AC GT3 @ Brands Hatch GP - Sunday 22nd March 2020

[Chris Down]

T4 - most of the time (how do you take this corner anyway)

There are two viable lines depending on driving style, but here's how I usually take it, at about 0:30:

I more or less trailbrake in a little bit to get the weight shifted to the front, then let the car roll into the apex.

I also saw some drivers taking a wider entry and getting on the throttle earlier, but in my experience the time saved is negligible and the danger of running out to the grass if you lock up is higher.

 

[Raresch]

Hard to say what the problem is without being in the car, but:

• 70% diff power sounds high to me for a tight track like this. Try reducing it.
• "Slight oversteer" sounds like roll oversteer instead of snap oversteer. If the oversteer is gradual, try stiffening the rear ARB a click or two.
• I would hesitate to soften the rear wheel rate because, from your description, if anything the back might be too soft already.

The setup base from RD was 90 on diff power and 90 on cost I tried some setups from the setup market but didn't work. now I have 70 on power and 80 on coast.

I don't get it ... Stiffer ARB doesn't mean more rotation, so more oversteer? At least, this what I get from the tutorial made on RD: https://www.racedepartment.com/threads/assetto-corsa-car-setup-guides.99049/ Did I've read it wrong? I wil try going one arb higher.

 

[Raresch]

70% diff power sounds high to me for a tight track like this. Try reducing it.

power to 60 seems to have reduced it. power 50 is even better. strange. I tried that, but i tried maybe too much to soon. I tried like 20pwr-60coast, as usual, right from the start and it was weird. now I have found that 50-80 is better for hot laps, and 50-70 is better for consistency. now I have to fix the overheating of the left tyres )

 

[pattikins]

Count me in please Chris - car tbd.

I'll take the McLaren please.

 

[Chris Down]

I don't get it ... Stiffer ARB doesn't mean more rotation, so more oversteer? At least, this what I get from the tutorial made on RD: https://www.racedepartment.com/threads/assetto-corsa-car-setup-guides.99049/ Did I've read it wrong? I wil try going one arb higher.

Hmm, it's not quite that simple -- that guide is a little simplistic. A softer ARB permits more rolling, but that rolling can change the center of gravity and cause changes in steering behaviour when the wheels travel back into their original position relative to the chassis. Just imagine the weight shifting as you turn left in T3 and get back on the power -- all the power heads to the back of the car, and in the case of your description, it sounds like the ARB is too compliant to the weight and momentum changes induced, which results in this roll oversteer as you accelerate coming out of the corner.

Your quote from above that this happens in "T2 - slightly, only when [you] really hammer it" is also a giveaway. What you're describing is that the back of the car cannot take sudden increases in its share of the weight distribution while cornering. Since T2 is a long, sweeping, low-speed corner, and you specifically call out low-speed corners, this again supports the idea that this is probably roll oversteer rather than snap oversteer.

Setup guides are fine to get started with, but the problem is that they propose solutions by identifying the outcome ("the car oversteers out of low speed corners") rather than identifying the underlying behaviour ("the car cannot take sudden load changes at the rear"). Your identification of the corners it happens in and the behaviour that triggers it helps a lot in that regard.

 

[Ken Bell]

Chris, can I change car please
from 488
to McLaren 650

 

[Chris Down]

The setup base from RD was 90 on diff power and 90 on cost I tried some setups from the setup market but didn't work. now I have 70 on power and 80 on coast.

As promised, here's a provisional R8 setup suiting my driving style I just made on the practice server over about 15 laps. Note well: I have minimal experience in this car, so I probably just biased it to feel like the 650s

If you prefer it to be more compliant over kerbs at high speed (eg. T5/6), you can try adjusting the rear wing and fast dampers to your liking.

 

[Chris Down]

Count me in please Chris, car tbd! Been a long while since I've been able to race due to some redecorating, but now I've got some shiny new kit and ready to try it out Any advice on what might be a good car for getting back into it? The Macca looks to be a popular choice, seems fast but handling on a knife edge!

Hey mate! Please be sure to send your car before 6pm UTC tomorrow to ensure it's reserved for you on the race server, otherwise the car reserved will be random

 

[Joost van der Stoep]

Just a question, do I need to have all the DLC packs to race?

 

[Chris Down]

Just a question, do I need to have all the DLC packs to race?

You need to have all of the ones in the original post, yes, otherwise Assetto won't permit you to join because of missing content.

 

[pattikins]

Just a question, do I need to have all the DLC packs to race?

The packs & ultimate edition of AC are on sale @ Fanatical.

 

[pattikins]

As promised, here's a provisional R8 setup suiting my driving style I just made on the practice server over about 15 laps. Note well: I have minimal experience in this car, so I probably just biased it to feel like the 650s

If you prefer it to be more compliant over kerbs at high speed (eg. T5/6), you can try adjusting the rear wing and fast dampers to your liking.

Do we get to look @ the world record set up

 

[Chris Down]

Do we get to look @ the world record set up

Haha, for the 650s WR ones I generally keep them under fairly tight wraps just because of the number of hours invested, since getting it right is a competitive edge. In truth I probably shouldn't care so much but I guess I have some aversion to giving it out

 

[GEO147]

Man I wish I knew how to set up a car

 

[Chris Down]

Man I wish I knew how to set up a car

It's really just a matter of time and gaining experience rather than any special skill. I set up purely based on feel, I don't use Motec or tools like that because in my experience, unless you are really trained to read them (which I am certainly not), you won't do the right thing.

The setup guides, while simplistic, are a great starting point to at least understand the basics of how each setup knob affects the car. One thing I sometimes do when setting up for a new circuit is to run a setting at the extremes: minimum and maximum, and feel how it affects the car. Different cars with different static weight distributions, different chassis, different aerodynamics, and different suspension geometries can have dramatically different degrees of effect even from the same changes in settings.

Start simple: ride height, ARBs, spring stiffness, and afterwards toe/camber. You don't need to touch dampers until you're really fine tuning the car setup or dealing with problems over bumps or during highly specific situations. Always tune those fundamentals first before you tune any of the really nuanced settings like bump or rebound.

Grab a setup from The Setup Market or YouTube that might not be fast, but you feel comfortable in it, and tune it from there to your liking. Don't take a setup that you don't like and try to tweak it to make yourself like it -- that probably means it's not suitable for your driving style.

I remember envying people who could make great setups back in the Live For Speed days. The truth is it's just about patience and perseverance, and gaining experience

 

[GEO147]

It's not know what to change or where to start. Feels like there is too much to change. Just 9ve4wgelming and seems like I could spend 3 hours and end up worse instead of better.
So far I'm limited to wing and tyres.
Ride height seems to always be max on the 650.

 

[Chris Down]

It's not know what to change or where to start. Feels like there is too much to change. Just 9ve4wgelming and seems like I could spend 3 hours and end up worse instead of better.
So far I'm limited to wing and tyres.
Ride height seems to always be max on the 650.

I think the most important thing is you don't change the setup in search of something to fix, you become aware of something to fix and then you change the setup That's a lot less overwhelming than trying to build the "perfect" setup.

Start with the basics -- does it oversteer somewhere? Does it understeer somewhere? Is there anywhere the car is unstable?

Then start with the tradeoffs -- which corners matter the most (typically the ones before a long straight)? What can I do to maximise those? Am I willing to trade off, for example, more oversteer on other corners if it makes that corner better? Etc, etc

 

[Stefano La Commare]

Good morning Chris. Ami I still in time to sign up for this evening with the GT-R?

Cheers,

Stefano

 

[Callum Hornby]

Could you put me down with the 650 please Chris

 

[Joost van der Stoep]

The packs & ultimate edition of AC are on sale @ Fanatical.

Thanks for the tip! That saves a lot of money