Sardegna Leaderboard: Grind Times for 45 Cars, Strategies, Tunes & FAQ's (post 1.31)

[Dan_Tes]

These are the two I’m referring two, although on the 3rd page both have a +2 brake balance

Which are we talking about?

E

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I'm tempted to give this a go over the next few days, I'm a bit short on time this afternoon but I'll set it up at least! I might try and avoid fuel maps and just short shift till kingdom come. Has anyone done that with this tune/any guidance for shifting points?

 

[ROCKET JOE]

I'm tempted to give this a go over the next few days, I'm a bit short on time this afternoon but I'll set it up at least! I might try and avoid fuel maps and just short shift till kingdom come. Has anyone done that with this tune/any guidance for shifting points?

I've had one attempt at FM2 for the whole race. First stint was 8 laps. No need to be careful with short shifting.
The best thing about it : I've been as fast as changing the fuel map along the race, did sub 23:30. Good luck, mate.

 

[BobDx123]

I'm tempted to give this a go over the next few days, I'm a bit short on time this afternoon but I'll set it up at least! I might try and avoid fuel maps and just short shift till kingdom come. Has anyone done that with this tune/any guidance for shifting points?

Rocket Joe posts a good option, I haven’t done that on the 1st half of the race yet. I’ve been so used to pitting on lap 7 from the previous updates I just stuck with it.

It’s usually based on which lap avoids the most repeat traffic and it’s possible that lap 8 could be better now that the car is at a different pace than before, I’ll have to give that a try too. As long as I can nab a good 1st lap to clear the way I’ll be happy.

I have done FM1 for the first 7 and FM2 for the rest as to not have to fiddle as much. However, staying FM2 for the whole set might save a sec in the pit too. That also gives way to for those few points back to the restrictor for more power… hmm cool


Good Ideas 👍


EDIT: Also, guys very much welcome any new tunes or tweaks/modifications to either one I posted that we could all benefit from and make everything better, faster etc… I will continue to try and improve things as well.

And of course that goes for any other car in this race as well.

 

[Eggstor]

For those that don't want to do any tuning (and at least for the Honda, only minimal fuel management), the 2008 GT500 cars are three ways to go. My go-to of the 2008 Honda NSX GT500 is actually the slowest and thirstiest of the three (at least before 1.31, the other 2 2008 GT500 cars could do 8 laps on FM1 at absolute full tilt). Also, for a couple of physics packages before 1.31, the stock RM tires burned off before completing 8 laps, something that is no longer an issue.

My latest race was 25:22.479, which on normal difficulty was enough to lap everybody except the new rabbit, Fraga's RS-shod Toyota GR Supra. My fast lap was the last, at 1:37.321, and once I could fully open the taps and not deal with traffic, I was averaging under 1:38.

There are, however, a couple of tricks needed to get the NSX to make it on one fuel (and tire) stop:

• For at least 3 laps on the 8-lap run (which I did first), shift early at around 7,000 rpm. On this particular race, that wasn't quite enough as the sub-1:38 laps started early, and I had to save some more fuel on lap 8, only to show up in the pits at exactly 0% (it hadn't run out before the pit animation began)
• On the pit stop, refuel to at least 96% - I went to 98% and had less than 3% remaining at the end. Also, do change the tires.

One could run RH tires and not have to worry about the tire change. The other day, I did a no-stop run with the NSX, and the RH tires were barely broke in, but with the fuel saving required to do 15 laps on fuel, it took over a minute longer.

As for whether to pit on lap 7 or lap 8 in a 1-stop run, I always opted for lap 8 because that's when the old rabbit, Portilla and his Dodge Viper, made his second stop, and by that time, I had usually cleared both him and the rest of the field by more than the 35 seconds the pit stop costs.

 

[BobDx123]

Hey Guys,

I’m implementing another idea into this thread I thought would be fun. In addition to tallying the fastest cars, I’ve made a section to post the Top 5 Times & Drivers for each car (could be expanded later if people participate). I figured it would be more engaging with goals that aren’t solely competing against the fastest driver. It could also help provide more “realistic times for races with different cars”, like the “average time” I had already setup.

For example, the 23:09 record at the moment for the Escudo is something I’ll likely never reach with any amount of practice. However it could still be fun to try and match or beat others that are more around my pace/level.

Please feel free to submit any races, with any car, regardless if it’s been listed or raced with yet.

*As I mentioned before, happy to see strategy, guidance, tips, tunes etc… whether it be for a specific car or just the race in general. I will provide links to your post so others can find it.

*Please hang tight; the first couple posts are going to be an ugly mess for a bit as I continue to reformat and rearrange things in a way that looks clean and easy to navigate

 

[ROCKET JOE]

...

For example, the 23:09 record at the moment for the Escudo is something I’ll likely never reach with any amount of practice. ...

Hey mate, don't worry. You'll soon beat that time with the 787 ...

 

[TUSMBOX]

I managed a 23:13 in the R92CP today, using the tune/strategy in the video below. Only difference is that he keeps the same tires, but I change them.



I think I can get below 23 minutes, but the laps have to be perfect.

 

[BobDx123]

I managed a 23:13 in the R92CP today, using the tune/strategy in the video below. Only difference is that he keeps the same tires, but I change them.



I think I can get below 23 minutes, but the laps have to be perfect.

Awesome! Great job man 👍

I knew the sub 23’s would be creeping up; you’re really close.

Definitely have to check out that tune

 

[Autobahn GTO]

@Sturdy & @pedrocor
Right on guys, understood and appreciate the feedback 👍
I’m on the controller for the time being, already have the PSVR2, hopefully a wheel will be next.ave great appreciation for what Praiano does and use a number of his tunes on my cars. The one he made for the 787 worked okTime
I’m well aware the tune(s) has many shortcomings, I’m still trying to make something more suitable until the Pros release a “real” tune, but it still needs work. Generally I’m comfortable tinkering with one I already enjoy; starting from scratch has never been my forte. I didn’t intend to share this to be displayed as “the recommended tune”, I posted it upon request to show how I got a certain race time and the strategy to achieve it. This is something I cobbled together the first day to get the car back on the road and take advantage of the new power available at this pp limit. It was just barely enough that I could get around the course in a quick time fairly consistently.

Before the update, I used John Wedley’s tune for the 787, which I loved. I made some small modifications after driving it for a long time. Unfortunately, when the update hit, all the tunes I used for it became un-drivable and with absurd amounts of understeer. It has made this process a nightmare and many of the tricks I’ve tried to induce oversteer are falling flat or are causing other problems. The amount of aero that comes stock allows the car to take turns much faster but the penalty to pp is crazy. The list goes on…
Trials test but for whatever reason I still encountered understeer in the actual event. His tune may work better with a wh
I have a feeling when the 787 comes back to legendary soon new tunes will start popping up… which I eagerly await.

*Either way, I suggest you try @Autobahn GTO tune for the Escudo. I’m certain that will be what you’re looking for. He is some sort of wizard, right up there with John Wedley IMO.

Here is his link Tune for Escudo

EDIT: I’m also a fan of Praiano’s tunes and use them on a good number of cars. I tried his tune in TT and worked ok but felt like I was getting understeer in the event. If you haven’t tried his yet, it’s likely worth a go and might be even better with a wheel. Regardless, it will be more refined and a nicer, more enjoyable drive 👍

I'm no wizard, and I certainly don't drive as well as John does in this race. Thanks for the plug though👍

I experimented with a few more changes last night but was not able to improve further, but I did like one of the changes that made the car more balanced. Last night I had a couple runs that finished in 23:11 and a couple that finished in 23:19. I think how the AI cars drive for each race, which varies slightly for each race, has more influence on traffic than I previously thought, but then I was not able to put in completely clean and consistent runs either, so I’m not sure.

Regarding adapting Praiano's new Escudo PP700 tune for this race, it's very good but I still can't go quite as fast I can with John Wedley's tune that I modified. One interesting thing with Praiano's tune is that the front end is quite sharp in slower speed corners (which I like), but it becomes very responsive and understeers quite badly when accelerating through the higher speed corners. Unfortunately, I have not been able to dial out the unresponsiveness/understeer in the higher speed corners without upsetting the original balance/characteristics of the tune. I do prefer Praiano's diff settings over John's diff settings though. However, now that I've made some other changes to the setup, I may have to try John's diff settings again to see if they make any difference.

Btw, I just picked up the XJR-9 from the LCD last night. Too bad I still don’t have the 787B or the R92CP yet. I think I heard a few weeks ago that they should be available again toward the end of this month? I can't wait to give those cars a try even though they probably understeer a lot now like everything else. Just before v1.31 was released, I really enjoyed doing the Mazda Showdown mission in Rolling Stone (I was able to break into the global top 10 before PD reset the leaderboard). The 787B was a such beast and a joy to drive in that mission, but after the v1.31 update, it understeers so badly now that it's no longer fun to drive.

 

[Autobahn GTO]

Just a short report in between :

Third race with the 787 and @BobDx123 's tune brought a 23:29 with a FL of 1:29.5 ... I was speechless. Great tune, very fast.
I think I'll be back with more info soon.
One question left : Do you 787 / R92 / Escudo guys all have to brake / lift for that right kink before the pit entry ?

Try to run a setup that allows you to take that kink flat out, because it leads to the longest straight on the track. For the setup I’m using (John Wedley’s Escudo tune that I modified), I can take it flat out, but I would need to make sure I get the turn in right. If I turn in just a tad late and run a bit wide, I could still make it without lifting if I just short shift up to the next higher gear. The only time I would need to lift is when I come up to traffic there, and I almost never brake for that corner.

 

[Autobahn GTO]

I managed a 23:13 in the R92CP today, using the tune/strategy in the video below. Only difference is that he keeps the same tires, but I change them.



I think I can get below 23 minutes, but the laps have to be perfect.

I used the suspension and diff settings from his C9 setup for the RBR race in Menu Book 43 (Neoclassical Challenge). That worked a treat. Once I can get my hands on the R92CP, I will definitely give this tune a try 👍

 

[RealPlonker]

22:52 with the Escudo. Lower downforce + longish gears allows you to just about run FM4 the whole race and still manage to 2 stop, even without actively saving fuel. It's cutting it close enough that I sometimes even run out a few yards before the end of a stint, close enough that it doesn't really cost anything.

I'm a bit hopeless with suspension tuning, it's pretty much a frankenstein tune of a few different ones I've seen on here and modified everything else. Also this is without any GT Auto mods - didn't experiment too much but wide offset tyres seemed to kill high speed responsiveness and makes the last corner much more difficult to take flat out.

 

[luv2drive]

I managed a 23:13 in the R92CP today, using the tune/strategy in the video below. Only difference is that he keeps the same tires, but I change them.



I think I can get below 23 minutes, but the laps have to be perfect.

I tried that setup and got 23:37. I'd really like to know where I'm losing 26 seconds. I know I'm not the fastest by far, but either I'm missing some lines or shifting points, or you're REALLY fast. That's nearly 2 secs. per lap

 

[BobDx123]

I'm no wizard, and I certainly don't drive as well as John does in this race. Thanks for the plug though👍

I experimented with a few more changes last night but was not able to improve further, but I did like one of the changes that made the car more balanced. Last night I had a couple runs that finished in 23:11 and a couple that finished in 23:19. I think how the AI cars drive for each race, which varies slightly for each race, has more influence on traffic than I previously thought, but then I was not able to put in completely clean and consistent runs either, so I’m not sure.

Regarding adapting Praiano's new Escudo PP700 tune for this race, it's very good but I still can't go quite as fast I can with John Wedley's tune that I modified. One interesting thing with Praiano's tune is that the front end is quite sharp in slower speed corners (which I like), but it becomes very responsive and understeers quite badly when accelerating through the higher speed corners. Unfortunately, I have not been able to dial out the unresponsiveness/understeer in the higher speed corners without upsetting the original balance/characteristics of the tune. I do prefer Praiano's diff settings over John's diff settings though. However, now that I've made some other changes to the setup, I may have to try John's diff settings again to see if they make any difference.

Btw, I just picked up the XJR-9 from the LCD last night. Too bad I still don’t have the 787B or the R92CP yet. I think I heard a few weeks ago that they should be available again toward the end of this month? I can't wait to give those cars a try even though they probably understeer a lot now like everything else. Just before v1.31 was released, I really enjoyed doing the Mazda Showdown mission in Rolling Stone (I was able to break into the global top 10 before PD reset the leaderboard). The 787B was a such beast and a joy to drive in that mission, but after the v1.31 update, it understeers so badly now that it's no longer fun to drive.

lol, right on man. Breaking into the Global Top 10 in anything puts you in a different category in my book. I hope to see some future races upload to your channel to see how you do things 👍

I’m fairly convinced that “wind speed & direction” play a significant role in the traffic pattern, but I could be wrong. There are definitely a couple spots where traffic is just the worst for lap times and not much one can do than bite the extra time; I wish there was some custom difficulty setting for even faster AI cars so it would be less of an issue.

I’d bet the R92CP or 787B will either replace the Jag JX-13 tomorrow or in 2 days for the Ferrari 250 or Escudo; the Gr.1 classics often show up in fairly short order of each other. If not, I doubt they will much further behind. Last time, 4 of them showed up within a span of 8 days, with the C9 taking another 5.

You’re spot on 1.31 created some crazy understeer in just about all of them and it’s definitely frustrating. I hope they touch things up in April’s update. We got a trade off of great handling for extra power and upgraded tires at the same pp level. I’m certain having proper aero is a much bigger deal this update, you can go basically “flat out” for that last turn when set up right. However, the penalty to pp is steep for adding and has to come out of something that affects speed elsewhere. Figuring out how to properly run Race Hard tires again could help make up for that, they are so different from before, I have no idea how to make them work. It may be the case that getting a really good drive out of the cars may come at the cost to much of the speed difference.

For reference, pre update getting under 24 minutes with the 787 was a pretty good time, with Wedley reaching 23:46. My first race this update was around 23:30 and to 23:21 by my 4th so the change was quite dramatic.

I’ve taken the Jag XJ-9 out twice now and the faster laps were mid 1:30’s using the same fuel map. Since the classics are all 1 stop pits, it should have potential to get down fairly low

 

[BobDx123]

22:52 with the Escudo. Lower downforce + longish gears allows you to just about run FM4 the whole race and still manage to 2 stop, even without actively saving fuel. It's cutting it close enough that I sometimes even run out a few yards before the end of a stint, close enough that it doesn't really cost anything.

I'm a bit hopeless with suspension tuning, it's pretty much a frankenstein tune of a few different ones I've seen on here and modified everything else. Also this is without any GT Auto mods - didn't experiment too much but wide offset tyres seemed to kill high speed responsiveness and makes the last corner much more difficult to take flat out.

Wow,

Congrats on breaking 23! That’s bonkers fast.

Curious if you happen to know what the breakdown was of your lap times to achieve that. It’s got to be crazy

 

[TUSMBOX]

I tried that setup and got 23:37. I'd really like to know where I'm losing 26 seconds. I know I'm not the fastest by far, but either I'm missing some lines or shifting points, or you're REALLY fast. That's nearly 2 secs. per lap

The first couple times I ran that setup, I was in that range. I've since done around 10 or so more runs and got better woth breaking points, changes in the wind and what not. Basically, it took some practice to get there.

 

[RealPlonker]

Wow,

Congrats on breaking 23! That’s bonkers fast.

Curious if you happen to know what the breakdown was of your lap times to achieve that. It’s got to be crazy

Unfortunately I didn't think to save the replay of the 22:52. This is a 22:55 with the same tune, this had a faster FL but also couple more errors + traffic.

I'll be honest, I completely forgot about wind speed being a factor and didn't test the tune fully. Had a strong south wind on this run which meant I was faster on the main stright, but increased fuel consumption a little so had to go into FM5 for half a lap. Not sure if you could take the last corner flat out if you get really unlucky with the wind.

I was experimenting with slightly lower power, lower rear downforce setups just before which could do it a bit more comfortably so assumed after that one run it could do it regardless.

 

[ROCKET JOE]

Try to run a setup that allows you to take that kink flat out, because it leads to the longest straight on the track. ...

That's the point exactly and what I'm thinking too ... yet, I couldn't manage it to now.
I must admit it's only four post-1.31-races that I have under my belt and I'd call them horrible anyway as I lack of consistence so far.
There's been two races where I would have inevitably run into the barrier lap after lap without lifting ( I actually did twice in a way that would have killed me ) and maybe I'm just over anxious since. I'm not sure if it's the sheer speed of the 787 or if the wind was the decisive factor - the wind is something I definitely haven't explored enough.
Well ... so if you'd try to adapt the tune accordingly, which setup parameters were the ones you'd start from ?

 

[BobDx123]

That's the point exactly and what I'm thinking too ... yet, I couldn't manage it to now.
I must admit it's only four post-1.31-races that I have under my belt and I'd call them horrible anyway as I lack of consistence so far.
There's been two races where I would have inevitably run into the barrier lap after lap without lifting ( I actually did twice in a way that would have killed me ) and maybe I'm just over anxious since. I'm not sure if it's the sheer speed of the 787 or if the wind was the decisive factor - the wind is something I definitely haven't explored enough.
Well ... so if you'd try to adapt the tune accordingly, which setup parameters were the ones you'd start from ?

I’m curious as well if there’s another way to do this, one of the things I’m working on now.

I’m 100% certain it can be done with correct aero. For Example, if you take the car as it comes stock and beef it with the turbo and trans it will take that bend “perfectly”.

I’ve been able to replicate it but not without the cost to losing out somewhere else from all the pp it uses to raise the front and lower some from the rear

 

[ROCKET JOE]

I’m curious as well if there’s another way to do this, one of the things I’m working on now.

I’m 100% certain it can be done with correct aero. For Example, if you take the car as it comes stock and beef it with the turbo and trans it will take that bend “perfectly”.

I’ve been able to replicate it but not without the cost to losing out somewhere else from all the pp it uses to raise the front and lower some from the rear

THAT IS IT !
The tune I used before was perfectly safe and easy to drive through the kink, however ( or because ) ... it was noticeably slower on the other hand.

 

[BobDx123]

Yeah man 👍

For sure it’s a balancing act we got to figure out with speed, handling etc…

Getting the speed up quick on the straights definitely saves time, taking that turn flat out would definitely be significant. Higher top speed alone on the back ends I usually feel is evened out with the longer braking distances.

One of my ideas yesterday was to figure out a way to use RH’s to get some pp back. I’m having a tough time being faster with them (even when I add more power) as they’ve cost me time in grip, cornering and extended braking. The front aero costs SOOOO much pp though. I think it could be super useful if there’s a way to make them actually work.

I have never really found the savings from a manual trans capable of making up for the speed lost in shifting. However, it could be another potential source though.

I hope there are a couple tricks to learn in suspension & LCD that could “cheat” a little of the aero loss

*It’s possible some could work out different in the event. Like you I haven’t done it much, mostly messing around in TT to try new stuff but it’s not quite the same.

EDIT: BTW, for some reason I never noticed that part of your post before about it. What I’ve done in the interim is basically lift and quickly tapping the throttle a couple times to try and turn in more while keeping speed up. Other than that it would be a quick lift to part throttle, depending if there’s wind interfering

 

[Turbodatsun]

I got down to a 23.06.3 with the 787b using bobs tune but changing it slightly to resemble the nissan tune off youtube
FM2 until the pitstop at the end of lap 8 then FM1 for the rest

 

[BobDx123]

Nice Job Man!

Excellent time… and a fiery fast 1:38.5 lap

How were the times? Have a good amount of laps as quick as the hot one? You’re right there are the threshold.

EDIT: For some reason when I replied to your post another username showed up in the quote

 

[luv2drive]

@BobDx123, nice thread you've put together, makes the grinding a little more interesting.

I've tried with 3 cars so far

Mazda 787b - 23:43.xxx using your "v4" tune. (I'm a big Praiano fan also, but I found your tune to have a little less understeer and better turn-in for Sardegna)

Nissan R92CP - 23:39.xxx using the tune @TUSMBOX posted.

Audi RS5 DTM '19 - 24:45.xxx using the Praiano tune he posted recently (I just realized I had the gearing adjusted for Spa so I should probably change it back and try again)

Not really that competitive, but as someone mentioned, more iterations might help that

 

[ROCKET JOE]

I got down to a 23.06.3 with the 787b using bobs tune but changing it slightly to resemble the nissan tune off youtube
FM2 until the pitstop at the end of lap 8 then FM1 for the rest

Right now, the moment I wanted to post this ...

@Turbodatsun comes up with a 23:06 !

Off off, there's more work to do. And ... there's great fun to be had in this thread here with you guys.

P.S. I still can't take that right kink flat out.

 

[BobDx123]

@BobDx123, nice thread you've put together, makes the grinding a little more interesting.

I've tried with 3 cars so far

Mazda 787b - 23:43.xxx using your "v4" tune. (I'm a big Praiano fan also, but I found your tune to have a little less understeer and better turn-in for Sardegna)

Nissan R92CP - 23:39.xxx using the tune @TUSMBOX posted.

Audi RS5 DTM '19 - 24:45.xxx using the Praiano tune he posted recently (I just realized I had the gearing adjusted for Spa so I should probably change it back and try again)

Not really that competitive, but as someone mentioned, more iterations might help that

Thanks Man 👍

Yeah I thought with how much PD switched things up this past update it would be helpful to band together to figure things out as a group and fun to have goals for the various cars… maybe break up a little of the monotony of grinding

Nice times, I’ll get them up on the board. Absolutely, the more hands on deck testing tunes should get all of our times lower.

Yes, I actually remember asking Praiano a while back about his process and that he used part of a discussion from the two of you. It’s still above my head though

I have since made some changes to that tune to take both the sharp and winding areas better, but with all the new postings I hope to use aspects I like from what others have done to take it even further. There are certainly some fundamentals I had off that need to be addressed. I like having the 787 and couple other of the classics a bit more nimble which is tough this update.

—————————

@ROCKET JOE

lol, yeah he dropped a bomb with that time. Also love that you etched me out by 3/4 👍 👍

Nice race! Looks like more stuff to try out, I know you’ll be replacing that one soon

 

[TUSMBOX]

Feeling a bit more confident getting a 22 now. Had a couple minor mishaps.

 

[BobDx123]

Feeling a bit more confident getting a 22 now. Had a couple minor mishaps.

You almost broke into the 1:27’s, that blistering.
So close…

I really need to stop wasting time in TT and get back to event again to try stuff out, the progress past couple days in everyone’s times has been huge

 

[RacingFan1]

22:52 with the Escudo. Lower downforce + longish gears allows you to just about run FM4 the whole race and still manage to 2 stop, even without actively saving fuel. It's cutting it close enough that I sometimes even run out a few yards before the end of a stint, close enough that it doesn't really cost anything.

I'm a bit hopeless with suspension tuning, it's pretty much a frankenstein tune of a few different ones I've seen on here and modified everything else. Also this is without any GT Auto mods - didn't experiment too much but wide offset tyres seemed to kill high speed responsiveness and makes the last corner much more difficult to take flat out.

Thanks for this setup. Works quite well with new tires... BUT
It completely destroys rear tires, tire wear is so uneven. If you try late braking, the back end wants to go away. Last lap of each stint becomes a pain to drive.
I think it can be improved quite a bit. For now I put the brake bias at -5 slight improvement but not enough.
I think we can tweak some suspesion and differential settings to mitigate those issues.

 

[RealPlonker]

Thanks for this setup. Works quite well with new tires... BUT
It completely destroys rear tires, tire wear is so uneven. If you try late braking, the back end wants to go away. Last lap of each stint becomes a pain to drive.
I think it can be improved quite a bit. For now I put the brake bias at -5 slight improvement but not enough.
I think we can tweak some suspesion and differential settings to mitigate those issues.

It's definitely the main weakness of the setup. I think with my driving style, I'm always going to tend towards a tune that shreds the tyres, I like to drift it out of the low speed corners and rotate into the left hander at the top of the hill.

With that in mind, I came up with this today. Almost the same tune - only things I changed were Mediums instead of Softs, higher downforce and Brake Balance -1.

22:58 and I could tell it wasn't as clean as my best, might even be slightly faster on equal runs. Feels very similar but slightly more stable and obviously mediums hold on a lot better at the end of stints. Slightly more fuel usage though, need to do about 4 laps FM4, 1 lap FM5 per stint from my testing.