I'm facing a lot of suspension damage on my races (I like to race open wheel cars). Sometimes an AI opponent slightly touches my car and I get a suspension damage (AI seems to get none). I would like to know what are the effects of that kind of damage, because on my last race I noticed that my lap times were considerably slower after the suspension gets damaged. The car tended to slide on fast turns, even when using new tires (I was racing with a Tattus F-4 on Spa). Does the car get really slower and unbalanced?
I didn't have any problem on straights as the steering wheel seemed to be perfectly aligned with the wheels, but car was sliding when turning (that may be related to some setup adjustment). So my question is related to how suspension damage is modeled and how it affects the car behavior depending on the damage level. Sorry if was not specific in my question. Also, AI cars don't seem to get suspension damage, even when they hit my car and cause me a damage. It seems unfair to me. Bottom line: I just would like to understand how suspension damage works and what are its effects depending on the level of the damage.
well, suspension doesnt' only make sure the wheels point in the right direction, they also make sure the wheels keep contact to the track. And remember, open wheelers don't weigh anything. on those car's you can actually see wheels being in the air if damage is heavy. so with slight damage on the suspension, you might not get any problems on straights, but when weight is shifted to left or right. and sadly, it's a known issue AI doesn't get damage so easy, maybe no heavy damage at all.