F1 2012 7th Gear

[Chris]

I've been in constant compromise mode with my 7th gear ratio.

I cannot make it too short, because then i suffer in qualifying, and will struggle to overtake in the race with DRS.

And i cant make it too long because then i just cant accelerate fast enough in 7th without DRS and only end up getting to about 280kph on the main straight, and the AI will eat me for breakfast.

It's been bothering me because in real life, and in F1 2011, you can get up to 300kph easily (depending on the track) without the aid of DRS. But in F1 2012, it seems that on most of the tracks, (minus Spa, Monza) i cant get anywhere near 300kph without my DRS.

So i tried changing the Aero of the car, and that helped some. But it gets to the point where you've moved the rear and front wings as far left (1/1) as possible, and then you can go faster in a straight line, but you then can't take corners too well because you've got next to no aerodynamic grip.

I cannot find any decent middle ground. And i've been testing my setups for quite some time.

 

[Chris]

Also, for Bahrain, as i have just completed that race in Career, i spent a long time optimizing the setup for my Force India. Spent quite a while getting the 7th gear right, so that i wasnt losing too much top speed verses 7th gear torque. Maxed out at 302kph on the main straight. IRL they're doing about 307-315kph with DRS activated.

 

[franqito10]

I'm not an expert in set ups, but what I do know is that while watching your video, I noticed that you are entering that last corner a little too slow and that your 4th and 5th might be too low. The 7th also should be higher
Something like this:
Gear 1: 127 kph
Gear 2: 158 kph
Gear 3: 185 kph
Gear 4: 217 kph
Gear 5: 247 kph
Gear 6: 286 kph
Gear 7: 321 kph

You'll be on the rev limiter but right before entering the corner not at mid straight.

Hope it helps

 

[Chris]

THan

I'm not an expert in set ups, but what I do know is that while watching your video, I noticed that you are entering that last corner a little too slow and that your 4th and 5th might be too low. The 7th also should be higher
Something like this:
Gear 1: 127 kph
Gear 2: 158 kph
Gear 3: 185 kph
Gear 4: 217 kph
Gear 5: 247 kph
Gear 6: 286 kph
Gear 7: 321 kph

You'll be on the rev limiter but right before entering the corner not at mid straight.

Hope it helps

Thanks for the tips franqito10!

But the problem is that if I set the 7th gear too long, then the torque is too low, and when i dont have DRS on the straight i wont be able to get to a very high speed.

 

[Alberto Casado]

You might consider recording with other camera when you ask this type of questions. With this one it is hard to see the gear, and impossible to see the revs you reach before shifting.

Maybe you could keep on 6th a bit longer, so you land in 7th with higher revs. But as I cannot really see how early or late you are shifting, you may be doing it OK already.

(And I am amazed that anybody could feel comfortable to drive with it, but go figure).

 

[Chris]

You might consider recording with other camera when you ask this type of questions. With this one it is hard to see the gear, and impossible to see the revs you reach before shifting.

Maybe you could keep on 6th a bit longer, so you land in 7th with higher revs. But as I cannot really see how early or late you are shifting, you may be doing it OK already.

(And I am amazed that anybody could feel comfortable to drive with it, but go figure).

Oh sorry, i dont drive with that view, i drive with cockpit view, sorry about that.

That video was just for replay. But i seem to have found the perfect balance at bahrain and Catalunya now.

It's taking me a while to set the car up for this game, but im getting better at it now.


Thanks for the tips guys.

 

[gallagheri]

I'm suffering the same thing. I think I will opt to hit the rev with DRS rather than going at 280KPH only without it. In japan they ate me alive!

 

[Mike Partington]

Gears are a compromise for qualifying and race. If you are doing short races set for a better qualifying position and if doing longer 50%-100% races then set for the race as you can gain several tenths a lap. It't not just 7th gear though, it is all of them. Too long a gear and with heavy fuel you will suffer in the traction zones.

I usually opt for almost hitting the rev limiter with rich fuel but without DRS. I find myself making setups for races this year as I mostly do 100%. Obviously in a competitive field you can't compromise on qualifying too much or you will just lose the time at the start of the race that you would have made with a better race setup.

Sometimes though like in Korea I max out at 327 KPH which is like 10KPH slower than some of the other people I was racing with but I was faster in S1 with a 34.0. In India I max out at 329 KPH and can still put in 40.0 S1. Its not all about top speed. This is on PC.

 

[Chris]

I usually opt for almost hitting the rev limiter with rich fuel but without DRS. I find myself making setups for races this year as I mostly do 100%. Obviously in a competitive field you can't compromise on qualifying too much or you will just lose the time at the start of the race that you would have made with a better race setup.

Good point, but for me, im driving in the Force India, and when i dont have DRS in the race, i just get demolished on the straight if i have a longer 7th gear. So i usually put the 7th gear about 2-3 clicks left from the 6th gear (depending on the track).

For me personally, i prefer to have a bit more of a "punchy 7th gear" (as Brundle likes to say).

 

[Roberto Costa]

Also, for Bahrain, as i have just completed that race in Career, i spent a long time optimizing the setup for my Force India. Spent quite a while getting the 7th gear right, so that i wasnt losing too much top speed verses 7th gear torque. Maxed out at 302kph on the main straight. IRL they're doing about 307-315kph with DRS activated.

Force India have a bad acceleration. Im using it on an online league and i really hate the car.

Try setting the 6 gear higher and gear 7 lower. Like 6th - 275 7th 305
It helps, at least for me, looks like gear 7 is the worst problem of FI. While its the best in top speed, it lacks downforce and acceleration.

But, anyway, its bad this year. Looks like wasn't able to do something more realistic so the DRS does a great impact because downforce is too high. I really wish that could be like IRL something like 300kph without DRS and 315 with DRS, but this just doesn't work, and as you said, is very hard to find a good middle ground. Even if its going to compromise my qualy, i try to use a shorter gear ratio with a lower top speed and the downforce as low as possible without compromising my turn ability.

 

[Tomás Lagos]

I've been in constant compromise mode with my 7th gear ratio.

I cannot make it too short, because then i suffer in qualifying, and will struggle to overtake in the race with DRS.

And i cant make it too long because then i just cant accelerate fast enough in 7th without DRS and only end up getting to about 280kph on the main straight, and the AI will eat me for breakfast.

It's been bothering me because in real life, and in F1 2011, you can get up to 300kph easily (depending on the track) without the aid of DRS. But in F1 2012, it seems that on most of the tracks, (minus Spa, Monza) i cant get anywhere near 300kph without my DRS.

So i tried changing the Aero of the car, and that helped some. But it gets to the point where you've moved the rear and front wings as far left (1/1) as possible, and then you can go faster in a straight line, but you then can't take corners too well because you've got next to no aerodynamic grip.

I cannot find any decent middle ground. And i've been testing my setups for quite some time.

This game is different than the preceding ones. Try using 1-1 wing. I know that 90% of all records are registered with 1-1 wing. I utilize 1-1 at most tracks and I'm 1 second off the records.

 

[ENDR]

Also, you can't forget about a good exit from the corner right before the straight - every km/h you lose in that corner, you need to make up by accelerating on the straight and at the same time the highest speed you have on the exit, the sooner you'll reach your top speed, or reach higher one.