Basic setup tips?

[Krohne]

Recently bought the game and jumped into the RSR at Portimao. Found both default setups to be not super great: default had to be wrestled into turns, CDA was better but still sketchy in some places, especially exits.

I watched some Youtube vids of people driving fixed GTE races and they could do some turns at speeds that I couldnt do. Sadly the game doesnt seem big enough yet to be able to just grab setups online to see if they work.

Anybody got some tips for setting up the car (focus on GTE/RSR for now) for more trust and stability without tons of understeer? I am not great at the track but I would think 5 seconds off pace from 98% AI is a bit much, especially when I am trying to follow them in a race. One thing I found by myself was putting the brake bias rearwards to avoid front locking all the time and be more efficient on the brakes.
I usually try my hand at things like rake, wing position, tire camber etc but I didnt find anything that made the situation significantly better.

Cheers!

[c6rlemans]

I've played gtr2, assetto corsa competizione, and gran turismo.....this game is ridiculous in terms of setups....while the a.i.w cars are just gliding along easy plus the car seems under powered low top speed no matter where I set the downforce...needs a lot of work still in my opiinion

[Jason Cooper]

Car set up explanation on dampers
Softer springs = more grip but also more skid = a bit slower. Stiffer springs should make you faster but only if you drive on the limit, if not they'll just make you loose control easier.



Bump/Rebound:

Slow (bump/rebound)= your steering input. Low value means that it takes more time for the spring to absorb or rebound giving you more grip or a more stable car over bumps (really depends on track and driving style).

Fast(Bump/rebound) = feedback from the track, level changes, bumps,curves, same idea here as above.

This is what i understand but spring/bump/rebound are one of the hardest thing to set up properly because the changes are very small and they generally show up in better times not feel (that's if you don't change them by more than 2 clicks). If you max them out (high/low) the car will react very differently.



"Dampers counteract the springs' natural compressing and decompressing by resisting those forces. Dampers do this via hydraulic fluids being pushed through small valves inside the damper while the damper is in motion. A higher damper value equates to greater resistance.



A wheel's maximum grip level will be achieved when the spring is fully compressed. This is when that wheel has maximum weight being transferred through the suspension, tire, and to the track. In a generic sense that weight equals grip. How quickly or slowly that spring is allowed to fully compress is the job of the damper. Springs may dictate HOW MUCH weight is transferred, dampers dictate HOW and WHEN that weight is transferred.



The easiest way to begin to understand dampers is in a straight line, under braking or acceleration:



Under braking, much of the car's weight will shift from the rear of the car to the front. The front springs will compress while the rear springs will decompress (or rebound). The dampers do the same and will compress (front) and decompress (rear). The faster the front springs are allowed to achieve their most-compressed state, the faster the front tires will have maximum grip for that all important braking. A softer compression setting will give the least amount of resistance to the spring compressing, allowing weight to transfer very quickly once the brakes are applied. The rear damper compression setting will have no effect on what happens here, but the rebound will. A greater rebound setting will resist against the rear springs decompressing. If the spring is not allowed to rebound quickly, the rear tires will be somewhat lifted off the ground (exaggerated of course). Softer rebound settings in the rear will allow the rear tires to stay connected with the road and offer more rear-grip during that weight transfer to the front.



Under straight-line acceleration the complete opposite is happening, with the rear dampers compressing and the front dampers decompressing. Surely you will want maximum grip on the rear tires under acceleration, but the front tires may need grip adjustments to prevent under steer over-steer. You can adjust this condition by adjusting how the rear suspension compresses or how the front suspension rebounds.



The same philosophy can be applied laterally (side to side) as well. Long sweeping corners that do not involve large braking or accelerating will shift weight to the left and right of the car. How fast you allow that weight to transfer is up to you and can be adjusted via the left and right dampers, but keep in mind how that will also effect your front to rear damping.



If your car is equipped with fast-damping adjustments, everything above still applies but only when the suspension is in "fast motion". An example of your suspension moving in fast-motion is when you are hopping over curbing, something I like to call "curb smacking". This is when you are shocking the suspension into movement in a very short time frame. Hitting a curb at speed is forcing your suspension to compress or rebound in a much shorter time frame than normal weight transitions. This is where fast-damping comes into the mix.",


Car set ups explained
Simple Car Set Up Guide

Front Damper Fast Bump:

A softer setting means more grip when steering,which is good

for tighter tracks.A stiffer setting will increase under-steer,a

softer setting will increase over-steer.


(over-steer) Softer - <> + Stiffer(under-steer)

+


Front Damper Slow Bump:

A stiffer setting will make the car feel snappier,though it will

also be more unstable.Use stiffer settings to increase over-steer

and to make the car turn more sharply.


(under-steer) Softer - <> + Stiffer(over-steer)

stable unstable


Front Damper Fast Rebound:

Adjusts how quickly the front wheels return to a steady state

over bumps .Stiffening the front will result in less over-steer

over bumps and kerbs.


(over-steer) Softer - <> + Stiffer(under-steer)


Front Damper Slow Rebound:

Adjusts how quickly the front of the chassis sets into a corner.

Stiffing the front will result in less over steer in turn-in and

corner exits.


(over-steer) Softer - <> + Stiffer(under-steer)


Rear Damper Fast Bump:

A softer setting means more grip when steering,which is good

for tighter tracks.Set it stiffer to increase under-steer,or to

make the car turn less sharply on faster tracks.


(over-steer) Softer - <> + Stiffer(under-steer)


Rear Damper Slow Bump:

The stiffer the setting,the snappier and tighter the car will

feel,though it will be more unstable.Use stiffer settings to

increase over-steer,or to make the car turn more sharply.


(under-steer) Softer - <> + Stiffer(over-steer)

stable unstable


Rear Damper Fast Rebound:

Adjust how quickly the rear wheels return to a steady state

over bumps .Stiffing the rear will result in more over-steer over

bumps and kerbs.


(under-steer) Softer - <> + Stiffer(over-steer)


Rear Damper Slow Rebound:

Adjust how quickly the rear of the chassis sets into a corner.

Stiffing the rear will result in more over-steer in turn-in and

corner exits.


(under-steer) Softer - <> + Stiffer(over-steer)


Front Sway Bar:

Increase stiffness to reduce body roll.Too much stiffness can

cause the inside wheels to lift off the ground during cornering.

A stiffer setting at the front moves the balance towards

under-steer.A softer setting moves the balance towards

over-steer.


(over-steer) Softer - <> + Stiffer(under-steer)


Rear Sway Bar:

Increase stiffness to reduce body roll.Too much stiffness can

cause the inside wheels to lift off the ground during cornering.

A stiffer setting at the rear moves the balance towards

over steer.A softer setting at the rear moves the balance

towards under-steer.


(under-steer) Softer - <> + Stiffer(over-steer)


Front/Rear Spring Rate:

Determines the softness or hardness of the suspension

springs .Stiffer springs will improve car responsiveness.

Excessively stiff springs will cause the wheel to lose contact

with the ground in rough sections .A softer rear spring setting

can also add in rear wheel traction accelerating out of corners

for rear wheel drive cars.


Stance:

Lowering the ride height lowers the center of gravity and

increases overall stability.Too low a ride height can cause the

suspension to bottom out.Also a lower ride height can give better aero dynamic characteristics resulting in higher top speed.


Front Ride Height:

Allows lowering or raising of the front height to adjust rake

and total travel before bottoming .A higher front ride height

will aid acceleration and braking.Rear wheel drive cars can

generally benefit from less forward rake more than front wheel

drive cars.


Rear Ride Height:

Slightly higher rear ride height than the front creates a slight

forward rake,witch means more grip when cornering.You

generally see front wheel drive cars with more forward rake.


Steering lock:

Adjust the steering lock maximum.Use higher lock for more

responsive steering.So more lock works for tracks with tighter

corners.


Castor Angle:

Most cars are not particularly sensitive to caster settings,but

used in conjunction with other settings,a more positive value

can aid straight line driving,wile a less positive one can make

your car react quicker to steering .A lower castor angle can

really be helpful in turning through a tight corner quicker.


Front/Rear Toe Angle:

Adjusts the horizontal angle of the front wheels.Toe-in creates

better straight line stability,but sacrifices responsiveness.Toe-

out improves responsiveness,but sacrifices straight line

stability.Set up the front with negative to (toe-out)and rear

with positive(toe-in). Large amounts of rear toe-in can help in

acceleration out of corners for rear wheel drive cars.High toe-

out in the front can help the car turn through a corner

better.High toe settings both front and rear can build

excessive tire heat and also limit top end speed.


Front/Rear Camber:

Adjust the vertical angle of the wheel. Increasing negative

camber can increase cornering,but impair acceleration and

braking .Adjust camber settings so that tire heat is evenly

distributed across the tire at the apex of the turn.You should

try to strike a good balance for the majority of the corners of

any given track .I have generally found most people set there

cars up with way to much negative camber. I find around

negative 2.4-3.0 in the front and 1.5-2.5 in the rear works

well for most cars .I like to run somewhat low camber for rear

wheel drive cars in the rear.It can help with accelerating out of

corners since there is more tire in contact with the pavement.


Front Tire Pressure:

To deal with under-steer,decrease front tire pressures.

Under-steer is when the front end wants to run wide in a

turn.Set tire pressure too high or too low though and you'll

lose overall grip and generate excessive tire heat.


Rear Tire Pressure:

To reduce over-steer,decrease rear tire pressure.Over-steer is

when the back end of the car tends to slide to the outside of a

corner under strong steering.As with front tire settings,set this

too high or too low and you'll lose overall grip and generate

excessive tire heat.


Brake Pressure:

Adjusts the total applied brake pressure.Less brake pressure

will reduce the tendency to lock up the brakes,but will

increase your stopping distance .I find reducing pressure on

front wheel drive cars to around 70 percent reduces the

tendency for the back end to swing out under braking into a

corner.Also formula cars tend to need a reduced pressure setting to combat locking the brakes so easy.


Acceleration lock:

Adjusts the L.S.D (limited slip differential) lock under

acceleration .Higher settings(more slip before full

engagement) give better traction coming out of corners,but

will limit your ability to turn. Lower settings will make it easier

to turn,especially in tight corners,but give you less

traction.Note this setting in most sims is somewhat

confusing.In most sims they usually call it the power setting.You must lower this setting in the garage to give you the effect of a higher L.S.D slip setting.


Deceleration Lock:

Adjusts the L.S.D lock under deceleration (coast). High settings

make you more stable decelerating into a corner,but limit the

car's ability to turn. Lower settings reduce stability when

decelerating into a corner,but improve turning ability.Very low

coast settings will make it very easy to spin out decelerating

into a corner but will help slow you down faster if you use it

right.I like to lower my coast until I start to have problems

with spinning out into a corner and then raise it back a bit so I

strike a nice balance of stability and deceleration effect.


Preload:

Adjust the amount of built in lock before any acceleration or

deceleration effects take place,as in a neutral throttle

condition.This setting will effect how quickly the transition

from acceleration to deceleration lock occurs. Lower settings

improves maneuverability,higher settings reduce it.


Putting it all into practice:

Car setup is not an exact sience.What works for one may not

work for another because everyone likes there cars to feel and

drive a certain way.If you want to really start to lower those lap

times you must first figure out how you like your cars to

handle,and what best suits you skill level.Once you know

exactly what you are going for then you can start to apply this

information to your setups and truly have a car that is set up

perfectly for you.

[Aysedasi]

Nice work Jason! Thanks very much :-)

[jellobiafra]

I don't feel like writing something so long now, but if you tell me which car it is specifically about, I might be able to give you a few setup tips.

[Krohne]

Originally posted by jellobiafra:

I don't feel like writing something so long now, but if you tell me which car it is specifically about, I might be able to give you a few setup tips.

RSR at Portimao

[Jason Cooper]

Originally posted by Aysedasi:

Nice work Jason! Thanks very much :-)

Your welcome, hope it helps ppl.

[jellobiafra]

Ok, the simplest solution, take the McLaren ;-)

A slightly better setup, based on the standard setup:

Suspension:
Front: Spring stiffness 160N (-4)
Rear: Suspension height 5.5 cm (-9)

Shock absorber:
Front: Slow damping 5 (-2)
Slow rebound 3 (-2)
Rear: Slow damping 4 (-1)
Slow rebound 3 (-2)

Chassis:
Front: Stabiliser P5 (-1)

Tested with 40l gas.

[BR|sCip]

thx

[Peter Stefani]

It's more about Traction Control settings than anything else. Try 5/3/4 to start. TC2 slip will allow more or less rear end activity. Experimenting with these settings and matching them up to your driving style will help gain time and stability.

[jellobiafra]

This is probably pretty outdated because they changed the physics.

[Aysedasi]

Originally posted by Peter Stefani:

It's more about Traction Control settings than anything else. Try 5/3/4 to start. TC2 slip will allow more or less rear end activity. Experimenting with these settings and matching them up to your driving style will help gain time and stability.

Since various physics aspects were changed, I personally would suggest adopting the TC and brake bias settings in the Coach Dave setups. Significantly better than the default settings IMO.

[shadow82]

Originally posted by Jason Cooper:

Front/Rear Camber:

Adjust the vertical angle of the wheel. Increasing negative camber can increase cornering,but impair acceleration and braking .Adjust camber settings so that tire heat is evenly distributed across the tire at the apex of the turn.You should try to strike a good balance for the majority of the corners of any given track .I have generally found most people set there cars up with way to much negative camber. I find around negative 2.4-3.0 in the front and 1.5-2.5 in the rear works well for most cars .I like to run somewhat low camber for rear wheel drive cars in the rear.It can help with accelerating out of corners since there is more tire in contact with the pavement.


Front Tire Pressure:

To deal with under-steer,decrease front tire pressures. Under-steer is when the front end wants to run wide in a turn.Set tire pressure too high or too low though and you'll lose overall grip and generate excessive tire heat.


Rear Tire Pressure:

To reduce over-steer,decrease rear tire pressure.Over-steer is when the back end of the car tends to slide to the outside of a corner under strong steering.As with front tire settings,set this too high or too low and you'll lose overall grip and generate excessive tire heat.

Ouch for one second I almost thought I was on the wrong forum ! But no, none of that is applicable in LMU, please don't try to mislead people, this game engine require minimum values to extract any performance, just like in rF2. Real world physics just don't apply in that section, it might as well be removed from the game, no-one would notice. I mean that's why fixed setup doesn't allow any changes related to those settings, you would AT LEAST expect tyre pressures to have to be adjusted depending on ambient and track conditions, even under fixed setup regulation, which usually are only about mechanical settings.

Also, please, learn how to format a post.