Car setup tips

Discussion in 'Setup Information (Under Construction)' started by Alex Hodgkinson, Dec 7, 2020.

  1. Alex Hodgkinson

    Alex Hodgkinson KW Studios Developer

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    This is a copy and paste of the setup tips displayed on the right hand side in the garage menu.

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    #BrakeBias
    Used to maximise braking efficiency. This describes how much pressure is applied to the front verses the rear brakes. Braking performance peaks when tyres are close to locking up, so this adjustment is used to ensure front and rear brakes are being used efficiently. Increase front bias if the rear of the car is unstable, suddenly spins or rear tyres lock when braking or at turn entry. Reduce front bias when front tyres lock up during braking zones and corner entries.

    #BrakePressure
    Increases or decreases total braking power. Useful when desired braking behaviour cannot be attained through adjusting brake bias. Reducing the brake pressure by a few percent can help to reduce locking up, but the trade-off is less overall brake power.


    #FuelQuantity
    The amount of fuel in the tank. Each litre adds around 0.75kg to the car and fuel tanks are rarely placed at the cars centre of gravity. Therefore adding fuel may have a considerable effect on the balance of the car. Ensure to test your car with a full fuel load before race time to avoid any unexpected balance issues.


    #TyreCompound
    Compound refers to the makeup of the rubber the tyre tread is made of. Softer compounds will give more grip and faster lap times whereas harder compounds are slower but will last longer. In many race series the tyre compound is often controlled by the organisers.


    #SteeringAngle

    This is set to match the real cars range by default. Decreasing this value means the front wheels will steer more slowly for a given steering input, whereas increasing will speed up how fast the front wheels steer. A greater angle will allow you to negotiate tight turns more easily, but can make it easier to over-react to slides.


    #SteeringLock

    This is set to match the real cars steering range by default. Increasing this value means the front wheels will steer more slowly for a given steering input while decreasing will speed up how fast the front wheels steer. Faster steering will allow you to negotiate tight turns more easily, but can make it easier to over-react to slides.




    #FFBMultiplier
    Individual force feedback multiplier for each car. Increase if the steering forces are not strong enough, decrease if they are too strong.

    #AntiRollBarFront
    #AntiRollBarRear

    Or sway bars, these are transversely mounted springs used primarily to tune a car’s balance and resist body roll during cornering. They also help in controlling camber in corners and are used to manage tyre loads.
    Increasing the anti-roll bar stiffness at one end of the car will mean more load is transferred to the outside tyre at that end. This will result in a more stable and responsive axle, although it will also have less grip.
    Softer anti-roll bars will make for a more compliant suspension but it will be less responsive.

    #ToeInFront
    #ToeInRear

    Toe-in is when the front of the tyre is pointing towards the centreline of the car. When negative, (toe-out), the front of the tyre is pointing away from the centreline of the car. It is normal to have a small amount of toe out at the front, to aid turn-in and a small amount of toe in on the rear to aid straight-line stability.
    Toe-out will produce corner-entry oversteer and reduce straight line stability, whereas toe-in will do the opposite and increase turn-in understeer and increase stability.

    #Downforce

    Aerodynamic devices add load which pushes the car into the track and increases with speed. Increasing this value will also add drag to the car, which will reduce top speed.

    Increase if the front of the car becomes lighter, less responsive and harder to turn as speed increases.
    Decrease if the front of the car becomes unstable and hard to control at high speed.


    #SpringsFrontLeft
    #SpringsFrontRight
    #SpringsRearLeft
    #SpringsRearRight


    Springs control how much the suspension is able to move and are used to optimise the tyres contact with the road surface. The lower the spring rate, the more body will move when accelerating, braking, cornering and when downforce builds.

    Soften the springs if car is too responsive, overheating it’s tyres and is difficult over uneven surfaces.
    Stiffen the springs if the car is unresponsive, hard to keep heat in tyres, requires excessive camber to give desired handling and is bottoming out.



    #TyrePressureFrontLeft
    #TyrePressureFrontRight
    #TyrePressureRearLeft
    #TyrePressureRearRight


    It’s best to use the tyre info section at the bottom left side of the setup screen to help tune tyre pressures, comparing the inside, middle and outside temperatures.
    Increasing pressures will cause the tyre tread profile to shape into a dome and make the centre of the tyre run hotter. Decreasing pressures will increase temperatures at the sides of the tyre as the sidewalls take more of the load.
    Aim to match the middle temperature to the average of the inside and outside of the tyre so that the tyres are being used most effectively.













    #RideHeightFrontLeft
    #RideHeightFrontRight


    Changes the height above ground of the lowest point between the front wheels.

    Adjustments here can affect aerodynamics, weight distribution and suspension behaviour.
    In cars with aerodynamic devices, lowering the front can give more front downforce but increase drag. However, going too low can cause grounding out and downforce loss.
    Lowering the front will also help to move weight distribution towards the front of the car, but will also lower the front roll centre, which will make the steering less responsive.

    Minimising the front-rear ride height difference will also help to reduce drag.



    #RideHeightRearLeft
    #RideHeightRearRight


    Changes the height above ground of the lowest point between the rear wheels. Adjustments here can affect aerodynamics, weight distribution and suspension behaviour.

    In cars with flat floors, underbody tunnels and diffusers the rear ride height can be used to tune aerodynamic balance. Too high or low and the downforce levels can be drastically reduced. Minimising the front-rear ride height difference will also help to reduce drag.

    Lowering the rear ride height will also help to move the weight distribution towards the rear of the car, but will also lower the rear roll centre. This can introduce more body roll to the rear of the car and stop the rear tyres from being used effectively.



    #CamberFrontLeft

    #CamberFrontRight

    #CamberRearLeft

    #CamberFront

    Camber defines where the top of the tyre is pointing relative to the bottom when viewed from the front or behind. When this value is negative, the tops of the tyres are pointing inwards, towards the centre of the car.

    Camber is used to compensate for body roll, and to make use of camber thrust, which is an increase of lateral grip due to a slightly tilted wheel. The trade-off is an increase of tyre heat, wear, and reduced grip when acceleration or braking.
    Use the tyre info section at the left side of the setup screen to tune. When increasing negative camber the inside tyre temperatures will rise and the outside temperatures will fall. Aim for the inside temperatures to be between 5 and 10 degrees hotter than the outside temperatures in order to make optimal use of the tyres.




    #BumpFrontLeft

    #BumpFrontRight

    #BumpRearLeft

    #BumpRearRight

    Dampers control how quickly the suspension is able to move and is used to optimise the tyre contact with the road surface. Also known as compression damping, this setting refers to low speed damping, which is used to tune body movement in pitch, roll and heave. It affects transient conditions, such as when entering a corner. Bump damping refers to when the wheels are moving up in the wheel arch, for example the front wheels during heavy braking.

    Increasing this value will increase the responsiveness of the car and enable it to change direction more quickly, but too much or too little will reduce mechanical grip and can result in a car which is unpredictable.

    It’s advisable to increase both bump and rebound when spring rates are increased, and vice versa. This can also be increased or decreased to manage tyre temperatures.



    #ReboundFrontLeft

    #ReboundFrontRight

    #ReboundRearLeft

    #ReboundRearRight

    Dampers control how quickly the suspension is able to move and is used to optimise the tyre contact with the road surface.

    Also known as droop damping, this setting is active when the wheels are dropping down in the wheel arch, for example the front wheels during heavy accelerating. It affects transient conditions, such as when entering a corner and is used to tune body movement in pitch, roll and heave.
    It’s advisable to increase both bump and rebound when spring rates are increased, and vice versa. This can also be increased or decreased to manage tyre temperatures. If a car is unstable over crests, try reducing rebound.




    #FastBumpFrontLeft

    #FastBumpFrontRight

    #FastBumpRearLeft

    #FastBumpRearRight

    Fast, or high-speed damping controls the suspension travel over uneven surfaces such as curbs. This setting controls how quickly the wheel is allowed to travel upwards upon contacting a bump.

    If this value is set too high, bumps will not be absorbed sufficiently, and the car will jolt upwards and become unstable over curbs. If set too low, the car may also become unstable, and the suspension will quickly use up it’s available travel over simultaneous bumps, known as jacking-down.































    #FastReboundFrontLeft

    #FastReboundFrontRight

    #FastReboundRearLeft

    #FastReboundRearRight

    Fast, or high-speed damping controls the suspension travel over uneven surfaces such as curbs. This setting controls how quickly the wheel is allowed to return downwards after negotiating a bump.

    If this value is set too high, the suspension will not be able to return to its natural position quickly enough and may therefore run out of travel, known as jacking-down. If set too low, the car will oscillate over uneven surfaces.



    #SpringsFrontThird

    Also known as heave springs, these are used almost exclusively by high-end prototypes and single seaters. They add an extra vertical resistance to loads and are used to control ride height in high-downforce race cars in order to make optimal use of their aerodynamics. Third springs allow for softer normal springs to be used on each corner and can be used to change the rake angle of the car at speed in order to reduce drag.

    Increase spring rate if the car is running too low or bottoming out at high speed, or if the nose of the car is scraping the ground during heavy braking.

    Reduce spring rate if the car is sitting too high off the ground at high speed.



    #SpringsRearThird

    Also known as heave springs, these are used almost exclusively by high-end prototypes and single seaters. They add an extra vertical resistance to loads and are used to control ride height in high-downforce race cars in order to make optimal use of their aerodynamics. Third springs allow for softer normal springs to be used on each corner and can be used to change the rake angle of the car at speed in order to reduce drag.

    Increase spring rate if the car is running too low or bottoming out at high speed, or if the rear of the car is scraping the ground during hard acceleration.

    Reduce spring rate if the car is sitting too high off the ground at high speed.



    #BumpFrontThird

    #BumpRearThird

    How quickly the third spring is allowed to compress when activated. Used for fine adjustment of the car’s ride height behaviour during accelerating, braking and while under high aerodynamic loads.

    If this value is too high, the main road springs will instead be compressed, which may result in the car scraping the ground. If set too low, the car will oscillate over uneven surfaces or at high speed, known as pourposing.



    #ReboundFrontThird

    #ReboundRearThird

    How quickly the third spring is allowed to return back after being compressed. Used for fine adjustment of the car’s ride height behaviour during accelerating, braking and while under high aerodynamic loads.

    If this value is set too high, the suspension will not be able to return to its natural position quickly enough and may therefore run out of travel, known as jacking-down. If set too low, the car will oscillate over uneven surfaces or at high speed, known as pourposing.















    #FastBumpFrontThird

    #FastBumpRearThird

    Controls how quickly the third spring is allowed to move over bumps which affect both front or both rear wheels together.

    If this value is set too high, bumps will not be absorbed sufficiently, and the car will jolt upwards and become unstable over bumps. If set too low, the car may also become unstable, and the suspension will quickly use up it’s available travel over simultaneous bumps, known as jacking-down.



    #FastReboundFrontThird

    #FastReboundRearThird

    Controls how quickly the third spring is allowed to return after moving over bumps which affect both front or both rear wheels together.

    If this value is set too high, the suspension will not be able to return to its natural position quickly enough and may therefore run out of travel, known as jacking-down. If set too low, the car will oscillate over uneven surfaces.



    #WingAngle

    Wings push the car down into the track, generating downforce by accelerating the air flowing underneath them. The rear wing generates a large proportion of the car’s downforce, so adjusting it can be used to adapt the car to slow or high speed circuits. More downforce can be used on tighter circuits as increasing drag is less of a penalty.

    Increase this value when driving on tighter twisty circuits to increase corner speed.

    Decrease this value when driving on circuits with long straights to increase top speed.


    #TcPreset1

    #TcPreset2

    #TcPreset3

    #TcPreset4

    #TcPreset5

    #TcPreset6

    Traction control cuts engine ignition temporarily in order to reduce engine power and stop driven wheels from spinning.

    Each setting defines the maximum throttle cut, in percent, allowed for that setting.

    Increase value for more traction control cut.
    Decrease for less traction control cut.


    #RevLimit
    Absolute upper limit for engine revs, usually stipulated by balance of performance. May be decreased to improve reliability and fuel use. Sometimes it may be adjusted to allow optimal use of the engine’s torque curve.



    #1stGear

    #2ndGear

    #3rdGear

    #4thGear

    #5thGear

    #6thGear

    #7thGear

    After leaving the engine, torque arrives at the gearbox, which is designed to make optimal use of the engine’s torque curve using gears to keep the engine in the ideal rev range.

    A higher ratio will allow for faster acceleration in that gear, but will limit top speed.

    A lower ratio will have the opposite effect.



    #FinalGear

    The final bit of gearing between the transmission and the driven wheels, which usually consists of a crownwheel and pinion inside the differential.

    A higher final drive ratio will supply more torque to the rear wheels, but will limit top speed.

    A lower final drive ratio will allow for a higher top speed.



    #DifferentialPower

    A limited-slip race car differential is comprised of clutch plates which are pushed together under different conditions in order to lock the wheels together and provide optimal traction.

    This setting changes how much of the locking force of the differential is applied during acceleration. Too much locking here can make the car understeer out of turns and snappy.
    Increase this value if the car spins the inside wheel coming out of turns.





    #DifferentialCoast

    A limited-slip race car differential is comprised of clutch plates which are pushed together under different conditions in order to lock the wheels together and provide optimal traction.

    This setting changes how much of the locking force of the differential is applied when the throttle pedal is lifted.
    Increase if the car is unstable when off the power, decrease if the car is hard to turn, especially while negotiating tight corners.



    #DifferentialPreload

    How much torque difference between the left and right driven wheels needs to be met until a wheel speed difference is allowed. Until then the axle is locked solid. This setting increases the amount of locking between the left and right driven wheels.

    Increase if the car is unstable into and out of turns, and spins the inside driven wheel when exiting corners.
    Reduce if the car is hard to turn in and is snappy when it’s wheels are spinning.



    #EngineMap

    At higher settings the



    #EngineBrakeMap – Call this idle throttle, unit given in “clicks”
     
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  2. Vale

    Vale Well-Known Member

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    Steering lock description appears to still be wrong. Lock should be how many degrees the car front wheels can turn either direction and angle is how direct your racing wheel is e.g. smaller angle means less turns of the wheel from lock to lock so more direct but if lock is too low it won´t help you go round a hairpin without a three point turn.
     
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  3. Ricardo Soares

    Ricardo Soares Member

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    I can't change gear ratios of the cars. Is this setup fixed for all cars?
     
  4. BeefMcQueen

    BeefMcQueen Well-Known Member Beta tester

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    Which cars have you tried so far? Some classes or specific cars just don't allow for adjusting the gear ratios. On some you're free to change every single gear, on others only the final drive, though. Depends on what is allowed or possible for that specific car in its real life racing series. But there might also be servers with a fixed setup, so you're not allowed to change anything besides brake balance and traction control, when racing on one of those.

    Oli
     
    Last edited: Dec 23, 2020
  5. Ricardo Soares

    Ricardo Soares Member

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    Silhouette, CR1, Audi TT 2015, P1.
     
  6. BeefMcQueen

    BeefMcQueen Well-Known Member Beta tester

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    Well, all the ones you mentioned have fixed gear ratios for the individual gears, at least with the P1s you can set the final drive.
     
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  7. Ricardo Soares

    Ricardo Soares Member

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    I see. Thanks. That'll help.
     
  8. Maskerader

    Maskerader Well-Known Member

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    All these angles appear to create a lot of confusion for players, and I'm not talking about R3E specifically. What makes it even more complicated is that your steering wheel angle is something you'd rather set up for your wheel (= belongs to game settings or even driver settings) while steering lock is something you'd rather set up for each car separately (= belongs to car setup). But they directly interact with each other so if you're unhappy and trying to change these values to match your personal tastes, you'd want to have it all one place instead of jumping through two or even three different places (car setup, game setup, driver setup).

    I think the most open, although unusual, solution would be to have a separate setup page in the game, that would have a diagram and information, something like that:
    steering angles guide.jpg

    - but also interactive, to some extent: you change setting right there, and see how it affects your front wheel angles, your steering wheel angles and your in-car virtual steering wheel angles.
     
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  9. Vale

    Vale Well-Known Member

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    Good idea, a bit like the setup screen on wheel software?
    One thing I don´t get is why default lock on keyboard is always 8 whereas for wheels it is double or more. If I put it up to 16 then the car goes slower as there is more scrub but on 8 or so hairpins are a problem.
     
  10. Maskerader

    Maskerader Well-Known Member

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    15-16 is about what they have in real life, as far as I know. For keyboard that'd be too much, at least for my taste, and I welcome the devs' decision to make this value much lower for keyboard: other sims tend to feel too twitchy and imprecise compared to R3E.

    Maybe setting the default value to 10 degrees will solve hairpin issues? While still being quite smooth.
     
  11. Vale

    Vale Well-Known Member

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    Yes. I use 9 or max 10 on tracks like Norisring to avoid looking like Austin Powers with his electric mini truck!
    What I don´t get is why the car goes slower even in a straight line with more lock on keys and with wheels there isn´t the same issue.
     
  12. Maskerader

    Maskerader Well-Known Member

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    I'd guess the exit speed is compromised because of too much steering angle and too fast steering/return because of that.
     
  13. Vale

    Vale Well-Known Member

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    So much as to be slower by 7 seconds a lap around Sepang in a Silhouette than with minimum lock, though? I wonder if anyone who uses a wheel has the same issue between minimum and maximum lock.
     
  14. Maskerader

    Maskerader Well-Known Member

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    As an occasional wheel user I can say that for me: 1) 8 degrees is definitely too low for some tight corners (like Hockenheim's hairpin), just like on keyboard; 2) if I set steering lock too high, the steering becomes too fast and I have troubles adapting to that (thankfully I don't need to). But that's it. You don't steer all the way to lock, like on keyboard, you only steer as much as your car needs.
     
    Last edited: Feb 20, 2021