What's best to upgrade when your racing?
- Thread starter Uh_Oh
- 42 comments
- 11,115 views
- 26,543
- Houston, Texas, USA
- JMarine25
Let me speak on this. I don't know if it's only in America, but ever heard the saying "How much do you have? How fast do you want to go?" I'm not sure if that's the exact quote, but you have to know what it is you want to enhance before fully modding out the machine. You don't want to go straight to a bigtime horsepower upgrade if your car can't even handle it in the first place. You don't want to give your cars tire upgrades if you don't have a good enough suspension to take advantage of the grippy rubber. And don't even think about taking a heavier than normal car without even considering weight reduction. You have to get to know your car's capabilities before even thinking about tuning it up. What I would normally do is save my game before buying a certain car. When I purchase that car at last, I normally give it a shakedown on a certain track. From there, I examine what it is I can do to make it better and better suit my driving style.
Basically, this is like meeting new people. If you want to make a new friend of yours happy, you'll have to learn what makes that person happy. For example, if a person likes heavy metal, you wouldn't want to give him/her a Broadway musical now, would you?
If you're not sure what to modify first, try to simply lighten the car, give it a muffler, maybe some drivetrain modifications... you know, work within your budget. Crawl before you walk. So go make it happen!
Basically, this is like meeting new people. If you want to make a new friend of yours happy, you'll have to learn what makes that person happy. For example, if a person likes heavy metal, you wouldn't want to give him/her a Broadway musical now, would you?
If you're not sure what to modify first, try to simply lighten the car, give it a muffler, maybe some drivetrain modifications... you know, work within your budget. Crawl before you walk. So go make it happen!
here is my formula:
1 - tyres. Because the car itself, the chasis, the suspension, the engine...is all there to help the tyres maintain better contact with the road.
2 - Brakes. Shedding speed is more important than gaining it and reduction of braking distances can be a huge leveller.
3 - weight reduction. less weight means more power/weight, less braking effort, less suspension effort etc.
4 - Suspension. because speed through corners is all about contact with the road.
4 - chasis stiffening. From strut bars to roll cages etc.
6 - LSD. cornering again
7 - Engine mods.
In a game like GT though there sadly isnt enough variables to allow for us to truely ruin a car by modding it. You just buy, buy, buy and bolt the lot on. Especially once you have loads of dosh. I dream of the day they include detailed ECU mapping cos you cant buy a good map!
1 - tyres. Because the car itself, the chasis, the suspension, the engine...is all there to help the tyres maintain better contact with the road.
2 - Brakes. Shedding speed is more important than gaining it and reduction of braking distances can be a huge leveller.
3 - weight reduction. less weight means more power/weight, less braking effort, less suspension effort etc.
4 - Suspension. because speed through corners is all about contact with the road.
4 - chasis stiffening. From strut bars to roll cages etc.
6 - LSD. cornering again
7 - Engine mods.
In a game like GT though there sadly isnt enough variables to allow for us to truely ruin a car by modding it. You just buy, buy, buy and bolt the lot on. Especially once you have loads of dosh. I dream of the day they include detailed ECU mapping cos you cant buy a good map!
- 60
I would normally start off with weight reductions as a priority. Then flywheel, Propshaft if a rear or 4wd car. Then get the suspension sorted. Leaving power to last. I will most probably by tyres , but only the super hards, Just to get used to racing with them for the longer races. Initially I will most probably find fully tuned high powered cars to much, as I did in gt3. But enjoy driving them now, as it takes a lot more concentration, than say a standard JGTC car. Especially on super hard race tyres.
- 19
first off, as has been said before, the car that you start with matters a lot.
new brakes on a car that can barely make it to 80 mph aren't going to be very
useful, and could even end up being counterproductive in practice due to the fact
that we're using controllers, not pedals (or at least not real pedals).
secondly, what exactly are you trying to do? probably cut down lap times, but
do you want every car that you use feel unique or do you not mind if they feel
somewhat similar. I'm looking forward to driving that volvo wagon because the
roll of it'll be unlike most the cars in gt3 (though I'm guessing there'll be plenty of
crap stock suspensions for the classic cars).
I don't own gt4 so this may no longer apply, but I thought that the lightened
flywheels (either sports or racing depending on the car) were really useful for most
cars. Maybe it's just a perception thing, but not only does a lighter flywheel boost
acceleration while on the gas, but it cuts down (sometimes way down) on the time it
takes to shift, something that could take a really long time in some of the early cars.
some lightening, a racing chip, and the carbon driveshaft were the other pretty
standard early purchases, because they're cheap and I know that I won't need to
replace them. If your car has some HP then brakes are another very important
component that you won't upgrade twice, and it sounds like they've become more
useful. I often skipped sports suspension because if I did upgrade I wanted it
to be fully customizable, but I wouldn't argue against buying it.
As far as the tire debate goes, beyond the fact that it sounds like tires aren't as
important in gt4 as in gt3, untill you get enough horsepower to get your car to the
point where even with smooth driving you still have to put considerable lateral g's
on the car, they don't necessarily matter all that much. Sure it doesn't take much
to get to that point if you're on a course full of tight turns in a car with decent
horsepower, but until you get to (I'm guessing) 150+ hp (depending also on the cars
weight) you're not going to be doing that too much. Also lightening the car has
the same effect as getting better tires which is reducing the slip angle that the car
is driving at, granted new tires will reduce the slip angle by more. weight reduction, however, has a couple of other benefits such as better acceleration, deceleration, and
other handling benefits that even a car with 65 hp can benefit from, and on nearly
every track. Well if you read all that I hope you got something out of it, cause that
just way too long....
new brakes on a car that can barely make it to 80 mph aren't going to be very
useful, and could even end up being counterproductive in practice due to the fact
that we're using controllers, not pedals (or at least not real pedals).
secondly, what exactly are you trying to do? probably cut down lap times, but
do you want every car that you use feel unique or do you not mind if they feel
somewhat similar. I'm looking forward to driving that volvo wagon because the
roll of it'll be unlike most the cars in gt3 (though I'm guessing there'll be plenty of
crap stock suspensions for the classic cars).I don't own gt4 so this may no longer apply, but I thought that the lightened
flywheels (either sports or racing depending on the car) were really useful for most
cars. Maybe it's just a perception thing, but not only does a lighter flywheel boost
acceleration while on the gas, but it cuts down (sometimes way down) on the time it
takes to shift, something that could take a really long time in some of the early cars.
some lightening, a racing chip, and the carbon driveshaft were the other pretty
standard early purchases, because they're cheap and I know that I won't need to
replace them. If your car has some HP then brakes are another very important
component that you won't upgrade twice, and it sounds like they've become more
useful. I often skipped sports suspension because if I did upgrade I wanted it
to be fully customizable, but I wouldn't argue against buying it.
As far as the tire debate goes, beyond the fact that it sounds like tires aren't as
important in gt4 as in gt3, untill you get enough horsepower to get your car to the
point where even with smooth driving you still have to put considerable lateral g's
on the car, they don't necessarily matter all that much. Sure it doesn't take much
to get to that point if you're on a course full of tight turns in a car with decent
horsepower, but until you get to (I'm guessing) 150+ hp (depending also on the cars
weight) you're not going to be doing that too much. Also lightening the car has
the same effect as getting better tires which is reducing the slip angle that the car
is driving at, granted new tires will reduce the slip angle by more. weight reduction, however, has a couple of other benefits such as better acceleration, deceleration, and
other handling benefits that even a car with 65 hp can benefit from, and on nearly
every track. Well if you read all that I hope you got something out of it, cause that
just way too long....
i dont have gt4 yet but i think in gt3 some races or maybe all races, the ai adjusted to your hp. like if you drive an LM car in a race with other LM cars, and you have a stage 4 turbo, the other cars will have that too, but if you take it off, they do too. so i think the best mods first off is any suspension/brakes/tires and especially weight reduction cause that is almost the same thing as adding hp but the other cars you race wont add that hp and you also gain handling/braking with it.
- 267
A big Turbo and then some NOS.
-No seriously Weight Reduction, unless the cars tires blow and it is super light to start with.
-No seriously Weight Reduction, unless the cars tires blow and it is super light to start with.
- 3,024
I usually get a weight reduction and full race suspension. Then I'll worry about tires.
- 267
Ducati999
Ok not to be a stickler, but why would you run Nitrous on a stock motor when the percent of HP increase your going to recieve is going to be minimal. It would be very much more intelligent to pick up a tire package, suspension, and maybe brakes. Nitrous is nice for HP gains when you have a very good amount of HP, due to the percentage increase. It is not like Turbo, whereas it is a bolt on amount of HP.
(Turbo isn't an amount, I know this but, I am trying to enforce the point with example.)
- 441
I always follow what I call "the Need for Speed 4 method". I started using this after I started playing Need for Speed: High Stakes;
Stage 1 upgrading: Upgrade tires, modfied and lowered suspension improves car handling and overall performance.
Stage 2 upgrading: Reduce weight and modify gear ratios to improve acceleration. Add exterior body parts (Rear and/or Front wings) for increased downforce for higher top speed
and better acceleration
Stage 3 upgrading: Upgrade engine parts and install racing exhaust for increased horsepower
Stage 1 upgrading: Upgrade tires, modfied and lowered suspension improves car handling and overall performance.
Stage 2 upgrading: Reduce weight and modify gear ratios to improve acceleration. Add exterior body parts (Rear and/or Front wings) for increased downforce for higher top speed
and better acceleration
Stage 3 upgrading: Upgrade engine parts and install racing exhaust for increased horsepower
Ok does everyone here forget that diferent cars might need diferent mods first. Believe me throwing some slicks on a muscle car or truck wont do **** unless you upgrade the suspension first. Theres just too much slop too use the extra grip. A car like that needs a new suspension, and a weight reduction. Also a new tranny can help you take advantage of all that horse on faster tracks cause older muscle cars are geared to be quick so they top out VERY quickly compared to sports cars of similar straight line performance.
Less powerful cars usually benefit from a chip, an exhaust, a flywheel and other cheap mods to bolster the areas that there lacking in, mainly horse power. When you start to over power the stock rubber which is usually budget minded throw on some sport tires for a big inprovement. This is especially true of FWD machines which can be extremly dificcult to control when power levels exceed the ability of the narrow stock rubber.
Sports cars, or other cars that already have a decent suspension right from the start will probly get the most gain from tires and such. That will allow more genorous throttle aplication on corner exits and can save alot of ham-fisted begginers from a trip to the infield.
Always start with a cars weak spot when begining mods, then go from there. Take a quick test run and figure out what your car most needs. But changing the oil is always the most cost effective way of cutting lap time's so you should probly just do that first.
Less powerful cars usually benefit from a chip, an exhaust, a flywheel and other cheap mods to bolster the areas that there lacking in, mainly horse power. When you start to over power the stock rubber which is usually budget minded throw on some sport tires for a big inprovement. This is especially true of FWD machines which can be extremly dificcult to control when power levels exceed the ability of the narrow stock rubber.
Sports cars, or other cars that already have a decent suspension right from the start will probly get the most gain from tires and such. That will allow more genorous throttle aplication on corner exits and can save alot of ham-fisted begginers from a trip to the infield.
Always start with a cars weak spot when begining mods, then go from there. Take a quick test run and figure out what your car most needs. But changing the oil is always the most cost effective way of cutting lap time's so you should probly just do that first.
- 19
bruce, do you not read other peoples posts, or just a couple? it's been said a few times
that it depends on the car (though it's true that many seem to have forgotten). I do think
you might be the only person who's actually suggested testing the car for its weaknesses,
something which can easily be forgotten in the heat of the moment after winning/buying a
new car. Good post all around.
that it depends on the car (though it's true that many seem to have forgotten). I do think
you might be the only person who's actually suggested testing the car for its weaknesses,
something which can easily be forgotten in the heat of the moment after winning/buying a
new car. Good post all around.
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