BiggLou55's "Lou-ne-tunes" Garage

I took part in my first club series race on Sunday - really enjoyed it. I really struggled with grip in some corners, though, and I don't know how to tune. I've driven some of your cars in the shared garage and liked their feel a lot. So I would love to have a lou-ne-tune for my Porsche (great name BTW).

There are 2 VERY IMPORTANT things first:
1. Please don't feel under any obligation. If you have the time and interest, I would be very grateful; if not, that's perfectly fine.
2. I don't want you to spend a lot of time on it. Just a basic tune with more grip would be fantastic.

I chose the 2012 Porsche 911 GT2 RS. I'd like to keep the stock hood and rims, since I like the look (and they fit well with my black and white theme).

I play with a controller. Used to drive with automatic, but have recently started using manual (without clutch). Also ABS and TCS.

Thanks

Hey Lou, i finally sent you my Zonda Cinque. Could you tune it for Mugello and send it back please?

Sure... Let me see what I can do with it tonight...

BiggLou55 wrote:

Red Sniper 213 wrote:Hey Lou, i finally sent you my Zonda Cinque. Could you tune it for Mugello and send it back please?

Sure... Let me see what I can do with it tonight...

Alrighty Sniper.... I sent your Zonda back tuned... I sent it back "mostly" the way it came... I added front Aero, changed tire and rim sizes, but it's mostly the same config.... It runs well, and I was able to run a 1:54.124 fast lap with it using the controller (which is what I suspect you use)....

I also tweaked my personal ZondaCR tune for Mugello and sent that to you as well.... Ran a mid 1:53.xxx on cold tires (lap 2) with the controller testing it... Don't judge a tune by the PI ratings. You gott drive it... On paper, it looks like your config kills mine... On the track, it's faster on the strait, and in the corners... TCS is rquired on mine though...

I've finally put up a post in the FM4 Marketplace forums...

http://forums.forzamotorsport.net/forums/5523105/ShowThread.aspx#5523105

I have a couple questions I was hoping you would be able to answer for me. On VVV Worm's tuning guide, it says more ARB=Higher tire temperatures and more spring=more tire temperature. does that mean that the springs are a multiplication factor of the heat created by the ARBs? also are there other ways of lowering the tire temperatures other than softening the ARBs and raising the tire PSI?

So... the tire temps associated with the ARB's is simple... the stiffer the ARB, the more the car will slide hence raising temps.... Same thing with spring..

Now... As far as tire temps go, I'm glad you asked... yes there is, but it's not 100%.... Tire aspect ratio plays a part in temps and it has to do with the volume of air in the tire. The more volume of air inside the tire, the more consistent the temps will be....

Example: A tire size or 305/55-R15 will have much lower temps than the same car with 305/35-R19's..... Why? The 55 series tires have the same tread width but much taller side/walls...

What do the 55 and 35 numbers mean? Those numbers represent the height of the tire's side wall in % of the overall tread width.... So.... For the sizes mentioned above, 305mm tread width (the tread width is in mm btw) with a 55 series sie wall = a 168mm high sidewall. the 35 series tire has a 107mm high sidewall...

So...... With the same section width of 305mm, but taller sidewalls, the 305/55-19 tires have more volume at the same PSI. That means it takes more energy and time to heat the tires. It also means that the 35 series tires require less time and energy + you can run higher tire pressures.

Why is it not 100%? Well... If you have not increased the Rim size on a car, then there is no way to reduce it to bring temps down. On the flip side, if you are having issues with getting tires up to the proper temps, try increasing the rim size in 1" increments to see if it makes a difference...

Rule of thumb? If you are dropping tire pressure below 28 PSI, try increasing the Rim size to see if that will bring more heat to the tires. Go the other way if you have too much heat (if you can).

Here is a GREAT read on what tire sizes mean and then some. It's what I used when I first started tuning as well.... http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=46

thanks lou, that helps a lot!

Let me break down the tire information as well...

Example: 305/55-15

• 305 = The total section width of the tire from the widest point on each side. This does not indicate contact patch, but the width between the sidewall "bulges" or widest points.
  
• 55 = the height of the tire sidewall in % of the section width. In this example the sidewall height is 55% of the section width of 305mm. That equals 167.75mm.
  
• 15 = Rim diameter in Inches (yeah inches)

What will increasing the rim size do in FM4?
Good question.... In FM4 it actually effects two things. Tire Temps and Final Drive ratio.

• Tire Temps: I think I explained that in pretty good detail above. In a nutshel, increasing the rim size in FM4 ONLY effects sidewall height. This means the overall diameter and width of the tire remain about the same. This , in turn, means a reduction of air volume in the tire. This then effects how the tire handles heat.
  
• Final Drive Ratio: I actually stumbled on to this one while tuning in FM4. I set a tune in FMTC and then changes a few bits including rim size, then updated FMTC. To my surprise, the final drive and top speed changed. So I did some research, but I didn't really find any useful information other than this. increasing the rim size, also increased the unsprung weight of the car (car weight not supported by the suspension). With more wheel weight, it takes more force to turn the wheel. This is turn requires slightly different gearing. If you change the rim size either way, head back to the FMTC (if you use it) and recalculate the gearing.

This information is a good read Lou, thanks for sharing!

So I've generated my first drift tune for DRKHRT187. It's an S-Class tune for the 1997 Mazda RX-7. I've sent the initial tune to DRKHRT187, but since I am not even a noob drifter (pre-noobessent as it were), I'm not sure how it truely is.... For the first time, I was able to hold a drift through some tunes on Ladera and a few other tracks, so it "feels" much better than other drift tunes I've tried (by me and others). BUT..... I need some of you drifters to test it out.... I've also got an AWD Nissan R-34 GTR to test for drifting as well... Any takers?

While I will be working 1:1 with DRKHRT187 on his tune, I'd also like the input from some of the more seasoned Drifters on my tunes as I put them up! I've also got an AWD Nissan R-34 GTR to test for drifting as well... Any takers? I will gift you the tunes...

can you send it to me? I would like to see if your drift tuning will suit me better than those drift tunes that I pick up on the storefront

I'll send both to you... The R-34 is easy to hold a slide... The RX-7 requires more throttle control. I may drop the flywheel down to street to see if that makes it easier to hold...

that might help

ok heres another question. is there a way to better tune for racing without ABS or is it basically the same as tuning for racing with ABS?

Brake balance and pressure are key to racing w/o ABS... For those that like to mash the brakes 100%, you can tune the brake pressure so they will only lock up between 95-100% pull.

To do this get in the car on any track. Get up to speed with the grip telemetry screen up and in chase far view. moving at a constant speed apply the brakes smoothly to 100%. What you are looking for is all 4 wheels to lock up at the same time (front to rear balance) and the brakes to only lock up when you go to or get close to 100%.

I personally leave the brake pressure at 100% and just brake by feel, which works well for me. For some that are VERY used to ABS, that might be more difficult.

ok, thanks lou

thanks for sending me that drift tune for the RX-7. Its a great drift tune and its very easy to hold as long as you don't get the angle somewhere above 65 or 75 degrees, if you get it past there, it is pretty hard to keep it from spinning out. It was very easy to control and it is a great tune for a beginner like me, great work!

Thanks Beef.... I didn't send the R-34 because I mucked it up and failed to save a base tune (which I ALWAYS DO BTW).... grrrrrrr.... Once I get the R-34 back in shape, I'll send it along!

ok, I can't wait to test that one out!

Is drift tune on your storefront? I would like to try that out too.

For those of you who are interested, I've shared out (view only) the location where I store all of my tuning Spread Sheets....

https://docs.google.com/folder/d/0Bz4OFHHLsSxmbjBDTUFYam5sNEU/edit

Some of the older tunes are in the "Z-Archive" folder and my current tunes are spread out in the Regional, rivals and series folders...

Are those base tunes using FTMC or your "fine tunes"?

Both.... I don't always record fine tuning...

Oh ok. That FTMC is so awesome. It gives a very nice base tune whereas you don't have to do much afterwards. I am having a blast tuning my cars up. Just need to do more Painting.