Time for me to finally post up my garage, and take a little pride in what I've been working on. It seems every garage has a theme, a "tuning mantra," if you will, and mine is this: I think it's important to preserve the car's original character while tuning. If you improve a car's weak areas, you must then exaggerate the already strong areas, effectively making the car a caricature of itself. I believe that in this way, you can make a car reach its full potential.
I'll also take this opportunity to outline the process I use when tuning. Of course, I do the requisite oil change after buying a car. Oil changes are performed every 100 miles, with engine rebuilds and chassis restoration taking place every 500 miles. This allows each and every car in my garage to perform at its best. I will only perform one modification every 100 miles. This "spacing" allows me to evaluate the effects of each change and determine the best course of action when it's time for the next upgrade. It also draws the process of the build out over a much longer timeline, allowing me to learn the car better and, frankly, make it a lot more fun for me. So, let's take a look at what I've been working on:
Mazda RX-7 GT-X (FC) '90 Crystal White - 272 HP -1250 kg - 819.2 m
This was my first Premium car purchase in GT5, and is my favourite car in the game by far. The first thing I noticed was, while I was able to drive it with Comfort Soft tires, the car felt way too fast for them. It was difficult to drive and was not fun at all, so my first upgrade was Sports Soft tires. After that, the chassis of the car felt a bit rubbery, so I stiffened it up with Chassis Reinforcement. At this point, I was quite happy with the way the car handled, but I picked up a Fully Customizable Suspension Kit to fine-tune the settings to suit my driving style. I spent a fair bit of time playing with the settings, and began experimenting with more power during this period. The first order of business was ECU Tuning, followed by a Titanium Racing Exhaust and a Racing Air Filter. Naturally, the reduced backpressure produced a minor, but still noticeable drop in engine response, so a Semi-Racing Flywheel was fitted to remedy this. Most recently, a Sports Catalytic Converter improved the power even further. Future plans include finishing up the exhaust modifications, followed by weight reduction.
Ford Mustang Mach 1 '71 Grabber Lime - 438 HP - 1615 kg - 658.7 m
I will admit, the colour of this car was what initially attracted me to it. I bought it for the first musclecar race, but by the time I had started tinkering with it, I was able to use it with great success in the classic supercars series! I love this thing, it's so unlike most of the cars I own. Driving it is tantamount to performing brain surgery with a sledgehammer. The first order of business was replacing the four-speed box with a Fully Customizable Transmission, to attain a higher top speed at Monza. This was followed by Stage 1 Engine Tuning. Naturally, with stock tires and suspension, the car proved unstable at high speeds. This was remedied with Type A front & rear wings, which are similar to factory pieces and really enhance the aggressive looks of this old beast. Stage 2 Engine Tuning came soon afterward, but the excess power was having a difficult time finding the pavement. I've fitted an Adjustable LSD and I'm currently toying with the settings to try to make the car hook up better.
Toyota CELICA XX 2800GT '81 Black - 193 HP -1235 kg - 351.3 m
This is another one of my favourite cars. Sold here as the Celica Supra, this scoop-infested wedge of 1980s goodness is a prime candidate for a shakotan build. First things first, the two-tone red paint was ditched in lieu of the same shade of black seen on the later Supra Twin Turbo A. After that, a Fully Customizable Suspension was fitted, and subsequently slammed as low as it would go. Front camber was set at 3 degrees, while the rear was set at a whopping 5 degrees for the right "stance." Extensive spring rate and damper tuning has made the car drivable with these settings, and while it may not be the best handler, it's hard to argue that it doesn't look great. I've also fitted a Titanium Racing Exhaust as an experiment to see if the appearance of the exhaust changes on a standard model car - it doesn't. However, this car's 2.8 liter twin cam now produces one of the most incredibly evil exhaust notes I've ever heard. At idle, my Celica Supra sounds like it's ready to strike. Next up? More suspension fine-tuning and further exhaust mods.
I'll also take this opportunity to outline the process I use when tuning. Of course, I do the requisite oil change after buying a car. Oil changes are performed every 100 miles, with engine rebuilds and chassis restoration taking place every 500 miles. This allows each and every car in my garage to perform at its best. I will only perform one modification every 100 miles. This "spacing" allows me to evaluate the effects of each change and determine the best course of action when it's time for the next upgrade. It also draws the process of the build out over a much longer timeline, allowing me to learn the car better and, frankly, make it a lot more fun for me. So, let's take a look at what I've been working on:
Mazda RX-7 GT-X (FC) '90 Crystal White - 272 HP -1250 kg - 819.2 m
This was my first Premium car purchase in GT5, and is my favourite car in the game by far. The first thing I noticed was, while I was able to drive it with Comfort Soft tires, the car felt way too fast for them. It was difficult to drive and was not fun at all, so my first upgrade was Sports Soft tires. After that, the chassis of the car felt a bit rubbery, so I stiffened it up with Chassis Reinforcement. At this point, I was quite happy with the way the car handled, but I picked up a Fully Customizable Suspension Kit to fine-tune the settings to suit my driving style. I spent a fair bit of time playing with the settings, and began experimenting with more power during this period. The first order of business was ECU Tuning, followed by a Titanium Racing Exhaust and a Racing Air Filter. Naturally, the reduced backpressure produced a minor, but still noticeable drop in engine response, so a Semi-Racing Flywheel was fitted to remedy this. Most recently, a Sports Catalytic Converter improved the power even further. Future plans include finishing up the exhaust modifications, followed by weight reduction.
Ford Mustang Mach 1 '71 Grabber Lime - 438 HP - 1615 kg - 658.7 m
I will admit, the colour of this car was what initially attracted me to it. I bought it for the first musclecar race, but by the time I had started tinkering with it, I was able to use it with great success in the classic supercars series! I love this thing, it's so unlike most of the cars I own. Driving it is tantamount to performing brain surgery with a sledgehammer. The first order of business was replacing the four-speed box with a Fully Customizable Transmission, to attain a higher top speed at Monza. This was followed by Stage 1 Engine Tuning. Naturally, with stock tires and suspension, the car proved unstable at high speeds. This was remedied with Type A front & rear wings, which are similar to factory pieces and really enhance the aggressive looks of this old beast. Stage 2 Engine Tuning came soon afterward, but the excess power was having a difficult time finding the pavement. I've fitted an Adjustable LSD and I'm currently toying with the settings to try to make the car hook up better.
Toyota CELICA XX 2800GT '81 Black - 193 HP -1235 kg - 351.3 m
This is another one of my favourite cars. Sold here as the Celica Supra, this scoop-infested wedge of 1980s goodness is a prime candidate for a shakotan build. First things first, the two-tone red paint was ditched in lieu of the same shade of black seen on the later Supra Twin Turbo A. After that, a Fully Customizable Suspension was fitted, and subsequently slammed as low as it would go. Front camber was set at 3 degrees, while the rear was set at a whopping 5 degrees for the right "stance." Extensive spring rate and damper tuning has made the car drivable with these settings, and while it may not be the best handler, it's hard to argue that it doesn't look great. I've also fitted a Titanium Racing Exhaust as an experiment to see if the appearance of the exhaust changes on a standard model car - it doesn't. However, this car's 2.8 liter twin cam now produces one of the most incredibly evil exhaust notes I've ever heard. At idle, my Celica Supra sounds like it's ready to strike. Next up? More suspension fine-tuning and further exhaust mods.
