Currently impatiently buying rims to pass days to get Leo's Fairlady and N4HS's Bellett...
Testing one-two, testing one-two, grading in progress
nd 4 holden spd's 1969 Isuzu Bellett 1600 GT-R:
Stock Setting Impression:
Gearing is a bit on the close side, but that's the least of this car's problems. Body roll is outright nautical, it's an understeery pig off throttle and has a tendency to oversteer on-throttle, with the tail rolling more than the nose, exacerbating the problem by unloading the inside rear. However, the car is far from evil handling, it just needs a little work.
Tune Applied Impression:
Shaving great amounts of time per-corner at Twin Ring Motegi's full road course, the tune certainly works. Erm, that is... It works better than stock. However, it's cornering limits seem quite low, most likely due in part to the front toe-in limiting the amount of steering angle that can be applied mid-corner without the outside front protesting. Off-throttle understeer is still present, just not to the degree it was previously; review of the ride height and weight balance settings could possibly make this disappear. Gearing is far too long, as the car will never be able to pull and hold 6th on any track's straight short of Sarthe. Soo... While an improvement, it needs improvement. Its limits are just too low.
Time: 2:13.302
Score: 70/100, a C-.
MustangGT90210's 1971 Plymouth Barracuda
Stock Setting Impression:
Surprisingly not a bad handling car... The gearing hurts it, badly, but... It's faster around TRM than N4HS's Bellett despite being limited to 115mph on most straights and absolutely topping out at 125 or so (Big-block torque and what I suspect to be higher limits). This car is hurt by the open rear differential, which allows the inside rear to go up in smoke rather easily, making it nearly impossible to exit corners with much confidence. Application of the specified gearing, however, brought a few more problems with the default tune to the surface... Namely the brakes being weak for the weight of the car, and a tendency towards mild understeer. The car was actually notably SLOWER with the wider gearing, as acceleration up to 90-100mph was hindered. Seems that the ratios are a bit too spread out. Enough, how's it feel with downforce and the suspension tune?
Tune Applied Impression:
Without the downforce applied: Ouch. Sorry to say, but there's more understeer, the car is almost as nautical-feeling as the stock Bellett, and the brakes, while adjusted, made no difference as the front brake pressure was reduced and the front brakes can handle more braking force than the rears in this car.
With downforce: More understeer. Too much rear downforce means the rear has more traction than the front, with the car being nose-heavy to start with... It's painful, really. I found the sand more often than a good exit, and the laptime suffered due to the lowered exit speeds.
Time: 2:14.669 (Was 2:12.559 out of the box), 2:09.188 with different gearing.
Score: 55/100: Sorry man, but you have an E for the day.
CraftyLandShark's 1967 Toyota 2000GTO Shelby Special (Yes, I know you withdrew it... Testing anyways to see where it stands)
Stock Setting Impression:
It sounds good. It goes. There is very little at fault with this car, with the only problem areas being a bit of understeer on-throttle in 3rd and unwillingness to curb a powerslide in 2nd (both due to what seems to be an overly soft rear suspension), as well as some extremely mild understeer under braking. The times... Oh, my, the TIMES... The car is blazingly fast around here as it sits so long as you resist the temptation to drift it in second...
Tune Applied Impression:
Without downforce applied: Slightly quicker, but it doesn't feel as nice... That, and it could possibly use a bit less front brake pressure. And a rethinking of the front alignment. A bit of understeer on-throttle at times, but nothing horrid. Also seemed at times that the diff was a bit on the loose side.
With downforce: She's a grippy little sucker! However, the diff did allow the inside tire to light up on occasion, somewhat unpredictably, and the problems with the alignment became more obvious, with the outside front howling in protest all too soon. So, overall, the car is quicker, but it doesn't feel as nice.
Time: 2:07.655 fluke lap, 2:08.044 on re-run.
Score: 78/100, C+.
Leonidae's 1968 NisMo Fairlady S-Tune
Stock Setting Impression:
Very much like a Miata, this one. Not especially fast in a straight line, but cornering is enjoyable... However, enjoyable and good are not always one in the same; this car has a bit of body roll and a wee bit of understeer, but it's still fun. Don't ask how. Must be the cute looks. Not too much to say here... It's nice, but not in the "Holy crow, there's no way to improve on this" sense.
Tune Applied Impression:
Love the feeling. Steering is light and precise, and the car is just peachy. It's a cheeky little car made to be fun... Unfortunately, despite it's power to weight ratio, it's slow. Not going to dock points there, but the diff is a bit on the open side under accel and could possibly use less preload and the brakes could use to be a little more biased towards the rear. The improvement in times is non-existant for me, but the feel... It's nice.
Time: 2:11.471
Score: 75/100 (Just doesn't impact times enough...)
Greycap's 1971 Lotus Europa Special:
Stock Setting Impression:
Hmm... It's not bad at all, rather it's got just the right amount of lift-off oversteer and great cornering prowess... But it likes to pull powerslides in second at WOT, and controlling the throttle to prevent that causes understeer. Brakes seem a little on the weak side, and could use a slightly further rearward bias.
Tune Applied Impression:
Without downforce applied: Wow. Wow. Wow. It's a work of art. Cornering speeds are up... The gearing is great... It's... Bliss. Could possibly use a little more tweaking, but the only real annoyance is the high-speed touchiness of MR/RR cars that I've come to expect. Let's see what it does when the wing is put to use...
Downforce applied: The downforce doesn't drop times much at all... I think the car might be able to get away with a bit more front downforce and not be twitchy, but I could be wrong. Surprisingly, this isn't as quick as the default 2000GT, and it sometimes forces the outside tire to scream in agony. Not quite perfect, and there's a bit of high-speed oversteer, but I've come to expect that from a MR layout.
Time: 2:06.426
Score: 82/100, B-.
nissan tuner's 1971 Nissan 240ZG
Stock Setting Impression:
The high default traction control setting indicates that this car should be a bit on the tailhappy side with the aids off... So how is it?
It is... Err, kinda. If you keep the wheelspin away, the car's fine, but the instant you let it slide... The too-soft rear reveals itself. Moreover, the entire car feels overly soft and spongy. Despite the alarming nose dive and general feeling that the car would rather be cruising the boulevard, it sets reasonably quick laps.
Tune Applied Impression:
Dang. This car had potential... But it got screwed over. Understeer is the word of the day, with strong power-over tendencies in second. I think the diff is mostly to blame, as it could probably use to have less decel and initial, possibly a bit less accel as well. The cornering limits were dropped... The car was worsened in all aspects other than the dive/roll...
Time: a still-quick 2:09.538, but default was 2:08.183
Score: 55/100. Sorry, but you have an E for the day.
GT40 MKII's 1971 Plymouth Barracuda
Stock Setting Impression:
It's another 'Cuda, but this one has a little more power and a limited-slip. And, from a stock-setting point of view, it hurts it. There's a bit of push on and off throttle that's not present without the diff, and gearing is a problem still. But... With GT40's gearing, the car comes alive a bit, as you stop worrying about the ratios as much and can concentrate on driving... But the gears are still a bit short, as the car effectively is done accelerating at about 120mph... With a 3.27 final, it's cookin' with gas! 2:06.894 with a good bit of time to shave, and the suspension and diff are both far from perfect, with the diff being a bit on the tight side under decel and the suspension being overly soft and improperly damped.
Tune Applied Impression:
Keeping the 3.27 gears, the suspension and differential settings didn't fix much, nor did the brake settings. Understeer is still present, with more push under throttle and next to no difference off throttle, the damping still feels wrong... And the times suffered. Unfortunately, the car, while fast, merely disappoints.
Time: 2:07.764 (Stock + regear was a 2:06.894)
Score: 70/100, C-.
mafia_boy's 1970 Toyota Celica 1600GT GT-TWO
Stock Setting Impression:
It needs more. More power. As in 100-150hp more. The chassis is good enough to make the car seem to be constantly waiting on the power to get it to the next corner. Of course, there is a little bit of understeer to be found here or there and power-over is possible in second... I can't imagine this car with downforce... I can sense that it aches for more power already.
Tune Applied Impression:
Without downforce applied: The car still wants more. But cornering is now dead flat, dead neutral, and confidence-inspiring. Braking, despite the lack of a balance controller, is plenty strong for the speeds the car gets up to, and yet allows you to turn in under brakes comfortably... It's damn near perfect, only hampered by lack of power and the gears seemingly being a bit long. Oh, and the cornering speeds need to be a little higher to make up for the lack of power.
Downforce applied: The downforce hurt it. Too much rear downforce effectively reduces front-end grip, causing a bit of understeer. I'd try dropping a couple clicks off the rear downforce or removing the wing completely; it was THAT good without it.
Time: 2:13.567
Score: 78/100, C+.
So... WHO WON?
1st place: Greycap's Lotus Europa, 82/100.
2nd place: mafia_boy's Toyota Celica, 78/100 (would be a tie if CLS's car had not been withdrawn)
3rd place: Leonidae's Nissan Fairlady, 75/100
Good job to all.
~Kyle