My Approach (DFGT)
Each car was thoroughly tested with 25+ laps at each track. A couple of warm up stints to get used to the car and then time attack after that. What I’m looking for in any car above all else is balance between front and rear grip leading to even tire wear front and back, stability on entry and exit, and predictability in handling leading to consistency in lap times. Part of my enjoyment of any car also comes from sound as I tend to run my surround fairly loud.
Overall I found the cars much better than I expected, especially the RWD cars. Keep in mind in these reviews that I’m comparing them not to average but to a very high standard. Because they were all of good to high quality, the room for distinction between them is small, and therefore the smallest of imperfections must become big to be able to separate them from each other.
My overall rankings reflect my overall feel of the car and my ability to attack the course with confidence as well as how close I believe the tunes are to the potential of the particular car. Therefore a slower car that drove well, will usually receive a better score than one that was more difficult to control but faster.
Lap Times London
54.271 tris_73 - Mercedes Benz SL65 AMG (R230) 04'
52.016 ACSR421 - Lamborghini Murcialago LP670-4 SV 09'
51.818 krenkme - Nissan GT-R
54.950 Motor City Hami - Maserati Gran Turismo S 08'
51.350 Shmogt Bugatti - Veyron 16.4 09'
53.604 nomis3613 - Mercedez Benz SL65 AMG 04'
Lap Times Monza
1:43.646 tris_73 - Mercedes Benz SL65 AMG (R230) 04'
1:36.219 ACSR421 - Lamborghini Murcialago LP670-4 SV 09'
1:36.440 krenkme - Nissan GT-R
1:43.930 Motor City Hami- Maserati Gran Turismo S 08'
1:33.985 Shmogt Bugatti - Veyron 16.4 2009
1:40.440 nomis3613 - Mercedez Benz SL65 AMG 04'
Driver's Ranking Group C
1. ACSR421 - Lamborghini Murcialago LP670-4 SV 09'
2. tris_73 - Mercedes Benz SL65 AMG (R230) 04'
3. nomis3613 - Mercedez Benz SL65 AMG 04'
4. krenkme - Nissan GT-R
5. Shmogt Bugatti - Veyron 16.4 2009
6. Motor City Hami- Maserati Gran Turismo S 08'
Comments:
tris_73 - Mercedes Benz SL65 AMG (R230) 04'
I thoroughly enjoyed driving this car. I swear I drove about 10 laps in a row over two stints and shaved off time every single lap before I hit the wall. Handling was excellent for a car of this weight and being RWD at both Monza and London. Had to take care with the throttle at London but was very controllable and predictable under hard acceleration. Was great over the curbs at London and very easy to turn consistent laps. Gained significant time by shifting at least 1000 rpm below the redline, especially at Monza, Lap times would have benefited to some degree with a six speed transmission if one was available. Had a tendency to slightly overheat the front tires under extremely hard and slightly late braking as you might expect for a car of this weight. Braking slightly earlier helped a lot and improved laptimes. Overall a great drive and lots of fun.
9.0/10
London - 54.271
Monza - 143.646
krenkme Nissan GT-R
Very fast, ultimately a good lap time. Required a great deal of precision with all steering, brake and throttle input. Back end was fairly easy to get loose on entry or exit with a slight imbalance and the effect worsened as the tires wore. Controllable with very precise inputs but inconsisent as little mistakes were magnified. Best car exiting Parabolica to the front straight. For me, once some tire wear kicked in after 3 or 4 laps, fast, consistent lap times were impossible. Looseness was an issue through the esses at London and the chicanes at Monza sometimes. Could have benefited from a higher front torque bias possibly and a grippier rear end. With some tweaking could be a great car but overall still a very good ride
8.0/10
London - 51.818
Monza - 136.440
nomis3613 - Mercedez Benz SL65 AMG 04'
For a tank on wheels it handled very well. Fastest of the RWD’s by quite a bit. The feel was a little soft but handling was good and very predictable at Monza if not quite so sharp. Good balance between front and rear grip. Braking distances were solid and braking was stable and very good for a car of this size. Only serious issue I had was with the front tires burning up under heavy braking. Best laps were turned with tires being red on entry sometimes. If you braked early enough to avoid burning up the tires the you lost significant time. So running good laps meant very high tire wear, nearly as bad as the Veyron. In London, you had to modulate the throttle to keep the rear in check but it was manageable, however after 5 laps or so tire wear on the rear was high enough to imbalance the handling and make fast laps impossible. Overall I really enjoyed driving the car and if it had less of an issue with the front tires at Monza it would have significantly improved the overall score but I'm not sure it's something you can tune out of this heavyweight at those speeds.
8.0/10
London - 53.604
Monza - 140.440
Shmogt Bugatti - Veyron 16.4 09'
I fully admit I did not expect much from the Veyron and was pleasantly surprised. Fastest car of the lot in a straight line as you would expect and in overall lap times. Crazy fast at Monza. Tire wear was brutal as you would also expect with this tonnage and HP. Handling was good for size and weight but not quite the corner grip of the Lambo or GT-R, again as you would expect. Acceleration was insane. Hard to judge braking distances because of the extremely high speeds but they were huge. Basically a race between corners and trying to get around the corners in good enough shape to be ready for the next straight. Significant tire wear and worst of the lot, meant returning to the pits every three or four laps because you just couldn’t keep up any pace on the worn tires. Overall a very impressive tune for a difficult to tune car, but not really fun to drive as a race vehicle. When you were done you felt not as if you had merely driven it, but more that you had raced from corner to corner and survived it.
7.5/10
London - 51.350
Monza - 133.985
Motor City Hami- Maserati Gran Turismo S 08'
I did not expect this to be the fastest of this bunch but I have to say overall this was the only one I was a bit disappointed in. Turn in was very sharp, but too sharp in my opinion. Combined with what felt like a high rear brake bias and a very active Accel LSD, it was loose both on exit and entry, especially after lap 3 and 4 at either track. It also lead to significantly higher tire wear on the rear so the later you got into the run the looser it got, making faster laps and control increasingly difficult for me beyond about lap 3. Was difficult to lay down consistent lap times. I felt that toning down the rear brake bias and Accel and possibly decel LSD could significantly improve the overall character of the car and even out the tire wear. Overall the most difficult to drive and I never really quite felt comfortable with it beyond the first couple of laps. Has great potential with some more tweaking.
7.0/10
London - 54.950
Monza - 143.932
ACSR421 - Lamborghini Murcialago LP670-4 SV 09'
Not the fastest but it was close. Excellent stability under braking and turn in. Exit and entry was smooth, fast and predictable at Monza. Best car in very fast first corner at Monza. Easiest car to push hard. Best tire wear. Felt the gearing could have been a little taller from 1-3. Larger gap between 3 and 4 may have hurt lap times at both tracks along with the lack of a useful first gear. Probably would have benefited from a custom transmission. Was excellent over the curbing in the esses at London in the first few laps. Overall a great ride, fun to drive, predictable and stable in all aspects. Best tire wear by far and well balanced front and rear. Turned my fastest lap in London on lap 6 of one stint, whereas most others were fastest in the first or second timed lap. Best of the bunch in my opinion with no serious flaws.
9.5/10
London - 52.016
Monza - 136.219
Group A Testing
Lap Times London
53.958 - XDesperado - Dodge Challenger SRT8 08'
52.571 - Wildheart90 - Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 09'
54.461 - CyKosis - Jaguar XKR Coupe 10'
55.996 - Oopssorryy - Lexus GS300 00'
55.610 - Rallywagon - Subaru Legacy B4 Blitzen 00'
51.957 - CSLACR - Dodge Viper ACR
Lap Times Monza
1:41.453 - XDesperado - Dodge Challenger SRT8 08'
1:38.336 - Wildheart90 - Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 09'
1:41.848 - CyKosis - Jaguar XKR Coupe 10'
1:45.061 - Oopssorryy - Lexus GS300 00'
1:48.022 - Rallywagon - Subaru Legacy B4 Blitzen 00'
1:35.114 - CSLACR - Dodge Viper ACR
Drivers Ranking Group A
1. CyKosis - Jaguar XKR Coupe 10'
2. XDesperado - Dodge Challenger SRT8 08'
3. Oopssorryy - Lexus GS300 00'
4. Wildheart90 - Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 09'
5. CSLACR - Dodge Viper ACR
6. Rallywagon - Subaru Legacy B4 Blitzen 00'
Comments:
XDesperado67 - Dodge Challenger SRT8 08’
I’ve really only driven this car out of the recommended garage and I always liked it’s handling and was hoping it would be much the same. It did not disappoint. Turn in was both sharp and balanced at Monza and exit was smooth and fast. The car was predictable and balanced all over the track. Tire wear was slightly higher than average but even as the tires wore the car remained balanced, a hallmark of a good tune. In London again the car was smooth and predictable but I felt the LSD was a bit too active although it was controllable if you were conscious of it. It was particularly good in the esses. Tire wear was about average here but you really had to take care of the back end after the first few laps. Overall a very good ride and great lap times for a RWD non-supercar. Could probably be improved a lot for me personally by toning down the Accel LSD.
9.0/10
London - 53.958
Monza - 1:41.453
Wildheart90 - Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 09’
I was expecting good things from this 4WD supercar especially after testing an earlier Lambo. I found myself a little on the fence about it overall when I was done. On the downside it felt a little soft and sluggish on both entry and exit, and overall grip seemed to be a little off although on the upside it was both balanced and predictable. I found myself a few times running wide on exit and entry, ended up braking earlier than I thought I should have to be sure and hit the apexes. Braking was good and I was able to brake into the corners fairly well, but you had to trail brake to get it turn in sharp enough. Tire wear was also very good. London was much the same, you had to brake slightly earlier but if you could manage it, you could brake into the corner to compensate. Had to get on the throttle slightly late to ensure staying off the walls on exit. This tune would be well suited to an endurance race with a little more relaxed pace and the tires would probably outlast everyone else, and although it didn’t light my fire it didn’t throw water on it either.
8.0/10
London - 52.571
Monza -1:38.336
Cykosis1973 - Jaguar XKR Coupe 10’
What an exceptional car and tune!! This was the most enjoyable ride of all the cars I’ve tested so far, in both groups. An extremely well balanced ride everywhere on both tracks. Perfect on the first corner at Monza and planted like glue in the first chicane. Exiting Parabolica at full throttle as the tires wore on, the back end started to step out, but ever so slowly and predictably so that all you had to do was ease off the throttle 25% or so and power right on through. At London again the handling was superb, handled the esses with ease, turn in and exit was sharp but not overdone and imbalanced. Ran many laps over and over within a few tenths. Gearing was also good as I could use first gear and roll on the throttle at London to shave off a few tenths, whereas in a lot of other cars either wheelspin was too high to control or 1st was too short to be practical. The only downside I can see to this tune is slightly higher than average tire wear, but even as the tires wore, grip remained good and the car balanced. Well done!
9.75/10
London - 54.461
Monza - 1:41.848
Oopssorryy - Lexus GS300 00’
I was pleasantly surprised by this car. I found the car overall to have very good handling. Turn in, mid-corner and exit was smooth and predictable without being overdone. The handling at London seemed particularly good for me and the car was very good in the esses. The only real downside to the tune for me was the fairly high LSD settings and the gearbox. Because of the high LSD settings and the fairly short 1st gear, it wasn’t much benefit to roll out of first gear anywhere and after a few laps and the tires wore, you had to be on your toes and lap times began to fall off as you eased off the throttle on exit to keep the back end in line. Overall a good car and good tune for this competition.
8.5/10
London - 55.996
Monza - 145.061
Rally wagon - Subaru Legacy B4 Blitzen 00’
This car is underpowered compared to it’s competition so I was expecting good things in the handling department. At London it was pretty good, a little sharp but it worked there. Only real downside was in the esses, where it was a bit loose. At Monza it was also pretty good but a little too overly biased towards turn in. In the first big sweeper after the front straight I had sometimes had to fight the car to get stay pointed in the right direction, even though it was the slowest car entering the corner. I expected to be close to flat out there and wasn’t. Tire wear was ok but not as good as it could have been given that it had less power, 4wd and had less speed to scrub off in braking. I think the really high brake balance settings contributed to the tire wear and the tires lighting up in entry to Parabolica, which in turn contributed to a slower than expected exit. I expect that in a 2 ton, 800 hp whale on wheels, but not so much in the lightest car with the least power. A good short track tune that is more suited to a London or Deep Forest for me rather than Monza.
7.5/10
London - 55.610
Monza - 1:48.022
CSLACR - Dodge Viper ACR
At over 1000hp this is the second most powerful car I’ve tested. At Monza it was very fast in terms of lap times and top speed, and turn in was very sharp but a little too sharp for me, leaving me feeling slightly imbalanced entering most corners and with inconsistent lap times, albeit with a fast one in there for good measure. Braking was good but with a little too much rear brake bias. Tire wear was pretty good at Monza, in London it really chewed up the rear tires quickly as you’d expect from 1000hp. I found the gearbox to be a major flaw. While the stock transmission may have eliminated some of the tranny whine, it also stuck you with ver tall upper gears. For me with a little smoother corner entry and a custom transmission I’m certain I would have been under 1:34 at Monza, even faster than the Veyron, and much more consistent. A good car overall but I thought it fell a bit short of it’s potential for my driving style.
8.0/10
London - 51.957
Monza - 1:35.114
Group B
Lap Times London
51.939 - Indy Racerfan - SLR AMG
53.606 - DigitalBaka - Ferrari California 08'
50.937 - Madmyk - Bugatti Veyron 16.4 09'
54.985 - Jackthalad - BMW M3 Coupe 07'
55.409 - Sean10mm - Audi RS6 Avant 08'
Lap Times Monza
1:37.265 - Indy Racerfan - SLR AMG
1:42.156 - DigitalBaka - Ferrari California 08'
1:34.644 - Madmyk - Bugatti Veyron 16.4 09'
1:45.498 - Jackthalad - BMW M3 Coupe 07'
1:46.241 - Sean10mm - Audi RS6 Avant 08'
Drivers Ranking Group B
1. Indy Racerfan - SLR AMG
2. DigitalBaka - Ferrari California 08'
3. Jackthalad - BMW M3 Coupe 07'
4. Sean10mm - Audi RS6 Avant 08'
5. Madmyk - Bugatti Veyron 16.4 09'
Comments
IndyRacerfan - SLR AMG
Let’s start off with all of the negative stuff. The LSD could have been a notch or two higher as I detected a bit of inside wheelspin at London, probably cost a tenth or two. Other than that, braking, corner entry, exit, overall grip, tire wear, gearing, stability were just about perfect on both tracks. I pushed and pushed and pushed and shaved time off lap after lap. Awesome.
9.9/10
London - 51.939
Monza - 1:37.265
DigitalBaka - Ferrari California 08’
Exceptional at London, just point it and it goes there. Another car that lap after lap I pushed and pushed and kept shaving time. Turn in was sharp without being overdone, exit was smooth and fast. Grip was good everywhere. LSD was perfect for me. Tire wear was very good. Nothing to complain about and had the SLR not been in the mix this would have been the winner for sure.
9.75/10
London - 53.606
Monza - 1:42.156
Madmyk - Bugatti Veyron 16.4 09’
This car felt a little better handling wise at London and not quite as good at Monza compared to Shmogt’s Veyron that I tested earlier. In London it was actually pretty good in the slow speed corners and you could sometimes kick the rear end out controllably to help with exit, but it seemed to struggle a bit for me in braking distance at Monza. Tire wear was really bad, especially the fronts at Monza. I pretty much got one or two timed laps and that was it. Tough car to tune, bravo for taking it on, but it just isn’t fun to drive a Veyron on a race track, for me anyway.
7.0/10
London - 50.937
Monza - 1:34.644
Jackthalad BMW M3 Coupe 07’
A light and low powered car so I expected it to be near perfect in handling compared to some of the behemoths it’s up against. At first I thought the front end grip was a little overdone, but unlike some of the other cars I’ve tested that are overdone, if you push this one harder and harder it evens out to a very neutral feel. Overall grip was very good throughout the corner, tire wear was good with a slight bias towards front tire wear. Handling in London was particularly good but a little too high on the Accel LSD making it a little more difficult to control later in the run. Would have been interesting to see this car with another 100-150 hp to see what she would have done. Good job overall, but up against some tough competition in the Ferrari and Merc above.
9.0/10
London - 54.985
Monza - 1:45.498
Sean10mm - Audi RS6 Avant 08’
Overall the handling on this car was pretty good considering it’s hefty weight. Monza was fairly good but if you went a little deep in the corners the under steer was quite pronounced so you had to be sure and hold your pace within the limits of the car. At London handling was very crisp, turn in was very good, again, especially in consideration of it’s massive bulk. For me the car had two big fatal drawbacks, very high front tire wear at Monza and a mismatched set of gears. Seemed like most corners in Monza you were in one gear too high because the one you really wanted put you on the rev limiter. Not sure about anyone else, but with the DFGT, being up a gear too high = under steer. Fifth was way too tall and sixth was unusable. I am quite certain that a custom transmission with it’s inherent whine, would have shaved at least 1.5 seconds at Monza and at least .5 at London, and made it much more drivable in the process. The front end was quite sharp and the brakes had a lot of front bias. Under initial hard braking you could hear the front tires squealing and in most corners as well, especially the first corner at Monza, and I think both of these things combined with it‘s weight, contributed to the high front wear.
7.0/10
London - 55.409
Monza - 1:46.241