DC_McGregor
02-06-2002, 02:08 PM
Here are the setups I'm using for Circuit de Catalunya (Barcelona). Typically, I only adjust downforce, final drive and sometimes gearing for different tracks. I may lose a tenth here or there, but it saves a lot of grief chasing a will-o'-the-wisp. You'll note that I use a lot of round numbers. Same idea. "KISS". These setups are probably not the very best, but they are good.
#00 Ferrari GTO (Vintage).
Tires, soft at max pressure.
DownForce, 9.5 (F/R) - minumum.
Ride Height, 7.9/9.1 (F/R) - minumum.
Springs, 399.7/599.5 (F/R).
Camber, -6.0/-2.5
Front shocks, 12.0/14.0
Rear shocks, 27.0/29.0
Roll bars, 1.48(min)/1.52(max) (F/R).
Gears: 2.800; 2.000; 1.501; 1.202; 0.987.
Final drive, 3.701 (a bit taller than Paul Ricard).
Brake balance, 53% front (default?).
Weight distribution, 48% front - minimum.
You'll note that I use a very soft front suspension and stiff rear, in spite of the 48% distribution. The idea is to minimize understeer and promote oversteer. It also helps over the curbing. This car seems impervious to anything and allows easy correction of my many errors in driving.
#32 Porsche (GTQ).
Tires, soft at max pressure.
Downforce, 8.5/9.5 (F/R). I used 8.5/9.0 at Paul Ricard to reduce understeer. It's not as great a problem at Catalunya.
Ride height, minimum.
Springs, 425.5/549.7 (F/R).
Camber, -4.5/-2.5 (F/R).
Front shocks, 14.0/18.0
Rear shocks, 26.0/28.0
Roll bars, 1.30/1.40
Gears: 3.999; 2.343; 1.650; 1.230; 1.000; 0.850
Final drive, 3.500 (3.550 at Paul Ricard).
Brake balance, 55% front
Weight distribution 44.9% front.
Again, a soft front suspension for the same reason. Given the success of the GTO with stiff rear springs, I may try that. The gears definitely need tweaking. I may yet get around to that. I had been using 39.9% front for weight distribution. The idea being to minimize understeer and help get the power down. I've recently been trying the higher front weight. Seems ok so far. Doug (roush/Racecar) uses 52.5% front (max). He feels it helps reduce understeer, but he has a problem getting power down out of the corners.
My feeling on downforce is the lower the better. Higher downforce slows acceleration and top speed. It's a balance of how much any driver actually needs to handle the corners. It should also be balanced with the final drive ratio. It probably also affects tire wear, but I don't have a problem with that.
Good luck,
Robert
#00 Ferrari GTO (Vintage).
Tires, soft at max pressure.
DownForce, 9.5 (F/R) - minumum.
Ride Height, 7.9/9.1 (F/R) - minumum.
Springs, 399.7/599.5 (F/R).
Camber, -6.0/-2.5
Front shocks, 12.0/14.0
Rear shocks, 27.0/29.0
Roll bars, 1.48(min)/1.52(max) (F/R).
Gears: 2.800; 2.000; 1.501; 1.202; 0.987.
Final drive, 3.701 (a bit taller than Paul Ricard).
Brake balance, 53% front (default?).
Weight distribution, 48% front - minimum.
You'll note that I use a very soft front suspension and stiff rear, in spite of the 48% distribution. The idea is to minimize understeer and promote oversteer. It also helps over the curbing. This car seems impervious to anything and allows easy correction of my many errors in driving.
#32 Porsche (GTQ).
Tires, soft at max pressure.
Downforce, 8.5/9.5 (F/R). I used 8.5/9.0 at Paul Ricard to reduce understeer. It's not as great a problem at Catalunya.
Ride height, minimum.
Springs, 425.5/549.7 (F/R).
Camber, -4.5/-2.5 (F/R).
Front shocks, 14.0/18.0
Rear shocks, 26.0/28.0
Roll bars, 1.30/1.40
Gears: 3.999; 2.343; 1.650; 1.230; 1.000; 0.850
Final drive, 3.500 (3.550 at Paul Ricard).
Brake balance, 55% front
Weight distribution 44.9% front.
Again, a soft front suspension for the same reason. Given the success of the GTO with stiff rear springs, I may try that. The gears definitely need tweaking. I may yet get around to that. I had been using 39.9% front for weight distribution. The idea being to minimize understeer and help get the power down. I've recently been trying the higher front weight. Seems ok so far. Doug (roush/Racecar) uses 52.5% front (max). He feels it helps reduce understeer, but he has a problem getting power down out of the corners.
My feeling on downforce is the lower the better. Higher downforce slows acceleration and top speed. It's a balance of how much any driver actually needs to handle the corners. It should also be balanced with the final drive ratio. It probably also affects tire wear, but I don't have a problem with that.
Good luck,
Robert