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

[RacingFan1]

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.

Not sure that to use mediums is the best option.
I'll do some tests and try to improve your setup to make it more even in tyre wear and everything, maybe you could try it out then.
I came here because I was fed up with the Tokio race, the not-so-certain "clean race" and not so easy race anymore with the Capuccino on steroids.

 

[Turbodatsun]

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

Thanks Bob most of the laps dipped into the 1:29’s i think the fast lap was on lap 4, i think its possible to beat a 23 but would have to average around 0.4 faster every lap and be lucky with the lapped traffic.

This is the first time on the gtplanet forum in like 8 years so i changed my username just after posting

 

[ROCKET JOE]

My daily grind has brought some improvement. I'm running @Turbodatsun 's "787CP" tune with some small tweaks.
I've raised front downforce a little bit, sacrificing around 50 hp, but the slightly reduced understeer is worth it imo. I'm getting more confident over all, fuel management seems a bit easier as well.
However, I'm still not happy with my own performance : consistency, breaking points, turning in ... and I still can't run the main straight flat out.

Cheers, guys. A pleasure to be here ...

 

[Autobahn GTO]

Had to chance to give RealPlonker’s setup a try (22:52 is a phenomenal time👍).

I knew if I wanted to go quicker, I had to experiment with the aero, but it wasn’t easy to figure out what works best, especially when it impacts the PP so much. RealPlonker’s aero settings work quite well (probably about as low as I want to go), but what really surprised me was the gear ratios (even though I usually don’t like to go down to 1st gear, especially at so many corners). With the combination of those aero settings and the gear ratios, the car just flies.

However, the rear end is too unstable in the winding section of sector 3 for my liking, so I eventually adopted RealPlokner’s aero settings, gear ratios, rear ride height along with John Wedley’s tune that I modified. For the diff settings, I use the settings from Praiano’s new Escudo tune as I like them better. I’m now able to go below 23 minutes as long as I don’t have any major moments in the race 😊

I use FM4 and do need to short shift. During the first stint when I can get 2 clear laps without any traffic, that’s when I could run the fastest, which would result in the need to switch to FM5 (or even FM6) on lap 5. For the next two stints, I could never get a clear lap, so I would not use as much fuel and could just make it with FM4 as long as I short shift throughout. I did experiment with FM5, which would not require short shifting, but I think it was still not as fast as FM4 with short shifting.

This still was not a completely clean run but not too bad, and I actually ran wide at one of the corners and onto the grass for my FL, but I don’t think I will be able to improve much on this run. I need to be able to make improvements through the winding section of sector 3 if I want to improve much….

 

[Autobahn GTO]

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 no tuning guru (far from it), but I would probably start with the anti-roll bar (lower the front or increase the rear) and/or the ride height (lower the front if not at the lowest already or increase the rear). Other things to try would be the spring rates or the aero (adjusting the aero would impact the PP though). With the latest setup I’m using, I can still take that kink flat out if the conditions are right (do watch out for wind direction/strength), especially now that I need to short shift anyway, but I found it easier to lift off just ever so slightly before turning in.

 

[Autobahn GTO]

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.

Just about all the Escudo setups I've tried for this race, the rears always wear a lot more than the fronts for some reason. The rears do wear about twice as more as the fronts after 5 laps, but they're not completely worn out, so it's not a problem for me, because I have to pit after 5 laps anyway for fuel and fresh tires.

 

[Chikane_GTR]

Just about all the Escudo setups I've tried for this race, the rears always wear a lot more than the fronts for some reason. The rears do wear about twice as more as the fronts after 5 laps, but they're not completely worn out, so it's not a problem for me, because I have to pit after 5 laps anyway for fuel and fresh tires.

Start with RH back and RS front. you can go till the second pit stop without changing tires.

 

[Autobahn GTO]

Start with RH back and RS front. you can go till the second pit stop without changing tires.

That would be interesting to try, although I'm not sure what that will do to the overall balance of the car. I don't think I will be able to get close to 23 minutes if I have to drive 10 laps with RH rear tires, and I would still need to pit twice for fuel, so the only time saving would be to skip the tire change during the first pit stop.

I should probably try switching to RM tires and FM6 to see if I could make it with just 1 pit stop with the Escudo. I don't think that will be faster either even if it's feasible, but it would be interesting to try as well.

 

[Autobahn GTO]

I came here because I was fed up with the Tokio race, the not-so-certain "clean race" and not so easy race anymore with the Capuccino on steroids.

I just started grinding for credits recently, and I decided to try the Sardegna race first even though it has the lowest payout among the 4 grind races, because the CRB is pretty much guaranteed for this race (I have yet to fail to get it even though I've had many big offs), so if you can finish the race in around 23 minutes, you can earn more than 2.1 million credits in about an hour and 10 minutes easy. The only other grind race that can get you more is the Tokyo race if you can also finish in around 23 minutes and get the CRB every time, but I think it would be more difficult. Also, I think to get close to 23 minutes or below in the Tokyo race would require you to wall ride, which I would still rather not do even for grinding credits. For this Sardegna race, I still try to drive as cleanly as possible without using any exploits.

 

[BobDx123]

Weekend report…

After copying the tune posted by @Turbodatsun (TheNickMan), rather than going to TT I brought it right to the event to test out. I restarted the 1st lap a couple times in sector 1 as the car was very different from what I’m used to driving. With that said, even with not so great wind and traffic it was 23:18 right out the gate.

The tune is set up in a way that feels like it restricts movement yet still extremely forgiving for this track, making it easy to drive. It’s like the understeer was embraced and then corrected with the springs and LCD; felt like it was leaning through things like a motorcycle. Definitely recommend others give it a try

Obviously the tune can achieve times on the cusp of the 22 mark as-is demonstrated by Turbodatsun. However, like @ROCKET JOE , I made some adjustments for my personal driving. I wanted more “turn-in”, less slippage from high throttle at low speeds (for worn tires & FM1 laps) and gas usage… as I ran out and had to coast to the finish. In the 787, some gears I like to give a little extra in the high rpm before shifting.

Anyway, I decided again to test right in the event, came in at 23:13.864, a good step in the right direction.

*With obnoxious timing, the games storage was full during this race. I did not even get the usual warning in advance where it gives you the opportunity to clear stuff out to save… It skipped that step and I couldn’t even watch the replay to look over my mistakes, even the button was missing, leaving only the option to retry

I continued to make a few more changes, including a beefier front aero. The next race a “brown-out” shut off my PS5 and projector ~lap11. The same damn thing happened again when I tried to get one more race in the afternoon but happened several laps earlier in the race. What a waste… Look forward to get back at it though, plenty of room for improvement on my end

Edit:
@Autobahn GTO Congrats on breaking the 23 mark!
@ROCKET JOE Damn good time man, got me beat good!

 

[BobDx123]

Ok, did 2 races today. The first one started of really well but big problems later in the race (both my fault and bad traffic spots) caused me to be almost identical to last time (within fraction of a sec). Also, at the end of the 14th lap a driver who went left after the bend decided to pit last sec and swiped into me, simultaneously hurting the time for that lap and busting my tire for start of 15.

The 2nd race started off slower but I played the later half of the race different which brought some of my errors down a bit. I felt like I wasn’t adapting well switching to a faster fuel mix after the pits, so I kept it a FM2, potentially slower but more consistent. I think it would be easier for me to step down to a slower mix but the consensus seems to be that pitting on the 8th is superior. The turn hurting me the most often is the sharp left before the penalty line. There have been multiple laps that should have dipped into the 1:28’s; I’m constantly under or over shooting it. Aside from wind/tires, It may be more of an issue because i’m heading towards it at different speeds, from my inconsistency in the bend leading to the straight and traffic.

Well, it’s a bit more progress but still a ways to go

 

[ROCKET JOE]

I've been busy again and I've got something new for you, boys and girls. Plus some more "completing lists" for Bob.
Felt like I needed a little variety so I decided to take "The white winged beast" to the track.
There's nothing special to the car I used, no great tune ( I simply wasn't in the mood ), I just hopped in and went to race.
And what can I say - it's such charm to drive, it's been entertainment, relaxation, almost meditation. It's not a monster,
you don't travel at the speed of light, but hey, you all know that engine growl and the car's unbelievable cornering abilities ...

The race is a two stop race ( no idea whether one stop is possible ).
I used RH tires and there's no need to change them, however, the fuel tank is small and / or the car is thirsty.
So I did three stints, five laps each, FM 3 for the most time.

Better race times are easily possible, even without optimizing he car. I'll be optimizing my driving first ... tomorrow !

 

[Turbodatsun]

Great times bob i havent had the chance to play in a couple of days but im keen to get back on and grind some laps, its not even about making money at the moment its more about how fast i can go, should we post what we use to play controler vs wheel as tunes might need to differ, im using a wheel

 

[BobDx123]

Great times bob i havent had the chance to play in a couple of days but im keen to get back on and grind some laps, its not even about making money at the moment its more about how fast i can go, should we post what we use to play controler vs wheel as tunes might need to differ, im using a wheel

Thanks man,

I hear you, i’m in a similar boat, I’ve collected most of the cars and have a cushy balance so not in a rush. It’s easy to spend millions of credits pretty quick though.

Your tune certainly made a difference. I think others will also see an improvement in times from it. I bet you’ll be getting to 22 anytime now.

It’s a good you brought up the wheel, like you said, from what I’ve heard some tunes work better on one than the other or need adjustments. I’m on controller on a right now but hope to pick up a wheel in the near future.

It worked right away for me, was able to get a decent time without trouble. I made a few small changes after the first race. It’s hard to describe but it feels different from what I’ve driven before yet very forgiving and easy to drive. On the controller it feels like movement is limited by understeer but corrected enough to take most the course pretty quick except the right angles. However that could just be however I’m used to approaching them; there may others who handle them just fine the way it’s set. For me, I need a little more freedom to turn in so trying to push it a little in the other direction.

It’s weird, the “S” turn near the end of sector one is taken more shallow than I’m used to even though it doesn’t look like it’s going to make it.

I’ll probably continue to tinker around and make some adjustments that tailor to how I drive.

Definitely appreciate you sharing it

EDIT: FYI the 787B and R92CP are both back at Legendary dealer for those that have been waiting

 

[Turbodatsun]

Yeah someone will crack a 22 anyday now we are all so close

 

[Autobahn GTO]

Had another good run with the Escudo tonight. I think I'm done with the Escudo for now. I just picked up both the 787B and the R92CP (as well as the F40) from the LCD tonight, so I will be giving them a try in the next few days when I get the chance.

Btw, if anyone's interested in my Escudo setup, I updated it in John Wedley's thread here.

 

[Turbodatsun]

Grrrrr i bloody had it guys i had it, slipped through my fingers

 

[BobDx123]

Grrrrr i bloody had it guys i had it, slipped through my fingers

Amazing! Honestly I would have thrown a fit if I was that close, with a plethora of curse words yelled by me at the screen or in the mirror… lol

Any chance you grabbed a pic to know what lap times need to be accomplished to reach that? No big deal either way, just curious, could serve as a good guide for what’s required to break it

 

[Turbodatsun]

YEEEEEEEESSSSSSS i did it, so glad i went for another attempt i tweeked the tune a bit but im sure there is more in it still. Ill tried to watch the replay but it doesnt show lap times on the right but ill go through it and write them down and post here

 

[BobDx123]

YEEEEEEEESSSSSSS i did it, so glad i went for another attempt i tweeked the tune a bit but im sure there is more in it still. Ill tried to watch the replay but it doesnt show lap times on the right but ill go through it and write them down and post here

Congratulations are in order. You’re officially the first one to break 23 with a Gr.1 classic!

Ok, now time for you destroy it with the R92CP…lol

 

[Turbodatsun]

Lap times are here
Left the fastest for the end

 

[Turbodatsun]

I think i was also very lucky with the lapped traffic notice the viper down the field and i had a tailwind down the main straight all race

 

[BobDx123]

I think i was also very lucky with the lapped traffic notice the viper down the field and i had a tailwind down the main straight all race

Dude,

I just looked at you’re new tune. It’s almost exactly what I made after the race for corrections, the lowered 8 front sway bar, the 1.0 front camber, the lowered power and front aero within a handful of points, only the rear camber I didn’t bring to 0; still haven’t used that one yet.

I made some adjustments after my first race, then again after the 2:13? I got. I ended up accidentally using the first corrections on my fast race by mistake rather than the new one.

 

[Turbodatsun]

Haha yeah i thought it needed a tweek, lowered the rear camber to try and get better traction out of the 2 hairpins and lowered the front camber to help improve the braking

 

[ROCKET JOE]

Yep, it's a 24:xx



Now back to the Mazda for a 22:xx ... No ! ... I'm joking.

And on a sidenote, my distance driven has exceeded 100.000 km today.

 

[TUSMBOX]

Here's my 22. Only took 8 runs back to back. Gonna start running the other Group C's to see how they compare.

 

[BobDx123]

Here's my 22. Only took 8 runs back to back. Gonna start running the other Group C's to see how they compare.

Congrats! 2 seconds under too, on the DOT

Mean’t to ask you, did you make any adjustments from what was in the video and are you on wheel or controller?

I brought it out for a couple laps last week to try out but was having a tough time getting around the course. I wasn’t sure if maybe I copied something incorrectly or what I was doing wrong

 

[Turbodatsun]

Great time Tusmbox what tune did you use?

 

[TUSMBOX]

I used the setup in this video:



I didn't change anything on the setup, but I think he mentioned not changing tires, and I do. I tried running one set of tires, and for me, they're just so shredded by then end.

Forgot to mention, I play on wheel.

 

[Turbodatsun]

Thanks Tusmbox ill have to give it a crack now that you have raised the bar