Guide for Pitstops

I needed this for the Club racers, posting it here too.
Here's something to read if pitstops are giving you problems.
Some items are covered twice here, that's OK, they're important.:

Pitstop Guide, modified from Nico Major's

Preparation
Make sure you have keyboard buttons assigned to necessary actions. Request pitstop (default '9'), pit menu (default '8'), pit menu up/down, increase/decrease value, toggle/confirm. If you only do one thing, make sure you have a CONFIRM button. Also assign a key to "Ignition" and"Starter" if you like. You need to go to Options/Controls and set keys or buttons for every action you want to control during a pitstop. Once you have everything set up, punching Menu Selection will get you a list with your pitstop preset menu with all the selected items for the stop highlighted in Green. Tire wear will be indicated there as a percentage.

Create pit menu presets. Especially for adding fuel, changing fuel amount in the pit menu takes a long time. It's a good idea to have presets for the planned stops and also for some thinkable emergency strategies.

Check that "Autopit" is turned off. I always have "Autopit" disabled because I do not trust it. There are some custom tracks where it does not work at all and there may be other issues like not stopping, not doing any work or not being able to continuing driving, although it works in general. The consensus is that it is bad and should not be used. At many tracks, mod and SimBin both, it can create problems Again - I have "Autopit" set to "Off".

The Pit Lane Speed Limiter. I don't use this either as it has given me problems. It will work fine in practice but I don't think it does the job in a race. In a race, your pit limiter will come on as soon as you cross the "threshold" which may be at the lights at pit in or it may be anywhere else along pit road. This will happen without you doing anything or even having or needing a PLSL button. Warmup is a good time to find out just where the limiter comes on. This limiter will not make sure you are down to speed when you hit the threshold but it will keep you below the speed limit once you have entered the pit at a speed below the threshold and keep you below the speed while in the pit. Entering the pit at too high a speed and coming down to the pit speed limit will get you a SnG. I have used the Pit Lane Speed Limiter and hit it prior to entering the pit and it will work fine. if you wait until the last second to hit the limiter, first you might not hit it in time and go into the pit over the limit or two, you hit it just as you enter the pit and turn off the automatic pit lane speed limiter and you climb up, above the pit speed limit.

Procedure during race
Request the pitstop as soon as you have passed the pit, this gives your crew time to prepare. If you would like to adjust something, call up the pit menu and do your changes. Make sure you position the selector over the last item in the pit menu when you are done (this will become the "Confirm" button) Rather than doing this on track there is usually time while on the limiter on pit road, though not a good idea if you're in the first pit box.

Be careful to enter the pit lane below the max allowed speed (usually 60 km/h) or you will get a SnG. The pit limiter will kick in automatically. Using the pit limiter button may create problems and a SnG, best to let the auto one do it's job, just make sure your speed is below the limit when you enter the pit. Turning the limiter on at the last second may not bring you down to speed, use your brakes. You can only get a SnG entering the pit!

Know that in RaceDepartment Race07 races, we have Auto Gears and Auto Clutch allowed, this means you don't have to use the clutch. Also, while in the pit there will be no contact between cars, no collisions so driving to your box is easy.

1)As soon as you cross the pit entry the menu will pop up if you haven't already brought it up. Confirm your settings in the pit menu. Do not forget this or your crew won't start working!

2)Drive to your pit and stop where the arrow is pointing down (needs some practice). Leave in 1st gear.

3)Refueling will happen first, during refueling your engine is switched off. As soon as you are lifted up to get your tires changed hit the button you assigned for "Ignition", then hit the "starter" button. This will start your engine. Do not hit the button twice, you will be turning the ignition off. The motor can be started once refueling has been completed. If you do not have an ignition or starter button programmed the motor will start but at only after a few seconds of sitting still.The important thing is to have the motor running when the car comes off the jacks. If you don't start it yourself while still on the jacks, you have to wait longer in the pit.

4)Bring rpm's up and wait until you are released, a two tire change takes about 7-8 seconds, a four tire 13-17. Adding fuel or making repairs could add much more time to a stop, ask yourself if the suspension damage is really worth spending time repairing!

Be careful on exit. (Also other cars on the start-finish straight should be careful during pit stop phases. Name tags could serve as a kind of early-warning system.)

Set up everything and do some tests and practice. You can only do a full pit stop and return to track when in P1, P2 or Race, practicing in any other session than P1 or P2 will put you in the garage once you enter your pit box.

To help determine when and what to get done during a stop a very useful tool is "xd". Find it here! It gives a lot of information on tires, fuel, position and times that make life as a driver easier.

Good luck!
 
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I tried setting up 4 different pit stop plans, but they only appear in certain catergories . Do I need to do this for each catergory , in this case nothing showed up in RS4 last night but it did in mini & touring car.

Damo
 

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