjoying the challenge of Gr.1s and oddly found Willow Springs to be a new favourite track of mine. I think I am going to buy the Mazda next time it is in Haggerty and see if the theoretically better fuel consumption can help me gold these infernal races (well maybe not Fuji... what an awful place to spend 30 minutes!)

Hard work but play with the gearbox of your Gr.1 before you do anything else.

I leave this menu book ( and another one ) for later since i haven't any car to race at .
Since Escudo came out i set one on praiano 1.31 update for lemans.
With the same settings except that i use RS tyres and without even activate the menu i give it a shot to see how it works.
Was on easy mod since am doing a lot of griding to catch up what legend car dealer offers since am playing a month almost.
That " thing " was a huge BANG, one pitstop each race ( mostly for fuel that was on FM6 ) and didn't have to try it second time, he just blow the competition by far.
Few months ago in my little friends ps4 used the 962 as i remember, having difficulties especially at Fuji and i pass that when 787 was available.
Was on easy mod back then cause my little friend is 12 years old .
Don't remember the difference between now and then,but now is a piece of cake for the Escudo ,at least on easy mod that i use .
The only thing that I remember is that at Fuji and RBR ring had rain and now was dry all races.

 

[SnakeEyes427]

I'm still having issues myself with this race, mainly in not have the credits for a good to win the race. Things like Shelby Cobras and 73 GT-Rs keep popping up.
Back on topic, the R92CP was in the past the most aftermarket parts racecar in GT. Said and done close to 1000hp was possible. That would make it a easy win if you just drive the car conservative 😉
However, I don't have it to conservative this.

 

[smoothbore12]

I'm still having issues myself with this race, mainly in not have the credits for a good to win the race. Things like Shelby Cobras and 73 GT-Rs keep popping up.
Back on topic, the R92CP was in the past the most aftermarket parts racecar in GT. Said and done close to 1000hp was possible. That would make it a easy win if you just drive the car conservative 😉
However, I don't have it to conservative this.

Also i don't have anything else other than the Escudo and 962 that show up after 1.31 but with praianos tune at 700 pp ,RS tyres and FM6 this races doesn't need something more.
I didn't even move the cursor to full power from what it was ( 95 i think or something close) .
Just pay attention to brake early and then just fly .

 

[KAlex122]

Get the 962 PP down by aero settings, not by nerfing the motor. I am not in front if my Playstation for quite some days to give you a screenshot of my tune.

 

[smoothbore12]

Get the 962 PP down by aero settings, not by nerfing the motor. I am not in front if my Playstation for quite some days to give you a screenshot of my tune.

I don't know exactly why, but that car stole my heart, its quite smooth, nice sound , predictable and didn't even tune the suspension.
Nothing " wild " on it , just a smooth ride witch is very resting driving .

 

[SnakeEyes427]

Trying my hand at this again. This with the 962.

Settings: Intermediate, TC 1, ABS weak, auto trans and, using controller. (Bad back day or I would use my wheel )

●Tune: (stock unless noted)

Tires: RH

Downforce: F - 801
R - 1404

ECU: 87%

Ballast: 65 kg @ -12 (Weight of an average man with fire suit and helmet at about where they would sit)*

●Main points:

Do not over drive the car.

Consistent laps are more important than fast laps.

Brake earlier when in a draft

Stay off the dirt


●Results:

○Big Willow: 2nd with one off. (Um, don't get in the dirt 😉) Run a fuel map of 2 that should leave .8 laps at the end with no pit stops. Roll off the gas before and after the turns to save some fuel and let the car slow instead of slamming the brakes. This is going to take some practice if you are not a custom to it. Draft when you can (also to save some fuel) and pass as clean as you can. Don't get hung up on catching 1st place. They stop for fuel and you catch them then. You will find lap traffic at lap 7. As always just try to get around them clean and you will be fine.(Trying a second round I wasn't able to stay off the dirt, talking and driving but, was able to pull off a 1st with a big off.)

○Red Bull Ring: Brakes are a bit more of a thing here due to the sharp corners. When in doubt, best to over brake a bit than run wide into the sand or get a .500 track cut. That said, a track cut will not hurt you. Run Fuel Map 2 again. This time you will have about .4 left so be careful with the big amounts of time on throttle or stabing it out of the hairpins. Around lap 7 you will find traffic. This is also when you will find 2nd and 1st. With clean laps you will be around them by mid lap 8. This is about when they stop for fuel. At the end, even with a. 500 penalty, you should finish around 23 seconds ahead.

○Fuji: Now this race is a completely different animal. Here you will in counter rain. This means each race will be just a bit different. It sets in between lap 4 & 6. Have your heavy wets handy. Tip toe around till you can pit. Do not push to pass at this point. Fuel Map will be set to 3 or 4 for this due to the fast track in the first few laps. When you stop for rain tires, do not be afraid to put 2 laps or so of fuel in. I ran 3 races and had to fuel in each. 1st is still not to hard to get. Just beware of the slow cars post rain.

The 5* ticket gave me 100K gold bar. The smallest thing besides the two cars.


*Remember that in the real world all race cars and good handling road cars will take weight of driver into account when setting up the suspension of the vehicle. As yet, GT does not. However, PD does use (for the most part) factory suspension settings for the base settings. Adding 55 to 65 kg maybe all that is needed to help the handling on a vehicle. 😉

**Pro tip, if your real life car will not track straight regardless of number of times it has been aligned (2 or 4 wheel) or the amount of new parts you throw at it, ask the tech doing the alignment if you can sit in the car when the do the alignment. I sometimes have to do this as I'm a light weight. I have also been told stories of heavier people having to do this as well. Cross reference the average weight of the person from the time period of your vehicle with the country your car came from to see if this a plan for you. +/- 15 pounds your weight should not be a problem. Much more you will want to consider this.

 

[Darrenersmit]

This menu driving me nuts, refusing to lower down to normal difficulty. Have been getting closer since the update though,
Was thinking of buying the jag as it is in LCD at moment.
Any views on it compared to the Nissan.

 

[vonMarshall]

This menu driving me nuts, refusing to lower down to normal difficulty. Have been getting closer since the update though,
Was thinking of buying the jag as it is in LCD at moment.
Any views on it compared to the Nissan.

I have the Jag and if you look at the top of the page you will see what I think of it!

I did grow to love it with THIS tune but never won a race! I am waiting for the Mazda.

 

[Shakengandulf]

After reading the last few pages last night, thought id give it a go again since i last won it (willow springs).

Dont forget the ai can crash off course and get stuck behind slower cars making this race unpredictable. Hence the pics i uploaded show a win is possible on a slower race.

1st race in the CLK-LM, med tyres, 1 stop and just detuned power for 800pp. Won it first go, no warm up races. Lap times were mostly high 1:09s

2nd race was hard tyres, 1 stop and full stock power. 796.34 PP. Lap times were mostly low 1:09s with the odd 1:08

3rd race, hard tyres, 0 stop, 796.34 PP Mostly Fuel at trim 3 till last lap. Full fuel saving. Finished with on zero 😬
Lap times were mostly 1:10

In the end, had no idea i could win it with this car granted a car probably spun out or got slowed down. Also this race has no rubberbanding. Tested by pittting on lap1 and waiting for race to finish. Race time and fastest lap was identical to my racing.

 

[SnakeEyes427]

After reading the last few pages last night, thought id give it a go again since i last won it (willow springs).

Dont forget the ai can crash off course and get stuck behind slower cars making this race unpredictable. Hence the pics i uploaded show a win is possible on a slower race.

1st race in the CLK-LM, med tyres, 1 stop and just detuned power for 800pp. Won it first go, no warm up races. Lap times were mostly high 1:09s

2nd race was hard tyres, 1 stop and full stock power. 796.34 PP. Lap times were mostly low 1:09s with the odd 1:08

3rd race, hard tyres, 0 stop, 796.34 PP Mostly Fuel at trim 3 till last lap. Full fuel saving. Finished with on zero 😬
Lap times were mostly 1:10

In the end, had no idea i could win it with this car granted a car probably spun out or got slowed down. Also this race has no rubberbanding. Tested by pittting on lap1 and waiting for race to finish. Race time and fastest lap was identical to my racing.

That Merc is one of the cars on my list of to haves. If anything just to do a recreation of it's take off at Le Mans. 🛫 (on a serious note, I do wish it had not had that level of human cost)

 

[Darrenersmit]

Well there is my issue solved, I do mostly 1:10s, the odd :09, and a couple of :11/12s.

 

[SnakeEyes427]

I have the Jag and if you look at the top of the page you will see what I think of it!

I did grow to love it with THIS tune but never won a race! I am waiting for the Mazda.

Downside to cars that are built for only one race. If memory serves me, by '88 Protypes were no longer allowed at Nurburgring. Leaving Le Mans and Spa as the only two they ran at. Maybe Australia. And did Le Mans have the two cacanes in by '88? That would explain the crazy top end gearing. 🤷‍♀️

 

[SnakeEyes427]

Well there is my issue solved, I do mostly 1:10s, the odd :09, and a couple of :11/12s.

I was doing those numbers with the 962 and still won. Not by alot but a wins a win. Maybe it's a hardness setting thing. I tried hard for a good long time. Got over being broke and not being able to get more cars. So I went back to Intermediate. Once I have the cars I need/want I will try everything again on hard. For now, if I want hard I will just race other humans. You never know what they will do. 😄

 

[Darrenersmit]

Soo tempted. But lowering the difficulty can not be an option for me.

 

[SnakeEyes427]

Soo tempted. But lowering the difficulty can not be an option for me.

 

[Shakengandulf]

I was doing those numbers with the 962 and still won. Not by alot but a wins a win. Maybe it's a hardness setting thing. I tried hard for a good long time. Got over being broke and not being able to get more cars. So I went back to Intermediate. Once I have the cars I need/want I will try everything again on hard. For now, if I want hard I will just race other humans. You never know what they will do. 😄

Just tried the 962 now for the first time and that car handles incredible. Throw fuel trim on 2 and enjoy an easy win. Only dropped power and threw 8kilos on. 799.96pp. 483BHP. Rest is stock.

Was far from a clean run too.

Edit, did the mazda 787b, same setup/strategy as 962. (Above) probably lost about 3 seconds with a yellow. Gallo also didnt spin out so he was closer.

 

[pedrocor]

Downside to cars that are built for only one race. If memory serves me, by '88 Protypes were no longer allowed at Nurburgring. Leaving Le Mans and Spa as the only two they ran at. Maybe Australia. And did Le Mans have the two cacanes in by '88? That would explain the crazy top end gearing. 🤷‍♀️

There was also Silverstone, that in the 80's configuration was head to head with Monza on average speeds.
The chicanes at Le Mans were only added to 1990 edition.
The gearing was also long because the Group C regulations restricted fuel consupmtion instead of displacement/boost/air intake, so with would always be a little longer than needed to save fuel.

 

[MarcoD]

Hi all, been playing GT7 for about a month now and this menu had me stuck for a while. I managed it with a bit of a left field car. I won a couple of R92 engines on the extra collector menus and swapped one into an R33 skyline. With Praiano’s suspension settings - gearbox needs adjusting to be able to hit the much higher speeds the almost 1000hp the turboed motor gives out - it destroyed the field at RBR and Fuji without needing to pit. Replays are fun to see an R33 out accelerating racing cars! PP is around 785.

I couldn’t figure out WS with it though (braking for the downhill 90deg left hander would often unsettle it - so much so that I rolled it more than once!) and had to grind at Sardegna in it (where it also destroys the field on a single pit stop) to afford the CLK. I managed to get 3rd to complete the menu. I’ll go back at some point to gold it but happy for now just to have it out of the way!

 

[i386]

@MarcoD on what difficulty are you playing?

 

[Tuning_Maniac]

Did Reb Bull Ring and Fuji with the Escudo. Setup used was the one I found for the Sardegna grind.
Think I also got lucky with hardly any rain on RBR. Fuji was soaked but I could go to inters just in time, all other cars were swimming on track after that.

 

[MoLiEG]

Yesterday the 1st thing I did after I bought the XJR9 was giving it a go at Red Bull Ring. No pitstops required and it was the 1st time ever I don't get rain while doing this race.

 

[AleksandarSRB]

Red bull ring 1st place with F1 GTR longtail.

 

[Old_Richard]

Hi all, been playing GT7 for about a month now and this menu had me stuck for a while. I managed it with a bit of a left field car. I won a couple of R92 engines on the extra collector menus and swapped one into an R33 skyline. With Praiano’s suspension settings - gearbox needs adjusting to be able to hit the much higher speeds the almost 1000hp the turboed motor gives out - it destroyed the field at RBR and Fuji without needing to pit. Replays are fun to see an R33 out accelerating racing cars! PP is around 785.

I couldn’t figure out WS with it though (braking for the downhill 90deg left hander would often unsettle it - so much so that I rolled it more than once!) and had to grind at Sardegna in it (where it also destroys the field on a single pit stop) to afford the CLK. I managed to get 3rd to complete the menu. I’ll go back at some point to gold it but happy for now just to have it out of the way!

I popped one of those engines into an R34 Skyline (much the same as the R33 I guess) and it's like a cheat code for WTC800 races. It doesnt have the downforce for the corners that a racing car has but it doesn't oversteer or understeer, blows everything away in a straight line and the biggest bonus of all is it's incredibly economical. At Sardegna most cars manage 5 laps without refuelling if they're economical... the skyline can do 10 laps or more! It also blows everything away at 700pp if you detune it to that level. It's a beast... I'm sure the fuel economy will get nerfed eventually

 

[MarcoD]

@MarcoD on what difficulty are you playing?

Good point, I’d never checked or changed that - normal. I’ll try RBR on hard when I get a chance. I won that one by over a minute so should be doable on hard too.

 

[pedrocor]

Redone the Fuji and Willow Springs races just to realise how they changed after the update.

Both with the Mazda 787b and the 800pp setup from other topic for Sardegna (needs looonger gearing to Fuji, of course).
So, Fuji very easy, that setup gives great grip exiting all those hairpins and the last sector mickey mouse corners, can do 6 laps on fuel, which gives you plenty flexibility to wait the best moment to put inter/wets.
Willow Springs is a non stop, but the left front is gone by the last lap. Kokuban pulled of a non stop either with the other 787b, and was pretty fast but it looses time lapping other cars, so you can catch up him pretty quick on the last three laps. Likewise, it seemed to me he also struggled with tire wear, even nursing the car every right turn, I kept increasing the gap to him on the last lap.

In my opinion Fuji became a lot easier since upgrade and Willow Springs a little bit easier.

 

[MarcoD]

I popped one of those engines into an R34 Skyline (much the same as the R33 I guess) and it's like a cheat code for WTC800 races. It doesnt have the downforce for the corners that a racing car has but it doesn't oversteer or understeer, blows everything away in a straight line and the biggest bonus of all is it's incredibly economical. At Sardegna most cars manage 5 laps without refuelling if they're economical... the skyline can do 10 laps or more! It also blows everything away at 700pp if you detune it to that level. It's a beast... I'm sure the fuel economy will get nerfed eventually

Yes, absolutely all of that. I’ve detuned it and have been doing the Le Mans 700pp grind in it the last few days. It does seven laps without pitting for easy wins.

 

[Old_Richard]

Yes, absolutely all of that. I’ve detuned it and have been doing the Le Mans 700pp grind in it the last few days. It does seven laps without pitting for easy wins.

The lack of downforce helps it on a fast track like Le Mans too.

I haven't tried it at the Autopolis WTC700 yet though.... that's the real deal when it comes to 700pp tuning. So far I've only won it in an engine swapped Honda NSX, and engine swapped Nissan Fairlady '08 and have come a close second in a Porsche 959

I keep meaning to make a post about tuning cars at that track.