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Common misperceptions paint a bleak picture of the Suzuki Escudo Pikes Peak Edition. There are a few reasons behind this.
Some let their perceptions be tainted by it's GT2 rendition, where it's awesome HP and light weight resulted in unmatched acceleration, which allowed it to win ANY race despite the fact that it turned like a pregnant ox; floor it, hit a wall, pivot, repeat. As a result, many consider it to be, at best a munchkin-mobile without equal, and at worst, outright cheating.
In GT3, it is more accurately portrayed. Due to it's high specific output, it has rather erratic power delivery. (Too bad GT3 only gives the peak output figures for HP and torque and HP, not actual graphs like GT1 and GT2.) And it understeers badly under power, especially on pavement; it's out of it's element on asphalt.
This is kind of a pity since the Escudo, when properly tuned, can be a way to practice your driving skills. You see, even with these settings, it requires proper turning techniques and a gentle touch on the throttle. Yeah, you can get decent lap-times using the old ricochet technique, though GT3 doesn't really lend itself well to the 'fine art' of lawn-mowing and you encounter more problems than you would if you just tuned it properly and learned to drive
These settings are not absolutes; this is work in progress. However, at this point, they are close enough to optimal that they are worth sharing. Bear in mind that despite the sheer horsepower and feather-light weight, this vehicle does not guarantee victory like it did in GT2.
PARTS:
Stage 4 Turbo
Front tires : Medium-soft (T6)
Rear tires : Medium-slick (T4)
SETTINGS:
Suspension;
- Springs 16.0 / 18.0
- Ride Height 75 / 85
- Damper 4 / 7
- Rebound 3 / 6
- Camber 2.0 / 1.0
- Toe 0 / -0.20
- Stabilizers 3 / 7
Brakes; 22 / 13
LSD;
- Initial torque 10 / 5
- Acceleration 20 / 15
- Deceleration 10 / 7
Gears;
* Note - first, set Final Drive to 4.500, then Auto Setup to 25. That will
* allow you to set the gears as follows;
- 1st : 4.204
- 2nd : 2.985
- 3rd : 2.150
- 4th : 1.600
- 5th : 1.210
- 6th : 1.080
- Final : 2.350
Other;
- Downforce 0.85 / 0.90
- ASM = 4
- TCS = 10 (duh!)
- VCD = 50%
Results;
This Escudo is a bit sluggish off the line (at present), which is the first clue that it ain't your normal 'scud. In fact, under 50 MPH, this 'scud seems kind of wimpy. Second gear starts to show some pull once the turbos spool up at ~70 MPH. Third through sixth keep the RPMs high enough to spin the massive turbos, nearly eliminating turbo lag. As a result the engine keeps pulling up until a bit over 260 MPH.
Still, sometimes you will need to UPshift in order to maintain traction; for instance, the first slalom section of Complex String. Using these settings, I managed Complex Sring in a mere 4:18.383 ... without leaving the track! For a vehicle reviled for being a lag-ridden, under-steering pig, that's pretty damn good!
Some let their perceptions be tainted by it's GT2 rendition, where it's awesome HP and light weight resulted in unmatched acceleration, which allowed it to win ANY race despite the fact that it turned like a pregnant ox; floor it, hit a wall, pivot, repeat. As a result, many consider it to be, at best a munchkin-mobile without equal, and at worst, outright cheating.
In GT3, it is more accurately portrayed. Due to it's high specific output, it has rather erratic power delivery. (Too bad GT3 only gives the peak output figures for HP and torque and HP, not actual graphs like GT1 and GT2.) And it understeers badly under power, especially on pavement; it's out of it's element on asphalt.
This is kind of a pity since the Escudo, when properly tuned, can be a way to practice your driving skills. You see, even with these settings, it requires proper turning techniques and a gentle touch on the throttle. Yeah, you can get decent lap-times using the old ricochet technique, though GT3 doesn't really lend itself well to the 'fine art' of lawn-mowing and you encounter more problems than you would if you just tuned it properly and learned to drive
These settings are not absolutes; this is work in progress. However, at this point, they are close enough to optimal that they are worth sharing. Bear in mind that despite the sheer horsepower and feather-light weight, this vehicle does not guarantee victory like it did in GT2.
PARTS:
Stage 4 Turbo
Front tires : Medium-soft (T6)
Rear tires : Medium-slick (T4)
SETTINGS:
Suspension;
- Springs 16.0 / 18.0
- Ride Height 75 / 85
- Damper 4 / 7
- Rebound 3 / 6
- Camber 2.0 / 1.0
- Toe 0 / -0.20
- Stabilizers 3 / 7
Brakes; 22 / 13
LSD;
- Initial torque 10 / 5
- Acceleration 20 / 15
- Deceleration 10 / 7
Gears;
* Note - first, set Final Drive to 4.500, then Auto Setup to 25. That will
* allow you to set the gears as follows;
- 1st : 4.204
- 2nd : 2.985
- 3rd : 2.150
- 4th : 1.600
- 5th : 1.210
- 6th : 1.080
- Final : 2.350
Other;
- Downforce 0.85 / 0.90
- ASM = 4
- TCS = 10 (duh!)
- VCD = 50%
Results;
This Escudo is a bit sluggish off the line (at present), which is the first clue that it ain't your normal 'scud. In fact, under 50 MPH, this 'scud seems kind of wimpy. Second gear starts to show some pull once the turbos spool up at ~70 MPH. Third through sixth keep the RPMs high enough to spin the massive turbos, nearly eliminating turbo lag. As a result the engine keeps pulling up until a bit over 260 MPH.
Still, sometimes you will need to UPshift in order to maintain traction; for instance, the first slalom section of Complex String. Using these settings, I managed Complex Sring in a mere 4:18.383 ... without leaving the track! For a vehicle reviled for being a lag-ridden, under-steering pig, that's pretty damn good!
