The TRD HH3 is a fictional three-wheeler. Equipped with a modified Triumph 1200cc Inline Triple engine, active aero, single seater position and a very lightweight package, this vehicle is a great track-toy.
Why this “thing”?
I wanted to learn as much as possible about the sim’s physics. For that, I got into suspension and other animations, active aero and also attempted the 3-wheeler
Overall, it was quite a fun experience and I’ve learned some cool stuff that I can use for future projects
The design
I came up with the idea for this car during a morning at work, I drew a couple of sketches which I lost, so I tried replicating what I conceived from memory. I had some clear ideas: I wanted a single-seater, 3 wheels, active aero, a small but powerful engine and a lightweight package. The rest just was made and modified on the go, which not always had good results
In the end I’m happy with the looks. It’s a weird one, but visually interesting I think
About the vehicle
The “car” combines a very lightweight chassis and body (550 kg without driver), with a powerful engine coming from a motorcycle and active aerodynamics.
Engine Specs:
The engine is based of Triumph’s Speed Triple 1200cc engine, with a “slight” difference: a turbo that boosts its performance at just above 300 hp.
First, I created the “real” version of the engine in Automation, which was actually very close to the real one: 177 hp in-game to 180 hp real engine. And the power curve also had a similar shape. Then I added the turbo, which made me alter some of the specs such as compression ratio and the redline. The results are:
Displacement: 1.160cc
Construction: Aluminium Alloy block and head
Compression ratio: 10.3 : 1
Valvetrain: DOHC 4 valves/cylinder
Rev Limit: 10.200 rpm
Aspiration: Single Turbo
Power: 301 hp @9.100 rpm, 1 bar
Torque: 262 Nm @6.800 rpm, 1 bar
Body and Chassis Specs:
Body and Chassis Specs
Body: Carbon Fibre
Chassis: Carbon Fibre Monocoque
Front Suspension: Double Wishbone
Rear Suspension: Swingarm, single shock absorber
Gearbox: 7 Speed DCT
Weight (including driver): 625 kg (67% front - 33% rear)
Length: 3.750 mm
Width: 1.980 mm
Wheelbase: 2.730 mm
Height: 1.090 mm
The driving
I really like the driving experience of the car, it’s an interesting one and challenging non the less.
It’s VERY rear traction limited due to the extreme weight bias: 0-100 is on the low 4s, compared to the mid-low 3s of possible competition (thinking about Praga R1, BAC Mono), and it tends to loose the rear in high speed corners, although it behaves much better on the slower stuff.
On slower corners it’s agile and easy to rocket out of corners if throttle is applied correctly. On mid-fast corners (+180 km/h aprox.) it’s very sharp and oversteery, maybe too much (could be reduced with a “lazier” steering ratio or less sensitive cornering controllers for the wings)
Top speed is gear limited to 320 km/h, it needs about 1.8 km (Paul Ricard’s backstraight without chicane) to reach it. At that speed, it generates about 400+ kg of downforce
Traction control will save you in most situations, but if you want the full driving experience, I recommend switching it off. Also, I found an extra 3-4 tenths by switching it off and learning how it accepts throttle
As for ABS, I recommend leaving it on a low intervention level, to prevent front locking under hard breaking when the downforce peels off
Features
Active aero: As commented before, the car has active aerodynamics: depending on speed, braking force and cornering Gs, the front flaps and rear wing move to increase/decrease downforce and drag. This interaction is animated
Animations: Wings, suspension, pedals and “doors” (front windscreen linked to Extra_A and rear engine glass linked to Extra_B)
Extension: Tried to use as many CSP features as I could learn, so I recommend using the most recent version of CSP
Skins: 28 different body colours, 5 callipers, 5 chains, 6 interiors and 2 rims. They are combined in the 28 skins, but can be rearranged or modified, as a copy of each one of them can be found in the “template” folder inside “trd_hh3”. Not all skins are included in the download, as the zip would be too large. Visit https://www.racedepartment.com/downloads/trd-hh3-9-skins.65872/ to find the 9 missing skins
Testing
I tried different suspension layouts to fit the 3-wheeler concept, many of them using the “Axle” type in suspensions.ini. The Axle types were too rigid, so I changed to the actual setup. I had to add a bit of track (1 cm) to the rear to prevent it from “veering” on the straights. (Rear suspension type changed in V1.0)
Testing was conducted in optimal track conditions. TC was OFF and ABS on level 5.
Also, FFB tuning was done for my Logitech G29.
Most of the driving was done in Paul Ricard, but other tracks were also used:
Paul Ricard: Mid-High 1.58
Lago Maggiore: Mid-Low 2.01
Ajaccio: Mid-Low 1.52
Sepang: Mid-High 2.10
Silverstone: Mid-High 2.06
Montmelo: Mid 1.48
Palmadera: Low 1.28
Norschleife: 6.51,719
Possible Competition?
I've tested some cars, and the closest competition I could find was:
- Pagani Zonda R (faster than the HH3)
- BAC Mono (very similar speed over a lap. Slower in the straights, better in corners)
- Caterham RS900 (similar speed over a lap. Slower in the corners, faster in straights)
- Dallara Stradale (slower than the HH3)
As for AI, the ones that give the closest times are the BAC Mono and the Caterham RS900
AI Testing:
AI was difficult to calibrate, as they ran at ridiculous low speeds all the time, probably due to the narrow rear axle. Overall, AI is around 3s slower than me, but seems to work decent on all tracks. I haven’t found a way to make it faster in some tracks without affecting the performance in others. In some cases, they are quite competitive (Ajaccio for example)
Paul Ricard: High 2.01
Lago Maggiore: High 2.06 – Low 2.07
Ajaccio: High 1.51 – Low 1.52
Sepang: Low-Mid 2.14
Silverstone: Low-Mid 2.10
Known issues
- AI is slow, don’t know what can I do to improve it
- Randomly crashes CM Showroom? I don’t know if it’s an issue only on my end, as it also happens with other cars (Kunos and mods)
Future/Updates
- Bugs that may arise
What next?
- Working on the 3d model for a speedster/roadster car
- Working with Historic Sim Studios in a Group C car pack
- Drafting the rulebook for a fictive Hypercar-style racing class, WEC inspired but opting for "real" hypercars instead of distilled LMP1s
Credits
@SimRacer918: Original files for Launch Control
@Tunari: Helped me with Suspension AXLE type
Kunos: tyre and brakes textures
Why this “thing”?
I wanted to learn as much as possible about the sim’s physics. For that, I got into suspension and other animations, active aero and also attempted the 3-wheeler
Overall, it was quite a fun experience and I’ve learned some cool stuff that I can use for future projects
The design
I came up with the idea for this car during a morning at work, I drew a couple of sketches which I lost, so I tried replicating what I conceived from memory. I had some clear ideas: I wanted a single-seater, 3 wheels, active aero, a small but powerful engine and a lightweight package. The rest just was made and modified on the go, which not always had good results
In the end I’m happy with the looks. It’s a weird one, but visually interesting I think
About the vehicle
The “car” combines a very lightweight chassis and body (550 kg without driver), with a powerful engine coming from a motorcycle and active aerodynamics.
Engine Specs:
The engine is based of Triumph’s Speed Triple 1200cc engine, with a “slight” difference: a turbo that boosts its performance at just above 300 hp.
First, I created the “real” version of the engine in Automation, which was actually very close to the real one: 177 hp in-game to 180 hp real engine. And the power curve also had a similar shape. Then I added the turbo, which made me alter some of the specs such as compression ratio and the redline. The results are:
Displacement: 1.160cc
Construction: Aluminium Alloy block and head
Compression ratio: 10.3 : 1
Valvetrain: DOHC 4 valves/cylinder
Rev Limit: 10.200 rpm
Aspiration: Single Turbo
Power: 301 hp @9.100 rpm, 1 bar
Torque: 262 Nm @6.800 rpm, 1 bar
Body and Chassis Specs:
Body and Chassis Specs
Body: Carbon Fibre
Chassis: Carbon Fibre Monocoque
Front Suspension: Double Wishbone
Rear Suspension: Swingarm, single shock absorber
Gearbox: 7 Speed DCT
Weight (including driver): 625 kg (67% front - 33% rear)
Length: 3.750 mm
Width: 1.980 mm
Wheelbase: 2.730 mm
Height: 1.090 mm
The driving
I really like the driving experience of the car, it’s an interesting one and challenging non the less.
It’s VERY rear traction limited due to the extreme weight bias: 0-100 is on the low 4s, compared to the mid-low 3s of possible competition (thinking about Praga R1, BAC Mono), and it tends to loose the rear in high speed corners, although it behaves much better on the slower stuff.
On slower corners it’s agile and easy to rocket out of corners if throttle is applied correctly. On mid-fast corners (+180 km/h aprox.) it’s very sharp and oversteery, maybe too much (could be reduced with a “lazier” steering ratio or less sensitive cornering controllers for the wings)
Top speed is gear limited to 320 km/h, it needs about 1.8 km (Paul Ricard’s backstraight without chicane) to reach it. At that speed, it generates about 400+ kg of downforce
Traction control will save you in most situations, but if you want the full driving experience, I recommend switching it off. Also, I found an extra 3-4 tenths by switching it off and learning how it accepts throttle
As for ABS, I recommend leaving it on a low intervention level, to prevent front locking under hard breaking when the downforce peels off
Features
Active aero: As commented before, the car has active aerodynamics: depending on speed, braking force and cornering Gs, the front flaps and rear wing move to increase/decrease downforce and drag. This interaction is animated
Animations: Wings, suspension, pedals and “doors” (front windscreen linked to Extra_A and rear engine glass linked to Extra_B)
Extension: Tried to use as many CSP features as I could learn, so I recommend using the most recent version of CSP
Skins: 28 different body colours, 5 callipers, 5 chains, 6 interiors and 2 rims. They are combined in the 28 skins, but can be rearranged or modified, as a copy of each one of them can be found in the “template” folder inside “trd_hh3”. Not all skins are included in the download, as the zip would be too large. Visit https://www.racedepartment.com/downloads/trd-hh3-9-skins.65872/ to find the 9 missing skins
Testing
I tried different suspension layouts to fit the 3-wheeler concept, many of them using the “Axle” type in suspensions.ini. The Axle types were too rigid, so I changed to the actual setup. I had to add a bit of track (1 cm) to the rear to prevent it from “veering” on the straights. (Rear suspension type changed in V1.0)
Testing was conducted in optimal track conditions. TC was OFF and ABS on level 5.
Also, FFB tuning was done for my Logitech G29.
Most of the driving was done in Paul Ricard, but other tracks were also used:
Paul Ricard: Mid-High 1.58
Lago Maggiore: Mid-Low 2.01
Ajaccio: Mid-Low 1.52
Sepang: Mid-High 2.10
Silverstone: Mid-High 2.06
Montmelo: Mid 1.48
Palmadera: Low 1.28
Norschleife: 6.51,719
Possible Competition?
I've tested some cars, and the closest competition I could find was:
- Pagani Zonda R (faster than the HH3)
- BAC Mono (very similar speed over a lap. Slower in the straights, better in corners)
- Caterham RS900 (similar speed over a lap. Slower in the corners, faster in straights)
- Dallara Stradale (slower than the HH3)
As for AI, the ones that give the closest times are the BAC Mono and the Caterham RS900
AI Testing:
AI was difficult to calibrate, as they ran at ridiculous low speeds all the time, probably due to the narrow rear axle. Overall, AI is around 3s slower than me, but seems to work decent on all tracks. I haven’t found a way to make it faster in some tracks without affecting the performance in others. In some cases, they are quite competitive (Ajaccio for example)
Paul Ricard: High 2.01
Lago Maggiore: High 2.06 – Low 2.07
Ajaccio: High 1.51 – Low 1.52
Sepang: Low-Mid 2.14
Silverstone: Low-Mid 2.10
Known issues
- AI is slow, don’t know what can I do to improve it
- Randomly crashes CM Showroom? I don’t know if it’s an issue only on my end, as it also happens with other cars (Kunos and mods)
Future/Updates
- Bugs that may arise
What next?
- Working on the 3d model for a speedster/roadster car
- Working with Historic Sim Studios in a Group C car pack
- Drafting the rulebook for a fictive Hypercar-style racing class, WEC inspired but opting for "real" hypercars instead of distilled LMP1s
Credits
@SimRacer918: Original files for Launch Control
@Tunari: Helped me with Suspension AXLE type
Kunos: tyre and brakes textures
