Lesson 1: Baselines

This is your Introduction to the first Lesson in Tuning. Please bear with this - tuff it out - I promise that in the end it will have been worth it and you will have acquired a specific set of skills that will prove to be very useful to you going forward.

The reward is that skills set - the cost is patience and the willing act of working your way through a dry and pretty much statistical approach that makes up the bulk of this lesson.

Lesson One: The Baseline Tune Process

In this part of the Lesson you will accomplish the following:

1. Select Your First Project Car

2. Determine Your First Track

3. Build the Foundation Tune for your Project Car

4. Understand Stability

5. Understand Baseline Lap Times

6. Understand the Lap Time Shaving Process

Then didst thou raise on high Lesson One of the SuperCheats WTG for Forza Motorsport 6, saying, "Bless This Lesson, Oh Lord, that with it we mayst know thine Wisdom and Instruction in the Arts of Creating Thy Basest of Tunes, Thy First Project Car!"

For in the beginning The Wizard of Forza created the first Naturally Aspirated Engine, and They saw that It was Good; so the Forza Wizards then created the first Forced Induction Engine taking the form of the Turbocharged Radial and They found it to be Very Good!

With the assistance of the Dwarf of Power in Detroit, The Wizards of Forza then created the LS7 with its Stock 505 Horsies of Power which, for a small block, displaced a massive 7.0 L when Marty & The Moog drive it around Australia (in the Southern Hemisphere) concealed under the bonnet of their Sleeper Subaru, and 427 c.i. as it is ridden by Bronys in the Northern Hemisphere.

While they saw that it was Very Good, it was not until they added Twin Turbos and a Holley Dominator EFI ECU that unleashed 1,120 Horsies that The Wizards saw that it was really rather Super-Special Good and so They were Happy and the Wizards didst thus smile. A Lot.

Now the Superhighways of Montana where the speed is limited not were mostly formless and empty, as the darkness was over the surface, and thus out of this darkness emerged the Spirit we call "JDM" which took the form of a Triple E class container ship emblazoned with "Maersk" in 12-foot tall letters on each of its sides;

Packed into the holds of the Maersk Brony's Dream and stacked to the height of a five-story-building on its decks were the containers with lots of JDM that was 24 years 11 months three weeks old, just waiting the 12 legally required days for the cars to turn 25 and be eligible for importation to the USA - what a silly Law the Wizards agreed!

Racing in the Rain and Collecting Cars? We call that fun!

Packed into the containers where Nissan Skylines of the R32 / R34 persuasion, there were Audi RS2 Avants, a pack of Nissan Figaros, some Mazda Cosmos, and surprisingly a bunch of East German Trabants that, well, let's be honest, some motorheads will drive anything! In addition to all that there was even a few containers of Honda Beats -destined for Grrl Racers!

All of these rides were eagerly awaiting the day that they could legally enter the tiny fishing village on the coast known elsewhere as the Port of Los Angeles...

While the long-suffering JDM fans and those strange sausage-munching, beer-swilling, very short Trabant fans were waiting for their ship to come in however, The Wizards were busy making the dreams of all the good little Racer Boys and Racer Girls come true!

For the Wizards proclaimed “Let the long and straight highways of Montana be filled with fast whips and rides, not-a-trucks, and even hoopdies if they have fine motors and reliable coil-overs - and so it was that the long and straight highways of Montana - which dost not haveth the limits of speed, were filled with fast whips and rides, not-a-trucks, and even hoopdies if they have fine motors and reliable coil-overs!

When the Wizards gazed down upon this scene they felt it was Good - but not Very Good - and certainly not Super Special Good! That was when they realized that what the fast whips and rides, not-a-trucks, and even hoopdies if they have fine motors and reliable coil-overs needed was mods and tunes!

So the Wizards told the Racer Boys and Girls - Thou shall bolt to thy fast whips and rides, not-a-trucks, and even hoopdies if they have fine motors and reliable coil-overs mods and upgrades such as Race Front Bumpers, Race Rear Wings, Specialized Rim Styles, Upgraded Tire Widths, Race Tire Compounds, Race Transmissions, and many other racing upgrades that you need in order to properly tune your fast whips and rides, not-a-trucks, and even hoopdies if they have fine motors and reliable coil-overs!

When the Wizards brought this news to the good little Racer Girls and Boys they also brought a warning and instructions: The Wizards said "Thou must Tune within your PI Class! Tuning outside of your Class of PI thou must noteth doeth!"

This confused the good little Racer Girls and Boys who were new to this whole Tuning Thingy - but fortunately for them, they have SuperCheats bookmarked on their web browser, so help is at hand!

Part I: Starting From Scratch

To make this as easy as possible on you, what we are going to do is go to the list of cars and pick one that has both a Team Forza Model and a Standard Model. For the purposes of this lesson that includes the following:

2009 Ferrari 458 Italia (S713)

2009 Ferrari Team Forza 458 Italia (S800)

2014 Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4 (S759)

2014 Lamborghini Team Forza Huracan LP 610-4 (S800)

The reason that we opted to approach this using these two pairs is simple - the Team Forza versions of these cars not only appear with the Team Forza Logo, but they have been given expert tunes and thus represent the best overall general tune you can achieve for that car and class. That helps make the first lesson easier!

So we will now proceed by the numbers:

1. SELECT YOUR S800 CAR.

Pick the Team Forza version of either the Ferrari 458 or the Lamborghini Huracan. Once you have climbed into that, head to The Tracks.

We chose the 2009 Ferrari 458 Italia pair.

TUNE STATE

We don't alter the Tune for this car - this is just FYI Content mates....

The Current Tune for the 2009 Ferrari 458 is:

I. TIRES TAB

The magic means by which the energy created by the your engine transfers to the ground and thus c reates thrust. It is more complicated than that but this basic definition will do for now.

Front = 30.0 PSI / Back = 30.0 PSI

BENCHMARK

Tuning this element and system is accomplished via changing the pressure of the Tires.

Acceleration

0 - 60 MPH = 3.000 S

0 - 100 MPH = 6.500 S

Top Speed = 203.2 MPH

Braking Distance

60 MPH - 0 = 101.4 FT

100 MPH - 0 = 254.3 FT

Lateral G's

60 MPH = 1.28

120 MPH = 1.38

II. GEARING TAB

The ratios by which power is run through the gearbox (transmission) and thus transferred to the Tires.

BENCHMARK

Tuning this element of the car is accomplished by altering the gear ratios and settings between Speed and Acceleration, while networking the gears so that each one covers the range of the previous in a smooth and predictable fashion .

FORWARD GEARS

FINAL DRIVE = 5.14

1ST = 3.08

2ND = 2.19

3RD = 1.63

4TH = 1.29

5TH = 1.03

6TH = 0.94

7TH = 0.69

Acceleration

0 - 60 MPH = 3.000 S

0 - 100 MPH = 6.500 S

Top Speed = 203.2 MPH

Braking Distance

60 MPH - 0 = 101.4 FT

100 MPH - 0 = 254.3 FT

Lateral G's

60 MPH = 1.28

120 MPH = 1.38

III. ALIGNMENT TAB

The direction that the tires are adjusted to, including Camber (lean) and direction.

BENCHMARK

This element is Tuned by adjusting the Negative and Positive Position as well as the “In” and “Out” state and “Low” and “High” States.

The specific settings that are Tuned for this element are: Camber in the Front and Rear / Toe in the Front and Rear / and the Angle of the Front Caster. These are all hardware adjustments that rely upon gentry -- and you thought that higher maths would never be useful!

CAMBER

FRONT = -2.0

REAR = -1.5

TOE

FRONT = 0.0

REAR = -0.1

FRONT CASTER

ANGLE = 5.0

Acceleration

0 - 60 MPH = 3.000 S

0 - 100 MPH = 6.500 S

Top Speed = 203.2 MPH

Braking Distance

60 MPH - 0 = 101.4 FT

100 MPH - 0 = 254.3 FT

Lateral G's

60 MPH = 1.28

120 MPH = 1.38

IV. ANTI-ROLL BARS TAB

Anti-Roll Bars (AKA Anti-Sway Bars) providing extra stability when cornering by bracing understeer with oversteer. Front Anti-Roll Bar can be tuned with a race front Anti-Roll Bar Upgrade - just saying.

BENCHMARK

This element is tuned via the Front and Rear Anti-Roll Bar units, with settings between SOFT and STIFF

ANTI-ROLL BARS

FRONT = 17.24

REAR = 11.49

Acceleration

0 - 60 MPH = 3.000 S

0 - 100 MPH = 6.500 S

Top Speed = 203.2 MPH

Braking Distance

60 MPH - 0 = 101.4 FT

100 MPH - 0 = 254.3 FT

Lateral G's

60 MPH = 1.28

120 MPH = 1.38

V. SPRINGS TAB

Spring stiffness controls how the car's weight is transferred under acceleration, braking, and cornering. Spring stiffness can be adjusted with a Race Suspension Upgrade - so now you see why the order for upgrading and Tuning is so specific, right?

BENCHMARK

Note that Tuning this element is a matter of adjusting from Stiff to Soft as well as Low to High.

SPRINGS

FRONT = 767.0

REAR = 830.9

RIDE HEIGHT

FRONT = 4.4

REAR = 3.6

Acceleration

0 - 60 MPH = 3.000 S

0 - 100 MPH = 6.500 S

Top Speed = 203.2 MPH

Braking Distance

60 MPH - 0 = 101.4 FT

100 MPH - 0 = 254.3 FT

Lateral G's

60 MPH = 1.28

120 MPH = 1.38

VI. DAMPING TAB

Adjust the rebound on your car's suspension damping to determine how rapidly its load is transferred.

BENCHMARK

This element is tuned via the Front and Rear Suspension units, with settings between SOFT and STIFF for both the Front and Rear using the Rebound Stiffness and Bump Stiffness settings.

REBOUND STIFFNESS

FRONT = 8.9

REAR = 9.6

BUMP STIFFNESS

FRONT = 5.9

REAR = 6.4

Acceleration

0 - 60 MPH = 3.000 S

0 - 100 MPH = 6.500 S

Top Speed = 203.2 MPH

Braking Distance

60 MPH - 0 = 101.4 FT

100 MPH - 0 = 254.3 FT

Lateral G's

60 MPH = 1.28

120 MPH = 1.38

VII. AERO TAB

Air flowing around a car creates lift beneath it which impairs handling. Front Aero can be adjusted using a Race Front Bumper Upgrade.

BENCHMARK

This element is adjusted and tuned by altering the three performance aspects: DOWNFORCE / SPEED / CORNERING for the FRONT and REAR.

DOWNFORCE

FRONT = 276 LB

REAR = 336 LB

Acceleration

0 - 60 MPH = 3.000 S

0 - 100 MPH = 6.500 S

Top Speed = 203.2 MPH

Braking Distance

60 MPH - 0 = 101.4 FT

100 MPH - 0 = 254.3 FT

Lateral G's

60 MPH = 1.28

120 MPH = 1.38

VIII. BRAKE TAB

A car's level of Grip and the way it handles weight transfer under both acceleration and deceleration affects Brake Balance. Upgrading your car to obtain higher performance will require you to adjust the Brake Balance as well. Brake Balance is tuned with the Racing Brake Upgrade.

BENCHMARK

This element is tuned via the Braking Force Settings. The default settings for this element are:

Braking Force: BALANCE = 50% LOW/HIGH & FRONT / REAR

Braking Force: PRESSURE = 100% LOW/HIGH & FRONT / REAR

Acceleration

0 - 60 MPH = 3.000 S

0 - 100 MPH = 6.500 S

Top Speed = 203.2 MPH

Braking Distance

60 MPH - 0 = 101.4 FT

100 MPH - 0 = 254.3 FT

Lateral G's

60 MPH = 1.28

120 MPH = 1.38

IX. DIFERENTIAL TAB

This element adjusts the amount of torque that will be transferred to the wheel first.

BENCHMARK

This element permits the adjustment between LOW and HIGH for the Rear End Gearing.

Braking Force: BALANCE = 55% LOW/HIGH & FRONT / REAR

Braking Force: PRESSURE = 14% LOW/HIGH & FRONT / REAR

Acceleration

0 - 60 MPH = 3.000 S

0 - 100 MPH = 6.500 S

Top Speed = 203.2 MPH

Braking Distance

60 MPH - 0 = 101.4 FT

100 MPH - 0 = 254.3 FT

Lateral G's

60 MPH = 1.28

120 MPH = 1.38

2. LOAD FREEPLAY & THE BRICKYARD

Our test track for this lesson is the Brickyard Oval at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Open the Free Play Menu, then select the Brickyard Oval at Indianapolis.

Open the Game Options menu and set the Laps to 5. That is plenty of time to get a feel for the car.

Now go to the Assists Menu and set them up as follows:

1. Suggestion Line = OFF

2. Braking = ABS OFF

3. Steering = NORMAL

4. Traction & Stability Control = TCS & STM ON

5. Shifting = MANUAL W?CLUTCH or AUTOMATIC (Your Choice)

6. Damage, Fuel & Tire Wear = COSMETIC

7. Rewind = Your Choice

Be sure to hit 'A' to save the settings and not 'B' which will cancel them.

Now hear out onto the track and start your 5 Laps. The idea here is for you to learn what this car feels like fully set up for the most effective generic master tune - which is what it has.

Note again this is a generic tune that is meant to make the car work for ALL tracks - which means it is compromised in a bunch of ways!

MODS: Before you hit the Start Race button check your Mods - if you have ANY of them enabled, go into the Mod Card Menu and remove them. You want to do this with NO Mods of any type in place!

As you make your way through the pack of Drivatars you will notice that (1) the car is a lot looser than it should be in terms of traction - its grip is one of the compromised elements as it is set up to be applicable to all of The Tracks, as is the suspension and the tires.

The point to this is simple - while the car has a “perfect general tune” it is not set up for THIS track, and its performance demonstrates that!

The gear rations are pretty good for this track - it has nice acceleration and good top-end.

Now re-race the S800 version with the goal being to make the best Lap Time you can manage.

Best Brickyard Lap Time = 00:58:132

Alright, you have now experienced what is represented as being a perfectly tuned car. Now let's do the same race with the stock version.

3. SWITCH TO THE STOCK VERSION

Exit the race and using Game Options change back to the Brickyard for the race, with 6 Laps selected.

For us that is the 2009 Ferrari 458 Italia (S713) to replace the 2009 Ferrari Team Forza 458 Italia (S800).

For this run just drive. Try to drive like you did with the fully upgraded one so you get a sense of the differences. Both in speed, and handing. That is important.

Our experience demonstrated that the stock version does not handle near as well as the upgraded one. Its grip and its braking, as well as its suspension were also inferior. That makes total sense when you stop to consider that it is exactly what we just described: Stock!

Now that you have a good idea of the differences in performance and feel, it is time to do the same thing we did before with the S800 version, and shoot for our best Lap Time.

Best No-Mod / No-Upgrade Brickyard Lap Time = 01:07:768

4. UPGRADING THE CAR

Right so at this point we have a Stock model, which means that the ONLY elements on it that we can actually tune are the following:

1. TIRES

2. BRAKES

3. DIFFERENTIAL

Why is that? Simple answer - the stock parts cannot be tuned. To actually tune across the board you need to fulfill the following requirements:

1. TIRES = Configurable

2. GEARING = Requires Sport or Race Transmission Upgrade

3. ALIGNMENT = Requires Race Suspension Upgrade

4. ANTI-ROLL BARS = Requires Race Anti-Roll Bar Upgrade

5. SPRINGS = Requires Race Suspension Upgrade

6. DAMPING = Requires Race Suspension Upgrade

7. AERO = Requires Race Front Bumper Upgrade

8. BRAKE = Configurable

9. DIFFERENTIAL = Configurable

Of course that means spending money on the upgrade parts in order to be able to tune each element. BUT before you do that, remember that each element you upgrade will impact the PI. You do not want to upgrade the car to the point where you leave the S-PI so you will need to pay attention to that. What is more, Tuning each of the elements can also alter the PI rating!

So yeah, this is a lot more complicated than you might have been thinking,

The Upgrade / Mod Path Philosophy

So we have reached the point at which we have committed to the Tuning - and that means the upgrade - process. This is a big step and an important one, so let's review WHY we are about to do this, shall we?

So the conditions are right - we are NOT racing in the Story Campaign Mode, but rather we are getting ready to race in Multi-Player. That means we need to pick a car for the track we plan to race on. In the Multi-Player World you always create a tune to apply to your whip for the specific track you will be racing on. Why is that again? Oh yeah, because each track has slightly different requirements, that is why!

Also we know that while generic tunes CAN work, we are almost always better off custom-Tuning for the specific track which is what we have set out to do here.

The Inviolate Tuning Rules

So what is next? Well, it is always a good idea when setting out to tune to review the Inviolate Tuning Rules. The justification for that has more to do with how easy it is to forget - and when you forget the upgrades and tune order that's more of a disaster than it is a mistake because that sort of error will cost you a lot of time and extra effort.

1. Learn the Baselines

The first thing that you always need to do is learn as much as you can about the stock performance of your chosen ride. That means using your car on the track you are about to tune it for. Run some timed laps to establish its Stock Baseline Lap Time.

2. Tune for the Track

Next we need to feel out the track. We do this by turning ON the Suggestion Line and then we do some slow laps of the track, looking for dips, bumps, sharp turns, and other impediments, and making notes of what we find.

How much of the track is straight runs and how much short runs? The division of these will tell us whether speed is less important than grip, brakes, and acceleration.

For a track like the Indianapolis Brickyard, top-end speed is actually important, but for a track like the Bernese Alps Club Circuit top-end speed is far less crucial then acceleration - which means the bottom-end.

There we would want to be able to come out of each turn or curve and pour the heat on, quickly accelerating to reach the next turn or curve. At the Brickyard we want high top-end speed and good surface contact and stability

Once you are satisfied that you understand the track and its unique challenges, it is time to move to the next stage - determining what needs to be tuned.

3. Change One Thing at a Go

Never upgrade more than one element at a go. NEVER tune (change the configuration) for more than one element at a go! When you have altered a setting - tuned in other words - take the car out and TEST the resulting changes!

4. Change Small, Break Small

We are not interested in radical changes, we are interested in effective changes. We need to both know and understand the effects of every decision we make and the smaller and more focused the change is, the less likely it is to get away from you.

5. Always ONLY Fix What is Broken

If we are setting out to solve traction issues, there is no point to messing with elements that are not related to traction. ALWAYS keep your focus on the fix you are seeking.

6. Tune in the Proper Order

The most common mistake that most tuners make is Tuning out of order. Each element that you tune can impact other elements. In fact almost every tuned element will impact Power, and vice-versa! When you tune out of order you end up applying fuzzy changes both down-line in the direction you expect to see changes, but also UPLINE where you should not be seeing significant changes and, what is worse, such changes can throw your previous stability out of whack.

For that reason we always tune in the proper order, and we ALWAYS check the impact our tune change has on the other elements and make note of any effects in case we need to correct for them on the impacted elements.

Once we are satisfied that the change that we have made is the one we wanted to make, we test it by obtaining a Baseline Lap Time and observe the car's performance and behavior.

The Proper Element Upgrade and Tune Order:

Tuning your car is more than just bolting on a mod and tweaking the setup. It is a combination of upgrading a hardware element and then working through the tuning process to fully integrate that new or upgraded piece of kit / mod into the pulse of your ride!

The Upgrades and Tune process is both an Art and a Science, but do NOT kid yourself - it is more of a Science than it is an Art! For that reason you always want to follow the proper order - first Upgrade and then Tune Order to be exact... and you will likely find it very helpful to buy a notebook and keep notes on the tune efforts and the results you obtain. You an also record which cars / tracks you have created Tunes for future reference and convenience.

UPGRADE ORDER

1. Aero and Appearance

2. Tires and Rims

3. Platform and Handling

4. Drivetrain

5. Engine

TUNE ORDER

1. Aero

2. Springs

3. Anti-Roll Bars

4. Damping

5. Tires

6. Brakes

7. Alignment

8. Gearing

9. Differential

The reason that we work with these elements in these orders has to do with what we call Fuzzy Effects. For example when we make changes to Aero they can have fuzzy effects on all of the elements that follow in the list. Same for Damping, same for Alignment, etc. The idea is to work with elements that will have fuzzy effects down-line but will not do that in reverse.

It can be confusing, and other racers may present the order differently based on the fuzzy effects that they notice or place a higher emphasis in their Tuning. This is one of those YMMV situations, but as long as you remember to cross-check each element following a significant change you will be OK.

7. Test Each of Your Changes!

Each time you correct an issue you need to go out to the track and test that solution both to verify that it corrected the issue you wanted to correct, and to be sure it did not have unwanted surprise impact on other performance characteristics.

Rules Conclusions

Now that you are reminded of the rules it is time to begin the process of custom-Tuning our 2009 Ferrari 458 Italia, which has a stock PI of S713, to make it more competitive for the Brickyard at Indianapolis Motor Speedway so that (hopefully) we can dominate that track!

DEFAULT TUNE STATE

The following is NOT a Tune Set - it is nothing more than a record of the default settings for each of the mods / upgrades for the 2009 Ferrari 458. We record this so that we can return the car to its native state when we desire to create a new Tune Approach.

0. DEFAULT BENCHMARK

Acceleration

0 - 60 MPH = 3.000 S

0 - 100 MPH = 6.484 S

Top Speed = 207.8 MPH

Braking Distance

60 MPH - 0 = 111.8 FT

100 MPH - 0 = 284.1 FT

Lateral G's

60 MPH = 1.19

120 MPH = 1.19

I. TIRES TAB

TIRES > Front = 30.0 PSI

TIRES > Back = 30.0 PSI

II. GEARING TAB

GEARING > FORWARD GEARS > FINAL DRIVE =

GEARING > FORWARD GEARS > 1ST =

GEARING > FORWARD GEARS > 2ND =

GEARING > FORWARD GEARS > 3RD =

GEARING > FORWARD GEARS > 4TH =

GEARING > FORWARD GEARS > 5TH =

GEARING > FORWARD GEARS > 6TH =

GEARING > FORWARD GEARS > 7TH =

III. ALIGNMENT TAB

ALIGNMENT > CAMBER > FRONT = -1.5

ALIGNMENT > CAMBER > REAR = -0.7

ALIGNMENT > TOE > FRONT = 0.0

ALIGNMENT > TOE > REAR = -0.1

ALIGNMENT > FRONT CASTER > ANGLE = 5.0 High

IV. ANTI-ROLL BARS TAB

ANTI-ROLL BARS > FRONT = 30.31

ANTI-ROLL BARS > REAR = 24.51

V. SPRINGS TAB

SPRINGS > FRONT = 818.6

SPRINGS > REAR = 847.1

RIDE HEIGHT > FRONT = 5.0 Low/High

RIDE HEIGHT > REAR = 4.2

VI. DAMPING TAB

DAMPING > REBOUND STIFFNESS > FRONT = 8.4

DAMPING > REBOUND STIFFNESS > REAR = 8.7

DAMPING > BUMP STIFFNESS > FRONT = 6.2

BUMP STIFFNESS > REAR = 6.4

AERO TAB

AERO > DOWNFORCE > FRONT = 176

AERO > DOWNFORCE > REAR = 137

VIII. BRAKE TAB

BRAKE > BRAKING FORCE > BALANCE = 50%

BRAKE > BRAKING FORCE > PRESSURE = 100%

IX. DIFERENTIAL TAB

DIFFERENTIAL > ACCELERATION = 55%

DIFFERENTIAL > PRESSURE = 14%

1: Finding Stability

The first goal that we follow when setting up a new car and track is to seek out a measure of tspeed stability - an effort that can easily chew up as much as half or more of the available PI for the car's current class.

Attaining of this goal is which will eventually see us modifying and Tuning a number of subsystems throughout the car. But for now we are going to keep this sweet and simple!

Stability Upgrades

Right so first we head to the Upgrades Shop where we are going to add the basic mods that will take us down Stability Lane! We begin with a bog-standard 2009 Ferrari 458 Italia with a PI rating of S713. Our Baseline Lap Time for Brickyard is currently 00:58:132 and we want to improve that!

1a : Aero & Tuning - Race Front Bumper @ 2,000 Cr. (+1 PI for S714)

1b : Aero & Tuning - Race Rear Wing @ 2,000 Cr. (+1 PI for S715)

1c : Tires & Rims - Specialized Rim > Magnum III @ 3,700 Cr. (+1 PI for S716)

1d : Tires & Rims - Rear Tire Width > 325/30R20 @ 3,800 Cr. (+5 PI for S721)

1d : Tires & Rims - Front Tire Width > 265/30R20 @ 2,600 Cr. (+5 PI for S726)\

1e : Tires & Rims - Tire Compound > Race Tire Compound @ 10K Cr. (+33 PI for S759)

Brickyard Baseline Test Lap Times Pt. I

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

01:07:768 -- Stock w/No-Mods / No-Upgrades

01:06:426 -- 1a Front Bumper + Stock 176

01:02:979 -- 1b Stock Race Wing + 176/137

01:01:021 -- 1c Magnum III + Stock 176/137

01:00:299 -- 1d Stock 176/137 + F325/R265x30R20

01:01:138 -- 1e Stock 176/137 + F325/R265x30R20 + Race Compound

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

1a: Aero & Tuning - Race Front Bumper @ 2,000 Cr. (+1 PI for S714)

Stats: Speed 7.5 / Handling 5.4 / Acceleration 8.8 / Braking 5.3

Starting Class: S713 -- New Class: S714

Starting Weight: 3,274 LBS -- New Weight: 3,278 LBS

Starting Power: 562 HP -- New Power: 562 HP

Starting Lateral G's: 1.19 -- New Lateral G's: 1.20

1b: Aero & Tuning - Race Rear Wing @ 2000 Cr. (+1 PI for S715)

Stats: Speed 7.2 / Handling 5.5 / Acceleration 8.8 / Braking 5.5

Starting Class: S714 -- New Class: S715

Starting Weight: 3,278 LBS -- New Weight = 3,287 LBS

Starting Power = 562 HP -- New Power = 562 HP

Starting Lateral G's = 1.20 -- New Lateral G's = 1.21

1c: Tire & Rim - Specialized Rim > Magnum III @ 3700 Cr. (+1 PI for S716)

Stats: -11 LBS Weight / Speed 7.2 / Handling 5.5 / Acceleration 8.8 / Braking 5.5

Starting Class = S715 -- New Class = S716

Starting Weight = 3,287 LBS -- New Weight = 3,276 LBS

Starting Power = 562 HP -- New Power = 562 HP

Starting Lateral G's = 1.21 -- New Lateral G's = 1.21

1d: Tires & Rims - Rear Tire Width > 325/30R20 @ 3,800 Cr. (+5 PI for S721)

Stats: Speed 7.2 / Handling 5.6 / Acceleration 8.9 / Braking 5.5

Starting Class = S716 -- New Class = S721

Starting Weight = 3,276 LBS -- New Weight = 3,284 LBS

Starting Power = 562 HP -- New Power = 562 HP

Starting Lateral G's = 1.21 -- New Lateral G's = 1.23

1d: Tires & Rims - Front Tire Width > 265/30R20 @ 2,600 Cr. (+5 PI for S726)

Stats: Speed 7.2 / Handling 5.6 / Acceleration 8.8 / Braking 5.6

Starting Class = S721 -- New Class = S726

Starting Weight = 3,284 LBS -- New Weight = 3,292 LBS

Starting Power = 562 HP -- New Power = 562 HP

Starting Lateral G's = 1.23 -- New Lateral G's = 1.24

1e : Tires & Rims - Tire Compound > Race Tire Compound @ 10K Cr. (+33 PI for S759)

Stats: Speed 7.2 / Handling 6.0 / Acceleration 8.9 / Braking 6.1

Starting Class = S726 -- New Class = S759

Starting Weight = 3,292 LBS -- New Weight = 3,292 LBS

Starting Power = 562 HP -- New Power = 562 HP

Starting Lateral G's = 1.24 -- New Lateral G's = 1.32

It took five very basic upgrades to reach this point but we now have the stability to manage each corner at 160+ MPH without any need to use the brakes, and the solid stabolity to do so without needing to oversteer!

At this point it is time to add the Racing Suspension, so that we can stiffen the Springs a small amount and lower the car height s modest amount - basically minor tune settings that will add very significantly to the overall stability.

2. Suspension Upgrade Path

2a : Platform > Springs > Race Springs @ 2,050 Cr. (+3 PI for S762) Ride Height -0.56 IN.

2b : Platform > Anti-Roll Bars > Race Rear Anti-Roll Bars @ 1,900 Cr. (+/-0 PI)

2b : Platform > Anti-Roll Bars > Race Front Anti-Roll Bars @ 1,900 Cr. (+/-0 PI)

Brickyard Baseline Test Lap Times Pt. II

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00:58:119 -- 2a Stock from 1e + Stock Race Springs

00:58:004 -- 2b Stock from 1e / 2a + Stock F/R Anti-Roll Bar

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Mod & Tune Details - Pt. II Suspension

2a : Platform > Springs > Race Springs @ 2,050 Cr. (+3 PI for S762) Ride Height -0.56 IN.

Stats: Speed 7.2 / Handling 6.1 / Acceleration 8.9 / Braking 6.1

Starting Class = S759 -- New Class = S762

Starting Weight = 3,292 LBS -- New Weight = 3,290 LBS

Starting Power = 562 HP -- New Power = 562 HP

Starting Lateral G's = 1.32 -- New Lateral G's = 1.32

2b : Platform > Anti-Roll > Race Rear Anti-Roll Bars @ 1,900 Cr. (+/-0 PI)

Stats: Speed 7.2 / Handling 6.1 / Acceleration 8.9 / Braking 6.1

Starting Class = S762 -- New Class = S762

Starting Weight = 3,290 LBS -- New Weight = 3,287 LBS

Starting Power = 562 HP -- New Power = 562 HP

Starting Lateral G's = 1.32 -- New Lateral G's = 1.32

2b : Platform > Anti-Roll > Race Front Anti-Roll Bars @ 1,900 Cr. (+/-0 PI)

Stats: Speed 7.2 / Handling 6.1 / Acceleration 8.9 / Braking 6.1

Starting

+Class = S762 -- New Class = S762

Starting Weight = 3,287 LBS -- New Weight = 3,285 LBS

Starting Power = 562 HP -- New Power = 562 HP

Starting Lateral G's = 1.32 -- New Lateral G's = 1.32

3. Misc Mighty Mods and Tune Elements

According to my 19-year-old son there are certain secrets about cars that everybody knows, tricks to make a car go faster, run better, and simply feel better for the driver, among which are:

-- Making the “Vroom” sound with your mouth increases both top-end speed as well as bottom-end acceleration!

-- Making a screeching brake sound with your mouth makes your car stop better and faster.

-- Rocking back-and-forth in your seat will cause your car to go faster.

-- Removing any unnecessary weight will dramatically speed up your car. For that reason, Pro Racers know and tell you that before you get in go racing you should be sure that you empty all of the ash trays. Get a bin liner and collect all of your empty bottles and cans; any empty cheeseburger wrappers, and the like. The more of that stuff you remove the faster your car is sure to go!

Now that we have the car stable in turns and able to really burn through them and down the track it is time to use up the remaining PI in our class on upgrades and tweaks that will not mess up that stability while adding to our success.

To demonstrate different effects that different upgrades have we are going to be liberal here - but since you are building this first Project Car to compete MP on the Brickyard, once you reach this point you should be thinking about ways to contribute to speed that will not break the stability we have created...

3a DRIVETRAIN > DRIVELINE > Race Driveline @ 2,100 Cr. (+0 PI for S762)

3a DRIVETRAIN > TRANSMISSION > Race Transmission @ 2,400 Cr. (+4 PI for S766)

3a DRIVETRAIN > CLUTCH > Race Clutch @ 2,250 Cr. (+1 PI for S767)

3b ENGINE > AIR FILTER > Race Intake @ 1,800 Cr. (+1 PI S768)

3b ENGINE > FUEL SYSTEM > Race Fuel System @ 2,200 Cr. (+2 PI S770)

3b ENGINE > IGNITION > Race Ignition @ 1,950 Cr. (+2 PI S772)

3b ENGINE > EXHAUST > Race Exhaust @ 2.050 Cr. (+4 PI S776)

Brickyard Baseline Test Lap Times Pt. II

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00:58:004 -- 2b Stock from last section

00:58:001 -- 3a Drivetrain Upgrades Applied.

00:57:854 -- 3b Drivetrain Upgrades Applied.

00:57:245 -- 3c Tuned Run

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Mod & Tune Details - Pt. III Misc

3a DRIVETRAIN > DRIVELINE > Race Driveline @ 2,100 Cr. (+0 PI for S752)

Significant Alterations: Weight -5.3 LBS

Stats: Speed 7.2 / Handling 6.1 / Acceleration 8.8 / Braking 6.1

Starting Class = S762 -- New Class = S762

Starting Weight = 3,285 LBS -- New Weight = 3,280 LBS

Starting Power = 562 HP -- New Power = 562 HP

Starting Lateral G's = 1.32 -- New Lateral G's = 1.32

3a DRIVETRAIN > TRANSMISSION > Race Transmission @ 2,400 Cr. (+4 PI for S766)

Significant Alterations: Shift Time -0.04 S

Stats: Speed 7.2 / Handling 6.1 / Acceleration 8.9 / Braking 6.1

Starting Class = S766 -- New Class = S766

Starting Weight = 3,280 LBS -- New Weight = 3,273 LBS

Starting Power = 562 HP -- New Power = 562 HP

Starting Lateral G's = 1.32 -- New Lateral G's = 1.32

3a DRIVETRAIN > CLUTCH > Race Clutch @ 2,250 Cr. (+1 PI for S767)

Significant Alterations: Shift Time -0.01 S

Stats: Speed 7.2 / Handling 6.1 / Acceleration 8.9 / Braking 6.1

Starting Class = S766 -- New Class = S767

Starting Weight = 3,273 LBS -- New Weight = 3,269 LBS

Starting Power = 562 HP -- New Power = 562 HP

Starting Lateral G's = 1.32 -- New Lateral G's = 1.32

3b ENGINE > AIR FILTER > Race Intake @ 1,800 Cr. (+1 PI S768)

Significant Alterations: Power +4 HP

Stats: Speed 7.2 / Handling 6.1 / Acceleration 8.9 / Braking 6.1

Starting Class = S767 -- New Class = S768

Starting Weight = 3,269 LBS -- New Weight = 3,265 LBS

Starting Power = 562 HP -- New Power = 566 HP

Starting Lateral G's = 1.32 -- New Lateral G's = 1.33

3b ENGINE > FUEL SYSTEM > Race Fuel System @ 2,200 Cr. (+2 PI S770)

Significant Alterations: Power +5 HP

Stats: Speed 7.2 / Handling 6.1 / Acceleration 8.9 / Braking 6.1

Starting Class = S767 -- New Class = S768

Starting Weight = 3,265 LBS -- New Weight = 3,265 LBS

Starting Power = 566 HP -- New Power = 571 HP

Starting Lateral G's = 1.33 -- New Lateral G's = 1.33

3b ENGINE > IGNITION > Race Ignition @ 1,950 Cr. (+2 PI S772)

Significant Alterations: Power +5 HP

Stats: Speed 7.2 / Handling 6.1 / Acceleration 9.0 / Braking 6.1

Starting Class = S768 -- New Class = S772

Starting Weight = 3,265 LBS -- New Weight = 3,265 LBS

Starting Power = 571 HP -- New Power = 576 HP

Starting Lateral G's = 1.33 -- New Lateral G's = 1.33

3b ENGINE > EXHAUST > Race Exhaust @ 2.050 Cr. (+4 PI S776)

Significant Alterations: Power +6 HP

Stats: Speed 7.3 / Handling 6.1 / Acceleration 9.0 / Braking 6.1

Starting Class = S772 -- New Class = S776

Starting Weight = 3,265 LBS -- New Weight = 3,213 LBS

Starting Power = 576 HP -- New Power = 582 HP

Starting Lateral G's = 1.33 -- New Lateral G's = 1.33

3c Tuning to Restore Stability

At this point we have made upgrades that have altered the stability due to the fact that our car is now faster than it was previously. As a result we need to adjust the settings for stability.

ANTI-ROLL BARS

Anti-roll bars provide extra stability when cornering balancing understeer with oversteer. Since we are having trouble with the rear-end braking loose in the corners, we want to adjust to correct that.

Starting Settings: Front: 30.31 / Rear: 24.51

Adjusted Settings: Front: 30.01 / Rear: 24.51

TIRES

Tire pressure directly translates the car's power to the track.

Starting Settings: Front: 30.0 / Rear: 30.0

Adjusted Settings: Front: 29.0 / Rear: 29.0

SPRINGS

Spring stiffness controls how the car's weight is transferred under acceleration, braking, and cornering.

Springs Starting Settings: Front: 799.4 / Rear: 827.2

Springs Adjusted Settings: Front: 800.4 / Rear: 825.2

Height Starting Settings: Front: 5.0 / Rear: 4.2

Height Adjusted Settings: Front: 4.6 / Rear: 3.8

Tune Adjustments Conclusion

First before I say anything else, you will notice that I adjusted three settings in one go - you should NOT do that. I did it because I knew what the effect would be. YOU on the other hand, should follow my example but do them one at a time, then TEST the results on the track, making a note of the Lap Time you get, and how the stability performance changes.

With that necessary point made, here is another - Tuning and the related Upgrade Process in this modern day racing simulation is very much like the art of Alchemy.

As recently as the late 19th Century Alchemy was still being practices and pursued by otherwise educated men and women all over the world - because science - pure science - was still awaiting advances in physics and materials to reach the point where the modern version came into existence.

What I mean by that is simple - from the late 19th Century going back 500 years well-educated and usually wealthy men (and later women) genuinely believed in concepts like matter transference and the manipulation of matter by applying power to it. Power in the form of chemicals and natural events such as lightning based electricity, heat, cold, and etc.

What these people did may sound pretty strange now, but believe it or not the more scientific of that lot actually contributed to the world's knowledge base and, more important, helped to usher in both the scientific method as a guide to research and discovery, and the more modern path that science took.

How they accomplished this was to apply logic to whatever problem they were working on, and their conscious choice to make their experiments small and incremental in order to record the smallest effects and changes.

They also chose as their research efforts experiments that were meant to solve problems - not just the attempt to transmogrify Lead into Gold mind you, but real problems. And that is JUST what we do when we Tune! I am just saying, keep to the rules, make your changes in small increments, and test them.

What we have accomplished here is to correct the fuzzy effects on stability while increasing the rate of speed we can take the corners at without the traction breaking. The results that we have obtained are actually pretty significant!

Tuning Interlude

We have now reached the point in the upgrades and Tuning where we are permitted to utilize the discretionary PI that remains on targeted upgrades. It is at this point that, in your Tuning Notebook, you should create an Entry titled as:

Alpha Tune

2009 Ferrari 458

Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Brickyard Circuit

S776 / 7.3 Speed / 6.1 Handling / 9.0 Acceleration / 6.1 Braking

We insert here ALL of the many settings values, so that we can re-create this Tune for this car pretty much any time that we need to since it is at this stage that the Tune can serve as the starting point for ANY of The Tracks and their circuits that is engineered with a Turn and Runs Ration that is similar to that of the Brickyard!

4 The Big Nugget

We are about to make a final and major addition to this car's capabilities and its setup - and here is the important part: IF we have done our job correctly this major increase in power should have absolutely zero impact in terms of Fuzzy Effects both UP or DOWN the Tuning Ladder.

You read this correctly. We are about to basically add 40 Raw Horse Power, which will considerably add to the top-end as well as slightly increase the bottom-end of the power plant, and there will be no effects worth mentioning in terms of our car stability or handling. Well, if we did this correctly that is. That is a major if, right?

Not so much really - because I know we did the build and tune adjustments correctly!

Here is the thing... As we complete this Project we are basically completing what is called a Beta Tune - it just happens to be a Beta Tune that suits the layout and challenges of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway's Brickyard Circuit!

Essentially what a Beta Tune is can be thought of as the entry-level configuration - or starting point - that you use to begin the process of creating a track-specific tune for ANY of the other tracks in the game...

So even while we have succeeded in creating the proper tune and configuration to allow the 2009 Ferrari 458 to dominate the Brickyard Circuit, we have also laid the groundwork for the process of configuring tunes for the rest of the circuits in the game, effectively creating the foundation tune for this car. Period.

That is a really good thing mates. You did good! So go find someone where you are and instruct them to complete the following gestures: IF they are MALE - they should pat you on the back and then shake your hand while repeating “Well done! Excellent job! Good on ya mate!”

If they are female and over the age of 35 they should briefly hug you, offer you some sort of baked goods as a reward, and say: “Well done! How about that you handsome fella! Excellent job!”

If they are female, under the age of 36 (but over the age of 18) and they are attractive and NOT related to you by blood or marriage, they should say: “Well done! How about that you handsome and exciting bloke!! What an excellent job!”

They should repeat that phrase several times, and when saying it they should also be hugging you intimately while brushing up against you with strategic body parts in such a way so that you are not certain that they are in fact coming on to you but it seems like they could be...

4a ENGINE > CAMSHAFT > Race Camshafts and Valves @ 4,200 Cr. (+11 PI for S787)

4a ENGINE > FLYWHEEL > Race Flywheel @ 2,400 Cr. (+3 PI for S790)

Brickyard Baseline Test Lap Times Pt. IV

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00:57:245 -- 3c Cumulative Changes up to the Group 3 Tune Changes

00:56:464 -- 4a Final Upgrades Base Lap

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Mod & Tune Details - Pt. IV Serious HP Adjustments

4a ENGINE > CAMSHAFT > Race Camshafts and Valves @ 4,200 Cr. (+11 PI for S787)

Significant Alterations: Power +40 HP

Stats: Speed 7.4 / Handling 6.1 / Acceleration 9.1 / Braking 6.1

Starting Class = S776 -- New Class = S787

Starting Weight = 3,213 LBS -- New Weight = 3,213 LBS

Starting Power = 582 HP -- New Power = 622 HP

Starting Lateral G's = 1.33 -- New Lateral G's = 1.33

4a ENGINE > FLYWHEEL > Race Flywheel @ 2,400 Cr. (+3 PI for S790)

Significant Alteration: -9 LBS Weight

Stats: Speed 7.4 / Handling 6.1 / Acceleration 9.1 / Braking 6.1

Starting Class = S787 -- New Class = S790

Starting Weight = 3,213 LBS -- New Weight = 3,204 LBS

Starting Power = 622 HP -- New Power = 622 HP

Starting Lateral G's = 1.33 -- New Lateral G's = 1.33

5. TUNE CONSIDERATIONS - A SUMMARY

It's really very important for you to note that when we started out we did so with a Stock consumer-based vehicle as our Project Car. We selected the car using several criteria, not the least being the Track that we contemplated Tuning it to address.

With the track chosen, and the car selected we then defined its status by generating Base Lap Times and our notes to explain the condition of the car on THIS track.

With that managed we began the process of bolting on very carefully considered upgrades, and then we began to Tune those based on the impact of Fuzzy Effect.

Ultimately we reached equilibrium, having created a stable and more important, a useful Upgraded and Tuned ride!

Our efforts resulted in success - bringing our PI Score to the high S700's without violating the hard limit of S800 - while at the same time leaving a small amount of PI leeway for changes we will need to make as we Tune in order to set up this car for other tracks.

We started out with a stock 2009 Ferrari 458 Italia (the starting stets are in the left-hand column of the table below) and we ended up with a nicely tuned and upgraded 2009 458 (the finished stats are in the right-hand column of the table below).

The table below serves three functions:

(1) It lists all upgrades we decided are required to make this specific car as effective as humanly possible for both Free Play and Multi-Player competition at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Brickyard Circuit.

(2) It Lists the Costs of each upgrade component and, at the bottom, totals the costs (including the cost of the car itself).

(3) It lists the Menu locations where each of the Line Items can be found and purchased.

So there you have it - the total cost to build a 2009 Ferrari 458 Italia for the Brickyard at Indianapolis worked out to just under 322K Credits. This car is now upgraded and Alpha-Tuned for any track that features 80% Straight 20% Corner/Turn layout plus/minus 10% with minimal Tuning adjustments.

For circuits using a different spread of the two primary track elements it will still come down to mostly Tuning. This car is not set up for reverse tracks with 80% Corner/Turns 20% Straight (plus / Minus 1-%) as for those you will need to begin the process all over with a stock car and upgrades that fit that combination of surfaces.

What you should do now is go into the Tune Menu and hit the Setup Manager Button (Start) and then select SAVE SETUP - and then save the file as "09Ferrari458-brickyard" (without the quotes). You can Save and Share it if you like 0 that will give other racers an opportunity to use your Tune - that is your call!