The GP4 Car Setup and Handling Thread

Hello Everybody

I've searched the forum and found no threads about car setups, handling issues and the more race-ish aspects of the game, so I thought it would be a nice idea to have a topic where we could exchange experiences, tips, setups, etc.

The important thing is to always specify if you are using keyboard or a wheel to play, since the setups and car handling are different for both, the thack, season set and the physics set you are playing with, along with diffuculty settings.

Since I came up with the idea, let me start:

- I'm a keyboard user (temporarily) and started playing a 2009 season with 2009 physics in Ace Level. I found a good setup for Melbourne, qualifying 2nd and finishing 1st with a 2-stop strategy (100% race distance), but I'm having problems in Sepang. My car is locking the front wheels too much under braking and I lose too much time in sector 2. I have changed brake balance to the rear, but then the car oversteers a lot under braking and turning. Increasing downforce loses me too much to speed in the straights...I can do one pretty quick lap (pole position level) but it's hard to stay consistent...
Have anyone found a good balance for malaysia 2009?

Thanks

I use a (bad) wheel, but I am lazy, and just ususally use the setup that was included in a 2009 physics set with some small modifications

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X (@ed24f1)

jucksman Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hello Everybody
>
> I've searched the forum and found no threads about
> car setups, handling issues and the more race-ish
> aspects of the game, so I thought it would be a
> nice idea to have a topic where we could exchange
> experiences, tips, setups, etc.
>
> The important thing is to always specify if you
> are using keyboard or a wheel to play, since the
> setups and car handling are different for both,
> the thack, season set and the physics set you are
> playing with, along with diffuculty settings.
>
> Since I came up with the idea, let me start:
>
> - I'm a keyboard user (temporarily) and started
> playing a 2009 season with 2009 physics in Ace
> Level. I found a good setup for Melbourne,
> qualifying 2nd and finishing 1st with a 2-stop
> strategy (100% race distance), but I'm having
> problems in Sepang. My car is locking the front
> wheels too much under braking and I lose too much
> time in sector 2. I have changed brake balance to
> the rear, but then the car oversteers a lot under
> braking and turning. Increasing downforce loses me
> too much to speed in the straights...I can do one
> pretty quick lap (pole position level) but it's
> hard to stay consistent...
> Have anyone found a good balance for malaysia
> 2009?
>
> Thanks

Have you tried increasing the wings and reducing the ride height? Or are you at your lowest ride height possible? Also, what are your suspension and diff settings? I've got quite a sweet setup for Sepang, but it's using a wheel so probably wouldn't be much help to you.

I have front locking problems all the time, I've no idea how to stop it from locking since even with small amounts of brake pressure and very rearward bias, they still lock... It's an ongoing frustration that I simply drive around since I haven't found a fix (I think it's some kind of game setting/physics issue).

I decreased ride height and increased dampers, now the car is really good in Sepang. I had a little difficulty because it was my first time with 2009 physics and torque, but now I'm getting the hang of it.

My new challenge now is Shanghai 2009. I'm improving the setup, but still 0.8 behind the fastest time...

Cheers

bazil83 schrieb:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have front locking problems all the time, I've
> no idea how to stop it from locking since even
> with small amounts of brake pressure and very
> rearward bias, they still lock... It's an ongoing
> frustration that I simply drive around since I
> haven't found a fix (I think it's some kind of
> game setting/physics issue).


The same here. I played GP4 with keyboard for years and never found a solution to make the tires not lock. I tried all kinds if different setups, without any success. In the end I thought it was because of the fact that you can't control the strength of braking. But even with my new racing wheel and brake pedal it's the same. I manage to not lock the tires by breaking very soft and only half the way of the pedal. But this costs so much time, that it's not useful. Therefore I prefer to push like hell, damage my tires 5 rounds earlier but be a lot faster on the whole race distance anyway. Nevertheless you're right, it's a bit frustrating. I think it's a kind of general bug in the game.


GPGSL : Team Owner of 'Maverick Track Performance' (MTP)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/24/2010 01:34PM by JohnMaverick.

Yes, I think it's rooted in the game code. But even with tires locking from time to time, I still prefer GP4 over any modern simulator...

Front tyres locking is not a bug but just the result of another finely simulated element of GP4: BRAKING.
In real F1, under braking, as speed decreases, downforce decreases too and front tyres get to lock.
So drivers start braking with applying full pressure -100%- on pedal and towards the end of braking action, they lift off little by little the foot from the pedal to avoid locking the front tyres.
This is something you can try to do in GP4 and you 'll see then the front tyres not locking.
But it's just another case that "talking" is easier than "doing".
I can not brake this way correctly in every corner of every lap and drive the best lap times.
Some times it's done perfectly but in most cases it's not and I usually lock the front tyres too.


_________________________
some of my GP4 works ...

Thanks, Cyberacer. It's kind of hard apliying the right ammount of pressure playing with keyboard. Maybe I won't lock up the tires too much when I buy a proper wheel.

@ jucksman:
You said it just right.
Only with a wheel and pedals you may try not to lock the wheels.
With keyboard you may apply only 100% or 0% braking.

_________________________
some of my GP4 works ...

Like Jacques Villeneuve in real life...laughs

anyone has a good setup for phoenix with the 1991 mod?

Kimi forever!

Sorry, I'm not playing the 91 mod right now, but I could give it a go and at least provide you with a base setup...

Using the 2009 Physics V2, can anyone give me wet weather setup tips?

I haven't had any wet races so far in 2009, but usually what you have to do is:
1. Increase downforce
2. Increse car height
3. Change brake bias towards the rear to keep front wheels from locking up
4. Shorten the gears a little (specially 2nd and 3rd) for better traction.
That if you are expecting to rain for the entire race or practice. If the rain is supposed to stop mid-race, you should go for a compromise setup to try and be fast both in the wet and dry conditions.
If it's monaco, you should also pray a little before the race...laughs...

Thanks, do you increase the diff?

Actually, I decrease it a little to reduce rear tyres lockup under deceleration..It reduces oversteer in the wet.

The advice on the setup screen says that increasing it reduces locking up / increases traction at a cost of increasing understeer?

Do you also soften the suspension?

soft as possible for wet set. Also play with ride height to low is not good in the wet What track and what weather conditions are you trying, I might do some laps to compare for you?

Sepang (from 2007 trackpack)

Getting high speed understeer even though I've got much more front wing than rear, and really struggling to get the car around turn 3

You are having understeer because you got more front wing than rear. For 2009 physics, you should go for more rear pressure (I.E: rear wing higher than front wing by one or two points) because the 2009 cars are more twitchy in the rear. That goes for dry and wet. Also, Fergy is right: you must try to keep the car as soft as possible for the wet conditions..